CORL: Tales from an Alternate RWBYverse

by socalcynick

CORL follows a new team of Hunters as they graduate from Beacon Academy and begin their careers as professional monster hunters. Their lives are full of action, adventure, and comedy, but they have to deal with social, economic, and personal issues as they grow into adults in an increasingly dangerous world.

CORL: Tales from an Alternate RWBYverse

By Nick Simmons

(c) 2020

Graduation Day 3

Teamwork 16

Going Home 27

Huge Tracts of Land 43

Beach Trip 59

Change Can Be Good... Right? 67

I Don't Think They Exist 85

Naga Stole My Girls 103

That's Not Funny 118

Crystals Are a Girl's Best Friend 132

Tournament part 1 149

Tournament part 2 160

Tournament part 3 174

Through the Cracks 189

Hunting the Hunters 204

Prey 218

Graduation Day

Team CORL assembled at the mouth of a narrow canyon next to Brenda, Beacon's head combat instructor. Each of them had passed their written exams and individual combat exam. Now, their team combat final was about to begin.

Brenda raised an eyebrow at the team. "Are you all ready? Anything you need to go over? Last minute plans to make?"

Cinnamon smirked. "No need. We're ready."

"Really? You sat around watching television all morning."

"You told us the location last week, and this canyon system houses mostly griffons, gargoyles, and rock vipers. We've spent the last three days drilling against all three, so yes. I can safely say that we're ready." Cinnamon winked at rest of the team, then led them into the canyon.

As the team strolled nonchalantly toward the last fight of their Academy life, Brenda glared at the back of Cinnamon's head. "I really hate that woman."

After a couple of minutes, they finally met their monstrous targets. "What the hell is that?"

"That, Rose, is an absolute crap-load of gargoyles. Guns out, ladies. Let's get to work." Cinnamon emptied both of her submachine guns into the oncoming horde, then converted them to scimitars and started dancing through the horde, carving up gargoyles while grinning like a madwoman. Flashes of light triggered from her body as she massacred the little stone monsters, blinding them while increasing her speed with each kill.

"No problem. Gargoyles are slow and clumsy. Even the little ones." Orchid waited a couple of seconds, then circled left around the gunfire while flinging shuriken and knives. She then met the charging horde with a double jump kick and a combination of punches, kicks, and elbows, before snagging a gargoyle out of the air, riding it to the ground in a full nelson, and breaking both of its arms.

"Show-off." Rose emptied her automatic shotgun into the horde, then bashed and bayoneted a few more. One latched onto her arm as she reloaded, so she knocked it out with a head-butt and resumed firing.

Within seconds, most of the gargoyles were reduced to lifeless chunks of rock and dust. Cinnamon took a quick look up and down the canyon. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine. But where's Lavender?"

Orchid smiled and pointed up. "Where do you think?"

Lavender leaped from the side of the cliff, landing on an oversized gargoyle. She emptied one of her pistols into its back, then converted both guns to telescoping batons and started pounding on the back of its head, but she kept up a running commentary as it fought back. "This thing's huge! And hard as a rock! I don't know if I can take it on my own! Not in the face!"

Rose frowned "Does she know she's making dick jokes up there?"

"I don't think so. But at least she didn't complain that it hurts to ride one this big."

Orchid frowned. "The two of you are very crude."

"Says the monk wearing a cheerleader skirt."

"I like my skirt."

As the gargoyle tried to claw her, Lavender flew into the air, shot it again, then holstered one gun to grab it's horn and swing on to its back. "Open wide and swallow!"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? She can't hear that?"

Lavender jammed her second gun into the gargoyle's mouth and emptied it, causing the beast to drop out of the sky. "Uh, oh. I'm going down..."

Cinnamon grinned. "I love that girl. Orchid, can you catch her?"

"No need. Wind crystals."

The team watched as Lavender used her weapons' crystals to float harmlessly to the ground and roll away from the monster crashing down behind her.

Cinnamon nodded at the rest of the team. "Good work, everyone. Except Lavender."

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't kill yours." The big gargoyle growled as it starts to rise from the dust. "Time to redeem yourself. Finale. Go."

Lavender nodded, charged the monster, and hit it with a flurry of baton strikes, then launched it into the air with her wind crystals. Orchid followed up with a double jump kick, then circle threw the gargoyle towards Rose, who caught it on the point of her bayonet, then blew it back into the air with her shotgun. Cinnamon followed up by jump kicking the gargoyle into the cliff wall, then charged it while firing, and finally field goal kicked the gargoyle's head into the wall.

A flash of light emanated from Cinnamon as her semblance triggered again, highlighting the fact that she was posing like a rock star.

Rose scowled. "Do you have to pose like that every time we do that attack?"

"Yes, Rose. I do."

"But no one's watching."

"You're watching."

"Shut up."

As the team walked away, they all reloaded and holstered their weapons and brushed the dust off of their clothes. Rose took a quick look at the rest of the team and sighed with relief. "At least you all kept your clothes on this time."

Lavender frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"It seems like about once a week, one or both of you loses half of your clothes. Sometimes more."

Everyone looked at Lavender.

"What? I didn't get hit once. You all look way worse than I do."

Rose tugged on her shirt. Nothing happened. Orchid did too, with the same result. Cinnamon followed suit, and her shirt fell apart and dropped off in pieces from all the gargoyle claw strikes, leaving her in shorts and a bra.

"Dammit. I liked that shirt."

Lavender shrugged. "At least we should get a good grade on this, right?"

Rose frowned. "We'd better. This was our team combat final, and I'm not failing because of you lot."

"Relax, Rose. We all did just fine."

Cinnamon looked up from the pile of cloth that used to be her shirt. "Are you kidding? We kicked ass! Now let's get back home."

"And put a shirt on?"

Cinnamon draped her arms around Lavender and Orchid. "We'll see, Rose. Depends on who's grading our final."

The graduation ceremony at Beacon Academy was the spectacle of the season. Three four-person teams had managed to complete the rigorous coursework and prove themselves capable of monster-slaying feats of badassery. Twelve new Hunters were now poised to enter the world and hopefully, to make it a better, safer, and calmer place. Two of those teams, eight of those new Hunters, were respected and trusted, and would perform solidly, dependably, and honorably. The last team, however...

The faculty watched with mixed reactions as team CORL accepted their diplomas and Hunter licenses. No one doubted their abilities, but their style and reputation were... problematic. After the ceremony, the faculty gathered in the lounge to decompress. Unfortunately, Brenda had no intention of relaxing.

"These are some of the worst graduates I've ever seen!"

"Agreed. They need at least one more year here. Under careful supervision."

Brenda glared at her colleague, unable to tell if he was being serious. "If they can't fight monsters without losing half their clothing in the process, they shouldn't have licenses."

All the other instructors nodded, and a few mumbled something about practicing at Beacon for another year, but it was obvious that the men were all imagining one or more of the team in less than full combat attire. They had all seen it more than once.

Brenda frowned, then her eyes widened as she realized what they were doing. "Stop it right now! That's no way for teachers to behave!" She circled the room, smacking all of the men and disrupting the visions of loveliness dancing through their heads. "You people are pathetic!"

"Maybe you're just jealous."

"Knock it off, all of you." The Headmaster entered the room and gently pulled Brenda away from her current target. "Those girls earned their licenses based on their effort and abilities, not their looks or wardrobe choices."

"But they represent the Academy..."

"And they will continue to do so with their success in the field. We can only hope that with experience comes the wisdom they currently lack, and with wisdom comes some sense of modesty. And if not, maybe Miss Rose can have some impact on the others."

"At least she knows how to dress for combat."

The male instructors collectively pictured Rose dressed in Lavender's cheerleader-style outfit, complete with pom-poms, sighed, and shook their heads.

Rose was almost finished packing when Orchid came in. "Hurry up. Now that we're officially Hunters, I want to get out of here."

"What's the hurry? We don't have to leave until tomorrow."

"The sooner, the better. I want to get out in the field and get to work."

"Lavender's family came to watch her graduate; she can't leave before they do. And I don't think Cinnamon has even started packing yet."

"They aren't coming."

"You're going alone?"

Rose stopped. "Not alone. You're coming, too, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm going with you. Tomorrow. With Cinnamon and Lavender."

Rose sighed. "We don't need them."

Orchid sat down next to Rose. "We've spent the last four years training together as a team. We shouldn't break up now unless there's a really good reason."

"We were partnered up four years ago. Those two got dumped on us by accident."

"We got partnered by chance, too. And those two have risked their lives alongside us countless times. I'm not leaving them."

"They're self-centered, brain-dead arm-candy! They need to stop pretending and go be socialites or movie stars or something."

Orchid gently bopped Rose on the forehead. "If they were self-centered, they wouldn't have lasted two weeks here at the Academy. And Cinnamon is smarter than both of us put together." Orchid frowned. "Honestly, it sounds like you're just jealous."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "It's irritating how perceptive you are. Sometimes, I hate your semblance."

"You do not. Dishonesty should always be avoided. Same with jealousy, hatred, and strife."

"Why do you have to be so..."

Orchid's eyebrow raised. "Right?"

"Perfect."

"I'm not-"

The door swung open, revealing Cinnamon, Lavender, and Lavender's little sister, Iris. Before Rose could open her mouth, Cinnamon dropped onto the bed next to her. "Last night for a party! Who's in?"

"You know we don't really party."

"I know Rose doesn't. But you do. I saw you on the dance floor last time..." Cinnamon winked. "And so did every guy in the building."

Orchid blushed. "I was just copying Lavender's moves."

"No you weren't. I was dancing with guys all night. You were doing mostly solo routines."

"I... they're moves I've seen you do in the past. I learned from watching you."

"What did you do, practice in front of the mirror?"

"No, I can just..." Orchid blushed and turned away.

"Who'd have thought growing up on a monastery was good for something other than fighting and meditating?" Cinnamon patted her on shoulder. "All that physical training turned you into kinetic mimic. You could probably make any sports team in the country."

"Maybe. But I think the trained athletes would still have me on technique and knowledge."

"But not on awareness. No one's better at that than you are." Cinnamon broke out into a grin. "Tonight, you should watch me dance. Maybe you can pick up some of my moves."

Rose's eyes widened. "But you move like a stripper!"

Cinnamon turned and leaned over to get face to face with Rose. "And I never have to pay for anything." She kissed Rose playfully on the forehead. "Totally worth it. Especially if she's dancing for someone in particular..."

"Cinnamon... you know Kenjiro's leaving with his team."

"And you're not with him tonight because..?"

"We're not..."

Rose cut Orchid off as Cinnamon stood up. "Can you not do that while wearing a low-cut shirt? You almost flashed me."

"Sorry." Cinnamon winked at her. "For the almost."

Iris finally spoke up. "I want to come here so bad."

Rose sighed and went back to packing. "Looks like you broke another one. Good job."

"Whatever. She's like a cute little version of Lavender. If she wants to come here, she'll have to work her butt of, just like her sister did." Cinnamon looked Iris up and down. "She's definitely going to be sexy, but sexy isn't good enough."

"She's right." Lavender looked down at her sister. "This is a combat school; looks don't guarantee anything."

Cinnamon smirked. "True, but you always had people willing to help you. Older students offering to tutor you... teachers willing to give private lessons..."

Lavender frowned. "Private... wait, no one else got one-on-one training?"

Orchid stepped forward to take Lavender's hand. "I'm sorry. I thought you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Everyone wants to help the sexy cheerleader."

"Oh..." Lavender deflated. "I thought..."

"Quit moping." Cinnamon pulled them apart and locked eyes with Lavender. "You think you're the only one that got private lessons?"

"What?"

"I did, too. Anyone that knew how to ask for it could get some extra instruction time. What matters is what you did with it."

Lavender frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I watched you solo a Manticore for your final combat exam. You freaking air-combo'd a flying monster to death. Last year, a student lost the same fight so badly he almost died. Then he dropped out and went home, and now he's flipping burgers for a living, so don't start feeling like you don't deserve your license. If I have a choice between a knight in heavy armor and a perky cheerleader in a miniskirt and halter top, I know who I'm choosing as my partner."

Lavender smiled up at her. "Thanks. I needed that."

Cinnamon hugged her gently, then pulled her in cheek to cheek. "I trust you at my back. I love you. And I will never leave you."

As they parted, Orchid turned to Iris. "That's why you should want to come here."

"So, is it party time, or what?" Cinnamon had her arm around Lavender's shoulders and was looking back and forth between Orchid and Rose.

"I think you forgot about something." Orchid pointed behind Lavender. "We're all over twenty-one. Iris isn't."

"I can dance. I'm almost as good as Lavender."

"But all the places worth going won't even let you in the door." Cinnamon groaned. "This is unacceptable. I refuse to stay in and do nothing on our last night here at Beacon."

"Chill out; I've got this." Lavender took her sister's hand and led her out. "I'll handle wardrobe and makeup. You find a club that's doing a ladies night special. We'll get her in. Trust me."

Less than an hour later, the girls were ready to head out. Iris looked cuter than ever and could almost pass for twenty-one, especially if you focused on the deep v-neck of her dress and the generous curves underneath. Lavender and Cinnamon were dressed to make sure they drew as much attention as possible, with Lavender's luxurious blonde hair covering more of her upper body than her dress did, accenting the fact that her sister hadn't quite caught up to her in the curves department. Cinnamon's bright red hair was still in her signature high ponytail, but her shorts and tank top had been replaced by a sleeveless lace corset dress with a high slit up the thigh, displaying most of her legs and her other considerable assets.

Orchid was scandalously dressed for a monk, but looked modest in comparison to her friends. She had, however, undone her braid to show off her shiny, waist-length black hair. Rose couldn't compete in the glamour department, so she had pulled her shoulder-length hair out of its customary tail and spiked it, then accented the look with combat boots and a leather jacket.

After a quick glance around to make sure everyone else was ready, Lavender turned to Iris. "Dad knows you're with me all night, right?"

Iris grinned. "Of course. I don't know why, but he still trusts us alone together."

"He seems to think that I'm all grown up now. Remember, I did just graduate from the most prestigious Hunter Academy on the continent."

The sisters snickered as they led the way out, but Rose pointed the way to her car as she pulled out her keys. "I'm driving. You two aren't trustworthy."

Orchid nodded as she followed Rose's lead. She still didn't have a driver's license, and the five of them wouldn't all fit in Lavender's car. The monk smiled at the rest of the group as they lined up behind her. Weird. They all seemed to accept the statement, even though Lavender barely drank and Cinnamon hasn't touched alcohol since I met her four years ago. Come to think of it, Cinnamon doesn't have a car, either. We know Lavender's family is loaded, so her high performance sports coupe makes sense.

Orchid frowned as they piled in to Rose's car, a decade-old family sedan. We've known Cinnamon for four years, but no one really knows where she's from. Oh, well. This isn't the time for it. This is the last night out before real life starts, and it's time to have some fun.

Rose followed Cinnamon's directions to Encore, the hottest nightclub on this side of Velaria City, but had to park half a block away. The line was around the building, but Cinnamon strutted right past it and up to the front door.

The head bouncer seemed unimpressed. "ID."

Cinnamon dug her ID card out of her dress, almost flashing him in the process, and Orchid followed suit, but without the flash. Lavender came next and pulled her ID card out of her top, drawing the attention of all three bouncers and everyone in line. Iris started to step forward, but Cinnamon held her hand and gently tapped Rose forward instead, then took Lavender's ID and passed it to her sister.

The head bouncer looked at Rose's ID card, then looked her up and down twice before glancing at Iris and letting them all in.

Once they were all in, Lavender took her ID card back. "What just happened? He barely looked at Iris."

"I know this place. Most of the guys here are pretty normal. They like big boobs, long hair and long legs. But that guy's different; he's an ex-cop and he prefers real women, as he calls them. Fit, muscular, and tough, but still feminine. No body-builders."

Rose blanched. "Did you just use me as a distraction for some horny guy?"

"Sure did. And he thought you were sexy as hell." Cinnamon turned back to the club and led the way in. "Congratulations, Rose; you're eye-candy, just like the rest of us."

"Dammit."

The group dispersed into the club, with each one keeping a close eye on at least one of their teammates to make sure that they all had sufficient backup. Hunters or not, they weren't arrogant enough to assume they were always safe.

Lavender kept Iris with her as she made her way to the dance floor. "Self-defense lesson number one. Never go alone. I can see Cinnamon at all times. Cinnamon is watching me and Rose. Rose is watching Orchid. Orchid can see all of us."

"How?"

"Our dresses and looks make us stand out, even here. And Orchid could see us anyway. Her semblance is basically, hyper-awareness."

"Always have backup. Got it." Iris paused as the music switched up, then the two joined in the throng as the next song started. "What about weapons? If you're always ready for something bad, that means you're still able to defend yourself, right?"

"We're all pretty good hand-to-hand, but Orchid's amazing. And honestly, Rose can use a chair or barstool, assuming she didn't sneak a knife in with her."

"Is that lesson two?"

"Exactly. Never be defenseless. Always know where the weapons, threats, and exits are. Now for lesson three." Lavender stopped dancing and led her sister through the crowd to where Cinnamon and been approached by three men. "Analysis. Are these guys threats, or do they just want to dance? Let's find out."

As Lavender stepped up next to Cinnamon, the three men looked her up and down, then did the same to Iris."

"Hell, yeah. We were hoping there was more than one hottie here. I was about ready to start throwing punches just to get a shot at your friend."

Cinnamon winked at him. "I appreciate the compliment, but I don't think that'll be necessary." She took him by the hand and led him onto the floor, leaving the other two with Lavender and Iris. They did not look disappointed.

The smaller of the two eyed Iris a second time. "You look a little young to be that fine."

"I'm old enough to dance."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

He took her hand gently. "Fair enough. Let's see if you can move as good as you look."

Lavender leaned in to the remaining man, wrapped her arms around his waist, and put her lips to his ear. "That's my little sister. If anything happens to her, I know people that can burn this place down with your friend still in it. Is she safe with him?"

"Damn. Seriously?"

At Lavender's nod, the man glanced at his friend. "Yeah. She'll be fine with Jake. I wouldn't exactly call him a gentleman, but she already said no. He won't push her."

"Then let's go join them. I didn't come here to babysit."

An hour later, they had all switched partners twice, met up with Orchid, and joined Rose at the bar. No one had mentioned Iris' age, and even Rose seemed like she was having a good time.

"Cinnamon, anything special happening tonight? They've got a stage..."

"Sorry, Lavender. Wet t-shirt contest is next week. Ladies night just means no cover charge and discounted drinks."

"And they let us skip the line."

"Every club in Velaria City would let us skip the line."

"Iris, are you all right?"

The girl squirmed, then started to turn red. "I have to go the bathroom."

Orchid pointed to the back corner. "Need company?"

Iris nodded. "Never go anywhere alone."

"I'll go." Lavender took her sister's hand and they elbowed their way through the dance floor to the back. "Back to lesson two. Where are the weapons, threats and exits?"

Iris slowed her pace and looked around carefully as she walked. "There are bottles and glasses on those tables, two men loitering near the bathroom door, and an emergency exit at the end of the hall."

"Good start, but there's also a window that can be used as an exit or a weapon, two men following us, and our dresses can be used to strangle them."

"If I peed myself while choking someone with my dress, I think I'd die."

"You go to the bathroom. We'll handle them."

"We?"

"Orchid and Cinnamon are behind them. Remember, never go alone."

Iris and Lavender entered the bathroom, where Iris shut herself in a stall. Lavender turned to the door, backed up, and took off her heels. As the door opened, she sprinted forward and kicked the intruder back out into the hallway. She followed him out with a flurry of knees and elbows, knocking him to the ground with ease, then turned to the remaining assailants and straightened the v-neck of her dress.

"Hello, boys. Have you come to play with me?"

The two men that had followed opened their mouths to answer, but were yanked backwards out of the hallway and thrown onto the main club floor, leaving Orchid and Cinnamon grinning in their places. The last man standing snarled and went for Lavender's throat, but was cut down by kicks to the knee, groin, and head.

Lavender tossed her hair and turned to Cinnamon. "That was fun, but I do prefer dancing."

Before Cinnamon could respond, screams erupted from the club and the music stopped.

"He's got a gun!"

Cinnamon and Orchid split sideways as bullets shredded the hallway. Lavender hit the ground and covered, using one of the fallen attackers as a shield.

Out on the club floor, Cinnamon sighed. These idiots are willing to kill innocent people just to get Lavender. Or maybe Iris. Oh, well, time for work. Hunters are always on call. Cinnamon rolled her eyes as the second attacker got to his feet drew a knife. "Orchid, knife is yours. Gun's mine." She charged as the attacker reloaded his pistol, and reached him as he got off his first shot. "Too slow, asshole." She grabbed his gun arm, slammed her forehead into his face, and threw him at the wall, knocking a light fixture over and leaving him moaning and unarmed in a pile of debris.

Meanwhile, Orchid had jumped onstage to engage the knife-wielder. He seemed hesitant to attack, so she grabbed the microphone cord, whipped it around his neck, and yanked. He stumbled toward her, swiped wildly, and missed by a mile. Orchid danced backward, pulled the cord again, then dashed forward and jump kicked the man off the stage, dragging an amplifier and two microphone stands with him.

"Everybody out!" Cinnamon ran for the emergency exit as the curtains caught fire, collecting Lavender and Iris along the way.

Orchid joined them as they all caught their breath. "Go left and circle around. We'll hit the street and meet up with Rose."

Cinnamon led the way and they reached the street just as Rose pulled up. "Everybody in. Looks like our night out is over." She glanced over her shoulder as the outside of the club started to go up in flames. "Oops. I liked that place."

Rose barked at them from the driver's seat. "What the hell was all that?"

"There were some guys after Iris. Or me. Doesn't really matter." Lavender turned to her sister. "Lesson four. When the fighting starts, end it hard and fast. No mercy."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Right, but that doesn't explain the fire. Cinnamon told me that she and Orchid were going to back you up and I should get the car. Who lit the building on fire?"

For the first time all night, Cinnamon hung her head. "That was me. I threw a guy into a light fixture and broke it. The sparks caught the curtains, and there's enough alcohol in that place to burn down a city block."

"But you did it helping us." Lavender put her arms around Cinnamon and Iris. "Lesson five. Always back your teammates."

"I grabbed your heels before we ran. Does that count?"

"Definitely." Lavender put her shoes back on and hugged everyone as Rose started the drive back to Beacon. "Tonight wasn't a total loss. I got to dance, show off a little, and have fun with my sister, then beat up some low-life thugs with my best friends. Best graduation party ever."

Teamwork

"Who wants to make some money?"

Lavender and Rose looked up blearily from the table in their motel room. Cinnamon closed the front door and held up her phone. "Seek and destroy. Farmers reported dire wolf activity last night. It posted this morning. Finish eating and let's go. Wait. Where's Orchid?"

Rose responded first. "It's six-thirty in the morning. What's wrong with you?"

"We need money or we'll starve. Lavender paid for us to stay here for a week, but after that, we're essentially homeless. We. Need. Money."

"All right. But I need to shower first."

Lavender finally got the gears in her head to start turning. "Did you drive to the Hunter office already? You don't have a car."

"But you do, and I can drive it. Oh. Here." Cinnamon dropped Lavender's car keys in her lap and kissed her cheek. "I love driving that car. Thank you so much."

Lavender blinked. "You're welcome?"

"She didn't ask permission, did she?" At Lavender's puzzled stare, Rose turned to Cinnamon. "Never take my car without permission."

"Can't. You drive a stick. Stupid thing is like a theft-deterrent device."

"How do you know if you haven't-"

"Where's Orchid?"

Rose glared at her. "She went out for a run. We decided we could skip training for one day, but that girl hasn't taken a day off since she was eight."

Cinnamon sighed. "Okay. We'll have to wait for her. In the meantime, finish your breakfast and get showered and dressed. We need to look professional when we arrive."

Rose got up from the table as Lavender nodded into her breakfast cereal. "I'm done, so I'll go first. Don't worry; I'll be quick."

The door opened again, revealing a dripping wet Orchid wrapped in a towel. She dropped her shoes and clothes onto the floor, finished toweling off outside, and walked in to the room in her underwear. "I'll need to shower off, too. I don't completely trust the pool water here."

"What happened?"

"I came back from my run all gross and sweaty, so I took a quick dip in the pool."

"You went swimming in your underwear?"

"Yes." Orchid frowned. "Is that wrong? It's about the same as my bikini and covers more than yours does."

Cinnamon shrugged. "Good point. But most people consider it weird. Next time, change first."

"Okay. Oh, Cinnamon, I saw something I wanted to ask you about. What's double occupancy? It said that on the motel's sign out front."

"That just means two people to a room. If they rented a room out to one person, but eight people stayed there, they wouldn't like that. They want to make as much money as they can, but single occupancy isn't very popular, especially with families and couples."

"I see. But there are four of us in this room. That means we should have two rooms, right?"

"Ordinarily, yes. But I flashed the front desk clerk, so he made special arrangements."

Orchid's eyes widened. "Are there any other special arrangements we should know about?"

"When we leave, Lavender's going to flash him, too."

"I'm going to do what?"

"It's either that, or pay for another room for a week."

Lavender pouted briefly, then shrugged. "Oh, well. It won't be the first time."

Orchid stared at both of them for a second, then shrugged and started digging in her bag for fresh clothes as Rose came out of the bathroom.

"Who's next? There's still some hot water left, but it probably won't last long."

Orchid looked up at Lavender. "You go first. I'm used to cold showers."

"Thank you."

Rose turned to Cinnamon as Lavender hit the shower. "You said professional. I hope you meant combat gear, not skirts and heels."

"Of course I meant combat gear. Only an idiot would wear heels when they're expecting a fight, and I don't wear a skirt in combat."

Rose scowled as she dressed, and glanced at Orchid, then at the bathroom where Lavender was showering. "They do. If you told them not to, they'd listen."

My team can wear whatever they find comfortable and I won't tell them otherwise unless it hinders their combat ability. That includes you."

Orchid looked up from her bag and frowned. "Rose, what's wrong with my skirt? I think it's cute."

"It shows off your... everything."

"It's comfortable, light, and doesn't get in the way when I'm kicking monsters. I don't mind if my legs are showing."

"And half of your ass."

Orchid frowned. "It does not. And I'm more covered than Lavender is."

"That's a low bar to clear."

The shower stopped, prompting Orchid to rise from the couch. "Be nice." She pulled Rose away from Cinnamon, hugged her, and put her lips to Rose's ear. "I appreciate your concern, but you're sounding jealous again. If I start offering to flash people, stop me. Otherwise, let me handle my own wardrobe, okay?"

Lavender walked out of the bathroom in a towel and headed to her bag to change. "All yours, Orchid. And I'm sorry, but the hot water didn't last."

"No problem." Orchid released Rose and took her combat gear into the bathroom with her, then turned the shower back on. Everyone shivered when it started, momentarily feeling the cold water that their friend was enduring.

Rose finished lacing her combat boots and scowled at Lavender. "I still don't see how you can fight in a halter top. Or why you would want to."

"I've been dressing like this since I started cheerleading. And before that it was gymnastics, so there wasn't much difference. It's comfortable, I like it, and I look like a pin-up. So what's the problem?"

"Fine. You like it. That doesn't explain how."

"The tops are normal, but the bras are custom-made. I have to special order them from the same manufacturer that made my batons. I think they make them with wind crystals, because they're super tough and supportive, but breathe like cotton."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Rich people. Even their underwear has to be special."

Once everyone was dressed and ready, they drove out to the farm that posted the Hunter request. Lavender insisted on taking two cars because leaving hers at a motel all day was like asking it to get stolen.

Rose shrugged it off, and followed in her car with Orchid. "At least this way, we don't have to listen to their dance music."

"I don't mind their music."

"Is there anything you actually dislike?"

"Not much." As they left the city proper, Orchid relaxed and closed her eyes. "I missed this. Every time I leave the city, it reminds me of where I come from."

"Wilderness and danger?"

"Peace. Quiet. Life."

"I know. I just like hassling you. Your monastery is south of here, isn't it?"

"Two days walk south of Beacon. A few hours by car."

"You walked to school? I don't think I ever knew that."

"It never came up. Don't worry about it."

Rose glanced around as she continued driving. "It is nice out here, if you ignore the constant threat of monsters."

"Better than where you grew up."

"Probably. The warehouse district has its own monsters, and the human version is always the worst. It's like the wolves got smart and put on pants."

"Exactly. I'm looking forward to fighting some real wolves. Protecting people in need. All in the comfort of greenery, beauty, and clean air."

"Well, it's time. We're here." Rose pulled to a stop behind Lavender's little red sports coupe and smiled. "That thing looks so out of place here."

Orchid got out, stretched, and took a deep breath. Cinnamon and Lavender were already out talking to a farmer, and he was pointing west. "I think we should take a look around before we go hunting." Rose nodded and joined her as she examined the stable. It was covered in claw marks and blood was everywhere. If any of the horses had lived through the attack, they had been moved.

"It was a bloodbath. Total nightmare."

Rose and Orchid turned as a farmhand approached. "Any survivors?"

"No. And we're going to have to tear the thing down now. If we try to stable any new horses here, they'll smell it. Blood and death. They won't like it."

Orchid nodded as she examined the damage. "Herd animals always respond poorly to death. But these claw marks don't look natural to me. They're obviously wolf claws, but wolves don't target like this. They destroyed the lock and handle on every stall."

Rose frowned. "Six horses. I'm not a farmer, and even I know that will cost a lot to replace."

The farmhand nodded. "It will hurt, but we'll manage. The most important thing is that they didn't get any of us."

"We'll make sure they don't get any more of your animals, either."

Rose turned as Cinnamon called them over to the gate. "Apparently, our fearless leader wants to talk to us."

Orchid led the way over to their teammates and lowered her voice. "Sarcasm and bitterness? Not a good start, Rose. These people are counting on us and we need to work together."

Cinnamon looked like she was already prepped for battle. "Everyone ready? I've got good news and bad news. First, the good news. This should be an easy track; they didn't do anything to disguise their trail. The bad news is, they probably aren't just wolves; the damage looks methodical, and they destroyed things that weren't relevant to the attack."

"We found the same thing at the stable. Are you worried?"

"Not for us. But if we don't kill them all, these farmers are in serious trouble."

"Agreed. Let's go." Orchid paused. "Lavender, are you all right?"

"These people are poor."

"Most people aren't as well off as you, Princess."

Lavender turned on Rose. "It's not that. They lost a lot in that one attack. Look around. They can't afford to lose anything else."

"We'll make sure they don't, Lavender." Cinnamon patted her on the shoulder. "We just have to do our job."

Tracking the wolves was just as easy as Cinnamon predicted, but it took ages. At least it was pretty, Lavender thought as she turned to Orchid. "Any idea how much longer this will take?"

"Yes, actually; we're approaching a series of hills. There's a good chance the den will be in there somewhere."

Cinnamon nodded. "You're probably right, so let's go over our final plans. Rose, no crystals; if you light anything on fire, we'll burn all of this down."

Rose scowled, but nodded anyway.

"Orchid, Lavender, double-team everything you touch. Drop one and move on to the next. Rose and I will hold off everything else as you work through the pack. Whether we're facing dire wolves or something smarter, they won't be afraid of us. They'll engage in melee as quickly as possible, so get your ranged attacks in while you can, but we're all going to take some hits. Everyone ready?"

After the team nodded, Cinnamon advanced, guns out. "Rose, you're with me. Let's hold the line."

The team worked their way through the hills, zigzagging back and forth to scour the entire area. After what seemed like an hour, Orchid paused in one of the many ravines. "Wait. I've got something."

"You found the den?"

"No den. We're being watched." Orchid turned around. "Right behind us. Wait. In front, too." Her eyes widened. "They're all around us."

Cinnamon grimaced as she saw a wolf snout poke out from the bushes in front of her. "First one's a feint. Threat's behind us."

She turned and sprayed bullets into the bushes, triggering snarls from the hidden wolves. Rose fired once at the visible threat before joining her, and they both lit up the brush, blowing two wolves to pieces mid-charge.

"Lavender! Feint first!" Orchid whipped a bola across the ravine, then charged the visible wolf. Lavender joined her, completely unaware that that Orchid's bola had entangled a wolf preparing to pounce on her from behind. She reached their target first, firing mid-charge, then switched to melee as it jumped at her. She grinned, ducked the slavering jaws, and blasted it skyward with her batons, setting up Orchid for a rib-crushing jump kick.

"One down. Keep going."

Lavender took to the air, shooting down at the pack that had engaged Cinnamon and Rose, then landed on the side of the ravine behind her next target. She struck from behind, distracting it long enough for Orchid to run up the side of the wall to join her, where they pummeled it to death between them.

"That's two. Now behind the pack." Orchid ran across the ravine wall, bouncing from ledge to ledge while throwing shuriken at the pack that was threatening to overwhelm her teammates. Lavender blasted the group with a gust of wind, knocking three of them over, then followed.

They landed next to two wolves that got separated from the melee, and Lavender opened fire on one while Orchid attacked the other. After sidestepping to get better position, the monk set up for a kick. "Double roundhouse!"

Both girls connected simultaneously, crushing the wolf's skull between their feet. After they finished off the remaining wolf, Orchid turned to the bushes. "There's something else back there."

"They're doing fine. Let's check it out." The two headed into the bushes, but pulled up short as a towering wolf-like creature charged out at them.

"That's not a wolf. It's huge." Lavender opened fire on the bipedal monster, then rolled sideways to avoid it's claws. "I don't think we're taking this thing down quickly."

"Change of plan." Orchid jump kicked the monster, then delivered a flurry of punches before dodging backwards. "Help the others while I hold this one off."

"On it." Lavender took one more pot shot while fleeing, leaving Orchid alone with the twelve foot tall monster.

Back in the center of the ravine, Cinnamon had converted to melee and was retreating with each strike. She finally dropped a wolf, triggering a blinding flash and a new flurry of scimitar strikes.

"About time." Rose blasted two more wolves as they jumped at her, then grunted as another one chomped down on her leg.

"If you keep stealing my kills, my semblance won't trigger." Cinnamon slashed at the wolf on Rose's leg, then was knocked down by another one. "Get him off me, dammit!"

"I got him." Rose bayoneted the wolf, then punted it off before turning back to the pack and blasting them, electrocuting three wolves in their tracks.

Cinnamon flipped up to her feet and gasped. "I said no crystals!"

"You said no fire." Rose switched off the crystal and kept shooting.

Cinnamon switched back to her guns and set up back-to-back, firing at the circling wolves. "Lightning can set brush on fire. Don't be stupid."

Before Rose could respond, a gust of wind sent the nearest wolf rolling away, followed by Lavender mowing down the electrocuted wolves with 9mm fire. "Orchid needs help! Go!" Cinnamon and Lavender gunned down the last three wolves while Rose bolted back the way Lavender came.

She cleared the brush at a dead sprint and found her friend bruised, bloody, and toe to toe with something out of a nightmare. "Orchid, down!"

Orchid ducked a claw and rolled away as buckshot went over her head, then scrambled away and circled behind Rose, throwing shuriken and knives as she went. Rose emptied her magazine at the charging wolf, then met the charge with her bayonet, taking the full force of the beast's claws in the process.

Before the beast could recover, it took a double jump kick from Cinnamon and Lavender, followed by a flurry of sword and baton strikes. Rose took the time to reload, then sighted again. "Get out of the way!"

Cinnamon grinned as she danced backward out of claw range. "Lavender, get him in the air! It's finale time!"

Orchid circled the beast as Lavender darted in, struck from behind, then blasted him skyward. Before he peaked, Orchid jumped up to meet him, kicked him twice, then threw him backwards toward Rose before dropping safely in Lavender's arms. The beast flailed as it fell toward Rose, who caught him on the point of her bayonet, then blasted him back into the air with her shotgun. Cinnamon followed up by jump kicking him into the side of the hill, then charged, firing, and kicked his head into the rock wall. Blinding light flashed from Cinnamon's body as the monster died, but since there were no more targets, she just stood there, posing like a rock star.

"Orchid, are you all right?"

"My aura is depleted, but I'll be fine. It's mostly scratches and surface wounds." Orchid started collecting her shuriken and throwing knives from the battlefield. "What about you? That thing hit you at full force..."

Rose shrugged and wiped the trickle of blood from her nose. "No problem. I'm practically made of iron. You know that."

"I know. Your semblance... but you aren't invincible." Orchid's eyes widened as the bushes rustled back down the ravine. "We missed one. I tied it up when the fight started. If it gets loose and gets away..."

"Rose, Lavender, cannonball." As Cinnamon pointed, the wolf finally chewed through Orchid's bola and bolted.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"I love this one." Lavender jumped towards Rose, curling into a ball in mid-air. Rose caught her, turned, and pitched her down the length of the ravine at the fleeing wolf. She flew through the air, guns blazing and giggling like an idiot, ending with a drop kick that obliterated the bullet-riddled monster.

Orchid shook her head. "I'm always amazed at that move."

"Yep. If Rose ever gets tired of being a Hunter, she'd make a great quarterback. Incredible arm, great aim, and completely unsackable." Cinnamon grinned. And she'd make way more money."

"That would be cheating."

"It's only cheating if you get caught."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Let's just take out the den, get our pictures, and get back.

It took less time to return to the farm than it had to track the monsters, even with Orchid leaning on Rose most of the way. The farmers greeted them hesitantly, and the head of the family stepped forward. "You're injured. Did you..."

"We're fine, Carson." Cinnamon pulled out her phone and showed them the pictures. "Sixteen dire wolves and one... werewolf?"

"No such thing."

"I know. But that's what it looks like."

Carson nodded. "True enough, but I'm not calling it that. Was that all of them?"

"It's all we saw. We wiped the pack when they ambushed us, then found the den empty. We destroyed it, then Rose burned it out, so you'll be safe now. Even if there are more wolves, they won't stay."

"Thank you." The farmer pulled out his phone and pulled up the contract info. "Five thousand dollars. As promised."

Cinnamon checked her phone for the contract and payment, smiled, and extended her hand. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

"Now give it back."

Cinnamon turned to Lavender. "What are you talking about?"

"They can't afford to lose anything else. They can't afford to pay us. And we shouldn't take their money."

Cinnamon glanced at Orchid and Rose, who both looked shocked. Orchid recovered first. "She's right. We'll get another job, and they need it more than we do."

Cinnamon locked eyes with Lavender, then sighed. "All right. You win."

"That's not how this works. We aren't asking for charity. And we already paid you, anyway."

Cinnamon pulled her phone back out. "It's a simple electronic transfer. Give me your info and the money's yours."

"But..."

"Are you telling her no?"

The farmer tried to back away as Lavender wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck, but couldn't stop himself from reciprocating. "No, I guess not. But..."

"Don't think of it as charity. Think of it as a chance to let four girls rest at your house and provide them a good, hot dinner. And to thank you, those girls handled your wolf problem."

Carson reluctantly disengaged from Lavender, nodded, and walked toward the main house to make arrangements. Cinnamon turned to Lavender and frowned. "Is he walking funny after one hug?"

"Maybe he's lonely." Lavender grinned. "Or maybe it was a really good hug."

Rose rolled her eyes and followed the farmer in alongside Orchid, but Cinnamon took Lavender's hand and pulled her in close. "If I ever doubt you, remind me of this."

"You want me to remind you that I'm good at hugging?"

"No, silly. Remind me that it's not always about the money. It's about the people. Being a Hunter is about protecting people."

"Deal." Lavender led the way into the house to join their friends. "I am glad you negotiated for dinner, though. I'm starving, and all we have back at the motel is ramen and breakfast cereal."

"Yeah, we've got to fix that." Cinnamon sighed. "Maybe we'll get paid tomorrow."

Going Home

"Rose, can I talk to you?"
"You can always talk to me."

Orchid took a deep breath. "I know Cinnamon is our team leader, but I need to pick our next mission. Are you all right with that?"

"Fine by me. And if she doesn't like it, I'll make sure she changes her mind. Now, what's wrong?"

"It's Sensei. He called and said they need help at the monastery."

"Then we help them. And damn Cinnamon if she says otherwise."

"Thanks, but let's start out by asking instead of demanding."

"Do you always have to be so nice?"

Orchid smiled. "Yes. It makes me a better person. And, be honest, Rose. It makes you a better person, too.

Rose rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling. "Now we just have to wait for them to get back. Hopefully, they didn't pick up a job that Cinnamon deems urgent."

It didn't take long for their teammates to return. Orchid, in particular, could hear Cinnamon coming a mile away. "-chupacabra licking, asshat wearing, goat sniffing, turd munching, alcoholic sack of colostomy bags."

Orchid opened the door before it was kicked in. "I take it the job hunt didn't go well?"

Cinnamon paused before continuing her tirade, then let out a deep breath and tried to compose herself. "No, Orchid. It did not. All of the current Hunter jobs within two hundred miles require teams with at least two years of experience or fifty successful Hunter missions. We have one day of experience, and we have a grand total of one successful Hunter mission. So today, we get another unpaid day off."

Rose looked up as Lavender finally entered the room. "Has she been like this since you left the Hunter office?"

"You missed the worst of it. I don't actually know what some of the things she said are, and I'm kind of afraid to ask."

Orchid smiled. "I think this will work out for the best. Cinnamon, I have a mission for us."

Cinnamon slowly turned to face Orchid. "What, where, and how?"

"My sensei called. He said he needs my help."

"I suppose that answers all three questions. Any details?"

"Monsters. Specific details when we get there."

"Then let's go. It's a few hours drive to the monastery, right? That should give me enough time to cool off."

"Just stick your head out the window. You'll be fine."
"Thanks, Rose. And Orchid, is it safe to assume that you already told him we were coming?"

"Of course I did."

"Thought so."

The trip took a little over three hours, mostly because Lavender had to drive slowly enough for Rose to keep up. The team's arrival was met by two monks in robes similar to the one Orchid wore when she first arrived at Beacon. After exchanging bows with Orchid, the elder of the two monks ushered them toward the main hall.

"It is good to see you again, sister Orchid. These four years seem to have done you well." He paused, as if trying to consider his words carefully. "May I ask you about your choice in wardrobe? Is this normal in Velaria?"

"The skirt allows for maximum mobility and minimum drag. It is ideal given my combat style."

"One valid option among many?"

"One of a few. And it suits my preferences."

"Understood."

The group continued in silence up the steps, but Cinnamon caught the younger of the two monks staring at Orchid's legs more than once. Interesting. He's barely noticed Lavender, and she's wearing a similar skirt and has legs that are just as perfect.

Once inside the main hall, the older monk bowed again, then returned to his place at the front gate. The younger monk, however, stayed and positioned himself two steps behind Orchid and one step to her right. He matched her pace and followed as she approached the figure at the center of the room, a wizened old man seated on a large pillow.

Orchid and the young monk knelt and bowed to the floor. "Greetings, Sensei. I came as quickly as I could."

"It is good to see you, daughter. It is better to see that you brought friends. I fear your enemies this day will be more than a match for you alone."

Rose stepped up to Orchid's side and set a hand on her shoulder. "She never fights alone."

"Your sentiment is admirable and your aura is strong. Do your other friends feel differently?"

"No." Cinnamon and Lavender stepped up to match their friends. "We were uncertain of the protocol here, but our loyalty is unquestionable."

"Protocol is less important among friends and family."

Lavender swallowed nervously. "Are you her... father?"

"All those here are my children, though not by blood. Very few here are related biologically, and Orchid is not among them."

"Sensei, my friends and I are all licensed Hunters, and we checked the official Hunter office and website this morning. Your request for aid was not there. May I ask why?"

The old man chuckled and pulled a cell phone out from his robes. "You should be happy that I figured out how to call you. Posting an official Hunter request is well beyond my ability."

Orchid nodded. "Yes, Sensei. So now that we're here, can you tell us what happened?"

"Yes, daughter. As you know, our monastery is well defended physically and fortified against direct attack. But over the past week, we've had to deal with multiple minor incursions. Instead of attacks, they looked more like vandalism, but the evidence always pointed to animals. Instead of footprints, we found claw or paw prints. Instead of axes or hammers, the damage obviously came from teeth or claws."

Cinnamon raised an eyebrow. "Animals and monsters don't commit vandalism."

"Precisely. Would it be possible for you to investigate, find out where they are coming from, and stop them? They haven't hurt anyone yet, but we don't want it to get that far."

"Of course, Sensei. We can start right away."

"Excellent." He nodded to the young monk at Orchid's side. "Your brother Clay will guide and assist you. As long as you are here, you all can ask him anything you want. He will answer."

Orchid and Clay bowed, then rose and led the team out of the hall. Once clear, Cinnamon took the lead. "All right, Clay, let's check out the attack sites." The boy glanced at Orchid, who nodded, and led the way out past the buildings.

"The first attack was six days ago in the western rice field, and it just looked like a pack of wild dogs stampeded through the area. It didn't raise any concerns because there was nothing unusual about it. No attacks. No strategy. Just dogs."

"Makes sense. Show us the next one. And how long have you known Orchid?"

Clay faltered mid-step, but recovered before actually tripping. "I've known her for almost ten years, but I haven't seen her since she left for Beacon." Cinnamon smiled and nodded, so he continued. "The second attack was four days ago. A tool shed near the same rice field was broken into. The lock on the door was smashed, and some of the tools were broken, but nothing was stolen. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes."

On the way out to the rice field, Cinnamon kept her eyes on the perimeter. There were no defenses to speak of outside the main courtyard, but that was solid stone. All the attacks were outside that area, where anything could just wander in. On reaching the rice field, Clay showed them the trampled area, then the damaged shed. Just as he said, the damage was obviously caused by claws, and maybe a beak or two.

"Next attack?"

"Two days ago."

"Monsters don't do patterns."

"Last week, I would have agreed with you. Shall I show you?"

"Yes. And how long have you had a crush on Orchid?"

Clay slowed and started to turn red, but answered anyway. "Almost ten years. But I haven't seen her for the last four."

Cinnamon smiled while her teammates stared at her in shock. "What? He's barely acknowledged Lavender's existence, and the only reason he's talking to me is that I'm asking the questions. He hasn't been able to take his eyes off of Orchid since we got here."

Orchid blushed. "You didn't have to bring it up."

"Did you know?" Cinnamon grinned. "And is it mutual?"

"I didn't know. We're four years apart and I was training as a warrior monk. There was no dating."

"So sad. Oh, well. Back to the investigation."

Clay looked bewildered for a moment, then regained his composure and led them to the remains of a meditation garden. When they arrived, Orchid's face fell. "This was my favorite place. They destroyed my..."

Clay put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll rebuild it. After the monsters are stopped."

"Thank you."

"Back to the task at hand." Cinnamon examined the damage. "This one looks petty. It didn't have any significance outside of personal attachment and belief structure."

"The other attacks were petty, too." Lavender stepped forward. "My family has had to deal with things like this. The vandals start with something small to see if they can get away with it. But each time, it gets a little bigger. After petty vandalism comes destruction and theft. If they can get away with that on the outside, they go inside. Breaking and entering. Attacking people. Kidnapping and ransom. They'll keep pushing until you push back."

Rose was the first to open her mouth. "Have you ever been..?"

"Kidnapped? Oh, no. We pushed back long before that was an option. It's just the logical progression of this type of criminal activity. At least that's what dad says."

Cinnamon looked from Lavender to Clay and back. "It isn't logical for monsters. But they aren't behaving like monsters, so we have to assume they'll continue. They're also keeping to a schedule, which means they'll hit tonight."

Clay nodded. "All of the attacks have been here on the west side, so that makes it the most likely target."

"Patterns and escalation mean they aren't normal, but it also means they aren't intelligent. If they were, they would mix it up. So what we're looking at is a vaguely intelligent pack or grouping, possibly with a combination of monster types." Cinnamon shrugged. "All right, let's get some rest. Tonight we go hunting."

Clay showed them to a guest room where four blankets were rolled out on the floor, then brought them some bread and fruit.

"What's this?"

"Lunch." Clay bowed as he shut the door and left.

Cinnamon shrugged. "I've lived on less. And this is definitely fresh."

Rose eyed her, but kept focused on the task at hand. "Orchid, how are the defenses set up? Clay said this place was fortified and defended, right?"

"There are many combat monks here, several of them can fight at least as well as I can, and the central grounds can be locked down. This place is hundreds of years old and built of iron and granite."

"But the outer grounds?"

"Fields can be replanted and buildings rebuilt. The people are always safe inside."

Lavender frowned. "So why did he need us? Actually, why did he need you? He didn't know about us until we got here?"

"The monks that live and teach here are all sworn to the monastery's service and they will defend it with their lives. Tracking down monsters in the surrounding wilderness is more complicated. They just don't have the manpower."

Cinnamon nodded. "Fair enough. What about Clay?"

"Unlikely. His stance, positioning, and bearing are that of a servant, not a warrior."

"Let's keep him safe, then. Assume that there's no backup once we leave the premises. It looks like your Sensei knew he couldn't field a proper team, so he hired out for the search, but instead of just calling a random Hunter, he called one he knew and trusted."

"Seems like it."

"Okay. Sounds straightforward enough. If you ignore the timing, tactics, and combination of monster types. Oh, well. We'll sort that out tonight."

Orchid woke to footsteps outside the room, and a soft knock at the door roused Cinnamon. Lavender and Rose were still out cold. Orchid smiled. Probably dreaming of being somewhere more comfortable.

"It's almost ten o'clock. May I come in?"

"Yes, Clay. We're decent." Cinnamon got up, stretched, and nudged her teammates awake. "Get up, girls. It's time to go kick some monster ass."

Clay frowned as he looked at Cinnamon, but said nothing.

Orchid patted him on the shoulder. "You get used to it."

"Everyone gear up. We hit the west side in five. Clay, you're our guide, but you aren't fighting with us. Stay back."

"Umm, Cinnamon..."

"Yes, Lavender?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Cinnamon rolled her eyes. "Everyone go. I guess we leave in ten."

When they were ready, Clay led them toward the western end of the monastery, past the gates and into the fields. "Any idea where they'll strike next?"

"They aren't hitting targets based on value, so my guess would be whatever's physically next in line." Cinnamon slowly turned in a full circle, then frowned. You've got a tractor and plow over there, but not much else. This is mostly agricultural. Unless they hit the meditation garden again..."

Clay shook his head. "They haven't damaged anything metal, so the vehicles should be safe. There's plenty of crops to destroy, though. And an outhouse. Your guess is as good as mine."

"What's around us?"

"North past the rice fields are the orchards. South are training grounds. If you keep circling south, you get to the front gate, which is always manned."

"We can ignore that, for now." Cinnamon grimaced. "We're going to have to split up. Orchid and Rose, you stay here. Patrol the fields and training grounds. I'll head to the orchards with Lavender. If you see something, don't attack immediately; they'll just break and run. We need to take down as many as we can, then follow the survivors back to the nest. Understood?"

"What about me?"

"Stay back here and prepare to run for backup. While we're on the monastery grounds, we have monks that can fight with us, so we should use them. I know most of them are asleep right now, but be prepared to go get them if trouble starts. But remember, under no circumstance are you to run or scream; that could spook the creatures just as badly as shooting at them."

Orchid and Rose nodded and started discussing where they should set up as Clay backed toward the gate. "Ready, Lavender?"

"Always, with you."

"Let's go."

The two sprinted north to the orchard, passing a well and a storage shed along the way. "No sign of them yet. But there's nothing here for them to target..."

Lavender scanned the trees for enemies and shrugged. "Everything is so neat and orderly. Like Orchid, I guess. We should be able to tell if anything happens just because it won't look like it belongs."

"Or because it looks like a monster." Cinnamon smirked at her. "Just keep your eyes open."

"And my mouth closed. I know."

"Good girl." Cinnamon stalked through the trees, looking for trouble, while Lavender continued north to the far end of the orchard. The moon gave enough light to hunt, but just barely. She stopped to listen, but got nothing. Not even Lavender's footsteps. That girl could move almost as quietly as Orchid when she wanted to.

Back at the rice field, Rose set up at the tractor, shotgun out. The position gave her the best field of vision while providing some concealment. Orchid was down at the training grounds, just in case the monsters struck farther south tonight. Rose sighed as she patted the stock of the gun. No crystals tonight. Again. Fire and lightning would probably burn down the rice fields, and there was no way she could let that happen.

"What's that?" Rose squinted in the moonlight at shapes in the air. "Birds? No. Too big. Griffons? Damn. They're griffons. Those are going to be tough to follow." Rose waited and watched as seven winged monsters landed in the rice field and fanned out, destroying everything in their path. Two griffons headed toward the shed and started pecking at the walls, threatening to knock the entire structure over. "Just a little closer... wait, what?"

Rose stared in amazement as riders dismounted and started clawing at the door. "Monkeys? With claws? Crap." She turned as Orchid appeared beside her. "Give it a bit more time. The others should have heard the racket by now."

Orchid shook her head. "I think we've waited long enough. Clay already left to get backup and Cinnamon and Lavender are pretty fast. We should get started."

"All right, go. And keep right; left side is mine."

Orchid sprinted out from behind the tractor as Rose lit up the night with her shotgun, blowing one griffon to pieces before it knew what was going on. Orchid hit the group at the shed, bypassing the clawed monkeys and knocking a griffon out with a flipping axe kick. The second griffon tried to peck her, but she sidestepped, whipped a bola out into the group in the rice field, then kicked it twice, breaking the beast's ribs and right wing. The monkeys jumped in swinging, but their chaotic flailing was no match for a master of Orchid's caliber. She crescent kicked the first one out of the air, caught the second one by the arm, and swung it at the injured griffon, smashing their heads together and killing them both.

Back at the tractor, Rose emptied her magazine, then advanced while she reloaded. One clawed monkey charged her while the rest scattered, but they weren't the main problem. She had to make sure the griffons didn't go anywhere. She batted the attacking monkey out of the way, and kept firing, bringing down two more griffons as they tried to flee. Two left. Click. Out of ammo.

Before she could reload, Rose was swarmed by monkeys and forced to leave the remaining griffons to her allies. As she bashed and bayoneted the swarming monkeys, gunfire sounded from her left. Blinding light bathed the area, signaling Cinnamon's arrival and signing the death warrant for all the remaining enemies. As she cut down the last remaining opponent, Cinnamon glanced from Rose to Orchid. "Anyone left? I shot down the last griffon-"

"There were two griffons." Rose turned to the west and squinted, barely able to make out the shape in the moonlight. "Damn. We lost it."

"No we didn't." Cinnamon grinned and pointed as a humanoid shape flew out of the night to latch on to the fleeing monsters talon. "That's my girl. Let's back her up."

Lavender sprinted toward the sound of gunfire, hoping she arrived in time to help. She heard Rose's shotgun and squawks of pain from the griffons, then saw Cinnamon's semblance light up the night. Everything looked good.

"No. They missed one." Lavender changed course to catch the fleeing monster and took to the air as it lifted off. She caught hold of the left talon, pulled out one of her guns, and blew off the right one. "Got you. Now to ride you back to your nest. And then hope my team can catch up."

The griffon listed sideways due the missing talon, but kept aloft, even with its unwanted cargo. As the trees passed beneath her, Lavender started to worry. She was getting farther away, and the terrain looked difficult. Hopefully, her team could make it. If not, she'd have to finish the mission herself. She glanced back at the receding monastery. "Please hurry, Cinnamon. I hate running solo."

Back at the monastery, Clay finally arrived with three more monks as backup, prompting an eye roll from Cinnamon. "Better late than never, I guess. There's a griffon tied up by a bola over there. You kill it and keep watch. We're going to fix this for good." She took off, followed by Orchid, Rose, and Clay. The rice fields gave way to trees, then to forested hills. Minutes later, the sound of gunshots echoed through the hills.

"Northwest." Orchid changed direction to match the sound. "Nine millimeter. Definitely her."

"How close?"

"I can't tell. But definitely above us." Orchid started running up the hill in front of them, but was reduced to a crawl as the grade became too steep to navigate. She glanced down at Cinnamon, who was having even less success. "Any ideas?"

"Rose, there's a ledge up there. Think you can throw me that high?"

"Buckle up." Rose set down her weapon, picked up Cinnamon, and hurled her into the air. "Orchid, you too." Within seconds, the monk was flying up to join their leader.

"What about you?"

"Go on without me. I'll catch up when I can."

The griffon almost made it back to the nest before dropping out of the air and collapsing. Lavender rolled with the landing and drew her guns. "Blood loss and extra weight were too much, I guess." She put it down with one shot, then reloaded. "All right. There's the griffon nest; it's huge, but it looks empty. And there's a cave that could be used as a den. But monkeys don't live in dens. Even creepy claw-monkeys." She paused and took a deep breath. "Nest first. Then den. Then check the trees for monkeys. Then go home for a massage and a bath."

Lavender flew up to check the nest, and almost fell out in surprise. It could easily accommodate a dozen griffons, but it was currently home to six large cream-colored eggs. "Sorry about this. But you are monsters." She opened fire, riddling the eggs with bullets to ensure the monks didn't have the same problem arise next year. "Okay. Den next." She reloaded, jumped down and carefully entered the cave. "Hello? Any monsters in here? Time to come out..." Ten steps in, it was almost pitch black. "I hate doing this alone. Wait, what's that?"

Glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. "Old monk said wild dogs in the rice fields. Oh, no." Multiple sets of eyes appeared, surrounding Lavender. She fired blindly into the darkness as she retreated, but was mobbed by the entire pack. They bowled her over, biting, scratching and ripping at her limbs and clothing. "Get off!" A gust of wind blew most of them back into the cave, and she managed to kill two, but more converged on her before she could stand. She fired into the mass of teeth and claws, but could feel her aura fading.

"There's too many. I have to get out..." Lavender went airborne again, shooting herself backward out of the mouth of the cave, leaving half of her skirt, her tattered halter top, and a pack of very confused mongrels behind. When she finally landed in a tree fifty feet away, she lost her guns, too, and when she tried to catch them, she fell out of the tree, landed in a heap at the base, and passed out.

Cinnamon accepted a boost from Orchid to make the final ridge, but heard more gunfire as she did. As she offered a hand to Orchid, she saw a body fly by and land in a tree, followed seconds later by a pack of wild, salivating dogs. She glanced back at the body as it fell from the tree and recoiled. "Lavender!"

Cinnamon dropped Orchid's hand and charged the dogs with her scimitars. "Die, you mongrel bastards!" By the time Orchid joined her, there were only two left, and Cinnamon was a bloody mess. Two seconds later, the pack was dead, as was any shred of modesty Cinnamon could hope to maintain. She tossed the bloody remains of her shirt and jacket aside, then ran toward Lavender alongside Orchid.

"Don't do that to me! Get up! Laven-"

A mass of talons and feathers bowled them both over as a huge griffon matron dove from the sky. Cinnamon rolled from the impact, losing one of her weapons in the collision, but came up firing. Orchid was less fortunate, and was pinned down and pecked mercilessly by the giant monster.

"Leave them alone." Lavender managed to prop herself up and empty a magazine into the griffon before Cinnamon charged again with her remaining scimitar. Within seconds, she was illuminated in blinding light as the beast died.

Cinnamon dropped to her knees beside the barely conscious Orchid. "We'll get you out of here. Stay with me." She tried to lift the griffon, but couldn't even budge it. "Lavender, can you help?"

"Dislocated shoulder. Can't lift." Lavender stumbled to her feet. "Maybe wind..." She picked up both guns and teetered toward her friends.

"I've got it." Rose walked up and dragged the giant bird off of Orchid, then knelt next to her. "Let's go home. I've got you." She picked up Orchid and pointed south. "I couldn't make that climb, so I had to go around. There's a trail down the hill over there. Unless you want to stay here..?"

Cinnamon shook her head and retrieved her missing sword. "No. Let's get back. We need some rest. Lavender, can you walk?"

"Probably."

"Lean on me. Rose, can you lead?"

Rose grunted and walked off, leaving the others to follow. When they reached the bottom of the hill, she turned back. "I sent Clay back to the monastery. We didn't need a guide anymore."

"Good thinking. He doesn't need to see us looking like this, anyway."

After a few minutes of walking, Orchid finally opened her eyes. "Thank you, Rose. You can put me down now."

"Only if you're sure." At Orchid's nod, Rose set her down. "What happened up there? You're all usually better than this."

"A huge griffon dive-bombed us."

"You didn't hear it coming?"

Orchid sighed. "I was worried about Lavender. She was down, and I... lost focus."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... you know I can't help it."

"Stop." Cinnamon locked eyes with Lavender. "We know how your semblance works. We're better, stronger, and faster when you're with us, but we all kind of lose it when you go down. It's okay. And it's not your fault."

Lavender shook her head. "It is my fault and it's not okay. You lost focus, too, and look what happened to you. You both could have died. And it would have been my fault."

"So could you. We all could've died. Except Rose, because she was too slow."

"Bite me."

"You have to stop blaming yourself. Without you, we wouldn't have completed this mission. You're the one that got us here. So we got hurt. So what?"

"And stripped."

"Thanks, Rose."

Lavender sighed. "I guess that's all true. But I still don't like it."

Cinnamon allowed Orchid to lead the way back up to the monastery, partly because it was her home, but mostly because she was still clothed. As Orchid talked with one of the senior monks in the courtyard, Cinnamon tried to cover herself with her arms, but noticed that most of the others were intentionally trying not to stare. "Shameless is one thing, but I really shouldn't look like this in front of monks. I actually feel kind of bad about this."

"Their loss for being monks, right?" Lavender was standing next to her in her bra and panties waiting for Orchid to finish. "It's not like you did this on purpose."

"We left our stuff in the spare room, and I always keep extra clothes in my gear. Let's go get dressed."

Lavender shrugged. "Me, too. And I hope they let Orchid go soon, too. It looks like her top is being held together by sheer willpower."

The two of them left Orchid and Rose to finish up whatever they needed to talk about and headed back. As they walked away, Orchid finished her report. The monk nodded and took a deep breath. "I will relay this information to Sensei in the morning. In the meantime, I must inform you that this sort of indecency will not be tolerated. This is a monastery, not a dirty night-club in Velaria, and your friends' wardrobe is completely unacceptable. Since you all arrived this morning, there has been more... impropriety... than I've seen in the last several years. If any of you actually dressed for battle instead of-"

The monk faltered as Orchid's top finally split, leaving her in a bloody bra and a torn, dirty skirt. He stared for a second, sighed, and walked away without finishing. The rest of the assembled monks followed his lead, turning their backs on Orchid and Rose and leaving them standing alone out in the courtyard.

"Ordinarily, I would agree with him, but the three of you almost died protecting them." Rose put her arm around her friend and led her away. "Let's go find our hapless, and probably still topless comrades. Screw these guys."

Orchid sighed and followed. "I'll talk to Sensei in the morning. He'll understand."

The sun was already up when Orchid woke. Everybody else was still down and out, but at least they were all dressed. She rose, stretched, and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked at her friends, peacefully asleep, and then at the pile of ripped and bloody clothes in the corner. "We need to go home. This isn't home anymore."

"Home is where your family is." Cinnamon sat up and took her hand. "Looks like it isn't the monks."

"No. But I need to say goodbye to Sensei."

"We all do." Cinnamon nudged Lavender and Rose awake. "Get dressed. More respectable than usual, if you can."

A few minutes later, they were packed and ready to go. Orchid led the way to the main hall while the others carried their gear. They were bowed in by a servant monk and entered to find Sensei, seated as ever on his cushion in the center of the room.

"I was told of your success, daughter."

Orchid approached and bowed. "I could not have done it alone, Sensei."

"Indeed. As for your friends, I was also informed of their... wardrobe problems."

"Yes, Sensei. The monsters were-"

"Were you also informed of the blood?" Rose stepped forward. "All three of them almost died, and your people were worried about impropriety. What the hell is that?"

"Those that have obvious weaknesses tend to focus on them. Combat and sacrifice are normal to the men here, so they take it for granted. Several have been beaten and bloodied in defense of this monastery. But none of them have encountered beautiful young women wearing anything less than robes."

Rose frowned, but stepped back. Cinnamon took her place at Orchid's side and bowed. "Thank you, Sensei, for your faith in us and in your daughter. But before we leave, may we discuss official business?"

Orchid's eyes widened. "I'm not charging them for this."

"Neither am I. But it was a Hunter mission, whether or not it was posted, and I have a solution. Lavender, Do you have any cash on you?"

"Two hundred. Why?"

"I've got twenty. Rose?"

"Also twenty. Why?"

Cinnamon grinned as she turned back to the Sensei. "Give me your phone. Time to make this official."

As they headed out the front gate, Rose shook her head. "I cannot believe you sometimes. You posted, accepted, and paid out a Hunter mission that for something that we already did on someone else's phone. Is that even legal?"

"What? We got the credit for a Hunter mission, which this obviously was, and the monastery didn't actually lose any money. I just hope he knows what to do with all that cash we gave him."

"He'll be fine. He's old, not senile."

"Whatever, Clay." The group turned in unison as they realized the young monk was standing right behind them. "Clay? Why are you following us?"

"The time I vowed at the monastery is over. Actually, it ended two months ago, but I had nowhere else to go."

Cinnamon raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So you need an assistant."

"No. We don't."

"Sensei said so."

"Dammit." Cinnamon glanced at Orchid, who nodded and smiled. "Okay, kid. Welcome aboard. But we're not paying you."

Huge Tracts of Land

Cinnamon threw open the motel room door laughing. "Got one. And they can't take it back."

"Did you take my car to the Hunter office again?"

"Yes." Cinnamon tossed Lavender her keys. "But I got us a paying mission. I know the monastery thing was important, but that was two days ago, and we're basically broke."

"You said they can't take it back." Rose crossed her arms. "Explain."

"Tract posted a request for a protection detail on a repair run to a relay tower outside Velaria, but they forgot to include Hunter team requirements. I snagged it as soon as it went up, so they can't take it back. Once accepted, all contract amendments have to be approved by both parties."

Lavender frowned and pulled out her cell phone. "Tract... the wireless company?"

"The biggest wireless company in Velaria." Cinnamon flopped onto the bed and snickered. "And they're paying us eight thousand dollars base plus expenses plus hazard pay."

"What's hazard pay?"

"An additional five hundred per confirmed kill. That sounds like a serious incentive to do some extra hunting to me."

"No." Orchid entered the motel room and leaned on the open doorframe. "You accepted this mission under questionable circumstances. We will obey the spirit of the contract, not just the letter. Don't give them any reason not to like us. In fact, we should go out of our way to prove ourselves capable and trustworthy. That way, they may actually want to include us as an option next time. Also, close the door before you start talking about money." Orchid shut the door behind her. "Do I have time to take a quick shower first?" At Cinnamon's nod, Orchid grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. "I may have to postpone my morning run if this keeps up. Or maybe I can just start getting up earlier..."

As the bathroom door closed, Lavender looked up at Cinnamon. "When did she get up today?"

"No idea. I was up at five thirty and left by six. She was already gone."

Rose started changing into combat gear. "She's always been like that. I think the hour of meditation she gets every afternoon is actually a nap in disguise."

The team took two cars out to the Tract office in Velaria. Lavender still insisted that she couldn't leave her car unguarded at the motel, and the five of them couldn't all fit in Lavender's sports car.

Cinnamon shrugged it off. "It's all right. We have access to the employee parking lot while the contract is in effect. They'll be watching both of your cars at no cost."

The girls were met at the gate by security and shown to the parking garage. After parking, a four-man security team escorted them into the building. None of them looked impressed. "You girls look a little young to be Hunters. And a little too..."

"Hot?" Cinnamon winked at him. "Sorry. Can't be helped."

"No. I was going to say vain. And possibly self-absorbed." The guard smiled as they reached the front of the building and opened the door for her. "After you, Princess."

Lavender smiled and thanked him, seemingly immune to his sarcasm. The reception desk was shiny metal and plastic. The wall behind was the same, but with the company's logo. Flashy. Fake. Nothing here was sturdy or well-crafted, but it was definitely designed to look pretty. Lavender wrinkled her nose, then turned to Cinnamon. "Dad's office is better. And safer."

"Excuse me?" The lead security officer approached. "You look like a cheerleading squad and you're questioning our security?"

Cinnamon turned to him and smiled. "Yes. And if this was a fight, it would be a joke. Lavender would sweep all four of you out the door and lock it behind you. Orchid would tie up the receptionist before she hit the panic button on her left, then take out the security cameras. Then Rose would tear off the safety door to the stairs while I wipe the second security team posted behind the door marked janitor." We would be advancing into your building unhindered in less than fifteen seconds."

"Ummm... what? Who are you?"

"Professionals." Cinnamon turned back to the reception desk. "Hunter team CORL reporting as contracted. Is Director Carter in?"

The receptionist smiled nervously. "He's on his way, ma'am. And... how did you know where the panic button was?"

"It's reflected in your shiny, unnecessarily large, and ridiculous-looking company logo." She turned back to the security team. "And by the way, guys, kevlar doesn't protect against blades."

The security team regained their composure and saluted as the director came in. "Thank you, Perkins. Dismissed." He turned to Cinnamon and extended his hand. "Cinnamon, I presume. Let's head back to my office. We need to speak in private."

The team followed him, with Clay bringing up the rear. Director Carter frowned at him. "Who's that? Your team bio showed four members."

"He's not part of the team. Think of him as an intern baggage handler." Clay tried to put his hand out, but dropped one of the bags. "And that's why we don't pay him."

"Right. So, before you head out, there's a slight issue with the contract. There was supposed to be an experience requirement listed, but the contract officer left it off for some reason. Would you happen to know what that reason was?"

"I'm afraid not. I've never met anyone that works for your company, so I can't vouch for their abilities or attention to detail."

"I expected you would say that, but you know I can't take your word for it. So if this incident was pre-arranged to insure your team got the contract..."

"It wasn't."

"Of course not. But he has been placed on leave pending the successful completion of this contract. If you don't hold up your end, he will be fired and prosecuted."

Cinnamon shrugged. "Is that all?" At the Director's frown, she continued. "You're threatening legal action against someone we've never met if we don't fulfill our contract. But if we fail, we're probably all dead, along with your entire tech team. Not much of a threat, is it?"

"It appears not. I didn't think that you would consider dying a possibility. Is this normal for novice Hunter teams?"

"No. Only for exceptional Hunter teams."

"Then you have nothing to worry about from me. I only hope that you are all as skilled as your ego seems to indicate." He rose and shook hands with the entire team, ignoring Clay. "The tech team is waiting for you in the lobby. None of them know that you are... inexperienced. Let's keep it that way, shall we?"

Three middle-aged, and obviously weather-beaten men were waiting for them back at the receptionist's desk, alongside what appeared to be a computer programmer. Perkins and his team were nowhere to be seen. The four men looked confused, but stood at attention when Director Carter spoke.

"Team CORL, these are the technicians that you are guarding. From left to right, Peter, Mike, Harold, and Alan. Guys, this is the Hunter team that will accompany you. Do what they say, and everything will work out. You should be safe home with your families by Saturday night."

"What the f-"

"Pleased to meet you." Cinnamon interrupted Mike and strode forward to shake hands with the technicians. "The Director has assured me that you are all experienced service technicians, and I look forward to working with you."

"And the Director has assured me that you are all qualified Hunters, but three of you look like cheerleaders, and I'd bet none of you are old enough to drink. I'm not quite sure what to make of that."

Harold shook his head. "No disrespect boss, but I have to agree. You're asking us to put our lives in their hands, and I got kids at home that need me."

"Don't chicken out." Alan, and youngest of the techs, stepped forward, eyeing Lavender. "I'll put my life in their hands. Or whatever else they want. And I'll happily do whatever they say."

Cinnamon turned back to Carter. "If we have to get a restraining order against this pervert, I'm putting it on the expenses. And you. Creepy Alan. Touch her, and you'll regret it."

"Really. What will you do to me?"

Cinnamon smiled as Lavender slipped in behind him with one gun to his head and the other between his legs. "I won't do a thing. But you should definitely apologize to her."

The tech froze as a gun barrel caressed his nether region. "I'm sorry. I'll stop."

Lavender leaned into Alan's neck and poked his crotch with her gun. "What's wrong? You shrank." He didn't respond, so she let go and holstered her weapons. "All talk, but nothing else. So sad."

Cinnamon folded her arms across her chest. "We're wasting time. You all have families to get home to, and we don't actually want to spend that much time with you guys ogling us. So why are we still here talking?"

The vans were waiting outside, and team CORL piled into the one driven by Harold, while Mike drove the equipment van with the other two technicians. As the vans left Velaria, Clay turned to Orchid and Cinnamon nervously. "So what do I do? We haven't really gone over that. All you said was case by case basis, and then you had me make your ramen for two days."

Cinnamon smiled at him. "You will carry our stuff, get it to us if needed, be an extra set of eyes and ears, help the tech team any way you can, and try not to get in the way or get killed."

"Okay... is getting killed likely? Or just a possibility?"

"That is entirely up to you."

Orchid patted the boy on the shoulder. "Stay with the tech team or in the vans. Keep your head down. You'll be fine."

"If you say so."

"Trust me."

A few hours of boredom passed, with the monotony only broken up by peanut butter sandwiches and chips for lunch.

"Tract is one of the ten biggest companies in Velaria. You'd think they could afford better road food."

Rose scowled. "Stop complaining, Cinnamon. You've been eating ramen for days."

Clay squinted out the window. "What's that?"

"I said-"

"No. That." Clay pointed to a shape in the sky

Everyone crowded to the window. "Griffons incoming. Gear up." Cinnamon turned to Lavender. "I need you on the other van. Can you do that?"

"No problem." Lavender paused and swallowed. "Just don't... don't leave me alone."

"Won't happen. I'd rather jump out after you at sixty miles an hour." Cinnamon took a radio headset from Clay as he passed them around. "These are nice. We should think about getting some of these for ourselves. All right, is tech support online? Mike can you hear me? Keep your van steady; we've got incoming and Lavender's on her way to join you."

"Don't call me tech support. And what are you talking about?"

"Just keep your van steady. Lavender, go."

At Cinnamon's nod, Lavender opened the sliding door and leaned out. "Ready. Twenty feet back. Ten feet..." Lavender swung out and jumped, landing on the hood of the following van, then scrambled up to the roof. "I'm on. The pack's almost in range."

Cinnamon climbed onto the roof of her van. "I'm stable up here. Rose, cover me from the door. Orchid, go with Lavender. Protect her if anything gets close enough to be a threat." Cinnamon hung her phone on a lanyard and started recording as Orchid effortlessly made the leap to the rear van. "Monster kill camera's rolling. Guns out, ladies. Keep those things off of the vans."

The griffon pack came in from the rear, talons out. Lavender grimaced as she started firing. "You know, I would've been able to shoot at them earlier if I wasn't balancing on a work van doing eighty."

Orchid grinned as she wrapped a griffon's wings with a bola. "These vans can't do eighty."

Lavender and Orchid flattened as four griffons passed over them, narrowly missing with their talons. Two others had crashed and burned from Lavender's gunfire, and one had dropped face first into the asphalt after having its wings disabled by Orchid's bola.

"Second wave. Ready?"

"Only five this time. No problem." Lavender opened fire as they came in, then blasted them upward with a gust of wind to avoid the talons. One more fell to her bullets before the rest recovered and continued on.

"Orchid, wait!" Lavender stared as Orchid jumped and mounted the last griffon, then rode it toward the front van, punching it with every beat of its wings. "Don't leave me..." Lavender shook her head clear and resumed firing as the first group circled back. Only two this time, and they both looked injured. Cinnamon and Rose had definitely done their jobs. She gunned them both down with ease, then turned back to her friends. Orchid had jumped onto the lead van after pummeling her mount to death, and the others were still firing. Two left. One managed to land, but was beaten to death before it managed to land a hit.

Cinnamon's voice came over the headset. "All clear. Twelve down. Lavender, stay with the rear van for now, all right?"

"No problem. I don't think we really want to stop to switch, anyway." Lavender knocked on the van roof, then swung down and in when the door opened.

Alan pulled her in, closed the door and turned to face her. "I am so sorry. Everything I said and thought was wrong. I will never doubt you or your friends again."

"Okay. Umm. Thank you?" Lavender regained her composure, grinned, and winked. "But not everything you said was wrong. I do look like a cheerleader."

Alan nodded. "But you're the only cheerleader I've ever met that could beat my ass. I feel much better about this job now that I've seen you all in action."

Several hours later, and after more peanut butter sandwiches for dinner, night began to fall. Cinnamon glanced out the window and turned her headset back on. "Lavender, are you okay alone back there?"

"We're all fine, but I'm short on ammo. We should have stocked both vans."

Cinnamon frowned, then sighed. "Oversight on my part. Both vans, pull over." The vans slowed and screeched to a halt. "Rose, swap out with Lavender. Then it's time to get some rest. And yes, I know it's only eight o'clock. Driver and one pair of eyes stay up. Harold and Clay in this van. Mike and Rose in the back. Everyone else, get some sleep. Shift change at two. Rose is in charge."

After a couple of hours, Clay turned on his headset. "I think I see something. Rose, look forward and to the right. It's big as a house, but I think it's moving."

"Got it. Hold on." Rose squinted in the moonlight. "I think I see tusks. Looks like a mammoth. Unless it charges, we can leave it. Those things are tough as nails, but can't catch us at this speed. Drivers, hold course."

Minutes later, the mammoth disappeared behind them into the night. Rose sighed. "That's a relief. One mammoth could have taken most of our remaining ammo. Good eye, Clay. Keep it up."

Two o'clock came with no more threats and Rose called a halt to change out drivers. Peter came up front for Harold with Orchid on watch, while Alan took Mike's place in the back with Cinnamon on watch.

Once everyone was settled, the vans took off again. Within minutes, Orchid turned her headset back on. "Cinnamon, I think I got something. Look up and left. Low-flying roc, I think."

"Crap. Those things can actually pick up a van this size. You'd better get Rose up."

"Just Rose?"

"We don't want to fight it, just convince it that we aren't worth the effort. No bird wants to be electrocuted mid-dive."

"Understood." Orchid nudged Rose awake. "Possible threat. Ten o'clock. If it dives, zap it so we can keep going. We don't need to kill it."

Rose slapped herself awake and pulled out her shotgun. "Griffon or manticore?"

"Roc."

"Damn."

The bird circled the vans, then dove as predicted, but at the rear van, triggering gunfire from Cinnamon before it came within Rose's range. The buckshot electrocuted the beast just enough to make it disengage and circle before flying off in search of another meal.

"Nice shot, Rose."

"Thanks. Going back to sleep now."

"You've got six hours."

The sun rose on a beautiful morning west of Velaria. The highway was clean and clear. The air was crisp. And they had gone almost six hours without seeing a monster. Life was good. And everyone was hungry. The vans stopped long enough for everyone to stretch their legs and pee, then Mike passed out breakfast.

"Protein bars and dried fruit. Why am I not surprised?"

Lavender frowned at her. "Cinnamon, be nice. It's like camping food."

"I never went camping."

"Hiking?"

"No."

"Your loss. It's beautiful out here." She turned to the tech crew as they finished up. "I'm not getting any reception. Does that mean we're close to the damaged tower?"

"Yep. Shouldn't be more than a couple of hours from here."

"That's good." Lavender paused and smiled. "Phone and text slang is funny. I mixed up butt dial and booty call until I was fourteen."

The technicians exchanged glances, then decided to keep their mouths shut, but Cinnamon couldn't help herself. "It's a good thing you didn't confuse boob job and tit job. I think your dad would have freaked."

Lavender furrowed her brow. "I don't get it. I've never had a boob job."

Alan and Mike opened their mouths to respond, but thought better of it and walked away.

"Cinnamon, what's a t-"

"Time to go." Rose stepped in and guided Lavender to the van as Cinnamon sat there grinning like an idiot. The techs followed, leaving Orchid alone with Cinnamon for a brief moment.

"Lavender is your best friend. She would do anything for you. You shouldn't set her up like that."

Cinnamon rolled her eyes. "You all need to work on your sense of humor. She'd have thought that was funny."

They joined the others in the vans and took off down the road, all a little sleepy, but glad they could at least see what was coming. Two hours and a flock of pigeons later, the tower was within sight.

"Wow, that's huge..."

"It's a good thing none of the techs can hear you right now, Lavender. You're asking for it."

Lavender blushed. "I didn't mean it like that."

Mike's voice came in over the headset. "It looks clear so far. Do you see anything?"

"No." Cinnamon turned to the window. "Pull in, but stay in the vans. We'll make sure everything is secure so you can get to work."

"Copy."

The vans stopped next to the tower, but the techs stayed inside with the engines running. Cinnamon led them to the tower base, posted Rose at the maintenance panel, then circled. "Nothing visible at ground level. Lavender, Orchid, check the tower."

Cinnamon and Rose kept watch on the road, base, and surrounding field while their teammates ran up the tower. Rose shook her head as she glanced up. "It always amazes that as fast as you are, you're only the third most maneuverable member of the team."

"I make up for it with my other assets."

"Whatever. Exhibitionist whore."

"I meant my brain, jackass."

Rose turned on her, ready to bark, but stopped as Cinnamon walked away, shoulders drooped.

"Found it." Lavender's voice interrupted the argument. "They've got leeches."

"Get rid of them." Cinnamon wiped her eyes and turned back. "Tech team, did you hear that?"

"Loud and clear, but that shouldn't be possible. That tower is solid steel. There's no exposed wiring, and the generator is housed underneath the main structure. Leeches can't get in."

Everyone paused as Lavender and Orchid beat the helpless electricity parasites to death. After the clanging stopped, Orchid's voice came on the comms. "The structure up here is damaged. Leeches can't do this."

"Describe the damage."

"Hacking. Heavy weapon, like an axe, or maybe a roc's talon."

"Are you telling me that a roc broke through a sheet of steel just to drop some leeches on our tower?" Mike broke out laughing. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"We know. Monsters don't work together." Cinnamon sighed. "Usually."

"Well, at least we know what we need to fix."

"Not yet, guys. You better stay in the vans. Cinnamon, do you see that?"

"Yep. Sabers coming in from the west. Orchid, get down here. Lavender, stay up top. I have a feeling we'll need you up there." Cinnamon switched off her headset and turned to Rose. "Call me a whore again, and I will beat your ass and leave you for the monsters."

Before Rose could respond, Orchid dropped in. "Why is Lavender still up there?"

"This looks intentional. Like the monastery, it's not intelligent, but we should expect another coordinated attack. Lavender is our air support when the other part of the attack hits. Though really, one of us should have trained as a sniper. Oh, well." Cinnamon turned her phone on and started recording. "Camera's rolling again. Let's do this."

Lavender watched from above, shrugged, and pulled her phone out. As she set it to record, the rest of her team engaged the sabers, but they looked like they were getting overwhelmed. She reached for her headset, but before she could ask what to do, the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. She jumped off the side of the tower just as a manticore landed where she had been perched and turned in the air to get a glimpse of her attacker.

"Just one? No problem." Lavender caught a support beam, swung up onto it and opened fire. The manticore bucked, took off again, and circled to better aim its tail spikes. Lavender laughed as she dodged, then took off, firing, and landed on the beast's back. It dropped out of the sky as she pummeled it, then tried to dive into the structure to clothesline her on the beams. She hopped the beam with ease and resumed beating the hapless creature, then backflipped off of it as it plummeted to its death fifty feet below.

"Like I said. Easy." Lavender turned just in time to take a stinger to the chest, driving her off the tower and out into the air. "Ow! You jackass! You stabbed me in the freaking tit!" Lavender shot back up into the air and grabbed the side of the tower. One manticore was down, but two scorpicores had landed on the tower and were clambering toward her, salivating.

"That's a lot of sabers." Cinnamon opened fire as the pack advanced, dropping one. The blinding flash that emanated from her body slowed the charge, but didn't allow her any extra attacks; automatic weapons can't be accelerated, even by a semblance.

"We'll be fine. Cats don't like fire." Rose engaged the fire crystal in her shotgun and emptied the magazine, killing two and lighting half of the remaining monsters on fire.

Orchid managed to get a few throwing stars off before the pack hit them, then engaged the rest in melee. She circle threw the first one, then kicked two more back into the pack before getting pounced. "There's too many!" She threw off the offending saber, flipped back to her feet, and retreated back to Rose, who was still standing untouched.

"Stay with me. And fix your shirt; you're falling out."

Orchid adjusted her top, then resumed flinging knives and shuriken at the circling pack. Rose continued firing, reducing their numbers further. "We're doing fine, but some of them broke off toward the vans. And where's Cinnamon?"

Their leader's voice came from behind. "Rose, tornado! Aim for the vans!"

Cinnamon jumped toward Rose, balled up, but with one arm extended. Rose rolled her eyes as she caught Cinnamon by the wrist, then spun and whipped her into the pack of beasts as they charged the vans. Cinnamon opened out of her ball spinning, her blades shredding everything within reach. The surrounding sabers faltered and screeched as her semblance triggered, blinding them all while accelerating her spin. As she was about to hit the ground, Cinnamon tucked, rolled, and came up firing, clearing the last three from the side of the tech's van.

"Clear. Lavender, what's going on up there?"

"Scorpicores!"

"On a scale from one to screwed, how are we?"

"A hand job, I think." Gunfire echoed from above as Lavender dodged through the beams and supports, firing wildly. "I'm not sure I understand the scale."

"No. I think you got it." As she raced to the tower, she saw Rose throw Orchid halfway up the side, then start climbing. Cinnamon reloaded, holstered her weapons, and ran up the side to join them, hoping Lavender could hold out.

"You suck! Stop stinging me!" Lavender dodged another stinger and jumped forward, hitting the scorpicore with a flying knee and a flurry of baton strikes, then rolled off sideways and ran down the beam firing. The second scorpicore circled around and swiped at her with its claws, then jabbed her in the chest with its stinger. Lavender rolled with the strike, then jumped to the next level of the tower and held on. "Freaking scorpicores. If I my boobs swell up because of this, I'm going to be so pissed."

Lavender glanced down at her teammates as a flash lit up the field below, quickly followed by a shotgun blast. "Hurry up, Cinnamon." Lavender kept firing as the scorpicores took off, circled, and dove, then dropped off the tower out of reach, catching onto a beam two levels below, then leaned on it for support. "My aura's fading and I'm almost out of ammo. You better get up here quick."

Instead of taking off to fly again, the scorpicores climbed down the tower in an attempt to surround her. Lavender sized them up, decided the one on the left looked more injured, and charged, dodging the stinger and beating the creature about the head and shoulders while it flailed at her with its claws. The scorpicore got one lucky strike before she retreated up to the next level, but looked like it was about to drop. Lavender dropped to her knees as it climbed toward her and emptied both pistols. "Why won't you die?"

Thumps and crashes echoed from beneath her as Lavender tried to reload. She glanced at the second scorpicore and was relieved to see Orchid engage it before it started climbing again. "That's good. Just one more for me." She finished reloading just as the stinger came up. Too slow. This is going to suck.

A body flew up in front of her, taking the scorpicore's stinger in the back. "Dammit! That hurts!" Cinnamon spun and blasted the creature off of the tower, dropping it to the ground beneath. "Lavender, are you all right?"

Lavender stood shakily and wrapped her arms around Cinnamon. "I am now."

"You're not alone. You know that, right? You're never alone."

As Lavender held on to her, they both glanced down to where Orchid had maneuvered the remaining scorpicore to the edge. "Rose! Freefall!"

The monk swept the beast's right front leg out from under it, then drove it backward with a spinning elbow. The scorpicore's claws scrabbled on the beams for grip, but failed and fell off backward. Mid-fall, Rose leaped off of the tower to meet it, jammed her bayonet into the creature's stomach, and fired repeatedly while riding it down. The pair landed on the ground in a heap with the bullet-riddled remains of the manticore splattering on impact.

Lavender shuddered. "Remind me never to piss Rose off."

Cinnamon brushed Lavender's hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. "She would never lift a finger against you. None of us would."

It didn't take long for the repair crew to rewire the tower, and even Mike had to agree that the damage looked like it came from a heavy weapon or a large monster. Repairing and reinforcing the steel shielding took longer, but the technicians were as good as their reputation.

While the techs finished their work, Cinnamon made a quick video of their work on her camera phone. "Sixteen sabers, two scorpicores, and a manticore." She turned the camera on herself before continuing "And be honest, Director; scorpicores are twice as tough as manticores. But even if they're all counted equal, that's nineteen monsters here in addition to the twelve griffons from yesterday. I don't think the leeches count." She paused and sighed into the camera. "And now, we need to sit down for a minute."

After several more minutes, a reboot, and some diagnostics run by Peter, the whole tower started humming. Cinnamon pulled out her phone. "I've got a signal. Looks like you did it."

"You four did all the hard work." Howard offered her a hand up. "All we did was rewire and weld. And to be honest, Alan barely did that; he was too busy trying to chat up your friend with the big..." He shook his head. "Sorry."

"We're used to it. Now let's get you back to your wife and kids before you forget about them."

"Won't happen. We've been married thirteen years, and nobody's getting between us, no matter how sexy they think they are." He winked at her as he walked off toward the van.

"Did you just get turned down?"

"No, Rose. I told him to go back to his wife and he agreed. But he would have turned me down if I asked, if that makes you feel better."

"A little. It's good to know that there are still guys out there that are faithful, and not taken in by the idea of taming a sexy badass."

Cinnamon feigned pouting. "Sexy badass? Is that all you think of me?"

"How about egotistical tart that happens to be a badass?" Rose grinned at her, then followed Harold to the van. "Let's get out of here. I want to go home, get paid, and eat a good meal."

The ride back was uneventful, allowing Lavender to sleep most of the way. They only encountered one monster, a two-headed king snake sunning itself on the road, but it slithered off rather than engaging the vans.

"Why are there monsters everywhere?" Harold sighed. "It just makes everything harder."

"Monsters have always been." Orchid and Clay smiled as they realized they had answered in unison, then Orchid continued. "Since the beginning, there have always been challenges to overcome. Humanity excels only in response to threats. Ease and luxury breed complacency and laziness."

"Are you trying to tell me that monsters exist as a physical representation of the philosophical concepts of personal growth and cultural development?"

"They grew up in a monastery. Feel free to ignore them." Cinnamon patted Harold on the shoulder, then glanced at Orchid and smiled. "Only monks and Hunters buy into that nonsense."

Harold shrugged and turned back to the road. "Fine by me. We're almost home anyway."

A couple of hours later, the vans pulled into the Tract facility. "Back home, safe and sound. Just like we said." Cinnamon hopped out of the van, stretched, and led the team into the lobby, but the techs stayed put.

"Go on without us. We've got to unload, stock, and report."

"Suit yourself." The reception area looked no different, except for the fact that the panic button was now hidden. "Hunter team CORL reporting. Is Director Carter in?"

"No, ma'am. But we've already confirmed your mission success with our field technicians. I can handle the contract. If we can just verify article three?"

Cinnamon pulled her phone out and played the videos. "Thirty-one."

The receptionist's eyes widened. "How did you... I mean..." She glanced at the team, swallowed, and copied the videos to her computer. "Yes. I see. Thirty-one kills at five hundred apiece plus the base rate of eight thousand totals twenty-three thousand, five hundred dollars." She transferred the money and smiled up at the team as if nothing was amiss. "Our contract is complete. You may pick up your vehicles in the parking garage. Thank you."

Cinnamon led the team out to their cars, allowed Lavender to open the door, and climbed in alone before finally losing it. "TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS!"

From outside the car, Rose and Orchid stared at her. Lavender shrugged. "She'll be fine. We'll all be fine. But she's definitely not driving home."

"TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS!"

Rose turned away and opened her car. "Something's not right with that one."

Beach Trip

"Three missions, three successes. This calls for a celebration!"

"You can't fool anyone, Cinnamon. You're just happy we finally got paid."

"And you aren't?"

"I'll be happier when it's consistent." Rose shrugged. "It does feel good, though."

"What kind of celebration are you thinking of? It shouldn't be anything too expensive. We only got paid once, and our week here is almost up."

Cinnamon sighed. "Thank you Orchid. You are the voice of reason, as always."

"How about the beach?" Lavender looked up from the table. "With school and training, it's been a while since I've gone."

"I wouldn't mind that. I like swimming, but I've never been to the beach before."

"Where did you learn to swim?"

"There's a lake near the monastery. We fished and trained there, and swimming was one of the few leisure activities encouraged by the monks, so I got pretty good at it."

"Which means you're exceptional."

Orchid shrugged.

"So everyone's agreed? We're going to the beach?" At Cinnamon and Orchid's nod, Lavender jumped up and went for her bag. "Oh, good. I know just what I want to wear."

"Clothes, I hope." Rose scowled at the other three. "Please tell me you'll be dressed."

"Of course I will. We have a young and impressionable male monk with us now, and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt his... monkness."

"Right."

"Why are we taking the train? We have cars."

"Parking at the beach is a nightmare." Lavender shrugged. "And there's a tourist train that runs directly from Velaria City to the beach. We can leave our cars in the station parking lot instead of here at Ghetto Motel."

Orchid frowned. "This place isn't that bad, is it?"

"Yes, Orchid. It is." Lavender and Rose drove to the train station, parked, and paid for tickets, then the team boarded their train and found an empty car. The girls all sat down and pulled out books or magazines. Clay staggered in with a huge duffel bag containing their sunblock, towels, extra clothes, and, of course, their weapons. He dumped the bag on a seat, then dropped down next to it panting. This will be worth it. No matter what I have to do, there is no way possible that I'm missing out on this trip.

"Are you all right, Clay?"

"Don't worry about him, Lavender. He's a monk. We've all had to carry things like that."

"If you say so." Lavender shrugged and turned to look out the window.

Orchid furrowed her brow at Clay, who was obviously lost in thought, then shrugged and sat down. Clay didn't even notice, as he was already gone, imagining what his employers were going to look like in bikinis.

Lavender turned back from the window. "Hey, Rose. Do you know why mermaids wear seashells?"

"No. But I expect you're going to tell me..."

"Because D-shells are too big and B-shells are too small."

"Right." Rose rolled her eyes and went back to her book.

Lavender tossed her hair and turned to Cinnamon. "I happen to think that I'd make an awesome mermaid. I've got a pretty face, long, flowing hair, and an epic rack. That all you really need, isn't it?"

Cinnamon shrugged as Rose got up and stalked away. "But you'd have to give up those legs and that ass. I think you're better off as a human."

Lavender stood and turned to catch a reflection of her backside in the train window. "True. I look good below the waist, too. Hey, where'd Rose go?"

"She didn't feel like getting insulted, so she left."

"What do you mean? I didn't insult anyone."

Orchid stood up and faced Lavender and Cinnamon, then pointed at herself. "C." At Lavender's blank stare, Orchid pointed at Cinnamon's chest. "D."

Lavender blinked. "Oh. Cup size."

Orchid pointed to Lavender and raised an eyebrow. "Double D?"

Lavender blushed and smiled. "E."

"That's the problem. It wasn't your intent, but she just heard you say that her B-cup isn't big enough, then go on to talk about your looks and hair. She probably heard Cinnamon's comment about your other assets, too." Orchid sighed. "She's always been sensitive about that. It's bad enough that we're on our way to the beach and the three of us look like bikini models. Please don't bring up appearance more than you have to."

"I didn't think about it like that. And I definitely didn't mean to say her chest is too small. I should go apologize." At Orchid's nod, Lavender left.

"You're not going to ask me to apologize?"

"You didn't initiate the conversation."

Cinnamon raised an eyebrow. "Is that the only reason?"

"You never apologize." Orchid looked down at the team leader. "Your normal response to hurt feelings is tell the person to toughen up. I've only seen you behave differently with Lavender. I don't know why you think she deserves special treatment, but it's not good for the team."

"Lavender is fragile. Not physically, but emotionally. You and Rose can take it. And you shouldn't let stupid things get to you. But I've been with Lavender for four years now, and she's always been insecure. She's stronger now than she's ever been, but when I met her, she was one step from running away because she didn't think she deserved to be at Beacon."

Orchid sat down and looked out the window at the approaching coastline. They were almost there. There's not enough time to have a proper conversation about this. "Trust me on this. Rose isn't as tough as you think. Please, be more gentle with her."

After the train arrived, the team walked the two blocks from the station to the beach. Clay followed, still stumbling under the weight of the bag. Cinnamon glanced back at the boy and hid a smile. He's using it as an excuse to bring up the rear. Not that I can blame him. Even in shorts and tank tops, we're drawing attention. He can stare a little, too.

When they reached a nice spot near the shore, Clay laid out the towels and set up an umbrella. Rose seemed satisfied until Orchid dropped her clothes next to her towel, revealing a modest bikini.

"Why are you wearing that little?"

"It's a beach. I'm going swimming."

Rose scowled and grabbed a bottle of water as Orchid walked off, then groaned as she saw Cinnamon and Lavender take turns stripping off their shirts and shimmying out of their shorts to show off perfect bodies barely covered with string bikinis. She turned away as they took turns applying sunblock to each other's backs, and then covering every visible inch of themselves. Since that was 95% of their bodies, it took most of the bottle. The process took ten minutes and got the attention of everyone within fifty feet, most of whom took pictures or video, and by the time they finished, three people had fainted and Clay was drooling on himself.

"Cinnamon, look. There's a volleyball net. Think anyone would want to play with us?"

"Everyone on the beach wants to play with us." Cinnamon smirked. "Well, at least the guys do. Let's go see if there's any decent competition."

"Should we go easy on them?"

"Probably. I'd rather not pick a fight."

Two hours later, Cinnamon and Lavender had beaten every team that had faced them. Lavender sighed. "It's almost sad. I know we were the two-on-two volleyball champions at Beacon, but this is getting ridiculous."

"Agreed. Time for a swim, maybe? I need to cool off."

"Works for me. If I keep this up, I'm going to fall out, anyway."

"I don't think they would mind." Cinnamon turned to the row of men lined up to play against them. "Sorry guys. We're done for now. Time to hit the water."

As the gathered crowd of players and spectators sighed and scowled, the girls headed for the waves, making sure they put a bit of extra swing in the hips to give their fans what they were looking for one last time. As they reached the water, Orchid came in on a wave, somehow landing on her feet in front of them.

"How is that even possible? It's like you..."

"Have perfect balance and know exactly where the water is going to take me?"

"Yeah. That."

Orchid grinned as she brushed her hair out of her face, then frowned. "Wait, the current changed. There's something-"

Orchid sidestepped as a tentacle slipped out of the water and wrapped around Cinnamon's leg, then dragged her into the water. Three more tentacles came out, missing completely as Orchid and Lavender cartwheeled and rolled sideways, but they couldn't dodge forever as the huge squid surfaced and sent his remaining tentacles out at them. Before they could escape, the squid threw them all out into the bay, leaving the beach empty but for a gaggle of stunned onlookers and two string bikini tops lying on the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Rose sat up and stared down at the beach. People were screaming and running. There was no sign of her teammates. And there was a monstrous squid attacking everyone within reach. Rose sighed, stood up, and turned to Clay and the duffel bag with her weapon, but found him missing. "Typical. I'll do it myself then."

Rose pulled her shotgun out, unsheathed and attached the bayonet, then shouldered the bag and charged off toward the squid. Once she got within range, she slowed and aimed. "Everyone out of the way! Move!"

As the crowd thinned, Rose opened fire, filling the squid with buckshot. She advanced, emptied her shotgun, and reloaded. Unfortunately, her weapon was less effective at long range, but as she got closer, the squid started writhing in pain with each shot. As she came within tentacle range, the squid tried to swipe at her, but she blocked with her bayonet, causing the tentacle to retract.

"Let them go." Rose pointed to the two beachgoers the monster had snagged, but instead it swiped at her again. She blocked effortlessly, then blasted at the tentacles holding the hostages, causing an enraged spasm and another swipe. She blocked again, fired again, and smiled at it when the hostages dropped to the sand. "Now for the fun part." She engaged the lightning crystal in the shotgun, charged, and emptied the magazine into the monster's face, repeatedly electrocuting it while simultaneously turning the creature's head into a gelatinous pile of goo.

Shouts and applause erupted across the beach while people checked on the two hostages. It seemed like they were going to be all right. Everything on the beach was fine, if you ignored the squid corpse oozing pus and gore everywhere. Rose grabbed the nearest person. "Where are my friends?"

"Who?"

Rose took a deep breath and tried not to grimace. "I came here with three ridiculously beautiful young women. I can't find them. Did you see where they went?"

"Ridiculously beautiful... were they wearing those?" The man pointed down the beach at a pair of bikini tops that looked like they were barely legal.

Rose's face fell. "Yes."

"I saw the squid throw some people out into the bay. Those tops wouldn't stay on if that happened, would they?"

"No. No, they wouldn't." Rose unhooked, sheathed, and stowed her bayonet and shotgun, secured the duffel bag, and ran for the water. "Orchid, you better be all right. Those two topless tarts can be fish food, for all I care, but not you."

It took less than two minutes for Rose to find her teammates. Nothing else could possibly be making that much noise. By the time she reached them, Rose couldn't believe her eyes. Three shark-like monsters were sinking in the water while the three mostly naked girls were beating the one remaining monster senseless. As she approached, she saw Lavender and Cinnamon basket-toss Orchid into the air, where she flipped twice and came down with an axe kick on the last remaining shark. The thud echoed across the bay as the shark lost consciousness, then her teammates finally saw her.

Cinnamon spoke up first. "Rose! What happened to the squid?"

"I killed it. How are all of you?"

"Fine. Can we get back to shore? And did you find our tops?"

"They're back on the beach."

"Can you let me get into the bag, then? I kind of need a top."

Rose ignored her and started swimming back to shore. "Freaking exhibitionist. Screw you."

"What?"

"I can't hear you. Let's get back."

Rose continued to swim back to shore, but Orchid caught her and pulled shirts out of the bag for the others. "Be nice. And be realistic; you can't complain about them if you don't let them get dressed."

A few minutes later they reached the shore, and Rose dragged herself out of the water. Swimming with a loaded four foot duffel bag was exhausting. It was doubtful that any of the others could have managed it at all. She stumbled to her feet in time to realize that her teammates had beaten her back to shore, and now they were all standing around, basking in the adoration of hundreds of onlookers. Cinnamon and Lavender looked like they had just won a wet T-shirt contest and were posing like they owned the beach. Rose sighed as she picked up the bikini tops they had lost. Why am I even here? A few more minutes and a few hundred more pictures later, the others joined her and walked back to where Clay was waiting with their towels.

Cinnamon slapped the monk on the back of his head. "What happened? Where were you? We were fighting for our lives and you abandoned your post. We had to fend for ourselves against sharks and Rose had to kill a squid monster single-handedly, then swim out to try to rescue us."

Clay stared at her for a second. "You wanted me to fight with you?"

"No. You should have been there to get her a weapon, and then taken care of the rest of our stuff while she swam out to get us. But Rose did all of that herself."

"Sorry..." Clay mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?"

"I was in the bathroom."

"And because of that, you missed everything. The weapons, the fight..." Cinnamon smirked. "Our tops coming off..."

As Clay's jaw dropped, Cinnamon winked and walked off. "Now let's get out of here. I'm tired and hungry."

Lavender and Orchid shrugged and followed. Rose handed off the duffel bag to Clay and joined them.

"Burgers?"

"Pizza?"

"Tacos?"

"Tacos."

"Okay."

"Sounds good."

Clay followed under the weight of the now-soaked duffel bag. "Aren't you going to get dressed first?"

"There's no dress code at beachside taco stands." Cinnamon smirked. "Actually, we might get better service this way. Lavender, bounce a little when you order. See if it helps."

Cinnamon turned back to Rose just before they got to the taco stand. "Oh, and Rose, I probably don't say this often enough. You kicked ass today. I can't imagine this team without you."

"Does that mean you're paying for lunch?"

"Sure. Why not?" Cinnamon grinned. "That's assuming we don't all get free tacos just by showing up."

"What do you mean?"

"Advertising. This taco stand is now catering to the hottest women on the beach."

Rose glanced behind them. "And your fans followed you."

"Yep." Cinnamon leaned on the counter next to Lavender, locked eyes with the guy at the register, and motioned toward the crowd that had followed them. "Looks like you guys are going to have a good lunch rush today, as long we stick around. That means ours is on the house, right?"

Change Can Be Good... Right?

"My phone's ringing. Why is my phone ringing?" Rose sat up in bed and stared at the clock, then rubbed her eyes and picked up her phone. "Cinnamon? It's six-thirty in the morning."

"I know, but I need your approval before accepting a mission."

"You've never asked for my approval."

"This one's in Kerachi."

"That's all that was available, huh? Yeah, okay." Rose paused. "Do it. We don't need to stay in not-Vale. It's not like we have houses or families here." Rose hung up and stared at the wall. "No point trying to go back to sleep now. Maybe breakfast. Then packing." She glanced around the room the four of them were sharing. Packing would take her less than five minutes.

Rose rolled out of bed, cranked out fifty pushups, then wandered over to the tiny kitchenette. Oatmeal and fruit were much better than the discount mart breakfast cereal they had been eating. The Tract job had done wonders, not just for their wallets, but for their mental security and morale.

While Rose was eating, Orchid came in from her morning run. "You're up early." And eating all my fruit, I see."

"We'll buy more. We can't take it with us, anyway."

"Don't be cryptic." Orchid dropped into the chair next to her. "What's going on?"

"Cinnamon got us a Hunter mission in Kerachi."

"Okay. Which means?"

"Kerachi is about a thousand miles northeast of here, on the borders of the wasteland. It's as far north as you can get without dying of cold and stupidity."

"If it's that bad, why would anyone live there?"

"Crystal mines. The tundra is full of them. It's also full of arctic wolves, yetis, and the occasional roc; thus, the need for Hunters."

"With threats and challenges, come those who rise to meet them and excel."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you're in?"

"Of course. But I was referring to the people risking the dangers to work in the mines."

"Naturally. You wouldn't ever refer to yourself as excelling at anything. Or being the best at everything. Or being able to beat up monsters with both hands tied behind your back."

Orchid smiled as she got up and headed for the shower. "I don't have to brag. I have you."

Rose had finished eating and packing by the time Orchid got out of the shower, but she waited until her friend was dressed and packing before going to get Clay.

"Why do I have to sleep in the car, again?"

"Because there are four young women sleeping in this room, and two of them don't wear much to bed." Rose grimaced. "Last night, I rolled over and got a face full of Lavender's..." She paused as Clay's eyes glazed over, then continued with a grin on her face. "drop kick, but then she hit him with a piledriver and pinned him."

Clay nodded. "Uh huh."

"Moron."

The door opened as Cinnamon and Lavender returned from the Hunter office. "Oh, good. You're packed already. Clay, stop drooling and clean out the kitchen. We won't be coming back, so everything that came in with us leaves with us."

Clay shook his head clear, blinked as he realized his Lavender-based dreams had been replaced by the real thing, then finally heard Cinnamon and got to work, and a few minutes later, the five of them were headed out. Cinnamon sent Clay to load the cars as she led the way to the front desk to check out. "Oh, good. Marco's here."

The young man at the desk smiled as the girls walked in. "Cinnamon, you're checking out? You have one more day..."

"Leaving early, I'm afraid. No refunds, I know." She dropped the motel key on the desk. "But we've got a job offer elsewhere."

Marco took the key and logged them out, then looked up at Cinnamon and shut off the security cameras. "And the other part of our deal?"

"Pervert." Cinnamon stuck her tongue out, flashed him, and walked away.

"He's not that bad." Lavender followed suit, adding a quick body roll, and walked to her car giggling.

Orchid shook her head and walked away. "You can turn the cameras back on. That's all you're getting."

"No, he's getting one more." Rose glared at Marco as she flipped him off. "There you go, jackass. Now we can go."

"This is more like it." Orchid surveyed the snow-covered mountains and icy plains. "This entire region is beautiful. And it's all visible from the city. I'll be able to look out the window and see nature."

"This isn't a city. It's barely more than a mining town." Lavender shivered in her skirt and halter-top. "And I'm freezing."

"You should've worn pants."

"I didn't bring any pants." Lavender pouted. "When we left not-Beacon, I packed enough for two weeks, and that included three bikinis. It didn't even occur to me that we would leave the sunshine and beaches of not-Vale. This place is cold and cold sucks."

"It took us more than two days to drive here. You didn't think about it then?"

"I had the heater on in the car..."

"Not important right now." Cinnamon put her arms around Orchid and Lavender. "We'll make a quick run for clothes, find a motel for the night, and then we can check in with our new bosses in the morning. We'll go shopping for real after we get more details."

The next morning, the entire team was outfitted in pants and jackets, and Cinnamon was leading them up the front steps of Brighton Industries, the second largest mining company in Kerachi. "This is another protection detail, but its equipment, not people. They got a load of drills, carts, and... other mining stuff. I skimmed that part. We're supposed to keep it safe during transit."

"That seems a bit odd."

"Rose, wait. I think we missed something important." Clay turned to face Lavender. "Yesterday, did you say that you brought three bikinis with you?"

"Just carry the bags, moron." Rose shoulder checked him into the rail and entered the building, with Cinnamon at her heels, followed by Orchid, Lavender, and eventually, Clay.

The lobby was small, barely furnished, and held only one well-dressed man looking at his watch expectantly. "Hunter team CORL, I presume?"

Cinnamon extended her hand. "That's correct. And you are Arthur Cornelius?"

"Doctor Arthur Cornelius. I earned that title."

"Of course, Doctor Cornelius. My mistake."

"And you must be Cinnamon. You know, I've never been fond of these modern names. Colors and flowers and so on. And your wardrobe... you must all be from the south. If you had lived up here for more than a day, you would know that those jackets wouldn't be good enough up in the mines.

"We are from the south, and we had no intention of going up to the mines like this. We'll need to pick up some supplies before we head out."

"Fine, fine. But I won't have you doing that alone. Not rookies like you. I'll send my assistant with you. She'll get you sorted out."

"I appreciate that. I'm sure that being new to this environment will bring some challenges, but fighting monsters is still what we do."

"That's what they all say." Doctor Cornelius turned to see his assistant had appeared at his side. "Miss Evans, excellent. Will you see to our team here? Make sure they are adequately prepared for the mission. Not like the last ones."

"Of course, Doctor." The assistant turned to Cinnamon. "Follow me, please."

The team followed her into a side office with barely enough room to squeeze them all in, and only two chairs at the desk. Miss Evans sat behind it at her computer while Cinnamon took the only visitor chair.

"Now, about the contract. You must have wondered why the Hunter requirements were so low." She raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me you noticed that."

"Of course I did. I also know that this area is sparsely populated and tends to be avoided due to the harsh climate. Unfortunately, that includes Hunters. Contracts in not-Vale tend to get their pick of Hunters; you have to take whoever is willing."

Miss Evans sighed. "Yes. And Doctor Cornelius' reputation doesn't exactly help..."

"That part, I didn't know."

"To put it bluntly, he's cheap. He refuses to pay market price for anything, and that includes Hunters. Which means we don't always get the best and the brightest." Miss Evans eyed the assembled team. "Usually, the best we can hope for is talented novices looking to prove themselves."

"Interesting description of my team. But you mentioned the contract like I missed something."

"You likely didn't calculate expenses. No one ever does. The mission pays twelve thousand dollars, but you will be providing your own gear, supplies, and ammunition."

"That's been standard in my experience." Cinnamon smiled at the error Tract had made. "Except once."

"Not up here. Specialty combat gear and heating alone for four people will cost you at least three thousand dollars. The last group tried to do with less and lost two members. Monsters here aren't hindered by the cold and wind."

"Understood. But we're not backing out now."

"Good. Then let's move on. The job itself is fairly straightforward. Once a year, our mining equipment is cleaned and repaired. The miners get two weeks off while the repair crew is on the job, and for that, our normal security is adequate. However, the trucks themselves are carrying replacement equipment, so they are slow and cumbersome, making them easy targets. You've been contracted to guide them to the mines where they will deliver the equipment, then guide them safely back out carrying a load of crystals. They will be attacked. At least twice. Every year."

"With threats and challenges, come those who rise to meet them and excel."

"That's what Doctor Cornelius always says... oh, well. Great minds think alike, I guess."

"Not really." Cinnamon smiled. "Mediocre minds think alike. Great minds create and innovate."

The assistant stared at them all. "Have considered writing fortune cookies? It's safer than this Hunter business."

"No. Now if we're done with the briefing, let's do some shopping."

As they approached the shop, Lavender wrinkled her nose. "Frank Fleming's Frontier Outfitters? Tacky. But it'll have to do. Miss Evans, you're my assistant now. Follow my lead."

Before anyone could respond, Lavender unzipped her jacket to reveal a V-neck top, threw open the front doors and strode inside. A stunned sales associate stared at her for a second before reflexively looking her up and down. After an awkward silence, he tentatively opened his mouth. "Can I help you?"

"My friends and I are heading north and we need proper tundra clothes." She handed him a Diamond class credit card. "Fix it."

"Uhhh... what?"

Lavender rolled her eyes. "Manager." At the boy's blank stare, she tried again. "Get. The. Manager."

"Okay..." The boy dropped her card on the counter and left, returning seconds later with an older gentleman wearing a carefully crafted customer-service smile.

"How may I help you, Miss..." He glanced at her Diamond card and his eyes widened briefly, but he regained his composure quickly. "Miss Hill, what a pleasure to have you at our establishment. Anything you need is available. Just name it."

"Thank you. But I'm just visiting, so I'll have my assistant handle it." She turned back to the group. "Miss Evans. Be a dear and get us the necessary equipment. Cold-weather combat gear, with maximum maneuverability." She pointed at a frilly fur coat with a five-figure price tag. "I know that one is lovely, but it wouldn't hold up against a yeti, would it? We'll be over here if you need us to try anything on."

Lavender joined her team next to the complimentary coffee and sniffed it disdainfully, prompting the manager to bring the espresso machine out of the employee break room and make them whatever they wanted. Miss Evans eventually recovered from her shock and joined the sales associate, while the rest of the team stood around drinking coffee and occasionally trying things on.

After the manager left to assist another customer, Cinnamon leaned in to whisper to Lavender. "What the hell was that?"

"I have an Aunt that pulls stuff like this all the time. Sometimes she doesn't even buy anything. But we need the best cold-weather combat gear we can get and we can't afford to waste time or money. That's what the Diamond card is for."

"I didn't know there was anything above Platinum."

"Not available to the public. But my dad's rich, so..."

Rose smirked. "So you pretended to be an overbearing, pretentious, spoiled, rich snob."

"Lighten up, Rose. She's never done anything like this before. It's not like she dropped the card in front of you and told you to do the dishes."

Rose frowned, but Orchid nodded. "Lavender, how many times have you used this card?"

"Twice now. The first time was when I went bought my weapons and combat gear."

"I'm sorry, Lavender." Rose took a deep breath. "Money's kind of a touchy subject in my family."

"That's why I try not to emphasize it."

"Because of me?"

"All of you. But now we all need it, so I'll use it. And then the Diamond card goes away again. And if we keep getting paying jobs like this, it will stay there. Because we should be able to do without it."

Ninety minutes and four thousand dollars later, the team was outfitted for combat in the wastelands north of Kerachi. Miss Evans led them back to the Brighton main office where she made arrangements for departure. "Now that we're all prepared, we should get you moving. The trucks and repair crew are on standby, and the miners were dismissed as soon as you accepted the contract yesterday. We were only waiting on you to make the trip up here. The drive to the mine itself is short, but the terrain is difficult, so it will take at least an hour. If all goes well, you'll be back this evening."

"So let's board up and move out."

Miss Evans sighed. "You really are optimistic, aren't you? There isn't enough room for you and your gear on the trucks. You'll be driving yourselves."

Cinnamon stopped and stared. "Your boss is a pathetic, cheap-ass weasel co-"

Orchid grabbed Cinnamon and covered her mouth. "I apologize for that."

"No worries. She's right."

The assistant's response surprised Orchid enough for Cinnamon to break free. "-king pile of monkey crap!"

"Yes, I've heard all of that before. Well, most of it; I thought I heard something about a gerbil in there, and that would be new. And most likely inaccurate. Now, go ahead and put your snow chains on. I did make sure you have some, even if you didn't notice."

The girls stared at her, then at each other. Rose sighed. "I'll do it. You'd probably manage to run over your own hands if you tried."

Minutes later, the chains were on and the team was ready to go. Miss Evans called the repair crew on her cell phone. "Go. Hunters are prepped and following." She turned back to the team and smiled. "I hope I see you all later. You're the most amusing group we've had since I started working here, and I really don't want anything to happen to you." She paused as two loaded freight trucks drove by. "Follow close, but be prepared to fight. There's always a fight."

"You already mentioned that." Cinnamon turned to Lavender and Rose. "Let's go. And be careful on these roads. Keep it under thirty and watch for ice patches. That means you, Lavender."

"I know. I'm not that stupid."

The trucks stayed between twenty and twenty-five miles per hour, allowing the team to follow easily, but the lack of speed was wearing on Lavender. "Cinnamon, I could go twice this speed and stay in control. Those truck-drivers are being overly cautious."

"Maybe. But they aren't driving a high-end sports car. Loaded like this, they probably top out at around fifty. Your car..."

"Tops at one-sixty-three. But not here; I know." Lavender sighed. "It's just so... boring."

"Sorry, but it can't be helped." Cinnamon's phone buzzed. "Orchid, you got something?"

"Look up and left."

Cinnamon looked up at the road above them as it snaked around the frozen hillside. "Is that a minotaur?"

"Two of them. They're walking down the road toward us like its normal."

The trucks slowed to a halt in front of them, but kept the engines running. "Looks like it's showtime, ladies. Weapons out. And Clay, stay with Rose's car. Make sure the engine stays running. Lavender's car should be fine."

Cinnamon led the way up in front of the freight trucks toward the approaching minotaurs. "Remember, these things are pretty much bullet-proof. Save your ammo. Blades and blunt force only."

"No problem. These things are pretty slow, so I'll take the one on the right."

"Orchid wait..." Cinnamon paused and smiled. "Never mind. I forgot that your combat final was a minotaur. Have fun."

As Orchid sprinted toward one minotaur, the rest of the team advanced on the other. Lavender fired off two shots to keep its attention away from Orchid, but they bounced right off the beast's thick skull. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" Lavender charged the minotaur, ducked his axe, and hit him with a flurry of baton strikes before diving and rolling out of reach. Cinnamon followed her with a jump kick to the minotaur's ribs and a pair of sword strikes to the arm before jumping over the creature to set it up for Rose.

As the minotaur followed Cinnamon with his eyes, Rose stabbed him with her bayonet, then grabbed his axe. A brief tug of war ensued while Lavender and Cinnamon pummeled the hapless brute from behind, killing him before he could recover his weapon.

As Rose dropped the minotaur's axe, a second axe bounced to the ground at her feet. She looked up and saw Orchid sidestep a punch from the disarmed beast, then connect with a left jab and a right hook/elbow combination, followed by ducking another punch while throwing a back elbow up and over her head into the beast's diaphragm.

The minotaur stumbled backward toward the cliff wall, unarmed, while Orchid continued the assault. Rose grinned and charged the brute. "Field goal in three!"

Three seconds to impact. Two. One. Orchid connected with one more kick to the knee, then sidestepped, allowing Rose to engage her not-semblance and hit the minotaur between the legs with a running kick. The shockwave that followed cracked the stone wall behind it and dropped the creature to its knees, where it writhed on the ground, vomiting. After it finally stopped convulsing, the minotaur looked up pitifully, and croaked out three words. "Please kill me."

"That was new." Cinnamon cut the minotaur's throat and shrugged, then led the way back to the cars. "Two down. More to go. Always more."

The rest of the drive out to the mine was uneventful, if you didn't count the dire wolves. Dozens of them. Following the convoy, but staying just out of range. Almost out of sight, but not quite.

"They're not engaging. Why aren't they engaging?"

"I don't know, Lavender. They're not acting like predators, prey, or scavengers. It looks like they're watching. Waiting." Cinnamon pulled out her phone to call Orchid. "Any thoughts on the wolves? Looks to me like they're waiting for something."

"Backup, probably. If they've learned to coordinate, we should expect something else to attack first. Something big. Then the wolves will come in behind us."

"That's what I was afraid of. Problem is, there were already two minotaurs, and they didn't jump in. What were they waiting for?"

"We'll find out soon enough. We're approaching the mine now."

The trucks pulled up to the mine entrance, but the drivers and repair crew stayed put. They had noticed the wolves following, and were more than happy to stay in their armored vehicles while the Hunters did what they were paid for.

"They're still not attacking." Cinnamon frowned. "And they're staying out of range. What are they waiting for?"

Orchid's voice came over the phone. "Get out of the car!"

Before Cinnamon could move, a pair of giant talons punctured the roof of Lavender's car and closed, shattering the windows and lifting it off the ground. As they went airborne, Cinnamon looked down to see that the wolves were finally advancing. "Orchid, wolves are yours. We'll be back as soon as we can." She hung up and turned to Lavender. "Let's bring this bird down."

Orchid hung up and got out of the car with Rose. "Clay, stay in the car and keep it running." She turned to the charging wolf pack. "No werewolves this time. Should be manageable."

"And no threat of burning down the countryside." Rose engaged her fire crystal. "Just don't overextend; we'll be fine."

Rose advanced into pack, spraying flaming buckshot everywhere. Orchid emptied her cloak, flinging handfuls of daggers and shuriken all over the battlefield. Within seconds, half of the dire wolves were dead, but the rest had closed to melee range. Rose and Orchid fought back to back, beating back the charge with their fists, feet, and bayonet.

"Where are Cinnamon and Lavender?"

"They're taking out the roc. We've got to make sure the landing zone is clear when they come back in."

Rose bludgeoned the final wolf to death and wiped the blood from her left arm. "Roc? What are you talking about?"

"Up there."

Rose followed Orchid's gaze to the roc circling the mine entrance carrying Lavender's car and watched while their friends hung on for dear life while trying to shoot it down. "Crap. There's no way that car is going to survive the fall."

"That's what you're worried about?"

"They'll be fine. And I'm sure Lavender's dad will buy her a new car." Rose shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."

Cinnamon slid out the window and climbed up onto the roof of the car as it rose into the sky. "Lavender, what are you waiting for?"

"I'm stuck. Hold on." Lavender pulled her guns out and blew the buckle off of her seatbelt, then joined Cinnamon on the roof. "This is going to suck. And my dad's going to be pissed."

"Can't be helped. Ready?"

Lavender took a deep breath. "I'll go high. Hang on tight." At Cinnamon's nod, Lavender half scrambled, half flew up to the beast's back. "Go!"

The roc squawked in pain as both Hunters opened fire, then banked sharply, causing them both to hang on for dear life. Beneath the bird, Cinnamon wrapped her arms and legs around its leg and emptied one of her guns. Above her, she heard Lavender continue to fire as well, but other than making the roc scream, it seemed to have little effect.

"Cinnamon, I didn't have time to grab my magazines! Switching to melee!" Lavender ran up the creature's back and started beating the back of its head with her batons.

"Me, either. Stupid roc." Cinnamon converted to swords and went to work on the monster's stomach. "Maybe if I disembowel this thing, it will try to land. Or at least drop a little..." Cinnamon grabbed a talon as the roc banked again, then looked down at the wrecked car and the spare magazines in her bag in the back seat. She took a deep breath and holstered her guns. "Lavender, I'm going to-"

Cinnamon's legs buckled as the car dropped out from beneath her, leaving her dangling by one hand from the beast's left talon. "Crap! Lavender, help!"

"One minute!"

"I don't have a minute!"

Lavender swung down by the roc's feathers, climbed down to the talon, and helped Cinnamon up before looking at the remains of her car on the ground below. "Freaking bird dropped my car."

"It should pay for that. 9mm enema?"

"Definitely." Lavender grabbed Cinnamon's hand and hopped out into the air, using her wind crystals to guide her to the monstrous bird's tail feathers. They both grabbed on, got in position, and jammed their guns in all the way to the trigger guard.

"Bad monster." They emptied what was left of their magazines up into the creature's hindquarters, causing the roc to scream, spasm, and finally, lean over in mid-flight to peck them off its rear end.

Cinnamon laughed as the bird's head finally got within slashing range, and met the beak with a flurry of scimitar strikes, while Lavender launched herself past the beak, driving her baton straight through the creature's eye.

A flash lit up the sky as Cinnamon slashed the creature's throat, finally killing it. As the three of them dropped from the sky, Cinnamon chuckled. "Lavender, on a scale of one to screwed, how bad are we?"

Lavender stared at the rapidly approaching ground and swallowed. "If I was alone, I'd probably be okay. Carrying you... I don't know."

"I thought so." Cinnamon grabbed Lavender and hugged her. "I love you." Before Lavender could respond, Cinnamon threw her off of the falling roc and clear of the wreckage below.

Lavender stared briefly at her friend riding the dead roc toward the ground, then remembered to engage her wind crystals to slow her descent and drift away from the imminent impact. "Cinnamon, you can't..."

Lavender glanced down, then tucked and rolled with the impact, coming up in a flurry of snow and ice. The roc carcass had beaten her to the ground and was laying twenty feet away. Rose was walking toward her. "Lavender, are you all right? I swear, those weapons of yours are amazing. Next time I give you crap for being rich, remind me that those things saved your life."

Lavender dropped to her knees in the snow. "Cinnamon..."

"She's fine, you big baby. Orchid caught her." Lavender followed Rose's gaze up the side of the cliff, where her friends were balanced on a ledge that was barely visible.

"How did she..?"

Rose shrugged. "She ran up the wall, threw Cinnamon a rope, and swung her up to the ledge she was standing on. Hell if I know how she managed that. Otherwise, Cinnamon would be a pancake by now. I gotta admit, though, it was kind of worth it to watch that stuck-up tart bounce off the rock wall, but at least she lived, right?"

Lavender sighed and wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched Orchid help Cinnamon climb down the side of the cliff. "Knock it off, Rose."

Once everyone she reached the ground, Cinnamon grabbed Lavender and hugged her again. "You know, you didn't answer my question."

Lavender laughed through her tears. "How screwed were we?" At Cinnamon's nod, she shrugged. "Worse than the scorpicores. I don't know."

"You were fine. Until Orchid got to me, I was bound, gagged, and bent over."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's just gross."

"By a troll."

"Shut up." Rose walked away to check in on the repair team, who had started opening the massive mine doors. Orchid returned to Rose's car to check on Clay, leaving Cinnamon alone with Lavender.

Cinnamon's mischievous grin faded. "Your car..."

"Isn't that important." Lavender took a deep breath and smiled. "I don't need it. I worry about it more than I should, and it's important not to get hung up on stuff."

"You're taking this... unusually well."

"Context matters. The car is replaceable; you aren't." Lavender put her arm around her friend. "Now let's go see what we can salvage."

It took longer for the team to recover usable supplies from Lavender's car than it did for the repair crew to pull their trucks in and begin unloading. Rose followed them in with her car, then posted at the door in case anything else showed up. Cinnamon and Lavender took a few trips in with battered suitcases and a few extra blankets, then loaded them in Rose's car.

Lavender sighed. "The portable heater in my back seat shattered. We're going to have to get real cozy around yours."

"Your new luggage looks pretty trashed, too. And that wasn't cheap..."

"It's all right, Rose; we'll be fine. Just get inside before they close the doors."

Once the heavy steel doors shut, the team crowded around the one remaining heater and watched the repair crew unload the equipment.

"This place has some heavy-duty security. Those doors are two feet thick, at least."

"Probably why Doctor Cornelius doesn't feel the need for a full-time security staff. He built it to stand up to anything, so the only danger is in transit. Assuming they don't dig up anything below the surface."

"Don't even start, Cinnamon. Monsters like that are myths."

Two hours later, the equipment was unloaded and the crew had split into two groups; one was installing and calibrating while the other started loading the crystals on to the trucks for transport.

Lavender shivered. "How much longer?"

"No more than an hour." One of the crew smiled at them from the truck. "We should be back home safely by nightfall."

"Thank you."

"No prob-"

Boom! The entire repair crew turned to the foreman.

"Yeah, I've got it." He walked over to the small office and turned on the monitor. "Mammoth at the door." He shrugged. "The structure will hold, but I'll fire up the cannon anyway. We don't want that thing around when we leave."

The crew gathered around the monitor as the foreman fired up the laser. Cinnamon frowned. "They have a crystal cannon in here. Interesting."

A deafening crack echoed from outside, followed by a bellow as the gigantic monster retreated. The repair crew cheered briefly, then returned to work.

"Apparently, this is common."

"Yeah, it happens all the time." The foreman joined them after shutting down the monitor and cannon. "We've got a heavy crystal-powered cannon and ultra-thick steel doors. Not much can get in here."

Cinnamon grinned. "Your employer really packs a punch. Do you think he's compensating?"

The foreman wandered off to supervise with an amused smile on his face. "Probably."

Less than an hour later, the trucks were loaded and ready. The foreman returned to the monitor and cannon and signaled the others to open the door. Cinnamon stood and rubbed her arms to get some of the feeling back. "Load up. We're not home safe yet."

"Incoming!"

"Close the doors!"

"Fire the cannon!"

"Run!"

While the repair crew panicked, the team bolted for the doors to find the mammoth charging right at them. Cinnamon frowned. "It waited for the doors to open..." She shook her head clear. "Not now. Go. Focus fire on the right foot to slow down the charge. And get that cannon back on line!"

Cinnamon opened fire and followed Lavender and Rose out the door. They moved left to stay out of the cannon's blast zone and emptied their magazines, but the mammoth didn't slow.

"It's not going to work. There isn't enough time..." While the others reloaded, Orchid sprinted toward the incoming monster and jumped right for its face. The creature barely seemed to notice until flung a handful of shuriken at one eye, then jabbed a knife into the other.

"Orchid, move! Cannon!"

As the mammoth stumbled forward toward the door, Orchid jumped off sideways, flipping in the air and coming down just outside of the cannon's blast. The mammoth bellowed again as its face melted in the flames, and the force of the attack blew Orchid thirty feet backward into a snowdrift.

The foreman signaled from the monitor. "All clear. Let's get out of here."

As her teammates ran toward her, Orchid giggled and pulled herself out of the snow. "That was awesome. And for a brief moment I was actually warm, too, for the first time since we came up here."

"You're a monk. You're not supposed to get cold."

"We get cold. We just don't show it like the rest of you."

Rose's jaw dropped. "Did you just brag about something?"

"Maybe." Orchid blushed. "It's not that big a deal, is it?"

Cinnamon broke in. "Kind of; it's the first time in four years. But it doesn't matter right now. The trucks are leaving, so we need to go, too. Rose, get Clay and follow in your car. The rest of us are getting in those trucks, whether they like it or not."

The drive back took a little under an hour, and for some reason, the repair crew didn't complain about three attractive Hunters sitting in their laps the whole way back. They met Doctor Cornelius and Miss Evans back at the office, and minutes later, they were paid and standing outside in the cold.

"Did he just shut the door on us? On purpose?"

"I don't think I like him."

"He has to know what happened to Lavender's car..."

"He didn't even mention it."

"Jerk."

"Let it go." Lavender was still smiling. "Even with the money we spent, we still came out ahead. And the car was insured... knowing my dad, it was heavily insured. But it's already dark, and it's going to be freezing up here.. We should go get dinner and find someplace to stay for the night. I'll talk to my dad tomorrow."

Everyone agreed to move south before finding a motel for the night, and Cinnamon managed to get a double room for four without making any special arrangements. After unpacking and eating a quick fast food dinner, everyone sat down to relax, but Clay bowed out and headed for Rose's car. "I'm exhausted. Mind if I just go to sleep?"

Cinnamon frowned. "You sure you don't want to hang out for a while?"

"No. I'm beat. Thanks, though."

While everyone else dug into their food, Clay let himself out and Rose pulled out her phone.

Lavender looked up from her food. "Are you shopping?"

"My parents took out loans to pay for my Academy tuition, so I send them money after each mission to pay them back."

"Oh. That makes sense." Lavender paused and turned to Orchid with a puzzled look on her face. "What about you? Monks usually don't have a lot of money, do they?"

"Scholarships. The monastery and not-Beacon have some sort of arrangement. I think Sensei used to teach there."

After a brief pause, Rose furrowed her brow. "Cinnamon, you're being unusually quiet."

"Nothing to say."

Orchid frowned. "You never talk about where you came from, you don't have a car, and you're always concerned about money." Everyone stared. Even Orchid knew what that meant.

"Yes, I grew up poor." Cinnamon's eyes narrowed. "I worked, saved, stole, and did anything and everything I could to make enough money to get into not-Beacon."

"What about your family?"

"They're just as poor, but don't know or care enough to fix the problem. At this point, I don't have a family."

"You have us." Lavender's puzzled expression turned into a frown. "Wait, that's just one year. How did you stay?"

"I earned it. After the first year, I got by on scholarships. Do you know what the Hillside Foundation for Combat Excellence is?"

"I do." Lavender's smile came back. "They provide funding for Hunter Academy students that excel in both academics and combat training, but only for second year and beyond."

"Exactly. They paid my entire tuition for the last three years."

"I wonder if dad knows it was you."

"What?"

"My family runs the Hillside Foundation."

Cinnamon stared at her for a second, then blinked. "Your last name is Hill... I didn't even notice. Your family paid for my entire..."

"See? Just like I said. We were family, even before we knew it." Lavender's smile faded. "Wait a minute. Did you say... anything? Cinnamon, you didn't!"

"No..." Cinnamon swallowed nervously. "I mean..." She stopped and stared at her friends' faces, but couldn't think of anything to say.

Orchid blinked in surprise. "Cinnamon? You don't mean..."

Cinnamon got up and slowly walked to the room she was sharing with Lavender. "I think I need to be alone for a while."

Lavender's jaw dropped, but she let her friend go. Rose, however, had other plans, and followed Cinnamon into her room.

"Not now, Rose."

"Back on the Tract job, is that why you didn't want me to call you a..."

"Don't. Just go away."

"I'm sorry. I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Stop trying to coddle me."

"I'm not coddling you. I'll still call you out when you step out of line and yell at you when you're being a bitch. But not that."

Cinnamon wiped her eyes. "You don't understand."

"I don't have to understand to care. And Lavender's right; we are family. Even if we don't like each other." Rose opened the door to leave. "Lavender, she needs a hug. That's your department."

Lavender took Rose's place and knelt at Cinnamon's side. "I've never seen you cry before... but it's going to be all right. You have a family now. You're not alone." She wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and pulled her in cheek to cheek. "I trust you at my back. I love you. And I will never leave you."

I Don't Think They Exist

"Cinnamon and Lavender aren't up yet. You want to come check the Hunter office with me?"

"Sure." Orchid glanced at the door to the room the other two were sharing. "You know, I've never been to the office since we left Beacon. I know what it's supposed to be like from class, but I've never done it."

"It's just like they showed us in class. Easy as using a computer. I think Cinnamon just does it because she wants to feel important." They made the short drive to the local Hunter office, picking up breakfast on the way. "I know you liked the terrain up in Kerachi, but there's no office up there. I'm glad you agreed to come south."

Orchid shrugged. "That much snow is nice in small doses, but I wouldn't want to live there." She turned to gesture at the surrounding countryside. "River Glen is much nicer."

"Also more expensive. Pretty places always are." Rose looked at the job listings and sighed. "Slim pickings. Nothing anywhere near here that we qualify for. But maybe..."

"Which one?"

"Arion. Equipment recovery."

"Where's that?"

"About a hundred and fifty miles southeast. You know, for a smart person, your geography is terrible."

Orchid shrugged again. "Not much call for it growing up at the monastery. Or at the academy, really."

"Yeah, I guess." Rose signed the team up for the job, logged the travel time, and walked away. "Let's get back and hit the road. We're looking at a nearly three hour drive. Assuming we can drag Cinnamon out of bed."

"She hasn't been herself the past couple of days. Maybe a job will snap her out of it."

"We can hope. And if not, we'll do the job without her."

Orchid frowned. "Are you looking forward to that?"

"No. Cinnamon can be a bitch sometimes, but she's a good tactician and fighter. We need her."

Rose knocked on the door, but entered before anyone responded. "Up and at 'em. We got a job. Let's... oh. I didn't know. I'll come back."

"Knock it off, Rose. I'm as straight as you can get." Lavender pulled the covers back to show that she and Cinnamon were both dressed. "She just needed some comfort. And I'm comfortable."

"Pillows are comfortable."

Lavender grinned. "My pillows are better."

"Are you sure you're straight?"

Lavender glared at her. "Love doesn't have to involve sex, Rose. You have a family, so you should know that."

"I do." Rose took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing..."

"Vulnerability?" Cinnamon sat up and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah. I'll just go. Let me know when you're up. We have a job."

Cinnamon turned to Lavender as the door shut behind Rose. "I don't deserve you."

"If everyone got what they deserved, Orchid would be running the country, and we would be lucky to be her servants."

"And I'd be a whore."

"Shut it." Lavender pulled Cinnamon back down and held her. "In the last four years I've known you, you've been smarter, faster, better, and more dedicated than anyone else I've met. If you keep judging yourself on past sins, you'll just make yourself miserable."

"Miserable sounds about right." Cinnamon sighed. "Where'd you get that, anyway? You usually don't give emotional or moral advice."

"It's something my dad used to say. And my grandpa. And Orchid. And I didn't give you advice because I didn't think you needed it. But if you want me to stop..."

"Never." Cinnamon wrapped her arms around Lavender. "Never stop."

It took less than half an hour to shower, pack and check out, then the team began the drive to Arion. Rose made Clay sit up front to prevent him from squeezing in back with the other girls. "Lavender, are you all right with this? Your car..."

"I'll get a new one. A bigger one, this time. The five of us can barely fit in your car and all our gear is in our laps."

"True. I like my car, but it's built for a family, not a Hunter team."

"Definitely." Lavender fished her phone out of her pocket and started dialing. "Speaking of which, I need to call my dad. Let's see if I can have a replacement waiting for us in Arion."

Rose shook her head. "Another perk of being rich."

"If your car got destroyed, you'd get an insurance check, too. And honestly, I'm downgrading price-wise. We need an SUV, not a sports car." She paused as her phone rang. "Hi, dad. Hey, do you have the insurance paperwork for my car handy? Yes. No. No, I know you're not surprised. Yes, you did warn me. No, I don't want another sports car. SUV. Automatic transmission. Black. This is going to be our official team vehicle, so it needs luggage space, tinted windows, and an equipment rack on top. Good acceleration might come in handy, too. Yes, I know it will get poor gas mileage. No, it doesn't need armor plating. This is a transport vehicle, not a tank. Yes, I'll send pictures of the wreck. Roc. Dumb bird picked it up and dropped it from two hundred feet up. Okay. Arion. Two hours. Thanks, dad."

Cinnamon stared at Lavender as she hung up. "Are you serious? You're going to have a new car waiting for you when we get there?"

"Yep."

Rose scowled. "Fine, but until we get our new official vehicle, I'm driving, and I get to choose the music." Rose put in a CD, and the rest of the team lapsed into silence as she cranked the volume up.

The team pulled in to McKenzie Auto Sales to see a shiny black SUV waiting for them. It took less than twenty minutes for Lavender to collect the keys, sign for it, and transfer the team's gear from Rose's car. Rose shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Look at it this way, Rose." Orchid smiled as she took the front seat. "She's on our side. And now she won't complain about your music."

"She was complaining?"

"Not out loud. But I could tell it was bothering her."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's your car. And Jimi was a wizard on guitar."

Rose turned as Cinnamon tapped on her window. "We've got Clay with us. Follow behind, but I texted you the address, just in case."

Less than ten minutes later, the team pulled up to Ashburn Equipment and Logistics. Cinnamon led the way in, but paused as she reached the door. "Rose, you signed us up for this mission. Do you want to run point?"

"No. You go ahead. You've got more... presence."

The team entered behind Cinnamon, where they were met by a middle-aged female receptionist, a large, calloused man, and a small man with glasses. Cinnamon extended a hand. "Hunter team CORL, reporting as contracted."

The small man frowned and glanced down at his watch. "You're late. Fourteen minutes."

"Yes, I'm sure that will absolutely kill us. Much more than the rat infested fire swamp you hired us to drag your mining equipment out of."

"Sarcasm. Typical. So you know the job. Good. Get going. Take Henry here with you. He's driving the equipment out, assuming you actually recover it. You did know that, right?"

Cinnamon smirked. "Insults. Typical. Let's go Henry. I'm sure this guy has some spreadsheets to go over."

As the team filed out of the office, they ran into another team coming up the steps. Cinnamon glanced from the new team to Henry, but he shook his head. "Don't look at me; I didn't hire them."

Cinnamon raised an eyebrow at the newcomers. "Hunter team CORL. And you are?"

"CORL. That's cute."

"The mission's taken. Your services are not required."

"Cinnamon, wait." Lavender stepped forward. "I don't think they're Hunters."

"You have no idea who we are."

"If I had to guess, I'd say you're mercs. Which means you're not here for the mining equipment. Your job is something different."

The apparent leader eyed her suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

"Police and Hunters have specific jobs to do. But there are some jobs that fall through the cracks. They need something different. Mercenaries can pick up the pieces that the rest of us miss." She put her hand on the man's chest above his heart. "As long as your heart is in the right place, as long as you're still helping people, you're still filling a need. Still good. But there are mercs out there that have lost their hearts. Don't be like them." She smiled at the man before turning back to Cinnamon, letting her hand linger on his chest. "They have a different job to do. We won't be stepping on each other out in the field."

Cinnamon nodded and led her team back to Lavender's SUV, where they loaded up and left. The merc team watched them go instead of entering the building.

"How many Hunters have asses like that?"

"Which one?"

"All of them."

The leader shook his head. "Where was she when I was at Beacon?"

"That was ten years ago. She was probably in grade school."

"If I had a team like that, I might still be a Hunter."

"You had us, and look how you turned out."

"Bite me."

"You think her talking about your heart actually means anything?"

"She meant it. And if I was around her, I might actually start caring again."

"You think a woman could do that for you?"

"That one could. You didn't see her eyes when she was talking to me..."

"No, I was looking at her tits."

"Pervert."

"Let it go, man. It's just a girl."

"It's over an hour from here to the swamp." Henry shifted position in the front seat as he handed Lavender his phone with the directions. "This is really nice. And it smells new, too."

Lavender smiled. "It is. Picked it up today."

"You girls must be doing really well for yourselves."
"We are. And we've never failed a mission."

"Good to hear. But this one might not be as successful as you're used to. We don't know if there's anything to salvage out there."

Cinnamon leaned forward to join the conversation. "We'll see. But we'll get you in and out safely regardless." As Henry nodded, she turned to Lavender. "So what was that all about? Have you dealt with a merc team before?"

"Not personally. But my cousin was kidnapped when he was younger, so my uncle hired a mercenary team to get him back. Legally speaking, he should have let the police handle it, but the odds of a ransom kidnapping turning out well aren't good, so my uncle did some research. Mercenary teams have a much higher success rate."

"Did it work?"

"Perfectly. My cousin was returned safe and unharmed, and all of the kidnappers were killed."

Cinnamon shook her head. "That's not..."

"What we do? I know. Hunter missions are all based on monsters and protection. Attacking people is strictly against all Hunter guidelines. Mercenary missions can be for just about anything, and most of them are technically illegal."
"That's why you warned him about his heart."

"Exactly. If he's helping someone, I'm not going to report him. But if I find out that team is robbing armored cars..."

"They aren't." Henry finally stopped staring long enough to open his mouth. "There's no way my boss would hire thugs to rob someone."

"Let's hope so."

The remainder of the drive out to the fire swamp was uneventful, but the entrance more than made up for it. Warning signs surrounded the road, accompanied by signs covered in skulls and crossbones. Cinnamon glanced around as Lavender slowed down. "Overdoing it a bit, aren't they?"

"No, it's about right. It really is that dangerous."

Cinnamon smirked at Henry. "Of course it is. That's why you needed us." Behind her, Rose and Orchid started chuckling. "What is it, you two?"

"The sign. You missed the best one."

"What?"

Orchid stopped chuckling long enough to answer. "It said abandon hope, all ye who enter here. Except Tuesdays and Thursdays from two to four."

"Just what we need. An idiot with a sense of humor."

"I kind of liked it." Henry shrugged and turned to Lavender. "Anyway, just go in and follow the road. It's about half a mile in on the right. And whatever you do, don't leave the road."

"I know. Lightning sand. Flame spurts. Blah blah blah." Lavender entered the swamp and turned on her headlights. "I just got this car; I'm not going to lose it doing something stupid."

"Wait, Lavender." Orchid tapped her on the shoulder. "What about the third danger of the fire swamp?"

"The rodents of unusual sizes? I don't think they exist."

Orchid glanced at Cinnamon and Rose, who both shrugged. Cinnamon sat back in her seat. "Even if they do exist, they shouldn't be a problem. None of the stories ever talk about them attacking vehicles or mining equipment. Just people."

Henry frowned. "We're people."

"Yes, but we'll be fine. I was concerned about Lavender's new car."

Rose ran her hand along the leather interior. "Yeah, we definitely wouldn't want to ruin this."

Lavender slowed down as a mine cart came into view, then pulled to the side of the road. "It looks like we're here."

As everyone got out of the car to follow Henry, Lavender held Rose back. "You may have forgotten already, but I didn't. You said that next time you harassed me about money, I should remind you that my weapons saved my life."

"I did, didn't I?" Rose sighed. "I'm sorry, Lavender. I've been giving you crap all day. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I just tune it out. People have always been jealous, so I'm used to the comments. You may not realize it, but you've been doing it for the last four years."

Rose's jaw dropped. "I didn't..."

"Mean to? I know. We all have a hard time seeing our own flaws. I probably have one that's really obvious to all of you that I haven't even noticed."

"Where is this coming from? You've never been..."

"Cinnamon almost broke when we all found out about her past. She's trying to act like everything's back to normal, but she's not; she's still emotional. If you keep this up, she's going to blow."

"But I'm not bothering her about that. I specifically told her that I wouldn't."

"You're harassing me. That will be enough."

"She always was protective of you." Rose nodded. "I'll try to watch my mouth."

"Thank you." Lavender led the way toward the rest of the group, who were all huddled around a dirty pickup truck.

"The engine's trashed. Rats didn't do that." Henry looked up as they approached. "And most of the other stuff is missing. We're going to have to go in to the mine."

"I expected as much." Cinnamon shrugged and turned deeper into the swamp. Point the way, but stay in the middle."

Henry pointed straight in front of her. "Keep going that way. There should be a... there it is." He kicked some leaves and brush aside to reveal a broken track. "That's not good. Monsters usually just attack people."

"We've seen some things like this before. But don't worry. They'll attack us, too."

"That's not comforting."

The team advanced toward the mine, guns out, with Henry and Clay dual-wielding flashlights in the center of the circle. After a few minutes, Orchid felt something watching them. "Look right." Clay aimed his lights, triggering skittering from the underbrush.

"Gone." Rose scowled. "See? Huge rats. They're all over this swamp."

Lavender shrugged. "They're normal sized rats, Rose. It's a swamp. There's probably snakes and lizards and frogs, too."

"Not in the mine." Henry started walking again, prompting the rest of the group to do the same. "It's too warm down there, but that's what you get for mining fire crystals. It's ninety degrees inside and a hundred or more down every shaft." Henry frowned as he glanced at the team around him. "I thought you knew that already. Why else would you be dressed like..?"

"They're always dressed like that." Rose plodded on, ignoring the rising temperature, then paused. "What's that popping sound?"

"Move!" Henry tackled Lavender, knocking both of them to the ground half a second before a geyser of flame erupted underneath her.

"My hero. Maybe if you weren't my dad's age..."

"Don't toy with the man. We've got a job to do." Cinnamon pulled them both to their feet, then pointed over her shoulder at where Orchid was standing with Clay. "Henry, is that the mine entrance?"

"That's it."

"Then move."

Henry glanced at Lavender, who winked at him before drawing her guns, then shrugged and followed the girls in. Within seconds, he called a halt. "This isn't right. Half or our equipment is missing, and what's left is smashed."

"What's missing?"

Henry scratched his head. "Mine carts, picks, fine extraction equipment. But more importantly, the crystals are gone."

"What crystals? We were contracted to recover your mining equipment."

"The last crew didn't check in like they were supposed to four days ago. It looks like they abandoned the mine when it was attacked."

"Wait." Lavender stepped up between Henry and Cinnamon. "You said the crystals were more important. But the miners aren't?"

"Not if they took the crystals and ran. There isn't a mining operation on the planet that would stand for that. If the boss figured out where they went, that would explain the mercenaries."

"Maybe, but I'd rather check the rest of the mine anyway." Cinnamon led the way into the heart of the mine, dropping her jacket along the way. "Rose, you're going to be cooked alive in that."

"I've got nothing else to wear, and I'm not taking my clothes off."

Lavender nodded as she followed Cinnamon. "You definitely don't want to walk around a mine in your underwear. Maybe you could try layers next time. Especially if you wear heavy canvas like that."

Rose shook her head and glanced at Orchid. "Ten bucks says she ends up in her underwear before we leave."

"Sucker bet." Orchid pulled a handful of throwing stars from the sheath sewn into her shirt. "We probably all will."

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this. And it's not the rats outside. They're just the scavengers."

The main mine shaft was hotter than even Henry had expected. As they followed him in, the air around them felt oppressive. Sweat covered every exposed inch of everybody in the mine. Rose glanced back to see that Clay and Henry had stripped down to their boxers. In front of her, Cinnamon was using her shirt to wipe sweat from her eyes, and Lavender was using the wind crystals in her batons to fan herself. Orchid seemed unaffected, but that was probably just the serene monkish facade.

Rose glanced at the thermometer on the wall as she wiped the sweat from her face. "One hundred thirteen degrees with inadequate ventilation and cooling. Damn." She paused to pull her canvas shirt off, then dropped it behind her. "Henry, tell me this isn't normal."

"Definitely not. The cooling elements aren't keeping up. I checked up top, so I know they're working. Something else is going on. But the only thing I can think of is a new vein of fire crystals."

"I can think of a couple of things."

"Don't say it, Cinnamon."

"We're all thinking it."

"It's not a dragon."

"Fine. Not a dragon." Cinnamon mopped her face one more time and threw her sweat-soaked shirt on the ground behind her. "It could be salamanders, hell hounds, efreet..."

"Shhhh. It's a wyvern."

"What?"

Orchid put one hand on Cinnamon's shoulder to stop her, then turned to the group and started whispering. "It's a wyvern. Do you see the smoke vent in front of us? About thirty feet forward, twenty feet up, and on the left?"

"It's looks like an exhaust vent. And the smoke is at regular intervals." Cinnamon squinted. "But it's attached to something moving up and down. Also at regular intervals."

"That's not a vent; it's the wyvern's snout. And the movement is the monster's abdomen. It's asleep."

"Let me see." Henry stepped forward with his flashlights, but was grabbed and hauled backwards by Rose.

Rose put her lips to his ear. "Do not shine your flashlight on the sleeping wyvern. We don't want to wake it up until we're busy killing it."

"Sorry."

"And you don't get to see the action, either. You're going to go back down the tunnel with Clay until we're done. Got it?"

"Okay." Henry looked briefly at the dimly lit chamber, then plodded away at Clay's side.

Clay patted him on the shoulder. "It's better this way. Trust me."

After they left, Rose turned back to Cinnamon. "What's the plan? We've never seen one of these things before."

"No kidding. Wyverns are near the top of the 'do not engage' section of the Monster Encyclopedia. The only thing worse are dragons and sea serpents. Only elite Hunters are supposed to tangle with these things."

Cinnamon grinned. "We are elite. And this thing's already dead. He just doesn't know it yet." As her teammates stared in stunned silence, she continued. "Lavender, you and I are going to take out the tail stinger. Don't waste any time or ammo on anything else; the stinger is the most lethal threat. Orchid, you're on the fire breath. Get that thing's attention any way you can, and dodge like all our lives depend on it. Yell at it, flash it, poke it in the eye. Just make sure it doesn't see Rose."

Orchid nodded, but Rose frowned. "You aren't going to tell me to tank this stupid thing while you kill it, are you?"

"Not exactly..." Cinnamon took a deep breath. "Rose, I need you to hold his mouth shut. After we take out the stinger, jump on it and squeeze. These things are like alligators; they have massive power in their bite muscles, but almost none of that is devoted to opening their mouths."

"You can't be serious."

"I aced monster anatomy, didn't I?"

"Dammit, Cinnamon, if I get killed while hugging a wyvern in my underwear, I'm going to haunt you forever."

Cinnamon winked at her. "Tactical pants and a sports bra are a good look for you. You'd make the cover of any gun magazine in the world dressed like that."

"Bite me."

"I'd buy a copy."

"I'm glad you're back." Orchid smiled at Cinnamon as she and Lavender pulled off their sweat-soaked skirts and tops. "We need you."

"I'm done moping. And this is more fun, anyway. Now if everyone's ready?"

"After you."

"Wait, Cinnamon. You don't really think flashing it will..."

"No, Orchid. I was joking. That thing wouldn't be interested in us." Cinnamon turned to Lavender. "We're up first. Let's go."

Lavender nodded and padded into the room, then circled around to the wyvern's back while Cinnamon approached from the front. The wyvern rolled over and murmured while Lavender took to the air and landed behind it. She tried to aim as the sleeping beast's tail whipped lazily back and forth, then shook her head and whispered, "I'm going to grab it."

Cinnamon nodded and drew her scimitars as Lavender holstered her guns, but as she glanced at the wyvern's head, she saw the red eyes open. "It's awake! Go!"

Lavender dove at the tail and wrapped her arms and legs around it, dragging it down within Cinnamon's melee reach. As she started slashing, Orchid darted in, threw a pair of shuriken at the wyvern's face, and ducked away from her allies. The wyvern took a half-hearted swipe at Cinnamon while following the new threat with his eyes. Orchid narrowly dodged the wyvern's fiery breath while throwing more shuriken, but ran out of ammunition before she did any real damage.

"You aren't very good at this, are you?" She picked up a handful of dirt and gravel as she dodged another spurt of flame and an attempted bite, then threw it in the wyvern's face, before diving and rolling out of range.

The sound of blades on armor echoed across the cavern as Cinnamon slashed at the base of the stinger. "Why isn't this working? The armor is supposed to be weaker here!"

"Try the stinger itself." Lavender released the tail with one hand to reach for a gun, but was thrown free as the wyvern tried to sting Orchid.

"Worth a shot." Cinnamon hopped up on the tail as it returned and locked her legs around it while pointing her guns at the barbed tip, then paused as the wyvern stopped moving. She followed the beast's gaze to Lavender, laid out in his nest with her arms up behind her head and one bra strap down off of her shoulder.

"No freaking way. She's got him distracted." Cinnamon turned back to the tail and emptied both guns at the stinger, shredding it with bullets. The wyvern screamed, flailed, and threw Cinnamon off before turning back to Lavender, who pulled her guns from behind her head and opened fire.

As Cinnamon flew past her, Orchid charged back in and jump kicked the wyvern in the face, then dove sideways to dodge the flame breath. "Rose, now!"

The wyvern caught Orchid with a claw as Rose dropped on him from above and clamped his mouth shut. He writhed and tried to roar, but couldn't shake her, so he just ended up thrashing and stomping all over the cavern.

"Broken field! Play time!" Cinnamon and Lavender crisscrossed the cavern, shooting, slashing, and beating the creature as it flailed, unable to use his fire breath or poison stinger.

"Poor thing. Now it's just a big grumpy lizard." Lavender dodged a claw strike with ease and ran up the beast's arm to attack the head. "How are you doing, Rose?"

"Can't hold on much longer. Hurry."

"On it." Lavender continued her assault up top as Cinnamon continued working underneath.

"I'm out of ammo! What about you? And where's Orchid?"

"I'm out, too." Lavender managed to bludgeon the wyvern's eye shut "Eew. Lizard pus."

A flash of light came from underneath the wyvern as it slumped forward. Cinnamon strolled out from beneath the monster and cleaned her blades. "I finally got a clean shot at his throat. He was too busy worrying about you up there."

Rose finally let go of the wyvern's mouth and dropped next to Cinnamon. "No kidding. Lavender beat the crap out of that thing's face. Wait. Where's Orchid?"

"I lost her when you grabbed it." Cinnamon turned face the middle of the room. "Orchid!"

The three of them fanned out to search the cavern, but found nothing. Rose grimaced. "I think I know where she is. Give me a hand." She walked back to the wyvern, engaged her semblance, and lifted the beast up just enough for Cinnamon and Lavender to get underneath it and drag Orchid out.

"Is she..."

"Still breathing. Just unconscious." Cinnamon set the monk down. "Looks like we won. Get Henry and Clay in here so we can assess the damage and figure out what's next."

"Yeah. Okay." Lavender wiped sweat from her face as she stumbled toward the entry tunnel. "Is this normal? I don't think this is normal..."

As Lavender walked out to get the guys, Rose took Cinnamon's place at Orchid's side. "You better go reload, just in case."

Cinnamon got halfway to the entrance before dropping to her knees. "Heat sucks. Need water."

Before Rose could respond, Clay and Henry showed up carrying Lavender. Clay made sure Henry had her, then knelt next to Cinnamon. "Lavender came out and tried to talk to us, then dropped. She's barely conscious. What's going on?"

"Overexertion in extreme heat. Get her and Cinnamon out of here. I've got Orchid. They need water and sleep, so let's get back to the car."

Henry surveyed the damage and nodded. "Unless the wyvern ate the crystals, they're gone, along with the equipment. There should also be two more trucks. Looks like it was theft after all. The wyvern probably moved in once they were gone." He picked up Lavender and started walking out. "Ninety degrees is going to feel like heaven after this."

Rose and Clay followed with Orchid and Cinnamon, but as they neared the front entrance, everyone stopped. "Do you hear something?"

"Teeny tiny mices."

"I think Lavender's lost it."

"Probably." Cinnamon opened her eyes and motioned for Clay to put her down. "She's definitely delirious. And I'm having trouble seeing straight."

"Then why did you want me to put you down?"

"Carry Orchid instead." Cinnamon fumbled a magazine into her submachine gun. "Rose, can you take the rats? I'm probably not worth much right now."

Rose handed Orchid off to Clay and nodded. "I don't need to see straight. Buckshot is a wonderful thing."

"Don't hurt the mices. They might be nice mices..."

Rose edged out of the mine entrance and opened fire, but was immediately swarmed. Cinnamon tried to help, but was limited by her blurry vision and unwillingness to shoot Rose. Within seconds, Rose retreated back to the others, but the rats didn't follow.

"That's not going to work. There's too many." Rose reloaded and glanced at Cinnamon, who was slumped against the wall trying to aim. "Any ideas?"

"I can't see straight and Lavender's out of her mind. Wake Orchid up."

"She got crushed by a wyvern!"

"Physical damage heals quicker that heat exhaustion."

"Fine. I'll try."

Rose knelt next to where Clay was holding Orchid and tried to wake her gently. Behind her, Cinnamon sprayed bullets at a few rats who charged the entrance, but only managed to scare them back.

"She's not waking up. And this is pathetic. They're just rats."

"Let me try." Clay leaned in and kissed Orchid, then pulled away just as she started to respond.

Orchid's eyes flew open and she sat up just in time to hear Lavender. "Me next!"

"What happened?"

"The wyvern pinned you and knocked you out. Then we killed it. Now we're trapped at the mine entrance by rats. Lavender and Cinnamon are useless, so it's just us."

"Rats? That's all?" Orchid hopped to her feet. "Where are my clothes?"

Rose nodded to a pile at Henry's feet. "All dirty, sweat-soaked, and disgusting. But at least no one ended up topless today."

Henry's eyes widened. "Does that happen often?"

"Way too often for my taste."

"Your loss."

"Shut up, Lavender."

Orchid glanced at Clay and Henry, then over at Cinnamon, who had passed out. "Let's do this. And Henry, if you do anything inappropriate to Lavender, I will hurt you."

"Wasn't even considering it."

Orchid and Rose advanced on the dozens of giant rats, and fighting back to back, managed to kill most of them and drive off the rest. It only took a few more minutes to load up the SUV and find Lavender's keys.

"Where did all the little mices go?"

"They weren't little, Lavender. They were huge and they bit me and it sucked."

"No little mices?"

"I keep telling you. Fire swamp. Giant rats. Give it a rest." Rose stuffed her into the back seat and turned to Henry. Can you drive? I'm running on adrenaline at this point."

"No problem. I'll get you back to the office in one piece."

After a half hour drive, the entire team had recovered enough to sit up and think straight, so Henry pulled over to let them all change into fresh clothes. Lavender declined his offer to let her drive, insisting that she needed to relax and drink another gallon of water before she was ready for anything more taxing than a nap. By the time they returned to the Ashburn offices, it was nearly five o'clock.

"Almost closing time. There's no way he wants to be here past five-thirty, so if you want to press him, now's the time. He won't want to argue."

"I doubt we'll have to press him for anything. The contract was to get you in and out with all salvageable equipment. We did."

Cinnamon led the way into the office and smiled at the receptionist. She did not smile back. "You're..."

"Don't say late."

"I was going to say disgusting."

"You try fighting a wyvern in a mine shaft that was over a hundred and ten degrees and see how good you look." Cinnamon glanced at her reflection in the window and shuddered. "But you're right. We look awful."

"Did you say a wyvern?"

Cinnamon turned as the smaller man from earlier approached, then sniffed them and decided to stay away. "Yes. A wyvern. It's dead now, so you can reclaim your mine, but all the equipment was broken or stolen."

"Henry?"

"All of it. The equipment, the crystals, and two of the trucks. The third one was wrecked, so we left it there. It looks like the miners took the crystals and ran." Henry pulled out his phone and showed off pictures of the mine interior, damage, and dead wyvern. "Nothing left to save. And it will be a hell of a job pulling that carcass out of the mine."

"That's what I expected. Oh, well, we have contingencies. But as far as our contract with you, I believe we're done." He turned to the receptionist. "Miss Adkins, will you handle the payout? And Henry, take tomorrow off. You earned it."

Henry nodded. "Thanks, boss."

Cinnamon stared at the man as he walked away. "That was your boss? Andrew Wilson, the millionaire? I thought he was an accountant..."

"And you were kind of a smart-ass earlier."

"Don't remind me." Cinnamon turned back to the receptionist. "Miss Adkins, I apologize. I-"

"Please don't. Without people like you, people like me wouldn't survive. And I can guarantee you that Mister Wilson thinks the same way. So if you're ready, we'll get the contract squared away."

"Thank you. And then, I need some rest. And a bath."

"Definitely." Miss Adkins finished the transaction on the computer, then handed Cinnamon a business card. "This is the hotel you want. Good amenities, but reasonable prices. And you don't want to go to some cheap motel after what you just went through. Trust me."

"Thank you." Cinnamon turned back to the rest of the team. "Ready?"

"Yes, please."

"Absolutely."

"I'm half asleep already."

As they left the building and piled in to the SUV, Mister Wilson rejoined Miss Adkins at the reception desk. "They killed a wyvern in the middle of a fire crystal mine."

"Amazing, aren't they?"

"Unbelievable. Did they examine the contract before signing off?"

Miss Adkins smiled as she shook her head. "Not a chance. If so, at least one of them would have fainted. How many Hunter teams get a twenty thousand dollar bonus on a ten thousand dollar contract?"

"True. Now let's just hope the mercenaries hold up their end. I want those crystals back."

"And if they fail?"

"Then I know who to call, don't I?"

Naga Stole My Girls

Rose walked up to the pool and glared at her teammates. "It's been three days, Cinnamon. We can't just live in a hotel."

"The first day didn't count. Lavender threw up twice and I passed out in the breakfast buffet. That makes it only two days. That's not even a vacation."

"Tell that to the front desk when we check out. I'm sure they'll waive that part of the bill."

"Orchid, help. I don't want to argue right now."

"Leave me out of this."

Rose turned on Orchid. "You aren't helping. You're supposed to be a monk and you've spent three hours at the pool today. And five hours yesterday."

Orchid floated by slowly on her back. "I like swimming. And floating, apparently."

Cinnamon tossed a ball at Orchid, who deflected it effortlessly. "You left out pool volleyball."

"I also like pool volleyball. And I said to leave me out of it."

Rose sighed and walked away. "If you can't be bothered, I'll head to the office and check the job listings myself."

"That's an excellent idea, Rose. The last job you selected paid very well." Cinnamon saluted her and rolled over on her inflatable raft. "Orchid, you might want to flip over to even out your tan."

"I don't tan. Or burn. I'm always this color."

"Must be nice. I'd turn the same color as my hair if I did that for three hours."

"You shouldn't be jealous of my skin. You have other assets."

Cinnamon smirked. "I happen to like my assets."

"You should. You have beautiful... assets."

Cinnamon looked up, stunned. "Were you about to say tits?"

Orchid blushed and looked away. "No. Maybe... speaking of, where's Lavender?"

"Nice segue. But you know she's still playing table tennis with Clay. He finally figured out that women other than you exist, and he's making up for lost time. I don't think he's won a game yet, but he's loving every second of it."

"Maybe we should join them."

Cinnamon winked. "Jealous that he's noticed another woman?"

"No. He's not getting either of us, so it doesn't really matter who he looks at."

"That's cold."

Orchid pulled herself up out of the pool and offered a hand to Cinnamon. "None of us are looking for a boyfriend, and even if we were, he's trained as a servant for the last ten years; not my type, and definitely not Lavender's."

"True. She's never been interested in guys that are weak. Or small. Or timid." Cinnamon shrugged. "What about you? Still hoping Kenjiro wises up?"

"Hoping... I guess you could say that." Orchid shrugged. "What about you? You're probably not looking right now, but what would you look for? Or who?"

"Not Clay. Same reasoning as you and Lavender. He just couldn't keep up; I need a guy that can keep up with me, and that kind of man is rare."

"Drawback of being on an all-girl team, I guess."

"Yep." Cinnamon approached the ping pong table to see Lavender ace another serve. "Cheater."

"I am not!"

"Put a shirt on, then see if he can follow the ball a little better. I think he's a little too distracted by your bikini right now."

Clay blushed and turned away, but Orchid joined him with a paddle and pulled him back to the table. "Rose went to go get us a mission, so we probably have time for one last game. Doubles?"

"Why not?" Cinnamon picked up the last paddle and joined Lavender. "Should we put shirts on first to make it fair?"

"I don't think that will be necessary." Orchid smiled as she tossed the ball across the net. "You can serve first."

"Cocky, aren't you? Let's see if I can wipe that smile off your face."

Ten minutes later, Cinnamon dropped her paddle on the table. "What happened? I know I'm good at this, and Lavender was killing Clay earlier. How..?"

"Neither of you can match my eye-hand coordination, aim, or reflexes. And Clay's better than you think."

"I think he wanted to impress us, so he didn't let himself get distracted. And when did you start bragging?"

"I'm not bragging; it's a statement of fact. You have noticed that I kill monsters without guns, haven't you?"

"I get it. You're awesome. Now let's get back up to the room and pack. I don't want to piss off Rose any more than I already have today."

While Clay started cleaning up, the girls all took turns showering, then cleaning and packing. By the time Rose returned, Cinnamon and Orchid had already finished showering and were back in their rooms while Clay was dealing with the last batch of laundry.

"What are these industrial-strength bras for? Who actually needs wind element crystals to hold them in?"

Rose scowled. "Have you seen Lavender?"

"In my dreams, I see nothing else."

Cinnamon and Orchid walked by in cut-off shorts carrying backpacks, prompting Clay to follow them with his eyes while mumbling incoherently.

"Nothing else?"

Clay straightened up "A man can have many interests."

"Jackass."

Lavender finished showering and walked out of the bathroom, barely wearing a towel, and grabbed a clean bra and panties off the pile, then walked into her bedroom, throwing her towel over her shoulder at Clay in the process. He got a brief shot of her naked butt before getting hit in the face with the towel, causing him to lose his balance and fall over.

A few minutes later, the last of the laundry had been put away and Cinnamon had returned with Orchid. "Is that the last of it? If we're leaving today, we need to check out by one. That's in eleven minutes."

"All clear." Lavender came out of her room with a backpack on each shoulder. "I can finish loading the car while you check out."

"Sounds good. Key cards, everyone."

Cinnamon collected the key cards and left for the front desk while everyone else headed to the parking garage. She tried to keep a straight face while paying the bill, and even filled out a survey complimenting the hotel's amenities, but by the time she left the building, she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Eight hundred dollars per night plus fees... what was I thinking? Rose was right. We didn't need that." She paused and took a deep breath before getting to the garage. "Keep it together. I'm not poor anymore. We've got the money. We can do this. And it was way better than a cheap motel, anyway. I can't remember the last time I had crab legs." She took another deep breath and entered the garage to see her team waiting for her, rested, ready, and looking happier than they had been in days. Screw the price. That was worth it.

"Time to go, Cinnamon. This one's serious."

"All of our jobs are serious, Rose."

"This is a rescue mission. Twelve girls were kidnapped over the last week, all from the west side of Arion. All of the victims were female and under the age of twenty."

"Sounds like a job for the police. Why did they request us?"

"Detectives are already on the case, but two witnesses reported seeing girls that matched the description of the victims dragged off into the marsh by what appeared to be humanoid snakes."

"Nagas..." Cinnamon frowned. "Why didn't anyone else take the mission? If it's a week old..."

"They just posted it today."

"Crap. Let's go. We can drop your car off at the Hunter office; it's on the way."

The marsh was really just the southern portion of the fire swamp, but since it lacked the fiery characteristics of the north, everyone just called it the marsh. Lavender sped all the way there, then pulled off the road and parked at the border, where they were met by a very confused forestry official.

"You can't come in here without a permit."

Cinnamon approached and flashed her Hunter license. "Hunter team CORL. We're contracted to rescue twelve girls taken into the marsh by nagas."

The man frowned. "I need to call this in."

"Of course. Just make it quick."

He walked away and pulled out his phone, but returned less than a minute later. "Yeah, all right. But there's no backup. Cops don't go in there."

"What about you? Forestry department doesn't do anything?"

"Are you serious? I'm paid minimum wage to keep idiots from getting themselves killed in there. If some joker ignores me and goes in, I'm not going to chase him down. I'm not even armed."

"Wonderful. Our tax dollars at work." Cinnamon looked at the marsh. "We can't drive in there. We'll have to leave the car."

"I don't want to leave my new car unguarded."

"Clay, stay with the car." Cinnamon drew her guns and stalked off into the marsh. "Looks like we have to track them down on foot. This is going to suck."

An hour later, the team was still trudging through the muck. Only Rose seemed unaffected. "I told you. Combat boots are better in this environment."

Lavender scowled. "I don't own any combat boots, Rose. These are the sturdiest shoes I have."

"Then buy some."

"You're just saying that because it worked out in your favor this time. On most missions, you would be better served wearing something lighter, but you wear the boots anyway. You're just rubbing it in because the boots help this time."

"That doesn't make me wrong."

"Stop it, both of you." Cinnamon stepped in between them. "After we finish this mission, we are all going shopping, so we will all have appropriate combat gear and footwear for all environments. That was an oversight on my part and it won't happen again."

"Sounds good to me."

"Fine."

"And Rose, we know you were right this time. Stop rubbing it in."

"Quiet!"

Cinnamon turned to look at Orchid, but got hit in the neck by a dart. She swatted it away, but another one struck, and her vision started to blur. "Dammit, tranq darts..."

Orchid dodged three darts before locating the source of the attack, then charged, bouncing off of logs and trees. She managed to get two throwing knives off before she reached the naga, then rolled past her and kicked the blowgun away. The beast hissed and lashed out with her tail, but Orchid blocked and delivered a flurry kicks to the midsection followed by a left cross and a spinning wheel kick. The final kick snapped the naga's head back, dropping her like a rock.

"Status!"

No answer. Orchid turned back to search for her teammates, but found them all unconscious and surrounded, but instead of killing her friends, the nagas were busy tying them up.

"I surrender."

"Why?"

"I find it unlikely that I would beat you all in a fight, and I am unwilling to run and leave my friends."

"Where is my sister?"

"Thirty feet behind me, there is an unconscious naga. I assume that is your sister." Orchid walked forward and knelt next to Rose, then took a few seconds to brush off the tiny needles stuck in her neck and face. Lavender and Cinnamon were already bound and blindfolded. "You can tie me up now."

The nagas circled Orchid to tie her up, then dragged them all off through the muck and debris. "This was a foolish decision, girl. You will be roasted and eaten, along with the others. There is no escape."

"I will not leave my friends." Orchid glanced backward to see that the naga in the rear was carrying their weapons. "And to be honest, I'm not sure I could find my way out of here on my own. I would likely have died anyway."

"Stupid children. Coming into our domain with your guns and knives. You cannot hope to survive. All of you will fall." The naga paused to look at Orchid as if he expected an argument. "Why do you not speak up? Humans always talk. They always argue and complain and threaten. Yet you do not."

"You beat us easily. I can't expect others to fare any better."

"Liar. You will try to escape the moment you are alone. You will fail." The naga stopped and turned to stand over Orchid as she lay in the mud, then drew a heavy mace. "And now we are done talking." The naga smashed the mace into Orchid's head, driving her into the muck and knocking her senseless. She spit blood and looked up just in time to see the mace come down again, then everything went dark.

"Lavender, are you awake?"

"Five more minutes..."

"No. Get up." Cinnamon kicked Lavender's foot. "I need you to wake up Orchid."

"I can't see. Why can't I see? And everything feels funny."

"We got hit by tranquilizer darts, your hands are tied behind your back, and you're blindfolded. Now roll to your right. You should land on Orchid. Then wake her up any way you can."

Lavender wriggled a little bit, tried to shake the blindfold off, and failed.

"Stop screwing around."

Lavender sighed and rolled to her right, running into a body. "Orchid, wake up." When she didn't get a response, Lavender started poking around with her hands. "Sorry, I'm tied up and blindfolded, so if I touch you anywhere you don't want, I can't help it."

"Your hands are on her inner thigh and she's not responding."

"If you can see, why aren't you doing this?"

"I'm ten feet away and tied up. All I managed to do was get the blindfold off of one eye."

"Fine." Lavender sighed. "Sorry, Orchid. This one's on purpose." She moved her hands a little farther north and wiggled her fingers, causing Orchid to twitch, then jump to her feet.

"What was that?"

"Oh, good. It worked."

"What worked?"

"You just got fingered by the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Congratulations. Now get us out of here."

Seconds later, Orchid was free, beet red, and staring at Lavender. "Don't do that again."

"Don't get knocked out and tied up behind me again. Or if you do, wake up when I talk to you and grope your thigh."

Orchid sighed. "All right. I get it." She dropped to a knee and untied Lavender, then did the same for Cinnamon and Rose, who was finally starting to come around.

Cinnamon frowned at Rose. "What took you so long? Usually, you're tougher than we are."

"She took at least ten darts. I pulled them off, but she was already out by the time I got to her."

"Damn. I only took three. Rose, you are a badass."

"Thanks. I think."

"On the bright side, I think we found the girls we were looking for." Cinnamon gestured to the other side of the room, where a bunch of girls were tied up and leaning against the wall. "That's got to count for something, right?"

Rose finally recovered her wits. "True. And everyone is dressed. I'm happy with that."

Cinnamon grinned. "Yeah, that's not going to last."

"What? Why not?"

"Orchid, what do you know about snake charming?"

Orchid frowned. "Usually it involves an oboe or flute, and a rhythm structure that encourages the snake to move. But why? I don't think it will work on nagas."

"I've got an idea. Can you whistle like a snake charmer?"

"I think so."

"You and Rose lie back down and pretend you're still tied up. When the nagas come back in, start whistling. We'll take it from there. Once the nagas are distracted, you two jump them. And hopefully, we won't get tranqed again in the process."

Rose finally shook her head clear. "What do you mean by you'll take it from there?"

"Lavender and I will mesmerize them by dancing. Kind of like a reverse snake charm."

"That doesn't even make sense."

Lavender frowned. "Cinnamon, are you asking me to distract someone by writhing rhythmically while Orchid whistles?"

"Exactly. Do you think you can do that?"

Lavender giggled. "Are you kidding me? That's called belly dancing, and I could have paid my entire tuition to Beacon doing that."

"Good girl. Just remember, these things are part serpent, so keep extended. Focus on your arms and legs, not your torso."

"Female nagas have boobs though, right?"

"Yeah. Why?

"Instead of just dancing, we should throw in a bit of a strip tease, too. To turn up the volume."

"Who are you people?"

Cinnamon and Lavender turned to see the other captives huddled against the cave wall. One had managed to get one eye free of her blindfold. "We're Hunters and we're here to rescue you."

"And your plan is to give them a strip tease? We're doomed."

Cinnamon sighed. "Just keep quiet while we do this. And maybe ask yourself why these monsters only kidnapped attractive young women. Then, on the way home, I'll be happy to answer any questions that remain."

"I hope they eat you next."

"Kids are so ungrateful these days."

"Shhh, they're coming." Orchid hit the ground on her back while Rose crumpled as close to where she started as she could.

Two nagas entered the room, then drew swords when they saw Cinnamon and Lavender standing up. "Kneel or die. You are unarmed and the only way out is through us. There is no escape."

Cinnamon smiled. "We're not trying to escape. We're going to prove that we're useful so you won't kill us."

Orchid started whistling, and before the nagas could respond, Cinnamon and Lavender started dancing. Rather than attack, the creatures backed away warily.

"What are you doing? There is no one here to help you."

"We know. But if we're entertaining, maybe you don't need to eat us. One of the girls over there was mouthing off, but I bet she can't dance. Eat her instead."

As Cinnamon moved toward the captive teenagers, Lavender held her shirt, forcing her to wiggle out of it. Cinnamon waited until Lavender tossed it at the nagas to return the favor. By the time they had reached the captives, the nagas had sheathed their swords and advanced, completely mesmerized.

"This one was talking too much. I bet she's tasty."

"Yesss. She looks delicious."

The naga's tail slithered up and around her legs, so Cinnamon unbuttoned her shorts and shimmied to let him slide them off. She nodded to Lavender. "I bet her skirt isn't held on by much."

Lavender mock pouted. "You wouldn't!"

"I don't want to be eaten."

The second naga grabbed Lavender's shoulders and smiled as his tail came up under her skirt, but before he could make another move, Rose stepped up behind them, engaged her semblance, and slammed their heads together. She then wrapped her arms around the head and neck of one and squeezed until she heard his neck snap. Orchid stopped whistling and followed with a flying wheel kick, bouncing the remaining naga into the cavern wall and cracking his skull.

"How did that even work?!"

Cinnamon pulled her shorts back up and stared at Rose. "What?"

"How did you do that? They're not even mammals! They can't even..."

Lavender put her arm around Cinnamon and shrugged off a bra strap, prompting Cinnamon to do the same, then grinned at Rose and licked her lips. "Simple. They're guys. And we're..."

Cinnamon finished the sentence. "Sexy. As. Hell."

"That's not good enough."

As Rose stood there fuming, Cinnamon fixed her bra and put her shirt back on. "You want a better answer? Fine. You didn't take Theoretical Monster Psychology, did you?"

"No. I skipped anything with theoretical in the name."

"Then you missed some things. Specifically, the interplay between monster and human thought processes. Hybrid monsters tend to blend the mental traits of their two halves as well as their physical traits. With griffons, it doesn't mean much, because an eagle and a lion are both top predators in their respective habitats. That's not the case with nagas. Snakes and humans are wildly different, but have some very specific movements and traits in common. We simply used those commonalities against them."

"So stripping and flashing are going to be a normal part of our combat strategy now? Count me out. I quit."

"No."

"To which part?"

"Both. If we tried a belly dance in front of a minotaur, he would have cut us down without a second thought. This was only possible because they were snake-men and only a valid option because we were already disarmed. Weapons are always first. And no, you can't quit. I won't let you."

Orchid approached with Lavender and the newly freed captives. "Can we do this later? There were three more nagas and we don't have our weapons yet."

"Agreed. Orchid, take point. Rose, protect the hostages. Lavender, you and I are wings. Take the naga's sword, stay wide and come in hard on anything that moves." Cinnamon turned to the hostages. "And you all stay with Rose and keep your heads down. She's the toughest there is, but if you do something stupid, she may not be able to protect you. And miss mouthy, I hope you were listening back there. Theoretical Monster Psychology just saved all our lives. Let's see team PIKE pull that one off."

The girls stared at her for a few seconds before one of them finally spoke up. "Who's pike?"

"Veteran Hunters and solid fighters. No nonsense. But they're all men." Cinnamon smiled as she walked away. "And Petros and his team can all kiss my perfect little ass. I win."

The group moved though caverns behind Orchid, and quickly made their way to the front entrance. Three nagas had entered from the marsh outside and were talking to another that appeared to be keeping guard. "Yes, I will make more. The big one took too many. She was tougher than the others. Fortunate that the little one surrendered. I have only one more dart, and she bested Cyrian easily. She would have been trouble if she had chosen to fight."

"Yes. Yes, I would have." The nagas spun to see Orchid rushing them, but couldn't get their weapons up fast enough to stop her. She crashed into them full speed and connected with a kick, two punches, and an elbow before they mounted any sort of counterattack.

Orchid dodged backward as a flurry of sword strikes ripped through the air in front of her. "Four arms? You're going to be fun."

"Not for you, small one. You will die painfully." The naga continued the assault, but Orchid kept dodging, drawing her out into the center of the room.

"No. You'll be fun for them." Orchid dodged again and pointed to her teammates, who had killed the remaining three nagas and recovered their weapons.

"Insolent humanss!"

"Oh, look. A naga queen with no followers." Cinnamon advanced, twirling her scimitars. "Let's see if you can fight half as well as the stories say you can."

The naga queen hissed as she slithered toward Cinnamon. "I am better than the storiesss."

"You're exactly like the stories."

Cinnamon switched to her submachine guns and opened fire along with Lavender and Rose, riddling the queen with enough bullets to tear down a small house.

After the naga collapsed in a pile of blood and gore and the team reloaded, one of the captives managed to speak up. "What was that? And what stories?"

"Watch the entrance. I don't want any surprises." Cinnamon turned to the teenagers. "Nagas are usually decent with blades, but naga queens are truly exceptional. They have four arms and can wield four weapons without thinking. No blademaster in history has ever matched one in combat, and more than one arrogant jackass has died trying. But the problem with their unmatched prowess is that it comes with unmatched pride. They can be manipulated, particularly by challenging or insulting them. That's why she didn't notice Rose or Lavender approaching from her left; she was too busy being mad at me."

"Oh... You're smarter than I thought. And I did hear the part about monster psychology. I'm glad they didn't eat you. And... I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven. Now let's get out of here."

The team found their way out of the swamp with little difficulty and made the drive back to the police station in even less time. Cinnamon called ahead, and the parents were all there waiting. She let the kids pile out of the SUV, mentally snickering at the clown car effect, then made her way in to the police station to see the detective in charge of the investigation.

"Sergeant Morris, can we get this over with? We just trudged through a swamp and I was poisoned by a freaking naga. I need a shower."

The Sergeant frowned as he signed off on the contract. "Lost two of them, I see. Good enough to get paid, though, right? Hunters..." He shook his head as he walked away.

"What?" Cinnamon grabbed his shoulder. "We didn't lose anyone. We've never lost anyone on a mission." She turned and counted the rescued girls. "Ten... shit... I didn't even see it."

"Oh." The Sergeant turned back to face her. "Sorry, I just assumed. Most Hunters I've seen are pretty much immune to loss. They just leave us to pick up the pieces."

"No. We don't..." Cinnamon blinked as it finally hit her. Next... the girl said, "I hope they eat you next..."

"They probably died before you got there. The kidnappings started about a week ago." He shook his head and patted her on the back. "Sorry about that. First time is always the hardest."

Cinnamon joined the rest of the team with the families, most of whom were busy covering their daughters with hugs and kisses. Two fathers, in particular, were obviously not happy. As the rest of the group started getting up to leave, one of them finally lost it. "I should have posted it sooner. I should have upped the price. I could have taken out a loan..."

"It wasn't your fault. It's the Hunters. They won't touch a contract unless it makes them rich. Bunch of selfish, arrogant assholes." He turned on Lavender. "Tell me why I have to pay if my daughter died on your watch. How is that right?"

"You're not paying." Lavender raised her voice. "None of you are paying. Everyone, line up here with Cinnamon. She'll take your information and transfer your money back."

"What are you playing at? Trying to give a refund because you failed?"

"I'm not playing. We don't take money from people that can't afford it. We took the contract today, and got your daughters back today. But you didn't post the contract until today because none of you could afford to post individual contracts."

"My daughter's dead because you people won't take small contracts. Whose fault is that?"

"Nagas kidnapped and killed your daughter. It's their fault."

"You could have stopped them. But you weren't interested because it wasn't enough money."

"We took the job as soon as we saw it. And we're giving your money back because you shouldn't have to pay for this. And if you ever see anything like this again, post a Hunter request and set the price at one dollar. If we're in the area, we'll take it."

Sergeant Morris looked up from his desk with eyes wide as the assembled parents gaped in stunned silence.

"It's true that most Hunters won't take small jobs. But if you think about it, every Hunter mission involves us risking our lives. How many of you would risk your life for a few hundred dollars?"

There was some mumbling, but no actual argument, so Lavender continued. "That ends now. We will happily accept thousands of dollars from mining companies to clear monsters from their mines or safeguard their equipment. But we will not take money from normal citizens in need. If there are criminals involved and you need the police, you can call them for free. If there are monsters involved and you need us, the fee is one dollar. Your lives and the lives of your children should never be endangered based on lack of resources."

Sergeant Morris finally opened his mouth. "I don't think you've thought this out. The personal danger, the economics, the-"

"Yes, I have. This was a central tenant of my Academy thesis. I have literally spent years of study on this topic. If you need us, we'll be here. But don't call us in place of the police. That's illegal. And we're not mercenaries."

Lavender turned to go, but paused when she reached the door. "And one more thing. You can't blame yourself. You can't blame us. Two of you lost daughters over the last week. The blame for that lies with the ones that took them in the first place. No one else."

The team walked out to Lavender's SUV, but before they got in, Cinnamon grabbed Lavender in a bear hug. Before she could respond, Orchid and Rose joined in. After a few seconds, Orchid and Rose released, but Cinnamon held on.

Lavender looked around her teammates. "What's going on?"

Cinnamon relaxed her grip, but kept hold of her friend. "I will love you until I die. Never change."

That's Not Funny

"It's been five days, and all we've gotten are a domestic disturbance call and a missing person request for a kid that was across the street."

Lavender shrugged. "I did tell you all that we would get some of those. But you were too busy hugging me and telling me how awesome I was."

Cinnamon dropped on to the couch next to her. "You are awesome. And we do love you. But we still need a paying job. It's not just the false positives, it's the lack of real Hunter missions. The only mission that we qualify for is back in Kerachi and the price is way too low."

Rose looked up from her breakfast. "Is it Brighton again? That guy was an ass."

"That's why I didn't take the mission. It paid less than the last one, and it looked more dangerous. And we'd also need to buy more gear, since a bunch of ours got destroyed along with Lavender's car last time. Not worth it."

"You got that right. Let the bastard rot."

"And rot he shall." Cinnamon nodded as she rolled off the couch. "Oh, well. I should head to the office anyway. Lavender, do you want to come?"

"Sure."

As they walked out the door, Cinnamon and Lavender ran into Orchid coming in from her morning run. "Heading to the office?"

"Yep. Just in case something new came in."

"Can I come?"

Cinnamon shrugged "Why not?

"Alone."

"What?"

"I need to talk to you alone."

Lavender looked from Cinnamon to Orchid and back. "It's okay. Go." She handed Cinnamon her keys. "Always take the time to talk to your team."

"Yeah, I know." Cinnamon grinned and stuck her tongue out. "Feelings are important. People matter. Blah blah blah."

After they got in the in the car, Orchid took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about Rose."

"Okay. Is something wrong?"

"She's always been sensitive about her size and appearance and has never particularly liked either you or Lavender. It started with jealousy about your looks, but it's grown as you've continued to focus on style and appearance. She's been putting up with it for more than four years now."

Cinnamon frowned. "She shouldn't get hung up on that. Rose is actually cute when she tries, and she's in great shape; her bulk is mostly muscle. In most groups, she would draw some attention. The problem is, she around us all the time. You and I could both be models, and Lavender is like a walking stun grenade to anything with a dick. "

"You're still focusing on appearance. That's the problem. Not your looks, but your mindset."

"My looks are an asset. In some cases, it gets me something I wouldn't ordinarily get, and in others, it makes people underestimate me. You can't tell me that doesn't happen to you."

"Of course it does. That's not the point."

"She doesn't like that I'm willing to use that asset."

"More than willing. The two of you seem eager. Honestly, how many people would have even considered mesmerizing nagas by dancing and stripping?"

"This was the first time I've ever heard of it. But it worked, didn't it?"

"And at the beach?"

"She's the one that tried to leave us out there topless. You had to make her give us shirts."

"Okay. Bad example. But how many times have the two of you flashed your way into a nightclub or out of a speeding ticket? Or what about the reduced rate at that motel?"

"That's true. I guess we do tend to abuse our assets. But it's no different than a big guy using his strength or a rich person using their money. Those are just seen as more culturally acceptable."

"Rose is a part of that culture, and also a part of your team, but you are ignoring her opinion and telling her to get over it. That's not good for morale."

"So you're telling me that since I'm the team leader, it's my job to adapt to my team instead of telling them to adapt to me."

"Exactly. Your job is more than just battle tactics. And be honest; you'd do it for Lavender."

"You're right, I would. Damn." Cinnamon sighed as she pulled up to the Hunter office and got out of the car. "I guess I'll have to talk to Rose."

"She'd appreciate that. It may take a couple of tries though. She's practically given up on you."

"What about you?"

"I'm here no matter what. I don't care if you flaunt your appearance; but if it gets in the way of the job or the people we're helping, I'll call you on it."

"Thanks, Orchid." Cinnamon hugged the little monk. "For everything."

"No problem. That's what friends are for. Especially monk friends." Orchid paused as they reached the door. "Why are we going in if we can review and accept missions online?"

"I like to be known. Since we're brand new to the game, it helps to stay visible. Sometimes a special job comes in, or an emergency. If the office agent knows we're in town and looking, they'll make a phone call in addition to just posting the job." Cinnamon smiled as she led the way in. "And sometimes there's donuts."

"Rose, are you mad at me?"

"No. Why?"

"Ever since graduation, you've been distant. And you've been more touchy about money than usual. Or maybe I'm just noticing it more because we're out of school now."

"It's not just the money. It's... everything. I don't know how much I belong here. Aside from what happened at the police station the other night, it seems like I see things completely different than you and Cinnamon."

"If this is about..." Lavender glanced down at her chest. "I told you back on the train that I never meant that. And I haven't mentioned it since."

"I know. But even if you aren't talking about it, you're flaunting it. Honestly, you flashed your way out of a speeding ticket yesterday. We weren't on a mission or anything."

A puzzled look crossed Lavender's face. "No, I didn't."

"Why am I even talking to you..." Rose got up and walked away.

"Rose, wait..." Lavender watched her go with a frown on her face. "I had a bikini top on. That doesn't count. Does it?"

As the door to Rose's room closed behind her, Lavender dropped back down on the couch and pulled out her phone. "Is that all you think of me? A walking pair of tits that happens to be able to fight? After four years, I thought you'd know me better."

After a few seconds, Rose's door opened slowly. "No. If that was true, I'd have left already. You obviously care about people. You consistently put others above yourself."

"Why isn't that enough?"

"It should be. But you..."

"I flaunt my looks and I have money. But I only use the money for the team, and my looks are my own business. And be honest; the last time I really flaunted my looks, it saved all our lives against the nagas."

Before Rose could answer, the door opened and Clay came in. "Rose, your car's clean. Getting the mud off the undercarriage took a little work, but I got it. It was much easier than Lavender's SUV."

Rose nodded and turned to go back to her room, but Lavender picked up her guns. "Thanks, Clay. Want to practice reload drills?"

"Sure."

Lavender glanced at Rose. "Want to practice with us?"

"Maybe later."

"Suit yourself." Lavender and Clay picked up her gear and went outside, where Clay and Lavender threw magazines back and forth as she ran, wove, and rolled across the motel yard. After a while, Rose came out with her shotgun.

Without waiting for a pause, she threw it at Clay. "Reload!"

He caught it without missing a beat, whipped another magazine across the yard to Lavender, switched out magazines on the shotgun, and threw it back, hitting Rose mid-run.

The three stopped as slow clapping echoed across the yard. Cinnamon and Orchid had returned and were watching the drills from the parking lot. "Impressive, but you missed one thing."

"What's that?"

"A big, shiny SUV driving up and honking. None of you even looked up."

Rose shrugged. "I ignore you when you aren't talking tactics."

"You shouldn't. Even if I am an irritating, stuck-up tart."

Rose turned and raised an eyebrow. Cinnamon stuck her tongue out. "I always hear you, even when you think I don't. And sometimes you're right." She turned and headed back to the room. "No job yet, today. I'll keep checking online. And good work, Clay. You're better at this than I ever expected."

"I love tacos." Lavender started on her sixth taco while Rose stared at her.

"How can you eat like that and..?"

"Cardio. I burn more calories in a day working out then a couch potato burns in a week sitting on his butt."

"I work out, too, but..." Rose shook her head.

"You lift weights, run, swim, and play basketball. That's a good mix; it keeps you in great shape and it's made you stronger than almost anyone I've ever met."

"I sense a but coming."

"But it's got nothing on gymnastics and acrobatics. I constantly use every muscle in my body, so even though I can't lift as much as you can, my body control and muscle tone are incredible. How many people do you know that can do this?" Lavender stood on one hand and finished her taco while doing the splits and shaking her hips upside down.

"I'm just glad you're wearing shorts and a tight halter top instead of a skirt and bikini top right now."

Cinnamon walked in and poked Lavender's rock-hard abs. "That's impressive, but it's not gymnastics. You learned that in pole-dancing class in Velaria." She slapped Lavender's butt, prompting a forward walkover and a pouty smile. "But we've got a job, so go put your skirt on."

Rose stood up and popped her knuckles. "Something just came up? Or is it another lost dog? And where's Orchid?"

"Over here." Orchid was standing in the doorway, frowning.

"Something wrong?"

"No. Just wondering if I can do that. Physically, I can do almost anything I see." Orchid shrugged and did a handstand, then lifted one arm and mimicked Lavender's motion briefly before dropping into a forward roll.

"Pretty good for a first attempt. The first time I tried that, I fell on my head. Now go get changed." Cinnamon turned to Rose. "This one's real, and potentially big. Employees at Adrenaline Junction spotted harpies incoming ten minutes ago. They're evacuating the park, but they need help now, and we're the only Hunter team within thirty miles."

"What are we waiting for?"

"Clay's loading the SUV, and Lavender and Orchid need to get changed. You and I are already in combat gear, so we leave as soon as-" Cinnamon stopped as Lavender and Orchid returned. "-now."

The drive to the amusement park only took a couple of minutes because Lavender took them off-road and hit the gas. They met a few panicked teenagers running across the neighboring field, but avoided the masses of people fleeing the park.

"Yes, we're here. Approaching from east. We'll hit a red and blue steel rollercoaster first." Cinnamon looked up from her phone. "He asked us not to crash through the fence."

"No kidding. This is an SUV, not a tank." Lavender screeched to a halt next to the fence. "Looks like about twelve feet with barbed wire on top. Can you all make that?"

Clay jumped out carrying the ammo bag. "I can't."

"Up on the hood. We'll throw you." Cinnamon leapt up onto the hood of SUV and set up for a basket toss, but Rose beat her to it. She grinned, picked Clay up, and tossed him over the fence and into the park. Cinnamon shrugged and jumped over the fence herself, followed by Lavender, Orchid, and finally Rose. Cinnamon passed out ear plugs to everyone as they landed. "Once we're engaged, it's hand signs only. Harpy screeches prevent anything else."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "They also cause severe pain, agitation and aggression."

"They're attacking my favorite amusement park. I'm already mad."

"Sorry about that, Lavender. The harpies are at the north end of the park tearing up Accelerator and Daredevil." Cinnamon looked around for signs. "This is Hang Ten, so..."

"Follow me. I've been here a bunch of times." Lavender took off past the steel roller coaster and turned left at an empty snack shack. "This place makes great smoothies and shakes."

"Not now, Lavender." Rose managed to catch up as they passed a photo booth. "But I guess you being rich helped us this time; the rest of us couldn't afford to come here, so we'd probably get lost just looking for the stupid harpies."

"I told you. My money helps the team. Just like your muscles."

The team passed two more roller coasters and a BBQ hut before they could pinpoint the screeching and destruction.

"Oh, no. Now they're on Wave Runner. That was my favorite ride here."

"Orchid, Lavender, go high. Bring them down to me and Rose on the ground. One or two at a time, if possible."

"How?"

"Wrap them or bait them. Harpies hate anything that's prettier than they are, which is almost everything. That's why they're always pissed off."

Orchid started climbing the outside of the paintball arena. "I've got four bolas, but it sounds like at least a dozen harpies. You might have to take some live ones if they all come at once."

"Understood." Cinnamon took position under the bleachers while Rose hopped behind the counter of a hamburger stand. "Ready."

"First group's mine." Lavender stood on top of the bleachers and took aim. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" Three of the harpies on Wave Runner looked up, so Lavender fired a few rounds at them, prompting them to take off and circle, screeching.

Orchid ducked into the bleachers. "I'll grab the next group. Be careful."

"No problem. They're harpies, not sirens."

"Sirens only work on men, Lavender."

"But sirens are so pretty..."

Orchid froze. "What... Lavender?

"Kidding." Lavender put her ear plugs in and fired at the incoming harpies, then backflipped off the top rail of the bleachers as they went by, landing on one and riding her to the ground. The other two followed closely, but as they landed and lunged, Lavender shot up into the air, clearing the way for Rose and Cinnamon to unload on them.

"Three down." Lavender shrugged when she realized no one could hear her, then gave a quick thumbs up and went back up top.

The next group of five was already coming in, but Orchid had already entangled one with a bola and jumped up to engage the rest. Lavender watched as the monk bounced between them, alternating jump kicks and throwing knives, before fleeing to the top of the hamburger stand. She punched a hole in the roof, dove off and rolled away as the first harpy landed, only to be yanked through the roof by Rose.

Cinnamon winced as she saw Rose drag the harpy through the hamburger stand roof, slam it on the ground and stomp on it, then blow its head off with a point-blank shotgun blast. That was four down, but three more were on the roof now. Cinnamon sprayed them with bullets to prevent them from jumping down on Rose, then charged, running up the side of the building to engage them in melee. She tore into them with her scimitars while Rose fired from below, shredding them in seconds.

"That's seven, plus one bound. And... they still can't hear me." Lavender shrugged and advanced, leaving the paintball arena behind to head to Wave Runner. Orchid and Clay caught up en route, and he handed her two spare magazines. Orchid pointed at the ride in front of them, then held up four fingers. Lavender nodded. Four harpies in front of them. No problem. She glanced back and saw Cinnamon and Rose following them, so she turned and pointed toward Daredevil. Her teammates followed the gesture and altered course, leaving Wave Runner for them.

Clay dropped back and followed as Lavender and Orchid jumped up on the track and headed toward the chaos. The four remaining harpies had finished destroying the cars and operator booth, and had started on the stairs and loading platform. Orchid got their attention with a couple of shuriken, then wrapped a bola around the first one that charged. She then kicked it out of the air and rushed to engage the remaining harpies.

"Eew. Gross bird-lady. They're going to have to drain the water." Lavender barely dodged the splash of the entangled harpy, double-tapped it in the face, then joined Orchid on the remains of the platform. Orchid wrapped one more harpy, then kicked another one toward Lavender. Lavender kicked it into the nearest metal post, then the two of them swarmed the third harpy and pummeled it to death in seconds.

"Aack!" Lavender flailed as the last remaining harpy recovered and hit her with a flying tackle, knocking them both into the water below. As it scrabbled with its claws and talons, she grabbed it in a headlock, shoved a pistol in the creature's mouth, and pulled the trigger. The claws relaxed and the talons drooped as she stood up and dropped the carcass. "That'll teach you to destroy my favorite ride."

Cinnamon approached Daredevil with Rose at her back. Two visible harpies, charging. Cinnamon tapped Rose and pointed. Those are yours. Rose nodded, stepped forward, and opened fire, allowing Cinnamon to search for additional threats. There. Accelerator. Three more harpies. But they aren't charging. Or destroying anything. Cinnamon turned to help Rose finish off the two incoming harpies, then pointed at the remaining three.

Rose gave a quick glance at Orchid and Lavender, then nodded and jogged off to Accelerator alongside Cinnamon. "They're not attacking. Or screeching. And you can't hear me." Rose pulled out her ear plugs and grabbed Cinnamon's shoulder. "Something's not right."

"I know." Cinnamon pulled out and pocketed her own ear plugs. "Harpies are angry and destructive by nature. They only stop when they're sleeping, eating, or mating."

"What would mate with a harpy?"

"There are male harpies. I hope that's not what's happening up there."

Rose started climbing the steps, shotgun out. "I couldn't agree more."

As they reached the top platform, the harpy's looked up, and immediately started screeching again. Cinnamon dropped to her knees and struggled to pull the ear plugs out of her pockets, then gave up and launched herself at them with her scimitars, screaming. At her side, Rose got one shotgun blast off before joining her in melee. The two of them cut into the harpies with abandon, utterly ignoring defense. Seconds later, they were covered in blood and standing amid a pile of bodies.

"Crap." Rose looked down at the tattered remains of her shirt, then over at Cinnamon, who was wearing even less. "I guess I can't blame you this time."

Cinnamon shook her head. "Stupid harpy screeches. Lost my mind for a few seconds. I'm still not sure what-" Cinnamon froze as she looked around at the bodies, then swallowed nervously. "Rose, how many harpies did we just kill?"

"Three." Rose looked down at the carnage. "Oh, no."

"Shit." Cinnamon knelt in the blood and gore and gently lifted a hand. "Looks like a ride operator. And three more guys here with him. All in good shape. Fit. Well-muscled. They tried to hold the harpies off while everyone else ran."

"They succeeded." Rose continued when she saw Cinnamon's head snap up. "They stopped the harpies here, and kept everyone else in the park alive."

"And they died."

"We would have done the same, Cinnamon."

"We trained for it. We're armed. We do this for a living now."

"If a pair of dragons dropped in at our motel tomorrow morning, you would fight them, knowing you couldn't win."

"Of course I would."

"And you would die. Just like they did. Making sure other people had time to run away."

Cinnamon took a breath. "Fine. I get it. They didn't waste their lives."

Rose nodded. "Sacrifice isn't a mistake. They were brave men and I hope their families understand that."

"Agreed." Cinnamon stood and wiped the blood and tears from her face. "Now let's go find our friends. And hope they fared a bit better than we did."

As they descended the stairs, Cinnamon and Rose ran into Orchid and Lavender. Rose scowled. "What the hell, Lavender? You decided you needed to strip down and go for a swim? Where's your skirt and top?"

"Shut up, Rose. Freaking harpy tackled me into the water, then got her talons into me. I could have drowned or died, so I wasn't looking at what she did to my clothes."

Orchid stepped between the two and put her hands up. "The harpies aren't screeching any more. We need to calm down. Intentionally." When Rose and Lavender nodded, Orchid shrugged and pointed to Rose's tattered clothing. "And you didn't get out of this unscathed, either."

"It's okay, I've got it." Clay unzipped the bag and started handing out extra clothes, then turned his back while the girls changed. Once everyone was properly dressed, they packed up and headed toward the front.

Cinnamon pulled out her phone and called in the results. "All clear. Fifteen dead harpies. And four casualties. No, sir. My team is fine. Looks like one of your employees and three guests at your park. They held the harpies off while everyone else got away. Probably saved a lot of lives. Yes. We'll meet you at the front."

"Casualties?"

"Yes. Lavender. Four civilians tried to fight off the harpies."

"We'll make sure they're remembered, right?"

Cinnamon frowned. "Right..."

"Don't worry. I'll handle that part."

"We need to go ammo shopping today." Cinnamon pocketed her phone and frowned. "I love emergency mission pay, but not..."

"Emergency mission casualties?" Lavender patted her on the shoulder. "You're not the only one. Losing people sucks. Even if they died before we got there."

"At least it proves that you're still human. Sometimes I wonder."

"Thanks, Rose."

"How much did we make last night, anyway? I forgot to ask."

"Thirty-two thousand."

Rose turned and stared. "What?"

"I didn't set the price. Adrenaline Junction set it at sixteen thousand, but the agency automatically doubles it on any request labeled as an immediate need emergency."

"Right. I forgot." Rose shook her head. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Doubling the price on people's lives."

Lavender looked up from the couch. "How about we donate that part of the fee to the victims' families? We could talk to the park CEO about it. They'd probably match it to get some publicity."

Cinnamon smiled. "You are the best Hunter ever."

"I wouldn't go that far." Lavender got up from the couch. "I will take care of the shopping, though. Aside from ammo, I need a couple of new outfits. Rose, you need twelve-gauge buckshot, right? Anything else?"

"Just the buckshot."

"Thanks, Lavender." Cinnamon tossed her the team account debit card. "I'm glad we both use 9mm; gives us one less thing to worry about."

As Lavender left, Cinnamon turned to Rose. "She really is the best ever. I think she did that so we could be alone."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"We don't talk much. How's the family?"

"Since when do you care?"

"Usually, I don't. That's kind of the problem." Cinnamon grimaced. "I'm not sure how to put this politely... I can be an uncaring bitch sometimes."

"No argument there." Rose shrugged. "So you want to talk. Okay, I'm game. My brother Paul is going to Velaria University next year. At this rate, he's going to get a football scholarship, but he still doesn't know what his major is going to be. My sister Lily started playing the guitar a couple of months ago, and she's terrible. And not just bad for a beginner, but really bad. But she's always been stubborn, so she's going to stick with it. Hopefully, she'll get better before she drives everyone crazy... Cinnamon, are you even listening?"

"I tried. But it's so boring I can barely keep my eyes open."

Rose shrugged and walked off. "I'm not actually mad. Because this is exactly what I expected."

"How did it go?"

"Twenty seconds."

"What?"

"I lasted less than twenty seconds, Lavender. But she was droning on about her family, and it was so boring." Cinnamon shrugged. "But at least she wasn't mad about it."

"I am. You aren't even trying. Family is important to her. She wants a family of her own one day. So do I, and I'd bet Orchid does too."

"Lame and boring."

Lavender stared at Cinnamon, dumbstruck. "Rose is right... you are a..."

"What?"

"I try not to curse most of the time, but..." Lavender swallowed nervously. "Cinnamon, you treat people like crap and outside of the job, you only care about yourself."

Lavender dropped the ammo and clothes and walked out, leaving Cinnamon standing alone in the motel room. Cinnamon stared at the door, stunned, then she followed Lavender outside and saw her drive off in her SUV. "What happened to I love you and I'll never leave you?"

Cinnamon leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. "What the hell... I need to fix this."

"What's wrong?"

Cinnamon turned to see Orchid approaching from the pool area. "Everyone is pissed at me because I don't care about family."

"So you're meditating to calm yourself and find a solution to your problem. Good idea."

"No, I'm thinking about what went wrong."

"Sounds like meditating to me. I'll join you." She sat down and beckoned for Cinnamon to join her. "Start at the beginning."

"I was trying to talk to Rose, but she was babbling about her siblings and what they're doing. It was so boring, I couldn't focus."

"So you were focused on yourself the whole time she was telling you about her siblings' hopes and dreams. That sounds very self-centered."

"What the f-"

Orchids slapped a hand over Cinnamon's mouth. "You're bad at meditating. Calm. Control. Analyze. Understand. Then act. With compassion, wisdom, and love."

"I'm not a monk."

"Why do you like having me on this team?"

"You fight like a-"

"No. Many people can fight. If that's all I am to you..."

Cinnamon sighed. "You're helpful and wise and caring and all that crap."

"And you value that in me?"

"Yes."

"But not in yourself?"

Cinnamon stared at the ground for a few seconds, then at the horizon. Then she sighed, got up, and walked away.

Cinnamon walked into the bedroom that she and Lavender shared, and found Lavender reading. "You're still here."

"I told you I'd never leave and I meant it. We're still a team. And still a family, if you want us. Even if we're all mad at you."

"Rose and Orchid aren't mad."

"Orchid doesn't really get mad. And Rose would be mad if she expected anything from you."

"But you do. You expect me to be better."

Lavender nodded. You're not just the team leader. You're my best friend. You should be better. You should care. At least a little..."

"I can't just-"

"Try?"

Cinnamon sighed. "I can try."

Crystals Are a Girl's Best Friend

"No, ma'am. You got robbed. Call the police, and then cancel the Hunter request you posted." Cinnamon rolled her eyes at the phone. "No. We aren't detectives. Unless you got robbed by a minotaur that is now actively attacking you, we can't help you. Call the police."

Cinnamon hung up and turned to the rest of her team, who hadn't budged. "Why are people so freaking stupid? How hard is it to grasp that we're Hunters and not cops?"

"You aren't thinking it through."

"Really, Rose? Are you suddenly the expert on people?"

"Compared to you, I am. You're an arrogant, hyper-capable knockout that can't see past her own inflated... self-image."

"Was that supposed to be an insult? Usually, you're better at it than that..."

"I've got it." Lavender got up and faced Cinnamon. "You're smarter and more capable than most people I've met. You know the difference between Hunter and police. You know where the lines are and where the gray areas are." She paused as Cinnamon nodded hesitantly, then continued. "Now imagine that you aren't so bright. You don't know the details, but you got hurt and need help. And someone is offering to do it for one dollar. Would you call them?"

"I would call the right person."

"Some people don't understand who the right person is."

"That's stupid."

"Some people are stupid, Cinnamon. But not as many as you think. We've had nine requests that should have gone to the police. That's nine people that don't understand. In a city of over two hundred thousand people. And a nation that numbers tens of millions. Very few people are actually as dumb as you think."

"Your math is wrong. Tens of millions don't know about our offer. And even less need help."

"The newscast was broadcast nationwide on a channel with millions of viewers. My math was close enough to make the point valid. Not all people are stupid. Just a few of them. And honestly, fear and desperation can drive normal people to do stupid things."

"Fine. Not everyone is stupid. But I'm still tired of explaining why we can't run around Arion solving misdemeanors and finding lost dogs." Cinnamon sighed as her phone buzzed. "It's Cheyenne from the office. Can you take it?"

Lavender smiled and took the phone. "Hunter team CORL. How can we be of assistance? Yes. No, you don't have to call me Miss Hill. Okay. Text us the address. Thanks, Cheyenne."

"What?"

"It's a real job. Maybe. North side of Arion. A family saw something in their pool when they went in the backyard, and it looked serpentine."

Cinnamon perked up. "That could be real."

"And they also can't find their dog."

"Crap. Oh, well. Let's check it out anyway." Cinnamon frowned. "Cheyenne never calls me Miss Harris. Why did she want to call you Miss Hill?"

"The Harris family didn't donate the money to build the Hunter office in Arion."

"And your family did. I get it." Cinnamon shook her head. "Let's go."

Lavender pulled up to the house and frowned. "Are you sure this is it? Neighborhoods like this are usually... boring."

"It's the right address. Wait, what?"

"This neighborhood is upper-middle class. Identical houses, manicured lawns, homeowner's associations, swimming pools... the most exciting thing on a block like this is usually a house party with some underage drinking."

"Being boring doesn't prevent monster attacks."

Orchid pointed to the side of the house. "In most cases, the ten foot high wrought-iron fence would help. But if it's a serpentine creature..."

The homeowner was waiting at the door for them. "That was fast. I just posted the request half an hour ago."

"It was a twenty minute drive, Mrs. Carver." Lavender smiled. "We were serious about helping people in need. If there's actually a monster in your pool, we'll take care of it."

"What do you charge if it's not?"

Cinnamon scowled at her. "Nothing. This isn't a service call on your home warranty."

"Don't mind her; she's cranky." Lavender followed Cinnamon into the backyard to the pool. "Keep the kids inside. Just in case."

"Damn it. Cinnamon was right." Rose was standing over the pool, scowling. "It's a snake. I mean, it's a big one, but that's not a monster."

The rest of the team joined her, and Orchid frowned. "Rose, how much time have you spent in the water with animals?"

"None. Why?"

"Back up." Orchid pulled the rest of team away. "The refraction of the water is distorting your vision. That thing is at least a foot wide. Maybe more. There isn't a snake in this region that big. And I think I know where the dog went."

"Oh, how sad." Lavender turned back to Mrs. Carver. "Back in the house, please. Don't come out until we come in and get you."

As Mrs. Carver retreated with a puzzled look on her face, Lavender turned to Cinnamon. "It doesn't look interested in us, and I'm not going in there to bait it out. How do we kill it?"

"If it really is a normal sea snake, it'll have to come up for air eventually." Cinnamon frowned as she moved closer to get a better look. "But Orchid's right. Snakes aren't that big. We're pretty close to the coast. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a baby sea serpent."

"You're going to tell me to wrestle the damn thing, aren't you?"

Cinnamon sighed. "Yep. We can't dodge in the water, so you're going to have to tank it. Get it up to where we can reach it and keep it from constricting you. We'll handle the rest."

Rose handed her shotgun off to Clay and circled to the deep end. "Everyone ready?" She waited until the rest of the team surrounded the shallow end and nodded. "Here goes."

She jumped in feet first, practically landing on the snake's head, and grabbed it around the neck, causing it to thrash and twist wildly. As the serpent tried to coil around her, she yanked it toward the shallow end, where her teammates started beating and hacking at it. Caught in Rose's bone-crushing hug with nowhere to go, the baby serpent panicked, thrashed some more, and ultimately died at the hands of the Hunters. After the serpent stopped wriggling, Rose dragged it out of the pool and up onto the back lawn. When she looked up, she saw that Cinnamon had brought Mrs. Carver out with her children. The kids crowded around Rose, eyes wide.

"That was amazing!"

"You're the best!"

"I want to be like you when I grow up!"

"What?" Rose backed up and looked at her teammates, who were all standing back and smiling. "Oh. I get it." She turned back to the kids and took a knee. "If you want to do this, you're going to have to work your butt off. We all spent four years of constant physical and mental training to be Hunters."

"But they couldn't stop the snake monster. Only you could."

"True. We all have our strengths. And mine is strength."

"Can you lift me up?"

"Me, too!"

"And me!"

Rose blinked, then chuckled and smiled. "Sure, kids. Climb on." She stood up, engaged her semblance, and lifted all three children up to stand balanced on her right forearm, then froze when Mrs. Carver broke into a grin and pulled out her phone.

"I need a picture."

Rose flexed and held the kids long enough for some pictures, then put them down gently. "Time for us to go. Call Waste Management for disposal, all right Mrs. Carver?"

As the team left, Rose whispered to Cinnamon, "What did you tell them about the dog?"

"I told the mom that the sea serpent probably ate him. That's why he was so sleepy and peaceful in the pool."

"Sounds right. Now what the hell was the rest of that?"

Cinnamon hopped into SUV alongside Lavender while Clay pulled a towel out of his bag and handed it to Rose. "I'm trying, Rose. I don't want to hear about your family, but I do care about you. And I know we get a lot of attention, but you deserve it, too. So I made sure the clients saw you in action. Those kids won't even remember the rest of us. When that family thinks of Hunters, it's going to be you. And I didn't even have to set it up that way. That's just how the job worked out."

"You think I want attention?"

"No. I think you want me not to be a bitchy, half-dressed diva. And if a kid wants to be a Hunter, you'd rather they want it for the right reasons, not because they see how hot some Hunters are."

"All right. I get it. And thank you." Rose sighed. "But I have one final question. Clay, where did you get the towel?"

"Back at the motel, Lavender said you were going after a monster in a pool. So I brought the towels from the motel room."

"Are you all planning everything around me, now?"

"No. Clay's just doing his job." Cinnamon sighed. "And I'm trying to say I'm sorry."

"That was better. I still feel a little weird about needing a press conference for that, though."

"Me, too, Rose. But Adrenaline Junction wanted some positive publicity, and we were part of it. I just hope that the families will be all right. Even with them matching our donation, it only comes out to eight thousand each."

Cinnamon shrugged and flopped onto the couch. "But we got some positive publicity, too. It wasn't all bad. I think we need it, with the lack of real jobs."

"Maybe we should consider moving to Myaria?"

Cinnamon and Lavender looked up at Orchid and answered in unison. "Why?"

"SILK is doing pretty well out there. We've been out of school for almost a month, and we've had seven missions, plus the sea serpent yesterday. They've had twelve. And no wyverns."

"The wyvern is our claim to fame right now. I posted that on the Hunter website with pictures. We're brand new, and everyone knows who we are already. Can SILK say the same?"

Rose smirked. "No. But this time you missed something. For the past five years, new graduates in Velaria averaged around five missions per month, and most of those missions paid far less than what we've made. The Tract and Ashburn jobs alone paid more than double what a new team usually makes."

"How do you know that?"

"I looked it up. The information is all in the Hunter database, and I wasn't sure if I would be living with my parents after graduation."

"Oh. That makes sense." Cinnamon frowned as the realization hit her. "Oh. You were considering leaving us."

"I was. Orchid convinced me not to. And then Lavender helped. Jury's still out on you."

"I can live with that. I'm definitely the hardest to get along with."

"You got that right."

Cinnamon's brow furrowed as her phone buzzed. "Who's calling me?" She pulled it out and frowned. "Cheyenne?"

"Arion Hunter Agency Cheyenne? Answer it."

"Hunter team CORL. How can we be of assistance? Brighton again? Not unless the price went up. Eight thousand isn't enough, given the equipment cost. Oh, they did? Not good enough. Thanks, anyway. Keep us informed, okay? Thanks, Cheyenne."

"I don't want to go back to Brighton unless they overpay. That guy was a dick."

"Rose!"

"What? Your car got totaled, and he ignored it and kicked us out in the cold."

"True..."

"I think I can handle this one." Cinnamon grinned as she started dialing. "Hello, may I speak to Doctor Cornelius, please? I know he isn't expecting me. Tell him it's Cinnamon from Hunter team CORL. We did some work for him a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I'll hold."

A moment later, Cinnamon's eyes lit up. "Miss Evans. It's a pleasure to speak with you. Hold on. Let me go somewhere a bit more private." Cinnamon got up, walked into the bedroom, and shut the door. "That's better. I wanted to talk to you about the Hunter mission that Brighton posted. It's been sitting there for almost a week, untouched. Yes, I see that you raised the price from eight thousand to twelve thousand. Given what we went through last time, and the fact we'll need more gear, it's still not enough. You're going to have to double it. Yes, I know you'll have to clear it with Doctor Cornelius. Okay. Call me back later. Thanks. Bye."

She poked her head out of the bedroom and winked at her puzzled team. "Negotiating. I'll let you know how it turns out."

"Doctor Cornelius. Thank you for returning my call. Yes, we'd love to work with you again. No, I'm sure Miss Evans told you what I proposed. No, it's not extortion. No one else will take the job, either. If you were willing to pay market rate, Hunters would be lining up for this mission, but they aren't, are they? No? Okay. No deal, then. You're losing money every day that mine is closed. You want it open? Double the price. Twenty thousand-four or I hang up." After a brief pause, Cinnamon's eyes lit up. "You've made a wise decision Doctor Cornelius. As soon as you update the Hunter request, I'll accept it. It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Cinnamon hung up and switched over to the Hunter job sight. A few minutes later, the post updated, showing the new rate of twenty-four thousand dollars. Cinnamon accepted it with a grin, logged out, and walked out of the bedroom. "Time to pack up. We've got a job."

Rose glanced up from the floor where she was doing inclined pushups. "Is it urgent? Orchid and Lavender went to the gym."

"Typical. I negotiate a killer deal and there's no one to brag to."

Rose continued doing pushups. "No one who cares."

"Exactly." Cinnamon paused. "Wait. Why didn't you go?"

"Not the normal gym. Pole dance aerobics. That's why Clay went, too."

"Damn. I could have gone with them."

"But then you wouldn't have gotten a deal worth bragging about." Rose rolled out and stood up. "Who are we taking advantage of today?"

"Brighton Industries. I convinced Doctor Cornelius to double the fee."

"Sixteen thousand? Better than last time, but I wouldn't say killer."

"No. They raised it to twelve grand yesterday. Today I had him double it to twenty-four."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "That... is brag-worthy. How'd you do it?"

"I told him that no one was taking the job because he wasn't willing to pay enough and that he's losing money by not operating the mine. He caved."

Rose frowned. "Maybe you shouldn't tell the others. They might consider that threatening. And if he wanted to raise the price, he could do it any time he wants. The fact that he did it when you told him to basically gave you the job."

"Yeah. They may not like it if you put it that way. What about you?"

"Screw that guy. He's a dick."

"Only for one job, right? It's cold up here, and cold sucks."

"One job, Lavender. Now let's get in there and get it over with." Cinnamon led the way into Brighton Industries, but was stopped at the door by Miss Evans.

"It's probably best if you didn't go in there. He's not happy with you right now."

"I wonder why." Cinnamon winked at Rose while following Miss Evans back down the steps.

"Oh, good. You got a more sensible vehicle. I did like the last one, but it wasn't very useful in this terrain. Let's make a quick supply run, then it's off to the mine."

An hour later, the team was outfitted and ready, with directions in hand.

"Same mine as last time. Looks like he hasn't even recalled the workers."

"Or maybe he did, but they bailed when they saw the problem."

"Could be. So what's the problem? Minotaurs? Giant bugs?"

"Yetis."

"That's all?" Rose sighed. "Yetis are easy."

"The report says an entire shaft is overrun. It's more than just one pack. And the rest of us don't use fire crystals, Rose."

"Maybe you should. But it's no big deal. If it's just yetis, I can do the whole thing myself."

"How about we tag along, just in case."

"Absolutely. I don't trust anything that jackass gives us, including intel on the job. There's probably a dragon or something waiting for us."

"If there is, you're tanking it for us."

"Thanks, Cinnamon."

The drive to the mine was easy, and actually pleasant, considering the beautiful view of the ice caps and frozen tundra. Lavender scanned the road ahead as she slowed for a curve. "No monsters this time. I wonder why the convoy is always attacked, but we're being ignored."

"More people to attract the monsters, I guess. I never really understood how that works. It's not exactly scientific."

They pulled up to the mine, and Cinnamon hopped out, guns ready. "Rose, Orchid, help me get the door open, so we can pull in. Clay, keep watch." Cinnamon holstered her weapons and approached the keypad, then punched in the eight-digit code. "Now, we pull."

The three of them strained to get the door open enough for Lavender to pull in, then followed her in and shut it behind her. While Lavender cut the engine and joined them, Cinnamon pulled out a map of the mine. "Everyone, gear up."

"Wait. Take these." Lavender handed out ear mics to everyone. I picked these up the other day. They helped us out on the Tract job, and we had enough money to get some of our own."

"These look better than the ones from Tract." Cinnamon stuck it in her ear. "Can everyone hear me? Good. We're looking at the northern shaft. It's the newest part of the mine, and section 4b in particular was only opened a week before the equipment change we did a couple of weeks ago. That's our target."

"Doesn't look too far away. Let's make this quick."

"Agreed. Rose, take point. And don't hold back; we're expecting to be swarmed, and there's no danger of burning the place down."

Rose nodded and plodded down the corridor, following the track. After a couple of minutes, a low rumble echoed from down the tunnel, causing Clay to pause. "Hey, keep up. You're carrying the flashlights and heater."

"Sorry." Clay caught up and took his place behind Rose and Orchid. "I just heard..."

"Yeah. Me, too. But it'll be fine." Rose looked back over her shoulder. "How far?"

Cinnamon glanced at a tunnel they had just passed. "I think that was 4a. We should be looking for the next one."

A minute later, and a few more rumbles, they reached the next passage. Clay shined one flashlight down the tunnel, while running the other light around the entrance looking for identifying marks. "This is it. 4b."

Another rumble echoed from down 4b, while shadows danced at the edge of the flashlight. "There they are. Flashlight beams don't flicker like that. Everyone ready?"

Rose waited until the rest of the team nodded, then led the way down the tunnel, guided by Clay's flashlights. "Thirty feet until the passage opens." She engaged her fire crystal and dropped her finger to the trigger. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

"Rose what are you..." Cinnamon twitched a little, then giggled. "Don't hog all the fun. Leave some for me."

Orchid froze and grabbed Lavender's shoulder, pulling her back. "Something's wrong. They both just went really twitchy. There's something altering their mood."

"Like the harpies?"

"Kind of. But they aren't mad. More like... manic."

Lavender nodded. "Look. Even Clay is doing it. He's practically juggling the flashlights."

"It's probably going to happen to us, too. Try to keep your head. Watch their backs. Don't do anything stupid."

"Got it."

Lavender and Orchid rejoined the team as they approached the end of the passage. The cave opened out in front of them, dimly lit by Clay's dancing flashlights.

"Clay, stop it. You're making me dizzy."

"Stop what?" Clay turned back and pointed both of the flashlights at Lavender's face. "I'm not doing anything."

"Hey, moron! We can't see!"

"There should be a switch around here somewhere."

"I could just light the wall on fire..."

"Rose, stop it!"

"All of you, knock it off. I think I found the switch." Orchid pulled the switch, and the overhead lanterns crackled to life, revealing over a dozen grinning yetis that had snuck up on them as they bickered.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Rose blasted everything near her, turning three yetis into smoldering chunks of flesh and narrowly missing Cinnamon.

"Crap crap crap crap crap we're all going to die!" Cinnamon opened fire, killing the nearest yeti, but was pounced by two more before she could regain her composure.

"Get off me!" Lavender used her wind crystals to jump skyward, landing on top of an extraction machine, then emptied both pistols into the melee beneath her.

"Yetis don't usually have this effect." Orchid kicked two yetis away from Clay, then giggled as she flung a handful of shuriken into crowded room. "Cinnamon! What are you doing down there?"

"Getting eaten!" Cinnamon blasted both of her attackers, then flipped up to her feet, grinning like an idiot. "What's going on?"

"More yetis! I've got them!" Lavender reloaded, then leaped off of the extraction machine and plowed through the mass of charging monsters, beating them senseless while giggling uncontrollably. She made it to the back of the horde, then pulled up at the last one, hitting him with a right side snap/thrust combination, followed by a spinning left baton strike, crushing his jaw while emptying her right pistol in the opposite direction.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

A wispy, yeti-like creature entered from the other side of the shaft, triggering a flurry of gunshots, throwing knives, and one slightly delayed thrown flashlight from Clay.

Once they saw the beast, the team froze in panic, completely overloaded as it charged them, saliva dripping from his foot-long fangs.

"Is it just me, or is that thing getting bigger?"

"What the hell is that? I can barely move."

"Clay, get out. Orchid, help Lavender. Rose, hold it off for thirty seconds."

Rose nodded and advanced, firing, as Clay finally got his limbs to start working and fled back up the corridor. Cinnamon fired a burst at the incoming monster, then turned back to the yetis.

"Help! This isn't funny anymore!" Both of Lavender's pistols clicked as she spent her last two magazines, so she pushed the yetis back with a gust of wind, swept out the leg of the closest one, and kicked him into his friends.

"We're here!" from the back of the pack Lavender saw a flash of light as Cinnamon's semblance triggered, drawing screams from the yetis she cut down. More fell to Orchid's onslaught, but there were too many remaining. Lavender ducked three claw swipes, dropped two yetis with baton strikes to the knee, and bicycle kicked a third before between tackled and going down in a sea of claws and white fur.

"Lavender!" Cinnamon waded through the mass of enemies, heedless of their attacks. Flash after flash of light triggered as she cut her way through to her friend, stopping only when she realized her left arm was no longer moving.

She looked down at her arm blearily, and realized that her scimitar was on the ground behind her, then dropped to her knees. "Blood loss sucks. Why are there so many of these things..."

Orchid finished her last opponent with flying knee and an uppercut, then turned to see Cinnamon drop to her knees, then go down under one of the few remaining yetis. She threw her last bola at the nearest target, then kicked the yeti off Cinnamon and ran to Lavender. Two quick punches to the brain stem, and the last yetis were down. Orchid pulled Lavender out from underneath them and winced.

"That bad?"

"At least you're still dressed. And I think the wounds will heal." Orchid turned to Cinnamon, who had managed to sit up and was finishing off the wounded with her remaining gun. "You two stay here. I'm going to help Rose."

"Wait." Cinnamon dropped her gun after putting down the last yeti. "That's a wendigo."

"What's that?"

"Manic cannibal spirit. It incites mania. It gets everything near it worked into a frenzy, then revels in the chaos."

"That explains the twitchiness and giggling." Orchid glanced up to see Clay throw Rose a spare magazine from the tunnel entrance." "She's still up, but I don't know how long. How do we kill that thing?"

Cinnamon shook her head sadly. "I don't know."

"Thirty seconds. I can do that. I held a wyvern's mouth shut for longer than that." Rose advanced, firing, but the creature didn't even flinch. "Fine. I'll try fire." She fired, then dodged sideways as it got within claw range. "Still don't care that you're getting shot? How about lightning?"

Rose switched to her lightning crystal, but couldn't get her gun up fast enough as the beast tore into her. She tried to push it backwards, but it was like pushing air. "What the hell is this thing?" She took two more claw strikes before she could disengage and fire again.

The beast shuddered slightly from the electrically charged buckshot, then pounced on her, dropping them both to the ground. Rose rolled backward with the impact, stabbing the creature as she threw it over her head. "Ha! Learned that throw from a monk!" She hopped back to her feet and emptied her shotgun into the monster, causing it to pause briefly, but it charged again as if nothing happened.

Rose met the charge head on with her bayonet, but was bowled over with ease. As she slid across the cavern floor, she fumbled another magazine into her gun, then emptied it as the beast advanced. "This isn't working! Cinnamon, how do I kill it?" When no one answered, she rolled away as the creature slashed at her, losing her left shirt sleeve in the process, and reloaded again.

From the tunnel entrance, Clay yelled at her, "Try fire again!"

"I already tried fire!" Rose switched back to fire anyway, hoping Clay saw something that she didn't, and backed away, firing. The beast charged right through the flaming buckshot and knocked her across the room. "I'm running out! This thing hits like a ton of bricks. How can it hit so hard if my attacks are going right through it?"

Rose tried to reload again, but the monster grabbed her, swung her around by her head and slammed her onto the ground. She looked up just in time to see his foot come down on her face. She blocked the claw strike that followed but couldn't dodge in time as it grabbed her by the ankles and threw her across the room.

"What the hell is this thing?" Rose stumbled to her feet. "Clay! Magazine!" She caught a magazine and jammed it into her gun just in time to roll out of the way as the beast pounced. "I can't... I don't..." She glanced back at her team, barely up among the field of dead yetis. "I don't want to die..."

"Rose! Try lightning and fire at the same time!"

"I can't! That will blow up everything! We'll all die!"

"Just do it!"

Rose dodged again, engaged both crystals, and unloaded on the monster as it pounced. Explosions rocked the cavern as electrified flaming buckshot tore through the monster, the equipment, the support pillars, and the cavern wall. Rose took one more claw strike as the monster landed on her and drove her to the ground. I'm out. Can't reload. Time to die, I guess.

"Rose, gun!"

Orchid unloaded a flurry of punches to the beast's head and neck, then kicked Rose's gun over to Clay. She dodged the retaliation claw swipe and backed away, trying to bait him toward her. The beast stood and advanced, trampling Rose in the process.

"What's wrong? Can't hit me?" Orchid danced backward out of reach, picked up a rock, and threw it, but he charged and knocked her across the room with one claw strike.

"Oh, good. Now I won't hit my friend." The beast turned as Rose sat up, braced against Clay and emptied her shotgun into him again. The creature screamed as lightning and fire exploded inside him, blasting him against the wall.

It took Clay two seconds to take the gun, reload it, and give it back. "Hit him again."

Rose resumed firing as the beast charged, and shoved Clay out of the way as it hit her, then blacked out.

"Rose. Wake up, Rose."

"Is she going to be all right?"

"She'll be fine. She's practically unkillable." Cinnamon turned as Rose's eyes opened. "See? She's up already. The last time I was knocked out like that, it took Lavender six hours to wake me up."

Rose finally opened her mouth. "How long was I out?" And why are we in the tunnel?

"A little over three hours. And we're in the tunnel because the mine shaft is about to collapse.

"Really? Damn." Rose sat up, then realized that was a bad idea and leaned on Orchid. "What the hell was that? Yeti's aren't usually like that. It looked like they thought it was... funny."

Cinnamon nodded. "It was the wendigo's influence. None of you took Myths and Legends, did you?"

"I did." Lavender frowned. "But I don't remember seeing anything like that. Then again, I didn't exactly ace that class."

"I did. The wendigo is part spirit, so it's mostly insubstantial, but the manic effect is what drove the yetis. It made them twitchy and unstable, and if I had to guess, it looks like Rose was right. They thought sneaking up on us was funny."

Lavender turned from Cinnamon to Rose. "If it's part spirit, how did you kill it?"

"Fire and lightning barely worked, so Clay suggested I try them both at the same time."

"But isn't that..?"

"Extremely dangerous. And not advised under any circumstance unless you're willing to accept massive destruction of everything in the vicinity." Rose sighed. "And in some cases, massive casualties."

Cinnamon put her hand on Rose's shoulder. "But if you went down, we'd all be dead. It was a necessary risk."

"Still scary to actually do." Rose tried to stand. "I don't want to stay here if I don't have to. Can we leave? If you're all okay?"

"We're fine. Let's get you out of here." After they helped Rose to her feet, Cinnamon and Lavender led the way back to the front room, guns up, letting Clay and Orchid carry Rose's weight. "Keep her safe. I don't know what we're going to face on the way home. Lavender, you might have to speed all the way back to Brighton."

"That won't be necessary."

Cinnamon stopped short as she left the mine corridor. "Doctor Cornelius? What are you doing here?"

"Checking. I don't trust you."

"Why not? I dealt with you honestly from the start."

A crash echoed from down the corridor behind them.

"I came to make sure you didn't break my mine, and so far, you aren't inspiring confidence. You may not have read the contract carefully, but if you did, you would have seen that you are responsible for all damage caused to my mine."

Cinnamon grimaced. "The damage isn't that bad."

Another crash came from behind her.

"That's fixable."

Crash!

"You might need a couple of new support pillars."

Crash!

"But we may have opened a new shaft off of 4b."

Crash!

"You might have to dig it out a bit before it's usable."

Crash!

"Dammit."
Crash!

"That's all coming out of your contract."

"I know."

More crashes echoed from the corridor, making enough noise to draw Rose out of her dazed stupor. "The last time I had to dig out and repair a collapsed mine shaft, it cost me fifty thousand dollars."

"Shit." Cinnamon sighed. "Do you want to bill us after the repairs, or settle on fifty thousand now?"

"Now would be good. I never want to see you or your team again."

"That's fair." Cinnamon and Doctor Cornelius signed off on the contract, then she paid the repair bill electronically. "All right, everyone. Let's go."

The team loaded into the SUV, and Lavender pulled out through the big bay doors. "Did I hear you right? We actually lost money on this mission?"

"Yes."

"Crap. It's all my fault. I'm sorry. I should have been more careful."

"Stop it, Rose."

"No, it-"

"Shut. Up." Cinnamon turned to face the back seat. "You almost died tanking a legendary monster. You used everything you had at your disposal. Don't blame yourself for the collateral damage. It was him or you. And if you went down, none of us would have lasted very long."

"Legendary?"

"That was a wendigo. They're mostly insubstantial, almost impossible to kill, and can cut their way through most Hunters with ease. There hasn't been a wendigo seen in Velaria for decades. And you killed one. Almost completely alone."

Rose nodded weakly. "Oh. All right. But still..."

"And it's not all bad. I swiped a lightning crystal to make up for it, so it's not a total loss."

Orchid gasped. "We're Hunters. We're supposed to be better than that.

"Yeah, but he's a cheap, money-grubbing assclown."

"She's right, Orchid. That guy was a dick."

From the front seat, Lavender grinned. "I'm just glad to see you two getting along. Even if it is over stealing a lightning crystal."

Orchid frowned. "Is this going to be a habit? If so, I quit."

"Touché. I get it, Orchid. It won't happen again. Right, Cinnamon?"

"Agreed. Now let's get you home where you can rest up."

Rose curled up in the back seat where Clay could examine the bandages he had put on her. "Yes, please."

Cinnamon turned back to face front and pulled out her phone. "Wait. I think I can fix this. Not the money, but the reputation."

"What do you mean? Is he going to report that we caved in his mine to the agency?"

"Probably. But I got a picture of the wendigo after Rose killed it. All I have to do is post that, along with the job specs. We weren't contracted to fight anything that tough, and Doctor Cornelius knows it. A bit of careful phrasing... and done." Cinnamon grinned wickedly. "No Hunter team will work for him again without an iron-clad liability waiver."

Orchid shook her head and turned back to Rose. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"You couldn't if you tried, Orchid. None of you could."

Tournament

part 1

"We can't take a mission without Rose."

"Not a real one. If there was a little one, we could. Imagine the dire wolves from Velaria, but without the werewolf. And you know there are Hunters that operate alone or in pairs. Some missions are smaller."

"You know I can hear you, right?"

"Go back to sleep, Rose." Cinnamon turned back to Lavender. "I know we'd be in trouble in any real fight, but we're not completely helpless without her."

"No. We're not." Orchid looked up from Rose's side. "I can tank; I just do it differently."

"Last time you tanked something, it was the werewolf. And if I remember correctly, that thing tore you up." Cinnamon paused. "We never did figure out what that was, did we?"

"That was an unusual monster. The three of us could take any swarm or pack of normal monsters." Orchid shrugged. "Lavender held off two scorpicores on her own, and she's basically the opposite of Rose."

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm not tough?"

"Yes. You're versatile, fast, and incredibly agile, but you aren't tough. You have no ability to hold down a big monster and force it fight you. You're a skirmisher, not a tank."

Lavender opened her mouth, but shut it without response. Cinnamon looked at both of them then turned to Orchid. "Don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

"No..." Lavender put her hand on Cinnamon's shoulder. "She's right. And I don't mind being called a skirmisher; it's accurate, and I've been called much worse. But it doesn't help the fact that we're broke and we don't have a mission."

"We're only broke because I cost us money on our last mission."

"Rose. Sleep." Cinnamon shook her head. "I have a solution, but you might not like it."

Lavender shrugged. "Couldn't be worse than doing nothing."

"Myaria's annual tournament is next week. If all three of us enter, there's a pretty good chance that one of us will win some prize money."

"That's not a bad idea, actually."

"Also, Orchid... how long has it been since you've seen Kenjiro?"

"Not since graduation. SILK moved to Myaria the day after."

"You miss him?"

"A little." Orchid blushed. "Maybe more than a little. But even so, it's a good idea. Myaria is huge, so there's always a need for Hunters, even for small jobs. And maybe Rose can see Indigo again."

Cinnamon grinned as Rose snored in response. "I'm going to take that as a yes from Rose. I also vote yes. Orchid? Lavender?"

Orchid nodded, but Lavender frowned. "I will if everyone else wants to."

"What's the problem?"

"I don't care much for Myaria, but it's family stuff. It shouldn't be a big deal."

"Need to talk about it?"

"No. I'm not part of the business, and their thoughts on me personally are irrelevant."

Cinnamon frowned. "They don't like you? Like, the whole country?"

"The upper classes. But it shouldn't matter. People like that won't be at the tournament, and they don't hire Hunters."

"As long as you're sure." At Lavender's nod, Cinnamon pulled out her phone. "I'll download the entrance forms and send them to you. Let's see if we can win some money."

"I'm glad there's a bridge system between Velaria and Myaria. Leaving both cars behind would suck."

"I'm just glad my family was able to come pick up mine." Rose unloaded the last of the gear from her trunk and loaded it into Lavender's SUV. "I know your car is better for the team, but I will miss mine."

"You'll have it when you get back, though. Right?"

"No. I'm giving it to my brother so he can take it when he goes off to college."

"Oh... Rose, do they know what you're giving up?"

"They gave it to me in the first place. Now let's get going." Rose paused. "Wait, where's Cinnamon?"

"I don't know. And Orchid's missing, too."

Rose turned to look at her dad and siblings, but froze when she saw Cinnamon talking to them. Before she could move, Orchid appeared at her side. "Wait. Let her try."

"Try what?"

"She's being nice."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Rose walked over just in time to see Cinnamon turn to Lily.

"And remember, if you want to piss Rose off, you need to get really good at the guitar. She's okay, and I think it will bug her if you're better. Plus, I want to see someone better than her at something. She's annoyingly good at this job."

Lily grinned as Rose and Orchid approached. "I'm not good yet, but I'll get better."

"We'll see about that." Rose grabbed her sister in a bear hug. "But in the meantime, we've got to get moving. It's a long drive to Myaria."

"All right. Get going." Rose's father joined in the hug. "And good luck in the tournament."

Rose dropped her sister and backed away. "I'm not entering. Everyone else is, but I don't think they're going to need luck."

"Why aren't you entering? You would kick ass!"

"I haven't recovered from our last mission."

Rose's father pulled her in for a hug, then stared at Cinnamon. "Would your team leader care to explain?"

"We took a job clearing a mine shaft overrun with yetis. Our employer didn't tell us there was a wendigo in there, too."

"What's a wendigo?"

"Legendary cannibal spirit. There hasn't been one seen in decades, and Rose killed it almost single-handedly. She's allowed to take some time to recover." Cinnamon turned to Lily and smiled. "I told you; she's annoyingly good at her job."

"That's enough, Cinnamon. Let's go." Rose gave her family one more hug and turned away. "I love you guys. Hug mom for me."

"What about Paul?"

"Punch him in the arm when you get home. He'll know it's from me."

"So how is this going to work? I signed up for the tournament and got a confirmation number, but I don't know the details. It just said to check in at the stadium by nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Keep your eyes on the road, Lavender."

"I'm fine, Rose. The drive is long, boring, and full of nothing at all until we get to the bridges. Now someone tell me how the tournament works."

"I've got it." Cinnamon pulled out her phone and logged into the tournament site. "Every year, there are thirty-two entries. Each contestant has to complete a questionnaire and a liability waiver, then the commission does a background check to ensure they're good enough. They've had a few kids try to sneak in over the years, and they don't want anyone hurting themselves."

"So why don't the big guns come in and clean up?"

"Against the rules. Professional Hunters with twenty or more completed missions aren't eligible. And frankly, most of the real pros wouldn't waste their time. First prize is fifteen thousand dollars, second is ten thousand, and third is five thousand. Hunter missions in the big leagues tend to pay more than that."

"I guess that's true. But I think they could afford to pay a little more in prize money. With the amount they're pulling from ticket sales and concessions... not to mention the television deal."

"Lavender?"

"What? They've got a pay per view deal at fifty bucks each to stream the entire competition with no ads. Hundreds of thousands of people are going to watch it. This competition is like printing money, and they have a monopoly on the product because they run it through the Myaria government."

"Weren't you just asking how the tournament works?"

"I meant the competition side. I know how the business side works."

"Better than I do, apparently. So anyway, the competition is single-elimination until the fourth round. At that point, the two winners advance to the final, and the two losers fight each other for third place."

"That sounds good, but there's one thing you can't account for."

"What's that, Clay?"

"You don't know where you'll be in the brackets. You may end up facing each other in the first couple of rounds."

Lavender frowned as she pulled in to the parking lot. "Isn't this usually a baseball stadium?"

"Yeah. They just put in a bunch of portable bleachers to allow for more seating. The combat section of the arena is going to be much smaller." Cinnamon hopped out of the car and stretched. "I'll go check us in. Can you all scout around? Check out the seating situation and amenities. Hopefully, we won't be sitting out on the bleachers between matches."

The team split up, with Lavender heading for the locker rooms. "Oh, good. We have shower access. I wouldn't want to fight an entire tournament without... hello, Lark."

A beautiful woman in cargo shorts and a v-neck tank top stood in the locker room doorway. "Lavender."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then broke down giggling and hugged.

"How have you been? Orchid told me your team's been doing well since you moved here from Velaria."

"Kind of. We've done a bunch of small jobs, but it's been really hard. I almost died on our second mission. Kenji has almost died twice. And Skye got gored by a minotaur yesterday. He says he's fine, but I know better. If he was fully recovered, he wouldn't have dropped out of the competition." Lark paused, sighed, and shook her head. "Everything is so much harder than anyone at the Academy thought."

"We've had some of the same problems. Orchid's been crushed twice. We've fought scorpicores, and killed a wyvern, and been poisoned by nagas. Rose still hasn't recovered from our last mission against a wendigo

Lark's jaw dropped. "A wyvern and a wendigo? How?"

"It's Cinnamon. She knows how to kill everything. It was her Academy thesis."

"I didn't read it. I'll tell Skye, though; he should. I did read yours, though. It was better than mine. Almost the same, topic. You're smarter than you think you are." Lark looked Lavender up and down. "Sometimes I wonder why Skye picked me over you."

"Don't do that. You two are a good match."

"Like you and Cinnamon?"

"No." Lavender backed up. "We're not..."

"I'm kidding. So are you here to enter the tournament, or just watch?"

"Except for Rose, we all entered. Since we never dueled at Beacon, we don't know who's the best. It's probably Orchid, but I think Cinnamon expects to win the whole thing herself.

"I would have guessed Rose, if she was competing. She's so tough..."

"Cinnamon thinks speed beats toughness in one on one, but we'll have to wait and see. How about your team?"

"I'm just watching; snipers are no good in one-on-one matches like this. Kenji and Indigo entered, but Skye had to back out..."

"Right. Minotaur." Lavender grinned. "You know we won't go easy on them."

"Of course not. And for the record, I'm going to tell them to kick your perfect little ass."

"Not likely." Lavender paused as a voice over the loudspeaker called the combatants to the arena. "Got to go. Hug Skye for me."

"Not a chance. You may feel confident about us together, but I don't. I'm not even telling him that you're here." She smiled sadly. "But good luck in the arena."

"Thanks."

Lavender found Orchid and Cinnamon among the competitors assembling in the home team dugout. "Looks like we have shower access. What about seating?"

"We'll be in the player's clubhouses between matches. Snacks, water, and medical treatment are all provided. I'm a little worried about recovery after a match, though."

"Me, too-"

"Attention, please. Now that all competitors have been checked in, I'd like to welcome you to the Myaria Regional Tournament. Matches will begin at noon. In between matches, you will be in the clubhouses, where all of your needs will be met. The tournament is single-elimination; once you have been defeated, you can watch the rest of the tournament from the clubhouse, and leave at your leisure. Any questions so far?"

"All of our needs?"

"Shut up. Any valid questions?"

Cinnamon stepped forward. "How long will we have to recover after a match? That seems like it might be a problem, especially for the final."

"That won't be a problem. We have two healers on site. You will be restored back to full aura before each match."

"Can I have the hot one?"

"I already told you to shut up. And both of the healers are men over the age of forty, so you may want to rethink your question. Now if I may continue?" When no one else spoke up, he went on. "After the third round, there will be only four competitors remaining. The two fighters that win their match in round four will advance to the final. The two that lose will face each other for third place."

He paused as people started handing out bracket listings to the competitors. Cinnamon took the opportunity to speak up again. "How were matchups assigned? The Tournament site didn't specify."

"This isn't a normal sporting event, so we don't use a normal seeding system to rank and match our competitors. There are two or more entrants from a few different teams, and we like to add a little drama, so we don't place teammates next to each other. That way, when they do face off, and they inevitably do, there is more riding on the match. It generally makes for better TV. There was one exception this year, because one competitor backed out due to injury, but the general rule was applied. Now, are there any other questions? No? All right, then. Matches start at noon. Assemble here at eleven thirty. Dismissed."

The stadium loudspeaker crackled to life. "Welcome, everyone to the sixteenth annual Myaria Regional Combat Tournament!" The crowd roared in appreciation as the competitors filed out of the dugout and into the center of the arena. A few drew cheers as they waved to their families and fans, but no one seemed to recognize team CORL.

"For our first match of the day, we have a local hero, representing the Myaria Fire Department, Zach Norris!"

Cinnamon clenched her jaw as the crowd applauded. Is this a joke? A firefighter in full gear with an axe?

"And his opponent, from team CORL out of Velaria, Cinnamon!"

Cinnamon nodded to the crowd as they clapped politely. No one here knew her. "Look us up on the Hunter site. You'll get more out of this if you know who's fighting."

Zach stepped forward to shake her hand. "What was that?"

She grimaced as she shook his hand. "Don't worry about it. If you're really just a firefighter, I'll try not to hurt you."

"If you say so."

Zach and Cinnamon backed away from each other and drew their weapons as the ring announcer stepped away. "Ready? Fight!"

Cinnamon opened fire with both submachine guns as her opponent rolled sideways and flipped open a cigarette later. A second later, a gout of flame enveloped her, causing her to hit the ground and roll to snuff out her burning clothes.

"Fire control. Dammit." Cinnamon flipped to her feet, then dodged another blast of flame, firing both guns in her opponent's general direction to force him to move. The crowd roared as more flame blasts sent her fleeing across the arena.

Fifty foot diameter arena, well within my range. Let's check his. Cinnamon ran to the opposite side of the arena while spraying bullets at the source of the flames, but couldn't tell if she hit him. When she hit the corner, she dropped her magazines, reloaded, and spun, emptying both guns at her opponent.

"Nice try, but my outfit is fire retardant kevlar, and my range is longer than this arena." More blasts of flame came in, forcing Cinnamon to dive sideways.

She came up, reloaded, and fired again to keep him on his toes. He keeps people at range, and his defenses are solid. But kevlar doesn't stop swords. More flames came in, but instead of fleeing, she switched to her twin scimitars and charged.

She dodged and rolled past two blasts of flame, then dove right through the third, slamming into Zach and knocking him off balance. Before he could bring his axe up, she tore into him with her blades, ripping through the kevlar armor with ease and dropping him to his knees in seconds. The arena buzzer sounded as his aura faded, leaving the crowd stunned as the hometown hero lost.

"And the winner of the first match, Cinnamon Harris!"

As the crowd reluctantly applauded, Cinnamon patted out the flames on her clothes, then offered Zach a hand up. "Are you all right? I'd never intentionally hurt a fireman."

"So you'd hurt one unintentionally?"

"Just saying it may have happened once or twice. I haven't heard any complaints, though."

Zach turned red as she winked at him. "I'm fine. I'll just... go."

"If you say so." Cinnamon waved to the crowd as she returned to the player's clubhouse where her team was waiting. "Not too bad for the first round, but don't take anything for granted. At this point, if someone is introduced as a baker, I'm going to assume they can trigger an earthquake."

The team watched eagerly as Indigo entered the arena, sword and shield in hand. From the stands, they heard Rose's voice. "Kick his ass, Indigo!"

A skinny guy in a black leather jacket was facing off against Indigo in the arena, armed with a pair of long knives with spiked handles. He stretched, cracked his knuckles, and popped his neck, completely unconcerned that he was a head shorter than his opponent.

"And now, the competitors in our next match. On my right, from team CMSN out of Agovia, Nix!" Some scattered applause rippled across the crowd, but Nix seemed to ignore it, too. "And on my left, from team SILK, based right here in Myaria, it's Indigo!" The crowd roared as Indigo waved, then settled down as the announcer stepped back. "Ready? Fight!"

Indigo hunkered down behind her shield as Nix charged, slashing, stabbing and punching from multiple angles. She didn't even flinch as she deflected most of the attacks, swept out his legs, and dropped on him. The crowd gasped as she missed completely, allowing him to roll away, firing.

"How did she miss?"

"Quiet. Keep watching."

Indigo advanced behind her shield, ignoring the glancing blows, but before she closed to melee range, Nix charged her again, then broke left and pulled up, firing again as Indigo tried to counter and missed again.

"What's going on? She's better than this."

"Nix's semblance warps perception. He's making her see what isn't there."

Nix dodged backwards with a back handspring and came up firing, but Indigo got her shield up in time to block, ducked behind it, and converted her sword to a sawed-off shotgun. "Dodge this." She unloaded both barrels, drowning out the arena with deafening booms. The crowd gasped as she reloaded, but Nix appeared unharmed.

"No problem. Can you dodge this?" He darted forward, stabbed, then ducked under her shield to slash at her legs, and kicked her shield away.

"Down."

Kenjiro grinned. "Now she's got him."

The crowd roared as Nix flattened against the ground, then cheered as Indigo dropped on top of him. "Let's try this again." She jammed the shotgun up into his ribs and fired twice at point-blank range. A split-second later, the buzzer sounded as Nix's body went limp. Indigo got up off of him as the healers ran out into the arena. Seconds later, Nix was conscious, but they had to carry him back to the clubhouse.

"And the winner is Indigo, from team SILK!"

Indigo retrieved her shield, then waved to the crowd as she returned to the clubhouse, where she high-fived Kenjiro. "Let's see you live up to that, Kenji."

"Don't call me that. And I think I'll manage. My first real opponent won't be until round three. You've got a problem coming up in your next fight."

Indigo waved him off. "I know. Human Sasquatch. Last year's winner. But he's not invincible."

Cinnamon joined them before Indigo could leave. "Be serious. Do you think increased gravity will stop him? It worked this time because you were fighting an agility based trickster. Jacobowski's a tank, like you and Rose. Holding him down doesn't work, because he's not really mobile to begin with."

"And he's bulletproof." Kenjiro patted Indigo on the back. "That double-barreled shotgun packs a punch, but he won't even feel it."

"Let it go. I'm going to hit the showers; hopefully, I'll be done in time to see your match."

Indigo returned to the clubhouse just in time to hear the announcer call Kenjiro's name. She sat down next to Orchid and glanced at the rest of team CORL. "Too bad I won't get to see you all in the arena unless we all make the semi-finals. Especially you, Lavender. Lark asked me to kick your ass."

"Not... seriously?"

"I'm pretty sure she was kidding. But I like beating up hot chicks anyway."

"You seem to get along with Lark all right."

"She's a good sniper. I can put up with her if she's backing me up."

Over the arena intercom, everyone heard the ring announcer start the match. By the time they looked up, Kenjiro was already beating his opponent senseless. Three seconds into the match, the buzzer sounded, and the healers were running out into the arena. Blood fountained up out of the fallen fighter's torso while Kenjiro stood over him with his sword.

Tournament

part 2

Blood sprayed from the fallen fighter's torso, prompting enraged boos from the crowd, but Kenjiro ignored them, dropped his sword, and tried to hold the wound closed with his hands.

Seconds later, the healers arrived and took over, stopping the bleeding almost immediately. Kenjiro retrieved his sword and started talking to the ring announcer. After a brief conversation, he bowed and headed for the clubhouse.

Cinnamon looked up at Indigo and Orchid. "What happened?"

"Kenji's all offense. If that guy couldn't take a hit..."

Orchid frowned. "He's good, but his opponent didn't even get his weapon up. He just stood there like a deer in the headlights."

Kenjiro returned to the clubhouse amid more boos and jeering.

"Kenji, what happened?"

"The judges are going to discuss it. I might be disqualified."

The ring announcer followed Kenjiro into the clubhouse. "Everyone that attended Shade Academy in the last five years, front and center. Do any of you know Neon of team IRON?"

A few people shook their heads, but one man in the back of the room laughed.

"You have something to say?"

"Team IRON graduated from Shade ten years ago. Neon is dead."

"And you are?"

"Onyx. Formerly of team IRON. Looks like your boy out there faked his credentials. He's lucky the girl with the shotgun didn't get ahold of him; there'd probably be nothing left."

The ring announcer pulled out his phone, and after a brief conversation, beckoned Kenjiro over. "Looks like your safe for now. I'll go inform the crowd."

As they left the clubhouse, Lavender approached Onyx. "I know you. We met at Ashburn a couple of weeks ago."

Onyx shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Bullshit." Another man punched Onyx half-heartedly in the ribs. "He talked about you for three days. Something about your eyes and heart and blah blah blah."

Lavender blushed. "It's good to be remembered... wait, did you say Onyx?" She pulled the bracket listings out of her pocket and stared at them. "I might be facing you in round three..."

"I know. That's why I was avoiding you."

"That, and he knows you won't touch him because he's old and cranky."

"Shut up, Robin."

"I'm going to go watch the next match. You two can argue all you want." Lavender turned back for a brief moment. "Please don't go easy on me. I didn't fake my way in here."

After she left, Robin punched Onyx again. "She's got you pegged. You were going to let her win, weren't you?"

"No, I'll give it my best shot. And honestly, you're in worse a position than I am; you have to fight that ninja next."

"Time for round two. Let's hope this one doesn't try to burn me alive." Cinnamon followed the ring announcer out to the ring alongside her next opponent, who was twirling a pair of hatchets and grinning like an idiot. "What are you smiling about?"

"You don't like fire?"

"No. I don't like fire. No rational human likes fire."

"Unless they're immune to fire."

"I don't like you."

"No one likes me. I'm used to it."

Cinnamon rolled her eyes as the ring announcer started up. "On my left, from team JADE, out of Myaria, Ember! And her opponent, from team CORL, out of Velaria, Cinnamon!"

Ember smirked. "So sad. No one's really cheering for either of us."

"They will."

"You're optimistic."

"Ready? Fight!"

Cinnamon closed the gap between them instantly, slashing repeatedly with her scimitars. Ember blocked with her hatchets, dove sideways, and came up just in time for Cinnamon to take a swing at her neck. Then she exploded.

The blast knocked Cinnamon across the arena, dumping her on her back near the front row. She switched to her guns and sprayed bullets back toward her opponent while she got to her feet, but barely managed to dodge Ember's jump kick and hatchet strike.

Distance. If she can keep exploding on me, I can't win in melee. Cinnamon rolled away and fired again, but Ember sidestepped, converted her hatchets to pistols, and returned fire. As the two darted around the arena shooting at each other, Cinnamon kept counting. When she hit twenty, Ember closed the distance between them and switched back to her hatchets.

Got you. Cinnamon feinted forward with her scimitars, then jumped back out of the reach of the explosion that emanated from Ember. Once the blast faded, she darted in, slashing at Ember's arms and hands. "Twenty seconds until you can blow up again. You won't last that long."

"Watch me." Ember kicked Cinnamon away, switched back to pistols, and emptied them while dodging backward.

Cinnamon dove sideways, rolled out, and reloaded, then returned fire. Six, seven, eight... Ember's guns clicked on empty, but instead of reloading, she charged, connecting with two kicks while Cinnamon blocked the hatchets. "Prepare to burn."

"You're bluffing. It's not time yet." Cinnamon parried another hatchet strike, switched one sword to a gun, and unloaded on Ember's leg as she kicked. Sixteen, seventeen... She took one more swipe with her scimitar, then kicked Ember one way as she dove the other.

No explosion. She's holding it until she knows she can connect. Cinnamon zig-zagged back and forth across the arena firing file Ember tried to match her. "You can't keep this up in ranged combat. Especially after what I did to your leg."

"Bitch, I will end you!"

"Not today." Cinnamon darted forward before Ember realized it and connected with a jumping knee strike, followed by a spray of bullets and a spinning back elbow, knocking Ember to the ground and depleting her aura. The buzzer sounded, signaling her defeat, but as Cinnamon holstered her guns, Ember exploded again.

"Where am I?"

"Don't move. You're in the clubhouse. There's no serious damage."

Cinnamon's eyes opened slowly. "What happened?"

"Your aura was pretty low when you won the last match. Then Ember triggered her semblance when you were standing over her. The blast knocked you out, and almost killed the ring announcer."

"What?"

"He was coming in to announce your victory when she blew up; the explosion only missed him by a couple of feet."

"I smell gross. Like ashes and sweat. Can I have a shower?"

"Sure." Lavender helped her to her feet. "Are you going to be all right in there by yourself?"

"I'll be fine. And don't give these perverts any more reason to fantasize than they already have."

"I'm not offering to join you. I'm asking if you need access to the handicapped shower. It has a chair and support bar, in case you can't balance."

"No. I can stand on my own. Just get me a change of clothes. And tell Rose and Clay that I'm all right. Wait. Where's Orchid?"

"In the arena." Lavender frowned. "If she wins, she'll face Kenjiro in round three."

Cinnamon finally made it into the shower and turned the water on. "That will be interesting. But what about you? Did you win? Or were you..."

"Too distracted? No, I still won. My opponent's semblance cancelled all semblances near him. Completely useless against me. And he couldn't fight in the air." Lavender chuckled. "He did manage to rip my shirt off half way through the fight, though."

"On purpose?"

"I doubt it. He looked embarrassed."

The crowd roared outside as the buzzer sounded. "That's it. You finish your shower; I'll go check on Orchid."

Cinnamon leaned on the shower wall, trying to relax and get her head straight. Her vision was still a little blurry, but she saw the shampoo and body wash. Maybe that would help. A few minutes later, she turned off the water and sniffed herself. No more ash and sweat. Warm vanilla sugar was much better. She reached for the towel and froze, realizing far too late that Clay was standing next to the shower, facing away from her with a towel draped over his shoulder.

"Clay..."

"I didn't see anything."

"Why are you here?"

"Doing my job. Take the towel."

Cinnamon pulled the towel off of his shoulder and wrapped it around herself. "You can go now. I can take it from here. She watched as Clay packed up her things without looking at her and started to walk away. "Is that all? You have nothing else to say?"

He covered his eyes as he turned to face her, and flashed a nervous grin. "You smell like cookies."

"Is that... good?"

"It's wonderful." Clay turned to leave. "Rose is waiting for you in the clubhouse. Lavender told us you were fine, but we were all a little worried anyway."

Cinnamon waited until Clay left to dry off and dress herself, then joined the others in the clubhouse. Before she could ask them what happened, one of the healers pulled her away. "Your next match is coming up soon. Now that you're on your feet, let me get you fixed up properly."

A few minutes later, she was finally allowed to rejoin her friends. "What's going on? Who's still in? What did I miss? Where's Indigo?"

Kenjiro nodded toward the corner, where the other healer was kneeling over an unconscious body. "She's out cold. Jacobowski beat her unconscious."

"At least he was apologetic about it." Lavender shrugged and turned back to Cinnamon. "Round three is basically us and sasquatch boy. You're up first, then me. After that is..."

Orchid and Kenjiro smiled at each other. "Us."

"Are you ready for that, Orchid? None of us dueled at Beacon."

Kenjiro's smile didn't waver. "Tap out early. I don't want to hurt you."

"Won't happen."

Cinnamon wrapped her arms around the little monk. "I've seen Orchid go down twice, so I know how to take her out. And you aren't it."

"We'll see." Kenjiro walked away, still smiling. "Interesting mental picture you conjured up, though..." He winked at Orchid, who blushed. "See you later."

"Did she do that on purpose?"

"Do what?"

Rose scowled at Lavender. "Her phrasing. She said she's seen Orchid go down twice. What do you think he's thinking of now?"

"Something that will keep him from focusing, I hope. I want her to beat him."

"Quiet, both of you. I'm trying to watch the fight."

Rose followed Orchid's gaze out to the ring where Cinnamon was trying to breach the defenses of a stocky man wielding an eight-foot spear. Every time she got close, he managed to disengage and flee, seemingly on the breeze.

"Wind semblance. She'll get through." Rose turned back to Orchid. "Are you really going to ignore this?"

"Yes. I've never..." She paused and took a deep breath. "It won't be the first time he's thought of that. And I can ignore his thoughts very easily. I'll have a much harder time ignoring yours, because you keep talking about it."

Lavender turned away from the fight, too. "Wait, you mean, back at Beacon, you and he?"

"He had some thoughts on the matter. My thoughts differed. One of the differences between a monk and a ninja, I guess. Then we graduated and moved on with our lives."

"But he didn't..?"

"Try to make me?" Orchid raised an eyebrow. "Do you think anyone could make me?"

Lavender and Rose both smiled and shook their heads.

"Then we can finish watching the fight." As they all turned back to the arena, Orchid sighed. My thoughts don't differ that much. But then again, I'm not exactly a monk anymore.

The crowd gasped as Cinnamon tackled her opponent, knocking them both to the ground. "Oh, no you don't." She grabbed his belt as he tried to fly away, and ended up being dragged along the arena floor, but she was well inside the range of her opponent's spear. "Try the rifle. It might work better."

"Let go!"

"Make me." Cinnamon adjusted her grip on his belt, then jammed one of her guns up between his legs. "Or you can give up. Unless your aura can handle me unloading a full magazine into your balls at point-blank range?"

"I surrender." The man reduced speed until they stopped, then laying on the ground next to her, her raised his hands and tossed his weapon aside.

Cinnamon let go and hopped to her feet, then gave him a hand up. "Good move; I really didn't want to fire. That would kill my reputation."

The crowd roared as the buzzer sounded. "The first winner of round three, and the first submission victory of this year's tournament, Cinnamon, from team CORL!"

Cinnamon returned to the clubhouse as the crowd applauded and grabbed Lavender in a bear hug. "I'm in the semis. Now it's your turn."

"Sure. I'm on it." Lavender smiled nervously. "It's just a merc with ten years of combat experience that can teleport. No problem, right?"

"On my left, formerly of team IRON out of Agovia, it's Onyx!"

Lavender smiled as the crowd applauded, but fingered her guns nervously. I can do this. It's just one guy. I've beaten two so far.

"And on my right, from team CORL out of Velaria, it's Lavender!"

Lavender waved as the crowd erupted with applause. Cheerleaders are loved everywhere, I guess. Cinnamon and Orchid aren't getting this much attention.

"I wonder how many of them think you're on a pro cheer squad."

"I hope they aren't that dumb."

"No guarantees. People will believe whatever you tell them. They'll do whatever they're told."

"Ready? Fight!"

Onyx grinned. "Case in point."

"Bring it on."

"Funny." Onyx dropped the smile and advanced slowly. "You've seen me in action by now, so my normal opening won't work."

"No teleporting? Then how will you beat me?" Lavender hopped backward firing, waiting for him to disappear, but instead he dodged and charged, zig-zagging toward her with his axe. As he came within range, she shot into the air, firing down at him, but he jumped forward, teleported up to her, and slammed his axe into her a split-second before ramming her out of the air.

Lavender hit the ground, rolled and came up shooting, then ducked an axe strike and kicked Onyx away. She backed away and reloaded as he recovered, then darted sideways firing. He teleported after her, but she ran back and forth randomly across the arena shooting, forcing him to give chase.

"You can't run forever!"

"Your aura can't take gunshots forever, either."

Lavender reloaded mid-run, darted right, and ran face-first into Onyx as he teleported, knocking them both over. "Ha. Gotcha." She opened fire at point blank range, hitting him twice before he could teleport away, then shot across the arena using her wind crystals, just in time to avoid him dropping on her from above. She hopped back to her feet, but instead of firing, she switched to her batons and smiled. "Come and get me."

Onyx jogged forward and swung, teleporting as he did so. Lavender split and dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging the axe blade, then rolled to her back and spun, sweeping Onyx's feet out from under him while beating him with her batons, then blasted him skyward with her wind crystals. While he flailed in the air, she emptied both pistols into him, then hopped back to her feet. Onyx landed on his back, coughed, and tried to counterstrike, but she stepped on his axe blade, dropped onto his chest and pummeled him until the buzzer sounded.

"Are you all right?"

"You're sitting on my chest and breathing heavily. I'll be just fine."

"Is that all I am?"

"No. You're..." Onyx sighed. "I've turned down my last two job offers because of you."

"What?"

"They were both assassinations. Supposedly bad people, but... I couldn't do it."

Lavender's jaw dropped. "You met me once, for like two minutes."

"I know. It's stupid."

Lavender got up as the ring announcer approached and let him raise her hand in victory. "The winner, and second combatant to make the semifinals, Lavender, from team CORL!" Onyx stood up as the announcement was made, clapped along with the crowd, and offered her his arm as she started walking toward the clubhouse.

"Would you have taken those jobs ten years ago?"

"Not a chance."

"Then it's not stupid. I didn't change you; I just reminded you of who you used to be."

"Young and idealistic?"

"That's not a bad thing."

"We'll see." They got back to the clubhouse, where Onyx handed her off to her teammates. "If you don't mind, I'm going to hit the showers. Let me know if Jacobowski manages to lose, somehow."

"But I'm not done yet." Lavender took his hand and pulled him in for a long hug. "Okay, now you can go clean off. But I expect you back to watch the rest of the tournament."

"Yes, ma'am."

After he left, Rose raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"I'm helping."

"You're going to fix a merc?"

"Already started. He stopped taking immoral merc missions after he met us at Ashburn." Lavender paused. "Wait. Why are you and Clay in here? I thought it was competitors only."

"That was Clay. He told them that we had to take care of Cinnamon after her second opponent tried to blow her up."

Clay nodded. "I had all your stuff, so they let us in. Then they let us stay because some of the other competitors left already."

"Oh. Okay." Lavender sat down and leaned against Cinnamon. "Kenjiro and Orchid next, then Sasquatch versus... Diamond. Anyone know who that is?"

Rose snickered. "Where I come from, that's a stripper name. Who would do that to their daughter?"

Cinnamon shrugged. "True, but she's a solid fighter, and she's done pretty well so far. Her semblance is similar to Rose's, so she might be able to stand up to him."

"We'll see. Either way, Orchid will have to go through a tank next if she can beat Kenjiro here."

The crowd roared as the ring announcer introduced Kenjiro, and Orchid smiled and applauded along with them. That's to be expected. Kenjiro is kind of a hometown favorite. And it doesn't hurt that he looks like the movie ideal of a ninja. Orchid paused and closed her eyes. He looks better without the hood. And the without the shirt. Her eyes shot open as her name was called. Focus. Daydream later. Maybe call it meditation. Orchid approached Kenjiro in the center of the ring to a smattering of applause. A little more than last match. We'll see how they respond after I beat him.

"Ready? Fight!"

Orchid and Kenjiro bowed, then stood, staring at each other.

"You still don't use a real weapon. You think you can take me without one?"

Orchid threw a shuriken at him, but Kenjiro deflected it with ease.

"Or maybe you think you're too much of a badass?"

"You talk a lot for a ninja."

Kenjiro smirked. "Have it your way." He closed the gap in an instant, whipping his katana across her neck, but came up empty as she dodged backward and unleashed a handful of shuriken. He blocked two, took two, and continued the attack, slashing repeatedly at the monk as she rolled, flipped, and cartwheeled out of his reach, flinging shuriken, daggers, and bolas with each dodge.

"Where are you getting those?" Mid-slash, he altered his strike to cut at her skirt, dislodging a bola. "It's not like you're wearing enough to hide a lot of ammo."

Instead of answering, Orchid smiled and rushed him, deflected his sword arm with jabs, then pummeled and disarmed the ninja with a flurry of kicks.

"Fine. Hand to hand."

The crowd roared as Orchid and Kenjiro traded punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, but repeated exchanges produced only glancing blows with a minor edge for Orchid visible.

"You're getting winded."

"I don't get winded." Kenjiro rushed her again, threw a jumping spin kick, then disappeared, only to reappear in Orchid's shadow mid-kick.

"Thank you."

The crowd gasped as Orchid caught Kenjiro's foot, swept out his leg, and slammed him face first in the dirt. Before she could follow up, the ninja rolled away and stood. "Worth a shot, right?"

"No. It wasn't. You know my semblance cancels yours."

"Your semblance has limits." Kenjiro picked up his sword. "I knew you would sense and counter me, so I made sure my momentum would encourage you to throw me this direction."

Orchid smiled and nodded. "Back to your sword. Well played. Shall we finish this?"

"My pleasure." Kenjiro charged again, but was repelled by repeated strikes to his sword arm. He switched hands while kicking Orchid away, then jumped at her again, only to be tangled up by her last bola. He cut through it almost immediately, but left himself open just long enough to catch a spinning wheel kick to the chin, depleting his aura and knocking him on his back.

Kenjiro groaned as the buzzer sounded. "Freaking monks."

"I'm not a monk anymore. I'm a Hunter."

"You should still think about using a weapon."

Orchid helped Kenjiro to his feet. "Not likely."

"Too much of a badass?"

"Yep."

"You know, it's a shame you got partnered with Rose. She's tough and reliable, but-"

"For a ninja, you talk a lot."

"I'm not a ninja anymore. I'm a Hunter." And by the way, check your skirt."

Orchid looked down to see that her skirt was cut up. She gingerly tugged at the hem, only to see it disintegrate into shreds of cloth.

"Again, well played." Orchid winked at him. "But you should take a look at your shirt, too."

Kenjiro raised an eyebrow and tried to straighten his shirt, only to see it fall to pieces. "With only throwing knives? Impressive."

"Told you. I'm not a monk anymore." Orchid walked away to the crowd's applause while he stared shamelessly at her backside until the ring announcer called the next pair of combatants.

Rose tossed Orchid a new skirt as she exited the arena. "I've never seen a ninja beaten that easily. But it looked a bit... off."

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't tell if you were going easy on him, or if he was going easy on you."

"Neither. Two different times, I dodged his sword by less than half an inch. Either strike would put me down."

"How? Otherwise, he barely touched you."

"Iajutsu. He learned to channel his aura into his weapon, allowing for massive damage, but only using that katana. It's bonded to his aura. That's why I dodged until I could disarm him."

"I thought his semblance was teleportation."

"Kenjiro's semblance has three parts, all derived from his ninja training. Iajutsu is the primary use, especially when hunting. The second part is what you thought of as teleportation. Shukuchi-kage. The shadow step."

"Right. He teleported into your shadow. So what's the third part?"

"Tenketsu. The pressure point techniques."

"Anyone can use pressure points. I know some of them, and I'm no ninja."

"He learned to channel his aura into it, so his version is much more destructive and requires much less force. If you strike the brachial plexus, you can cause excruciating pain; if he pokes the same nerve, the target can lose feeling in half of their body."

Rose stopped and stared at her friend. "How did you beat him?"

"Simple. Ninja training is all offense and stealth. If he can't hit, he can't win. His aura isn't even close to as strong as mine is. Not enough meditation."

"And I'm sure running up and down the stairs at your monastery while carrying buckets of water had nothing to do with it."

Orchid grinned. "Of course it did. We all worked our butts off. Compared to the monastery, physical training at the Academy was easy."

"That part, I knew." Rose sighed. "So, it looked like you two were flirting a little out there. Or did you rip his shirt off on accident?"

"No, that was intentional."

"Then you should probably know something. When you were passed out in the fire swamp, I couldn't wake you up. Clay did it."

"So?"

"By kissing you."

"Oh. Right. I know he's had a crush on me for years, but I'm just not interested."

"You should tell him that."

"Yes, I should."

"It's okay. I heard you."

Orchid and Rose turned to see Clay approaching with Lavender. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't. I've known for a while. And it's okay. Hard as it is to believe, I'm actually over you."

Orchid frowned. "That's not hard. It's..." That shouldn't bother me, should it? She glanced up to see everyone else looking at her. "That's good. I hadn't actually thought about it."

Rose's jaw dropped. "I've never seen you at a loss before. He actually surprised you."

"Not surprising, really." Lavender grinned. "Given your training, the only thing that can throw you for a loop is thinking about guys."

Orchid blushed and nodded. "Seems like it."

"It's not so bad. I spent the first couple of weeks with you four in a constant near-panic. Nothing I ever did prepared me for you. But now that I'm used to it, I'm more focused, and I'm better than I ever was at the monastery. I don't know if there's such thing as a calling in life, but if so, this is mine."

"You do take care of us all."

"Exactly. I'm not a leader or a fighter, and that's what you all probably need, so if any of you are looking for a boyfriend, it probably won't be me. And honestly, Orchid, I saw the chemistry you had out there with Kenjiro. If you want my advice..."

"We do have some chemistry, but he's a little too focused on money for my taste. Another difference between a monk and a ninja. In time, he may come around."

Lavender frowned. "Skye had the same problem. Sometimes I think that's all he saw in me. But now he's with Lark, and she's not rich. So I guess he's gotten better."

Clay's jaw dropped. "He was only interested in your money? Is he blind?"

"No. He's handsome, athletic, and muscular, with a cheerful and outgoing personality. He's never had trouble finding attractive women. But he wasn't interested in my thoughts on client refunds or charity work."

Rose scowled. "So he's a gold-digging jackass."

"If that's all I knew of him, I'd agree. But it isn't, and I won't condemn someone based on one flaw, even if it is a big one."

Orchid nodded. "How long were you two together?"

"About two hours."

"What?"

"In high school, I dated guys for fun. When I went to Beacon, I decided to focus. Serious relationships only. I was asked out a bunch of times, but I insisted on discussing important things before getting emotionally invested. No one stuck around."

"I always wondered why you spent four years single when you looked like Aphrodite with pinup-quality rack." Rose sighed and shook her head. "Remind me never to doubt you again."

Orchid nodded. "Remind me never to start."

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the current match. Lavender pulled out her bracket listings and marked off a name. "Judging by the crowd's reaction, you'll be facing sasquatch boy in your next match, Orchid. You better get a shower and relax a little."

"Sounds good." Orchid stretched and glanced at the paper in Lavender's hands. "You're up next, aren't you?"

Lavender took a deep breath. "Yep."

"Now for the hard part. Do you think you can take her?"

Lavender stared down at the paper in her hands, showing only four remaining names for round four. Orchid would be facing Chris Jacobowski, affectionately known as the Human Sasquatch. Lavender swallowed nervously as she stared at the last two names: Lavender Hill vs Cinnamon Harris.

Tournament

part 3

Please don't tell them who I am. You've gone three rounds without saying it. Don't start now.

"On my left, the heroic heiress, the princess of punishment, from team CORL out of Velaria, Lavender Hill!"

Lavender tried to keep her face straight as she smiled and waved to the crowd, but she could tell they were starting to recognize her. Oh, well. It was bound to happen eventually. At least they saw me in action before they figured it out.

"On my right, the destructive diva, the crimson conqueror, also from team CORL out of Velaria, Cinnamon Harris!"

Cinnamon waved as the crowd roared. "I think you're still getting more applause than I am. Maybe I should start wearing a skirt, too."

"Wouldn't matter."

"Because you're a Hill?"

Lavender grinned. "Because I'm me."

"I'm not going to enjoy this."

Lavender's grin faded. "Me, either."

"Ready? Fight!"

The two stood still, weapons out, staring at each other. Cinnamon broke the silence first. "Neither of our semblances will help."

"True. And you can't beat me in the air."

"You'll have to get me up there. You can't beat me on the ground."

"We'll see." Lavender charged, feinted a jump kick, and rolled underneath Cinnamon's blades to strike at her knee, then blasted her into the air.

"Nice try." Before Lavender could follow, Cinnamon switched to her guns and sprayed bullets down at her, forcing Lavender to disengage and dodge instead of jumping after her. She landed on her feet and kept firing, driving Lavender back across the arena as she rolled and cartwheeled away from the gunfire.

"Not good enough." As Cinnamon stopped to reload, Lavender spun and opened fire, scoring two hits before Cinnamon got moving. She stopped firing to charge, knocking Cinnamon's weapons sideways with a blast of air, then connected with a jump kick, two baton strikes, and a sweep kick.

Cinnamon hit the ground on her back, then blocked the follow-up baton strike aimed at her head. "Please don't hate me." She hooked Lavender's foot with her left arm while rolling her body into Lavender's leg, knocking her over, then held her while emptying her right gun into Lavender's pinned leg.

The crowd gasped as Lavender screamed, then cheered as she kicked free and rolled away. Cinnamon reloaded as Lavender stood shakily, blood running down her entire leg and soaking her right shoe "Looks like a couple of them went in pretty deep. No one would think less of you if you surrendered."

"I would." Lavender charged, firing, but Cinnamon dodged sideways, switched to her scimitars, and closed to melee, slashing Lavender twice before she converted to batons and started blocking.

After multiple exchanges and no more hits, Lavender hopped backwards, switched one baton to a pistol, and emptied it, but Cinnamon blocked or dodged every shot and charged. "Gotcha." Lavender hit Cinnamon's front leg with a blast of air, causing her to stumble just enough to allow a baton strike to the hand. As Cinnamon's sword dropped to the ground, Lavender switched her gun back to a baton, struck once more, then blasted her skyward.

"Crap." Cinnamon lost her second sword as she spun into the air, but Lavender's leg injury made her slow to follow. When she finally got airborne, she only got one strike in before Cinnamon grabbed her in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry." Cinnamon turned them in mid-air, winced as Lavender managed to get one gunshot off, then dropped out of the sky on top of her.

The crowd gasped as the buzzer sounded. The ring announcer and healers ran out into the arena, followed by the rest of team CORL. It took a few seconds to stop Lavender's bleeding, but she was still unconscious. The ring announcer let Cinnamon's teammates help her to her feet, then turned to the crowd. "The winner, and the first finalist of the sixteenth annual Myaria Regional Combat Tournament is Cinnamon Harris!"

The crowd roared as Cinnamon's hand was lifted in victory, but she ignored them and knelt next to Lavender. "How is she?"

"She'll live."

"But her leg..."

"Let us handle it. Go."

Cinnamon left Lavender in the care of the professionals, waved to the crowd once, and then stumbled back to the clubhouse on Clay's shoulder. "If I actually hurt her, I'm never going to forgive myself."

"You didn't. They put Indigo back together, and she was hurt worse than that. So was the guy that Kenjiro cut up in the first round-"

"Please stop. I know you're trying to help, but..."

"Stop whining, you big baby. You both knew what this was when you signed up."

Cinnamon stopped and straightened up. "Rose, I have never wanted to beat your ass more than right this second. But I already hurt one of my friends, so I'm going to let that slide. Do yourself a favor and shut up."

Cinnamon walked away before Rose could respond, and Orchid stopped her from following. "Let her go. And that was not appropriate. Cinnamon has enough trouble caring for people. We should encourage it when she does."

Clay glanced from Orchid to Cinnamon and back. "You get ready for your match. I'll take care of her. Rose, look after Lavender when they bring her in." Clay jogged off after Cinnamon without waiting for an answer.

Rose scowled. "Since when do we take orders from him?"

"Since he's right."

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to forgive myself." Clay sat down next to Cinnamon without responding, so she continued. "This was a terrible idea. We shouldn't have entered the tournament."

"You're not bad at this; you're just inexperienced."

Cinnamon's head snapped up. "What?"

"You care about Lavender, and you're upset that you hurt her. But you don't know how to handle it. You've never been in this position before."

"I've hurt people before..."

"People you loved?"

Cinnamon sighed. "I guess not. They were more like acquaintances. Or coworkers."

"So you're panicking. You don't know what to do."

"I'm not..."

"I know what to do."

Cinnamon stared at Clay for a second, then deflated and leaned on his shoulder. "I may have just crippled my best friend. She's the only person in my life that would stand by me no matter what, even knowing who I was. And I've known you for a couple of months, so I'm not sure whether I should listen to you or fire you."

"You don't pay me."

Cinnamon couldn't help but smile. "So you're saying the only choice I have left is to listen."

"Couldn't hurt."

"Okay. What should I do?"

Clay put his arm around her shoulder. "Stop and think. You're letting your emotions run away with the rest of your brain. And I happen to think your brain is your best feature."

Cinnamon paused. Is he flirting with me? Or just trying to snap me out of this? "Fine. What, oh wise monk, should I be thinking about?"

"They've been doing this for sixteen years. This isn't the first serious injury. It isn't even the worst injury today. But it's someone you love, and it's your fault, so you're overreacting. Stop it. They will heal her."

"That's all you've got?"

"No. You learned something about yourself today. Use that information."

Cinnamon took a deep breath. What did I learn? I already knew I loved Lavender. She's like a sister. I think. I never had one. I already knew that I lose it when she goes down. "I think I've got it. Maybe."

"Would you like to share?"

"First, we're not doing this again. It's bad for my mental and emotional health. Second, I have to make Lavender tougher. If she... if anything happens to her, I'll be lost. I can't..."

"That's all?"

"What?"

"I've got more. Would you like me to..?" At Cinnamon's nod, Clay smiled. "Love is relatively new to you. Lavender was the first, but you don't want Orchid or Rose to be hurt, either. You know that you care, but they need to know, too. You may view Lavender as the heart of this team, but you're definitely the brains, and they need you."

"That may take some time. I'm not good at this."

"You have time."

Cinnamon smiled. "If I'm the brains, and Lavender is the heart, what are Orchid and Rose?"

"Orchid is the conscience. That's a no-brainer."

"I can see that. What about Rose?"

"The muscle?"

"I won't tell her you said that." Cinnamon stood up and wiped her eyes. "So if conscience is already taken, what does that make you?"

"I'm just the pack mule that follows you and enjoys the view."

Cinnamon's jaw dropped. "You jackass! I thought we were being serious."

"I said your brain is your best feature, not your only good feature. You have other assets." Clay grinned. "And you still smell like cookies."

Cinnamon stood up and shook her head. "I'm going to go now. Thank you. I think."

The arena intercom crackled to life as the two combatants faced each other. "And now for the second half of the semi-final round! First up, standing six foot, eight inches tall and weighing in at three hundred ten pounds, from here in Myaria, is last year's champion, Christopher Jacobowski, the one and only HUMAN SASQUATCH!"

Orchid smiled as the crowd erupted with applause, then nodded at her opponent.

"And his opponent, standing five foot, four inches tall and weighing in at one hundred thirty pounds, from team CORL out of Velaria, the monkish marauder, the fist of fury, it's ORCHID!"

Orchid bowed to the crowd, and froze for a split-second as they roared with applause. "Monkish marauder? That's new."

"Ready? Fight!"

The Human Sasquatch looked down at Orchid and smiled. "Another little hunter that thinks she is strong. I will try not to hurt you."

Orchid shrugged.

"Where is your gun, little hunter? How do you hunt with no gun?"

"I don't need one. And I know your semblance makes you bulletproof, so it wouldn't help."

"And I saw you beat up a ninja earlier. Yet you still seem calm. Cocky. You must think you are a match for me."

"I wouldn't bet either way."

"I would." The sasquatch advanced slowly, prompting Orchid to hop backward and fling a handful of shuriken at him. He blocked with his massive forearms, but as he swung in retaliation, she leaped over the axe, kicked him in the nose, and bounced away.

"Bleeding already, Jacobowski? Are my kicks stronger than bullets?"

"Not strong enough, little hunter. Last year, I won this competition. You will fall. Everyone falls." He swung again, prompting another backflip, this time combined with a bola thrown at his legs. Jacobowski chuckled as he walked right through it. "You are not the first to try to tie me up. But unless you have steel cable handy, it will not work."

The sasquatch continued to advance, swinging when he got close, but Orchid repeatedly dodged, disengaged, and threw shuriken at him, breaking pattern to strike only when he overextended.

The crowd started getting frustrated at the lack of action, but Jacobowski seemed unaffected. This may not be wise, but team CORL has never been boring, and I'm not going to start that trend. Let's see if I can bait him in.

Orchid feinted forward, then stepped back and whipped a pair of throwing knives at him. Instead of blocking, sasquatch charged right through them roaring, and brought his axe down at her head.

"Mine." As the crowd gasped, Orchid sidestepped the axe and unloaded a flurry of punches into her opponent's jaw and throat. He stumbled backward, the axe held loosely in his left hand, but recovered just in time to brace himself for the spinning thrust kick aimed at his diaphragm.

Instead of being knocked backward, he grabbed her foot. "No. Mine."

Orchid yelped as he swung her around by her ankle and slammed her head first into the ground. The ground roared as picked her up to do it again, then gasped as her face hit the dirt a second time. From the front row, Orchid vaguely heard a male voice. "She was so pretty, too."

The pressure on my ankle lessened. Instead of swinging me again, he's going to jump on me. Ground me. Can't let that happen. As the behemoth pounced, Orchid rolled toward him while drawing two knives. He came down as they came up, one into each thigh, all the way to the hilt. She scrambled to her feet as he stumbled, then delivered two kicks to the kidney, and another to the spine. He's reeling. Maybe I've got a chance...

Orchid stepped in to go for his knee, but the sasquatch tucked, rolled, and slashed backwards, catching her with the full blade of his heavy axe. As she hit the ground, she barely had enough presence of mind to realize that he was having trouble making it to his feet.

"Are you alive, little hunter? I heard no buzzer."

"No buzzer." Orchid rose from the dirt, shrugged off her cleanly split shirt, and wiped blood from the vertical gash on her stomach. "Nice move. If I was an inch closer, you would have gotten my bra, too."

"Not my intent, little hunter. I will give you my shirt if you like."

"Thanks, but it's too big. Anything of yours would be like a nightgown on me."

"As you wish. You will concede defeat now?"

"No." Two shuriken and one throwing knife left on my hip. I'm one hit away from falling. He's... close. I think. Orchid took a deep breath. "Come and get it."

Jacobowski nodded and advanced cautiously, feinted with his axe twice, drawing confused gasps from the crowd.

"You don't usually feint. The crowd doesn't like it."

"I don't fight for the crowd." Jacobowski lunged, then swung his axe across and back, missing the monk by inches. As he pulled back, she dodged past the axe, connecting with a left cross to the ribs and a right hook to the jaw before retreating.

"Maybe you should have feinted again."

"NO!" Jacobowski turned and whipped his axe through the air at neck height, narrowly missing Orchid as she hopped backward, throwing her last two shuriken at his face. "I will not fall to you!"

"Everyone falls." Before he could bring his axe back in to play, Orchid darted forward and hit him with a right cross to the diaphragm, then kicked straight up, slamming her heel up into his jaw, snapping his head backward and dropping him, aura depleted, on his back. Orchid grinned as the buzzer sounded. Couldn't hurt to hold this pose. Cinnamon would do it. After a few seconds, Orchid blushed and lowered her leg. Right. Cinnamon doesn't wear a skirt in combat. And I'm not wearing a shirt. And this is being broadcast all over the world... screw it. Orchid smiled and waved to the cameras and fans. Who cares? The monastery has probably disowned me already anyway.

"The winner, and the second finalist of the sixteenth annual Myaria Regional Combat Tournament, it's Orchid!"

As the crowd continued to roar, Orchid bowed to her opponent, then tried to help him up. Instead, he pulled her down to kneel beside him. "You are a strong little Hunter. If your friends are strong like you, your team will go far. But if you fall, find me. I will help you stand again."

Jacobowski stood, took his shirt off, and draped it around Orchid, then raised her hand in victory. The two bowed to each other as the crowd roared, then left the arena together.

When they reached the clubhouse, Jacobowski left for the showers as Orchid was swarmed by her team. She glanced at the bandage on Lavender's leg, but didn't have time to ask how she was before...

"Are you okay?"

"How did you..?"

"I have to fight him next. What should I do?"

"Ladies, give her some room." Clay waved the girls aside and picked Orchid up. "Let her rest. And shower. And definitely change into one of her own shirts that doesn't smell like... bear or whatever this is."

"Blood, sweat, and body hair."

Clay winced. "Gross. Unless you like that..?"

"Hell, no. Get it off of me."

Clay frowned as he set her down. "Orchid are you all right? Monks don't usually..."
"Do I look like a freaking monk?" She shrugged off the oversized shirt and took the one Clay offered. "I cut Kenjiro's shirt off while fighting him because I thought it would be funny. Then I pretty much flashed the entire world after beating Jacobowski. And all I could think of was that no one would care because the monastery already disowned me."

Cinnamon stepped forward. "True, but that wasn't really your fault. It's not like you stripped for them on purpose."

"If I was really a monk, I would have cared. But I didn't. I was mildly embarrassed. That's it. I grinned like an idiot while giving the entire world a panty shot, and it barely bothered me at all."

"Shit. This is my fault."

"Mine, too." Lavender took Orchid's hand. "I've been encouraging you to show off more for years. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Stop it. You, too, Cinnamon. This isn't your fault. I've changed since the monastery. I don't really know what I am anymore... Obviously, I'm not..." She gestured toward Cinnamon and Lavender. "But I'm not a monk anymore, either. It might take some time to figure it out."

Cinnamon shrugged. "That might not be so bad."

"True. And at least I have the four of you." Orchid turned to Rose. "You're awfully quiet. Thoughts?"

"I'm trying to stop giving Lavender crap for showing off. Or anything else, really. You've been my best friend for years; I should give you the same courtesy." Rose sighed. "Just don't go around flashing people for fun, all right?"

"Deal. No flashing. But Clay's right. I need a shower and some fresh clothes before the final."

"Wait, Orchid. Before you go. You said that guy is bulletproof. How can I beat him?"

"Mobility. Quick strikes. He's like a smarter, tougher, and deadlier minotaur."

Lavender sighed. "Thanks. I think."

By the time Orchid finished her shower, the healers had finished up with Jacobowski and deemed him ready for the third place match. She watched as they called Lavender over to check up on her, then let her go.

"What's the verdict?"

"I won't be at a hundred percent for a few days. They advised me to drop out."

"But you refused."

"Yep."

"He's tough... are you sure about this?"

Before Lavender could respond, Jacobowski walked up and put a massive hand on each of their shoulders. "Don't worry, little Hunter. I will not hurt your friend."

"You're going to go easy on me because of her?"

"No. I have watched your matches. You are fast and agile. You are a skilled fighter. And you have nothing capable of hurting me." Lavender opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. "This is not an insult. We are very different fighters. You can do much that I cannot. But you will not win. And I will not hurt you."

As Jacobowski walked away, Orchid pulled Lavender down next to her. "Don't get mad. If you fight angry, you'll get destroyed."

"Fine. But he didn't have to..." Lavender paused as she looked at Orchid. "Wait. You don't think I can win, do you?"

"It's not likely. Without the leg injury, you had a chance. Now... you saw that he almost beat me, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Can you dodge that axe well enough to drop him with only baton and hand strikes?"

"You're not helping my confidence right now."

"You want my advice? Disarm him. He's not helpless hand to hand, but you'll have a better chance. Even with you injured, he'll never match your maneuverability. Wear him down and don't get grounded. Got it?"

"Got it. Thanks, Orchid." Lavender got up and joined Jacobowski and the ring announcer as they left for the arena.

Cinnamon sat down next to Orchid. "She doesn't stand a chance, does she?"

"No." Orchid paused as the ring announcer gave the introductions. "I don't even want to watch. I gave her the best advice I could, but I'm afraid she's going to get hurt."

"You're not helping. I feel like crap already."

"He's on guard. He'll give her plenty of chances to tap out."

"She didn't give up against me." Cinnamon winced as Lavender took a kick to the midsection and flew across the arena. "He's going to have to knock her out."

"Trust him."

"Based on what? The fact that you fought him once?"

"Yes." Orchid turned back to the fight and watched Lavender string together a series of strikes against the sasquatch's right hand, causing him to lose his grip. She followed up with a kick to the left wrist, a feint to the eyes, and a double baton strike down on the left hand.

"No way..."

"I told her to disarm him." Orchid grinned as Lavender flipped out of reach while sending the axe across the arena with a gust of wind. "Now she's safe."

"She might have a chance..."

"Nope. But now she won't go down to an axe strike. She'll be fine."

Cinnamon turned on Orchid. "What-"

"Stop and watch."

Cinnamon reluctantly turned back to the fight, and the two watched Lavender dodge, roll and flip past her much larger opponent, striking him multiple times during every exchange. It was obvious that the strikes weren't having much of an effect, but the crowd was loving every second. Occasionally, Jacobowski would connect with a punch, flooring Lavender for a brief moment, but she bounced up and got away before he could finish her.

"You're right; she's barely hurting him."

"Kind of like if she was fighting Rose. But he's better at rolling with strikes than she is, because Rose can just absorb them. Lavender just doesn't have enough power to put him down like this."

"And she's slowing down. She's running out of gas..." Cinnamon winced. "And he's got her."

Jacobowski stepped through a jump kick and grabbed Lavender around the waist, then pivoted and slammed her to the ground backwards.

"Nice back suplex. And he held on, too."

Orchid nodded. "Yep. It's over." They watched as he rolled over on top of her and got her in a side headlock. "Now he's asking her to tap out."

"Are you sure? Never mind. There it is." Cinnamon sighed as the ring announcer held up the man's hand in victory. "Why do I doubt you?"

"You understand a lot of things and a lot of people, but you mostly see the bad. I can still see honor and wisdom in people. Lavender can still see love and desire for forgiveness. Try to remember that."

"I'll try later. Right now I have to worry about fighting you."

"Good luck."

"I won't need luck."

"And now, ladies and gentleman, the moment you've all been waiting for! It's time for the final match of the sixteenth annual Myaria Regional Combat Tournament!" The crowd roared as Cinnamon and Orchid smiled and waved, the then announcer got back on the mic. On my left, from team CORL out of Velaria, the vanquisher of ninjas, the pint-sized giant-slayer herself, ORCHID! And on my right, the leader of team CORL out of Velaria, the perfect combination of brains, beauty, and badassery, CINNAMON!"

Cinnamon grinned at Orchid as the crowd went nuts. "I didn't tell him to say that."

"But you would have if you thought of it."

Cinnamon winked. "Only cuz it's true."

"Ready? Fight!"

Cinnamon immediately backpedaled, spraying Orchid's entire vicinity with bullets. Instead of dodging, Orchid charged right through them, took three, and closed the distance, striking with two kicks and a shuriken as Cinnamon dove and rolled out of the way. She switched one gun to a scimitar to cut an incoming bola and emptied the other toward Orchid while fleeing.

Orchid dodged the entire spray, giving Cinnamon just enough time to reload, but hit with two more shuriken while she did so. She threw another bola at Cinnamon's legs while charging again, but instead of cutting it, Cinnamon jumped it and met her with a flying sword strike. The two exchanged blows for a few seconds before Cinnamon converted one sword back to a gun and fled behind another spray of bullets.

"You know I'm stronger, faster, and tougher than you are." Orchid whipped a handful of shuriken across the arena as she advanced, but Cinnamon blocked or dodged them all.

But I'm smarter, and you still don't use a gun. Cinnamon let Orchid close to fifteen feet, then sprayed the area with bullets, leaving only the area above her clear. Orchid took the bait, jumping up to avoid the bullets, but instead of coming down into Cinnamon's waiting blades, she drifted backwards and unloaded another handful of shuriken, then two more bolas when she landed.

"You know I can see traps before you spring them."

Cinnamon blocked and sidestepped the incoming projectiles, then reloaded. "Of course I do. But I just got you to waste most of your remaining ammunition. And I stocked extra for this match." She sprayed bullets at the advancing monk as she zig-zagged across the arena, connecting a few more times, then stopped firing to reload mid-run.

"Gotcha." Orchid caught up as she finished and unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, causing Cinnamon to backpedal, blocking with her guns while countering with short bursts as she retreated from the onslaught.

"Nope." Cinnamon connected with a bicycle kick and emptied both guns at Orchid while in the air, forcing her to abandon the attack. She hit the ground running, and reloaded before Orchid could catch up, then switched to scimitars and spun, catching the monk unprepared as she charged. They traded repeated strikes until blood splatters covered Cinnamon's face, causing her to back away.

"Shit. Orchid? Are you..."

Orchid stopped to examine her arms. "I'm all right. It's just a little blood. My aura held."

"Are you sure? I don't think they can heal you if I cut your arm off."

"I'm fine. Now let's finish this."

Cinnamon nodded and converted one sword to a gun, blocked two incoming throwing knives, and alternated sword strikes, kicks, and burst fire against Orchid's flurry of fists, feet, and elbows. After a heated exchange, Orchid connected with a roundhouse to Cinnamon's head, sending her spinning to the ground. As she fell, Cinnamon got off one final burst, dropping Orchid at the same time. The crowd roared as the buzzer sounded, ending the tournament.

The ring announcer entered the arena with both healers close behind. As the healers knelt beside the combatants, the announcer raised his microphone. "The winner of this match and the Champion of the sixteenth annual Myaria Regional Combat Tournament, is CINNAMON!"

Cinnamon allowed the announcer to raise her hand in victory, but everything in her head was fuzzy. Wait. I won? How's Orchid? She shook her head clear and glanced at the other healer in time to see him help Orchid up. Cinnamon's eyes lit up. She's okay. And I won... I won. Cinnamon dropped the announcers hand, tossed her weapons aside, and grabbed Orchid in a bear hug.

Orchid returned the hug as the crowd roared. "Careful there, champ. My whole body hurts."

"Sorry." Cinnamon relaxed a little, but held on. "I'm just glad I didn't..."

"No need to worry; I'm tougher than Lavender is." Orchid shrugged. "But apparently, I'm not quite a match for the beautiful, badass leader of our team."

Cinnamon dropped her voice to a whisper. "I'm just glad Rose didn't enter. Don't tell her I said this, but I think she would have kicked my ass."

"So many pictures... how did Orchid get away so quickly?"

"Relax, Cinnamon. It's all over. We can go change, relax, and go to the hotel."

"It was nice of them to put us all up for the night."

Rose smirked. "It wasn't nice, it was necessary; you've been fighting all day, and they'd be legally liable if they just cut you all loose after that."

"I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Same thing happened to Paul when he had to travel for football tryouts."

"Yeah, I stayed in a bunch of hotels during cheerleading competitions. We'll be staying at Myaria Palace tonight, and that's one of the best hotels my squad ever-"

The team walked through the clubhouse and into the showers and froze. In the training room beside the showers, Orchid was lying face down on a massage table with Clay standing over her.

She glanced up to see the shocked looks on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"You're mostly naked."

"I know what I'm doing, Rose." Clay barely looked up as he kept working on Orchid's back. "And I didn't see anything. Therapeutic massage is a standard part of monastery training. We all learned how to do this without making it sensual."

Orchid frowned. "Wait, Clay. You've never given any of them a massage?"

"No. It felt weird to offer. Think about it; how many guys walk up to a beautiful woman they just met and offer to give them a massage?"

"Good point." Orchid turned back to the rest of the team. "You should really let-"

Cinnamon had already stripped down to her panties and was lying face down on the next massage table. "I'm next."

The next morning, team CORL met up with team SILK to say goodbye. After a couple of brief pleasantries, they parted, leaving only Orchid and Kenjiro behind.

"See you again in another month or two?" Orchid smiled as Kenjiro hugged her.

"Maybe not that long." Kenjiro paused. "It seems that experience has made you a little harder. Less monkish."

"True. But are you any softer? Less ninjaish?"

"You mean less selfish?"

"You've been paying attention."

"I have." Kenjiro backed away and glanced at the rest of his team. Indigo mimed throwing up while Skye and Lark both gave him a thumbs up. "And they've been helping. Maybe next time we see each other, we can talk alone?"

Orchid raised an eyebrow.

"Just talk. I won't make a move unless you do."

"Deal." Orchid hugged him, then grinned as she pressed her entire body into him. "Like I said, I'm not a monk anymore." Before he could respond, she turned and walked away. "Next time."

Through the Cracks

"Anything yet?"

"Nothing suitable." Cinnamon paused. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm fine." Rose frowned. "Wait, you took Lavender at her word; why not me?"

"We rely on you more than you think. If you aren't at full strength, I need to know. Also, I made Lavender do a bunch of tumbling runs across the lawn to prove she's all right."

"Fair enough. So, what jobs are available that aren't suitable? Is there another wyvern?"

"No..."

"You're hiding something."

Cinnamon sighed. "The tournament was seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Orchid and Lavender both lost their shirts during a match. Combine that with the other pictures of us available on the internet, and..."

"You'd better be joking."

"I wish. The Hunter agency has been flooded with requests for us to do bikini photo shoots, modeling jobs, and guest spots at every strip club within a hundred miles."

"You said no."

"Yep."

"To all of them."

"All of them. I asked the agency to block them. Hunter jobs only. If anyone on this team wants to be a model, they can leave. That's not why we're here. And I don't want us to be known by that."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "You have a funny way of showing it."

"I know some people see us that way, especially after our showing in the tournament, but I don't post anything like that. Look at the Hunter site. It has our missions, our success rate, our offer to help any citizen in need, and what we've done. The tournament victories are on there, and so are the werewolf, wyvern, and wendigo. That's how we're known. To the people that matter, at least."

"What about back at the beach? You two stood around posing for pictures wearing almost nothing."

"I... I hadn't started trying yet." Cinnamon sighed. "I'm sorry, Rose. I knew you for four years, and I spent most of that time ignoring you unless we were in a fight. I just..."

"Stop babbling. Apology accepted."

Lavender stared at Orchid as she tried to fit a bacon double cheeseburger into her mouth. "You are amazing. Perfect kinesthetic awareness. Unmatched balance. And you still can't eat lunch without making a mess."

"My mouth is too small. Leave me alone."

"You are the best monk ever. Before I met you, I though monks were all vegetarians. And boring." Lavender giggled as she caught a fry in her mouth. "Clay, you are officially the second best monk ever."

"I'll take that, seeing who the competition is." Clay threw another french fry at Lavender, who caught it in her mouth effortlessly. "Though I'm still getting used to eating meat."

"The way you cook rice and vegetables, I'm not surprised." Cinnamon glanced down at her fries. "I'm barely interested in this stuff now. I think you're ruining me."

"Glad to be of service."

"Whatever. Orchid, why can't you cook?"

"Fighting monks don't cook."

"Too important?"

"Too busy." Orchid finally managed to get her mouth around her burger and started wolfing it down. "Always fighting. Training."

"You're not fighting right now. Rose, tell Orchid she should relax."

"Last time Orchid relaxed, you got her into pole dance aerobics. I think she should keep training."

"That is training. Kind of."

"If you shake your ass at me, I'll throw you out the window."

"You're no fun." Lavender caught another fry and turned back to Cinnamon. "It's been a week since the tournament. SILK got a job already. Why haven't we?"

"Because you and Rose were still injured."

"So was Skye..."

"I think he was faking it." Cinnamon sighed, put down her hamburger, and pulled out her phone. "I'll check again. Maybe something came in since this morning... oh. That will work."

"What is it?"

"Excavation team needs a protection detail. Drilling a well... give me a second... done."

Rose got up and stretched. "Details?"

"Desert Springs Water Company in Anaria. They've got an underground spring they're tapping, and need some professional guns to go along with their equipment tomorrow morning. Low threat level, but there's a lot of assets to protect."

"What do you mean?"

"Three trucks worth of people and equipment. We may be spread pretty thin if we get surrounded."

"Still worth it."

"Agreed. Now if everyone's done, we should do some shopping and make sure we've got what we need before we hit the desert."

"Not done yet."

Everyone turned to Orchid.

"What? I have a small mouth."

"This SUV is so much better. I can't imagine trying to do this in my old car."

"Yeah. That would have sucked. My car wouldn't have worked either."

In the back, Clay leaned over to Orchid. "Are they actually getting along?"

"Looks like it. Rose is trying to be more accepting, and Lavender is... well, Lavender. She'll get along with anyone if she can. Honestly, how long did it take for her to accept you?"

Clay nodded. "A couple of seconds. Maybe less."

Before Orchid could respond, Cinnamon chimed in from the front seat. "We're here. Everyone out."

Orchid shrugged and left the SUV, followed by Clay and his oversized duffel bag. Without waiting for orders, he dropped the bag, opened it, and started handing out hooded cloaks and headsets. "There's two cloaks for each of us, but desert creatures usually aren't armed with blades. The worst you'll have to deal with is natural weapons; claws and spikes."

Once they were shielded from the desert sun, Cinnamon led the way to the excavation team foreman. "Assuming nothing goes wrong, this is an eight hour job, right? The mission brief said you're just drilling and capping it."

"Yes, that's right. We'll start running the pipes afterward, but that's not until next week."

"How are you fixed for defenses when laying pipe?"

"Pipes are being fabricated back in Anaria, and connecting them up is much faster and easier than the initial drill setup. We'll just need our normal security, with maybe one Hunter just to be on the safe side. Last time we did that, Jacobowski protected the entire pipeline himself, and for only five thousand dollars."

"Compared to the fifteen thousand we're getting. I see."

"No offense. I'm sure you girls are worth the money, but we're running a business here, and the equipment itself is expensive enough. We're all armed, too, in case you hadn't noticed. Nothing out here is bulletproof, and guns are cheaper than Hunters."

Cinnamon smiled. "Only for the little things."

"It's been hours and nothing's happened, Cinnamon. This is the most boring job ever, and I'm sweating through this cloak. Can't we stay in the car?"

"Boring is good, Lavender. Last time we fought in this kind of heat, both of us passed out. And my aim was crap."

"At least the drill is almost set up. They look like they're about ready to turn it on."

"Guns out. If there's anything out here looking for a fight, that drill will wake it up." Cinnamon led the team over to the drill and surrounded it, keeping all the excavation engineers inside their circle. "Clay, stay in the center. We don't know what to expect."

"We know it won't be an earthworm. Those things only live in Agovia."

"If we have to fight an earthworm, I'm tripling our fee."

The drill started up, drowning out any attempt at a response. Cinnamon briefly glanced over her shoulder to make sure it was working, then scanned the desert in front of her. "All clear to the north."

"East side is clear."

"West is clear."

"Damn."

"What is it, Rose?"

"Movement in the sand. South, maybe fifty yards out."

"Everyone else hold. Clay, take my post." Cinnamon joined Rose on the south side, noting that all the engineers had drawn their guns. She watched the incoming plumes of sand and frowned. "Crap. Let's give them a target before they get to the equipment."

"Of course you mean me."

"All of us. There's two incoming, and we don't know what they are yet." Cinnamon advanced at Rose's side as Lavender and Orchid joined them. "And Clay, remind the engineers not to shoot us if they can help it."

As the team moved away from the drill, they separated, with Rose and Lavender taking one incoming burrower, and Cinnamon and Orchid targeting the other. Rose grinned. "Anyone want to make this interesting? Fifty bucks says they're some king of snake."

Lavender grimaced. "Not me. I got a C+ in monster geography."

"I aced that class, so I know it's most likely worms or scorpions. I'll go with worms."

"I trust your attention to your studies. I'll take scorpions."

"Thank you, Orchid."

The first monster reached Rose and burst from the ground, spraying sand everywhere. Rose covered her eyes for a split-second, then engaged her lightning crystal and opened fire. "Stingers. Damn; I'm out fifty bucks."

The rest of the team jumped on their targets, but Clay's voice came over the headsets. "Eyes up. There's more. Looks like each one was leading a small line."

As Rose's electrified buckshot tore through the first scorpion, Lavender glanced back at Orchid and Cinnamon to see that they had already been surrounded. "Help them. I'll hold off this line."

"Your batons won't work on stingers, Lavender."

"Trust me."

"Fine." Rose turned and ran to bail out her friends while Lavender fired off a few shots to keep the attention of the stingers near her.

"Come and get me." Lavender hopped backward out of reach, then drove her guns into the loose sand and engaged both wind crystals. "Suckers." The resulting sandstorm rolled one stinger over and mostly covered all four in sand in seconds. She glanced back at her friends, who seemed like they were winning their fight against the five remaining stingers, then calmly strolled toward her first victim.

The six-foot-long scorpion scrambled to its feet as she approached, and threw a hurried tail strike, but was too slow to stop Lavender from dodging, shoving both guns in its mouth, and pulling the triggers. "Next." She jogged toward the next scorpion, who had just managed to burrow out of the mound of sand it was caught in. Lavender double-tapped it in the eye at point-blank range without slowing down. "Two more to go."

Lavender took one more glance behind her, and saw that her team was ripping into their last opponent. "Oh, good. Everyone's safe. Now I just have to-"

A stinger emerged from the sand underneath Lavender and tried to grab her, but she shot up into the air, landed on its back, and emptied her left pistol into the scorpion's stinger.

"What should I call you now? You're a stinger with no stinger."

The last scorpion burst from the ground behind her and managed to connect with a tail strike to the back, but Lavender rolled away and emptied her right pistol into its face, then switched to batons and attacked the splintered armor, crushing the monster's head easily. She then turned back to the stinger-less scorpion that was staggering away.

"I think I'll name you stumpy." She hopped on its back and rode it as it stumbled off, drumming with her batons while it tried to sting her with its nonexistent stinger.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you I was bored, Cinnamon. So now I'm practicing. If Allegra ever retires, maybe I can take her place in ARIA."

"Allegra's not retiring, and you'd have to leave us."

"I don't want to join their Hunter team; just their band."

Rose stepped forward and blasted the hapless scorpion. "Then you're going to need a lot more practice. Allegra was a thrash drummer before she joined ARIA. She's had to slow down so they could keep up with her."

"Oh. Never mind, then. Thrash metal sucks." Lavender hopped off the corpse and walked away.

Rose stared at her back for a second, then turned to Cinnamon. "The three of us killed five stingers while she beat four on her own. And she played with the last one. How did you beat her?"

"She can't grapple." Cinnamon shrugged and followed Lavender back to the engineers, who were still clustered around the drill.

When they caught up, Rose tugged on Cinnamon and Lavender's cloaks. "Hey, look. We're all still dressed. You started out wearing heavier clothing, and more of it, and no one ended up mostly naked. Now will you consider wearing something sturdier than a halter top?"

Lavender shrugged, but before she could respond, Orchid's cloak fell apart, leaving her in her normal skirt and top.

Rose sighed. "At least she's still-"

Her jaw dropped as Orchid's top split and dropped to the ground. "Dammit."

Orchid shrugged as Clay came over with a new shirt, but raised an eyebrow when he stopped short. "Are you going to give me my shirt, or stand there staring?"

"Hold on. I'm thinking it over."

"Dammit, Clay. Give me my shirt." Orchid's eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I'm sorry. I-"

"Don't. You're not a monk anymore. And neither am I. You've got no one to offend." Clay tossed her the shirt and smiled. "And I hear way worse from Cinnamon, anyway."

"I'm not sure if that's comforting."

"And I'm not sure if she understands anatomy." Clay grinned. "Some of the combinations she suggests would be painful... and possibly lethal."

"I don't want to know."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best."

"If you two are all done?" Cinnamon approached from behind Clay. "Can I have a word with my monk?" Clay nodded as Orchid put her shirt on and turned to Cinnamon, but Cinnamon ignored her and looked at Clay. "So, I have this knot below my left shoulder blade, and I think it's affecting my swordwork..."

Orchid's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What the..."

Cinnamon turned back to her and grinned. "Kidding. But that was totally worth it."

It took another hour for the drill to get to full speed and dig through the sand to the stone underneath. The team watched the surrounding desert, but nothing else came up. The drill slowed when it bit into the stone, but kept going with only a minor tremor. Cinnamon pulled back from watch to check with the foreman. "Is that normal?"

"Yes... wait... no, it's shaking too much. Turn it off."

The engineers turned off the drill and listened, but the shaking continued. "It's not us, boss. Feels like it's coming from over there."

Cinnamon rolled her eyes as the engineer pointed south. "Where the stingers came from. Of course. Turn your drill back on. Rose, Orchid, go check out the shaking. Lavender, stay here with the guys and keep watching."

The drill restarted, but within seconds, the shaking lessened. Cinnamon looked over the drill, but couldn't see any difference. "What changed?"

"I don't know."

"Orchid, Rose, what's going on?"

"Cave-in. Looks like Lavender's sandstorm uncovered a crack in the rocks. And something's moving down there."

"Is it a threat?"

"It's always a threat."

Cinnamon sighed. "I know. I was trying to be optimistic. Let's go, Lavender."

The two trudged off through the sand with Clay at their heels. "I gave the foreman my headset. Yell if you need me."

"Good idea, Clay. We should keep in contact with the crew."

Cinnamon peered into the crevice as they reached Orchid and Rose. "How deep is it?"

"I've got it." Clay pulled out a flashlight and shined it into the crevice. "Maybe twenty feet. Flat landing surface, too."

"I don't hear anything." Orchid took the flashlight and hopped down into the darkness. "All clear, so far."

One by one, they took a flashlight from Clay and followed her down. A quick scan showed a rough passage leading south and down. Cinnamon breathed a sigh of relief. "Foreman, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"Good. There's a tunnel over here leading away from the drill. We're going to take a look, but it shouldn't affect you. Holler if you need us."

"Got it."

"Orchid, lead. Lavender and I are wings."

The monk led the way down the tunnel with Rose and Clay following twenty feet behind, and Lavender and Cinnamon extended out to the walls. They advanced cautiously down the passage for about fifty feet before Orchid called a halt and knelt on the ground.

"It changes here. Where we came in, it was natural stone. Rough. Uncut. Ahead of us, the passage was carved."

"I didn't take Ancient Myaria History. Did any of you?"

"No."

"No."

"You're kidding, right?"

Cinnamon sighed. "Of course not. Clay?"

"Not a chance."

"Foreman? You have any idea what this could be?"

"You girls aren't from here are you?" The foreman chuckled over the headsets. "This area used to be more fertile, but that was hundreds of years ago."

"That's why you're drilling in the desert. The water's here; it's just too deep for the soil."

"Yep. But that means you may have stumbled on some ruins. Myaria's older than Velaria. No telling what's down there."

"Thanks. Keep drilling."

Orchid shrugged and continued, her flashlight dancing through inky blackness. "Maybe we need headlamps, if we're going to do this. None of you can fight effectively one-handed."

"That's a thought for next time. But for right now... Everyone's phone has a flashlight app and a lanyard, right? Use it. And Rose, give your flashlight to Clay; we need you to have both hands on that shotgun."

Once they had more light, the group continued, but they only went about fifty more feet before Orchid called another halt. "There's a sidewalk here. We're passing in front of a building, carved into the stone. And something on it is moving."

Cinnamon froze as Orchid turned to face her. She turned to the wall she had been walking along, realized that the stone architecture was shuddering, and jumped backward.

A gravelly voice echoed through the tunnel. "Leave... Now..."

"That was creepy and ominous."

"Nothing down here should be alive."

"It didn't sound alive."

"That's not helping."

The gravelly voice returned. "Then die..."

"That figures." Cinnamon sighed. "Why is no one happy to see us?" She shined her light on the movement, and stared. "That's not a wall..."

She sprayed it with bullets as it broke free and charged, then dodged as it pounced at her. "Stone lion! Bullets and blades are useless!"

"I've got it." Orchid engaged the animated chunk of rock, but seemed unable to do much damage. "This might take a while. And there's one more breaking free over there."

"Mine." Lavender sprinted forward and started beating it with her batons, but didn't fare much better. "I think I can take this thing, but these lions weren't doing the talking."

"My thoughts exactly." Cinnamon joined her on one lion as Rose joined Orchid on the other. "We're going to have to go in there."

The voice was closer and louder this time. "You think I only have two guardians? Pathetic children, you will beg to die."

Cinnamon kicked the stone lion toward Lavender as she scanned the building. "Crap. Look up."

Lavender knocked the lion over with her batons and kicked it away. "Oh, no. Are those winged serpents?"

"Yep." Cinnamon switched to her submachine guns and fired into the mass of serpents pouring out of the upstairs windows. "You're the best in the air. Get up there."

Lavender took a deep breath. "In the air. Got it." She took one more swipe at the lion, then ran up the side of the building and flew up to the windows, where she perched on the window sill and fired into the mass. "These things aren't tough, but there's a ton of them."

"Let us know if you need help." Cinnamon launched herself at the stone lion and beat it with her feet, knees, and elbows, finally kicking the stone head right off. She turned to see that Orchid and Rose and already taken out the other lion. "Good. Now just the... crap."

Ducking to get through the doorway was a massive mummified body. "You will all die. And you will be my next servants."

"Not likely." Cinnamon opened fire on the mummy, but couldn't tell if she was hurting it. "Rose! Light it up!"

"My pleasure." Rose stepped forward and engaged the fire crystal in her shotgun, then emptied it at the mummy.

"Foolish children. You think I have not warded myself against fire?" The mummy threw out a hand, flinging wrappings out to entangle Rose.

"Dammit! Help!" Rose struggled to pull free, but couldn't make any headway. "I'm stuck!"

"I've got Rose! Get the mummy!" Cinnamon rushed to Rose's side and cut through the wrappings easily while Orchid charged the mummy, flinging a handful of shuriken as she went.

Gunfire from above them caused Cinnamon to glance up, but Lavender seemed to be holding her own against the serpents. "Fire's useless. Try lightning." Rose nodded and switched crystals as Cinnamon turned to Orchid. "Incoming!"

The monk backflipped out of the way as electrified buckshot tore into the mummy, but charged back into the fray as she watched it walk right through the attack. "It's not working! Try melee!"

"Rose, cannonball!" Cinnamon hopped up toward Rose, who caught her and threw her at the mummy's face. Cinnamon tucked into a ball, slammed into her target, and came out swinging, driving the mummy back into the doorway.

"Insolent children." The mummy swatted Cinnamon away, then spewed more wrappings at her and Orchid before kicking both of them away.

"I've got you." Rose caught Cinnamon while Orchid flew over her, landing safely on her feet. "What now?"

Cinnamon glanced up. "Lavender needs help. Can hold this thing off for a few seconds?"

"I'll try." Rose advanced slowly, riddling the monster with more electrified buckshot. Orchid followed with two bolas to wrap the mummy's legs, but it tore through them with ease and closed to melee range, wielding it's wrappings as whips.

Rose engaged the mummy with her bayonet while Orchid circled behind it. "Orchid, pop-up!" Without waiting for a response, Rose ducked under a whip strike, jammed her bayonet up into the monster, engaged her semblance and lifted, then blasted it airborne with her shotgun. While the mummy flipped head over heels, Orchid followed with a flying knee to the face, then rode it to the ground, beating it all the way. She rolled away on impact and fled the flailing whips while Rose blocked for her, taking multiple strikes to the arms and legs.

The mummy smiled mirthlessly as it rose, effortlessly striking with his whip-like wrappings. Rose fired the last few rounds in her magazine, then reloaded while Orchid tried to distract the monster with throwing knives. The monster continued to smile as more tendrils extended from its torso, whipping Rose repeatedly.

"Your magic is weak. You will all die today."

Rose stopped blocking to open fire again, but only got halfway through the magazine before the mummy slapped the gun out of her hands.

"Your weapon is a child's toy."

"Mine isn't." Orchid jump kicked the mummy from behind, then unloaded on its kidneys, before rolling sideways away from the tendrils.

The mummy ignored Orchid to trade punches with Rose. "Your friend cannot save you. And she will die next." Rose dropped to her knees under the mummy's onslaught of punches and whip-like tendril strikes. "And now you fall."

"Get off her!" Orchid jumped back in with a flurry of strikes, but the mummy backhanded her away easily and turned back to Rose.

As she looked up blearily, the mummy's tendrils blew sideways in the wind. Why is there wind underground? She stared as the mummy stumbled backward from a double drop kick to the face, followed by a flurry of baton and scimitar strikes, courtesy of Cinnamon and Lavender.

"Rose, move!" Cinnamon stood between the mummy and her target, blocking the tendril whips with her swords, while Lavender and Orchid attacked from behind.

Move. Right. Where's my gun?

"Catch!"

Rose blinked as her gun flew toward her, but managed to snag it before it passed. "Thanks, Clay." She turned back to the mummy to see Lavender land on its shoulder, shove a pistol in its mouth, and empty it. That's not going to work. She shook her head clear. "Everybody move! Orchid, sweep kick!"

Rose engaged her semblance as she charged, jamming her bayonet into the mummy's stomach and knocking it over with the help of sweep kicks from Orchid and Cinnamon. She then engaged both crystals in her gun and emptied it into the mummy at point blank range, causing electrified explosions throughout the monster's entire torso.

She looked up as a thud echoed through the tunnel and saw Orchid standing over the mummy's head, having smashed it with the remains of one of the stone lions.

"Sorry. It seemed like physical force was the best way to go here."

"Don't apologize." Rose sat down next to the mummy's body and watched it whither. "What the hell was that? I though mummies were a myth."

"The Wendigo is also a myth. And the werewolf." Cinnamon rolled the stone off of the mummy's head, then took a picture. "This one's going on the Hunter site. And as soon as you're ready to move, we should get out of here."

"What about the winged serpents?"

"Lavender took care of most of them. I finished off the rest."

"That's not the biggest problem." Clay handed out water and protein bars to everyone, then reloaded all of their weapons while they were eating and drinking. "The tunnel continues past this building. I can't tell how far with just a flashlight. It's pretty narrow, though."

"Let me check it out." Cinnamon took off, then returned less than a minute later. "Rose, you're up. Clay's right; it's a narrow tunnel. That means you can probably just cave it in with your shotgun."

Orchid nodded. "We definitely don't want to keep exploring, and we shouldn't just leave it open like this."

"Sure. No problem." Rose accepted Clay's help up, then engaged both crystals and blasted the ceiling to close off the narrow corridor. Once the dust settled, Cinnamon nodded, then led the team out the way they came, but Lavender stopped her before they reached the exit.

"Cinnamon... why do you keep sending me to do things alone? My semblance works best in a group, and I ran out of ammo, so Clay had to throw me extra magazines... and... I'm scared. All the time."

"I send you when you're the best for the job. You're the fastest, most versatile fighter I've ever known. You're way better than you think you are."

"Don't."

"I'm being serious. If you were better at controlling yourself, your surroundings, and your opponent, you'd be better than I am. Think about it. Why did you go solo against the stingers?"

"I knew I could cover them in sand."

"And you were right. Keep it up." She paused to hug Lavender. "You may never be a match for Rose or Jacobowski. But you're damn good at what you do. And you're only going to get better."

Lavender took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll try."

"So we can go?"

"We can go."

As soon as they climbed back to the surface, the foreman's voice came in over their headsets. "Are you all okay? I lost your signal a couple of minutes after you went underground."

"We're fine. Just had to put down some monsters your drill woke up."

"Anything big?"

"Kind of. But nothing we'll charge extra for."

After another hour of drilling, nothing else had happened. The team kept watch from the shadow of the trucks, but aside from Clay getting more water from Lavender's SUV, everything was calm. Cinnamon smiled as she watched him go. "Is it just me, or has he gotten stronger since he joined us?"

"Definitely. And it's not just carrying our stuff. He's working out, too." Orchid paused. "Cinnamon, are you..?"

"If he's doing it to impress me, it won't work. We've already got someone made of iron."

Rose sighed. "Yeah. About that. I keep tanking heavy monsters for you three, but I'm not actually invincible. If this keeps up, I'm going to go down."

Cinnamon shrugged. "You're as close to unkillable as I've seen."

"Wait. She's being serious." Lavender put her arm around Rose's shoulder. "We take for granted how tough Rose is, but she's right. No one is unkillable. She's human, like we are. She bleeds like we do. And she's scared."

"Rose doesn't get scared."

"I do, so I know what it looks like. Trust me."

Lavender looked from one to the other, but Rose avoided eye contact. Cinnamon stared at them both, then looked at Orchid, who nodded. "Okay. I'll try to remember. But it won't be easy, so do me a favor. You've got to ask for help. I won't ask you to solo a dragon, but if you get in trouble, you've got to say something."

"I'll try."

The drive back to Anaria was uneventful and full of sand, but at least it had air conditioning. As they entered the city, Cinnamon's phone buzzed. "Hunter team CORL, this is Cinnamon. Yes, we're on the way back now. Maybe thirty minutes out. Of course we're available for a mission. Oh. Do you know where they are? Oh... yes, we'll take it."

Cinnamon hung up and faced the team. "The Myaria government just posted a Hunter request to find the rest of team SILK."

"The rest?"

"Police just found Skye's body in Myaria National Park."

Hunting the Hunters

"Skye's body was just found in Myaria National Park. Police are investigating, but they want a Hunter team involved. Someone like that doesn't go down easily, so they suspect mercenaries. Or worse."

Lavender pulled off to the side of the road. "What's worse than mercenaries murdering Hunters?"

"I don't know."

Clay reached out for Lavender and Orchid. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I will be if we find Lark."

"She's a sniper, so she's the most likely to have survived." Orchid blinked back a tear. "But if Skye fell, then Kenjiro is probably dead, too."

"Rose, what about Indigo?"

"She's as stubborn as I am. Probably dead."

Cinnamon pulled all five of them into a group hug. "This probably isn't going to be search and rescue. You all know that, right?"

"Find Lark and avenge the rest?"

"Most likely."

Rose nodded. "I'm going to beat someone's ass for this."

"You won't be alone."

The team checked in at Desert Springs Water Company to confirm completion of their mission, then drove to the park in silence. No talking. No music. The only sound came from Clay reloading spent magazines in the back seat. When they arrived, Cinnamon walked right through the police barricade holding her Hunter license up, and didn't stop until she reached the actual scene of the body dump.

"Get out before I arrest you for contaminating a crime scene."

Cinnamon stopped and turned toward the voice. A sturdy middle-aged detective was approaching with a cup of coffee in hand. She tried to smile, but it came out a grimace. "Let's try to do this politely, shall we? My team was contracted by the Myaria government to assist in the investigation of this murder, the search and rescue of this man's three teammates, and the apprehension of the perpetrators. I haven't stepped anywhere that your people haven't already. Why would you arrest me?"

The detective scowled. "Fine. Just back up and let us do our job. Just because some governor or something said we need you doesn't make it true."

Cinnamon took a step backward. "Understood. And honestly, I think we'll be more helpful in the apprehension then the crime scene investigation."

"Freaking Hunters. You think no one else can handle themselves in a fight?"

Orchid stepped up beside Cinnamon. "Some people can. Including police. But how many of you can take a shotgun blast and keep fighting?"

"That's what body armor is for."

"You aren't wearing body armor now. It's heavy and cumbersome, so you usually don't." She pointed at Skye's body. "That man took three while unarmored, in addition to other visible injuries, and you all know it. The people that killed him will try to kill anyone that comes looking for them, and we'd rather it not be you."

"I suppose you want me to thank you for that."

Lavender joined them. "No. Just let us do our job."

"Then back off until we give you some information." The detective paused. "I'm not blind, you know. Two of you are mad enough to start throwing punches, and the other two are about ready to cry. This is personal for you, and if that's going to get in the way, you should leave."

"Of course it's personal; these weren't just Hunters, they were friends of ours." Cinnamon nodded toward the other officers at the scene. "If one of yours was killed in the line of duty, you'd take it personally, too."

"Fine. Go talk to Sergeant Erickson. He'll fill you in on what we have."

As Lavender drove up into the forest, Cinnamon turned to face the rest of the team. "They were on a simple seek and destroy. Some sort of monster cave bear up in the forest."

"Any pictures of the bear? And who posted the request?"

"No pictures, and a logging company posted it. They lost some equipment, but all of their people made it out. They did post an artist's rendering of the description, but we all know how reliable those are."

Orchid nodded. "When panicked, people will see what isn't there. They'll make up details worse than the truth."

"Exactly. Since the cops tracked Skye's cell phone usage, we know he was in this area at around his time of death, so he was definitely on the mission."

"So the shotgun wounds..."

Cinnamon took a breath. "Looks like they found something they weren't looking for. It could be the bear was someone's pet monster. Or they could have run across another threat while investigating. SILK wouldn't just walk away if they found something that needed attention."

"Pet monster?"

"It's rare, but not unknown, but I'm betting that it's something else. They may even have killed the bear already."

"We'll know that soon enough." Lavender slowed down as the road started winding. "We're almost to the logging camp."

A few minutes later, they parked and found the foreman's office. Cinnamon walked in without knocking, interrupting a meeting in progress. "Hunter team CORL. We need all the information you have about your contract with team SILK, the location of the monster they were supposed to kill, and an exact timeline of every interaction they had with you."

"Excuse me, young lady, but where I come from, that's considered rude."

"One member of team SILK is dead, and he died under unusual circumstances while on a contract for you. They were contracted to kill a monstrous cave bear, but he was murdered. Unless you're going to tell me bears can wield guns."

"Oh. That's..."

"I'm not finished. The other three members of the team are missing, presumed dead. The Myaria government has contracted us to find them, and that means talking to you. Now."

Four chairs scraped against the floor as everyone but the foreman got up to leave.

"Sit down." After some muttered curses, everyone returned to their seats and Cinnamon continued. "First question. Did they fulfill their contract?"

"They never checked back in. Don't know if they killed the monster or not, but the contract is still open."

"Who saw the bear? And where?"

One of the men put his hand up nervously. "I did, and it wasn't a bear. I've seen bears. This thing was at least fifteen feet tall, and it tore up a truck with his claws. I swear those suckers were bigger than my head."

"Where?"

"North side. About a mile out."

"Next, how many of you own shotguns?"

The assembled men frowned. "Most of us own shotguns or rifles. Why?"

"What do you load them with? Double-ought buckshot is the most common, right?"

"Hell, no. Like I said, we've seen bears before, and buckshot is useless against them unless you get close. Every one of us loads slugs while we're up here."

"Good. Now for the timeline and interactions. Mister foreman?"

"No need to push." He turned to his computer and pulled up the weekly schedule. "They arrived day before yesterday at about ten in the morning. Came straight in here to talk to me. Left about fifteen minutes later with Jake. Never saw 'em again."

"And Jake is..."

"Right here, miss. I took them up to the last place we saw the monster. Left them there and got back before noon. That's the last I saw."

"Good. Then take us there. We'll see what they found and send you back to report."

"If they got killed, what makes you think you'll live?"

"No offense to team SILK, but we're better."

"I hope so."

"There's Skye's truck." Lavender pulled up beside it and hopped out. "No sign of a struggle, so we know they at least started their mission."

"I can track them." Orchid smiled. "Well, I can track Skye and Indigo, at least."

"Let me check the truck, first." Cinnamon pulled out the keys she had confiscated from the detective and opened up the truck and camper shell, and did a quick check. "Everything looks normal. Nothing's missing or out of place." She locked it back up and tossed the keys to Rose. "No one else can drive a stick, so you'll have to drive it back to town when we're done."

"I'm going back now, okay? You girls are on your own from here on out."

Cinnamon nodded and waved Jake off as he drove back to the main logging camp. "Orchid, you're up. Where did they go?"

"That way." The monk walked off into the forest. "Please tell me you all can see Indigo's boot prints, too."

"Yep. You're in front because I want you looking for other things. Monster bears. Mercenaries with guns. You know; anything else that wants to kill us."

"Business as usual, then."

"Exactly."

Less than an hour later, Orchid called a halt, then turned back and whispered, "Voices. In front of us and closing in."

Cinnamon nodded and pointed to Lavender and Orchid, then up into the trees, then pointed to Rose and a nearby boulder. The team split and moved to the cover she indicated, with Clay following Rose, while Cinnamon herself took position behind one of the larger trees and waited.

"What the hell, man? It's a fifteen foot freaking mutant bear. How can it be so hard to find?"

"Maybe it went back down to the logging camp."

"I hope not. Last time it did that, they called the freaking Hunters. We cannot handle another group like that. That ninja almost took my arm off before you got him."

"Your arm? He killed Corey, and you're worried about almost losing your arm?"

"Better him than me. Corey was a dick anyway."

"What about Alexi and Mina? Did they deserve to die, too? I freaking hate snipers."

"No. Still, we... wait, what's that?"

Cinnamon took a deep breath. Our turn. "Rose, light them up. Lavender, skyhook."

Rose engaged her lightning crystal, pivoted out from behind the boulder and emptied her shotgun while Cinnamon sprinted past them firing, then took position behind another tree. Shouts of pain and panicked gunfire echoed through the forest as the three men tried to fight back, but they hit nothing. Cinnamon took the time to reload, then popped out again, just in time to see Lavender zip out of the trees, hook one of their targets, and drag him off into the bushes.

The two remaining men turned to target her, but took more gunfire from Rose and Cinnamon before Orchid dropped between them, grabbed both of their guns, and kicked them to their knees. She backed away, pulling their guns with her. As they looked up, dazed and bloodied, Lavender dragged the third man out of the bushes and dumped him face first in the dirt, unconscious.

"Who are you?"

Cinnamon smiled as she rested her gun barrel against the closest man. "We're armed and curious. Isn't that enough?"

Before the man could respond, Rose pulled Cinnamon away. "Not like this. If they confess under duress, it won't hold up. Let's tie these assholes up and get them to the police."

"They killed Kenjiro."

Orchid...

"Who else did you kill?"

"We didn't kill anyone. You attacked us."

"Right. Let's go." Rose grabbed the two men and dragged them off. "Lavender, can you get the other one?"

"Sure." Lavender picked up the unconscious man and slung him over her shoulder, then followed Rose.

Cinnamon nodded. "Let's get back to the car. Orchid, bring their guns; the police will want to take a look at them. Especially that shotgun."

Orchid stared at the guns for a moment before picking them up. I shouldn't make it personal. Evil has always existed. And we always stand against it. But they killed Kenjiro. Not monsters. Humans...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Clay taking the guns out of her hands and dropping them. She looked up at him as he put his arms around her. "You hate them." He waited until Orchid nodded before continuing. "I can't fix that. But we can't lose you."

"I know. And we still have to find Lark."

Clay nodded. "We should go."

"I know." Orchid turned to follow the others, but dropped to her knees, sobbing.

Clay sighed, slung the guns over his shoulder, picked Orchid up, and walked back to the car.

"How could I be so stupid?"

"There was no reason to check. It's not your fault."

"It's my job, Lavender." Cinnamon sighed. "I should have done the research, but I just assumed." She turned to the rest of the team. "Part one is over; the cops have three of them, and they admitted that SILK killed three more of them before going down. But it only gets worse from here. Lark is still missing, and team SLVR disappeared three miles from that same logging camp while on a different mission one week ago. It's highly likely that it was the same group, but SLVR has been active for over two years now. There's probably at least one more merc team out there. And a freaking mutant bear. Keep your guard up."

Rose nodded and followed Cinnamon out, but Lavender pulled her back. "You're taking this... well. Or at least stoically. Need to talk?"

"No. I need to punch something. That's what Indigo would want."

"Especially if the bad guy happens to be a hot chick."

Rose couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, she liked you model-types less than I do." Rose paused and took a breath. "Less than I did. You're all right. And I suppose Lark wasn't too bad either."

"She's actually kind of shy. She only comes off as aloof because she's so pretty." Lavender fingered her batons. "Now let's go find you a bad guy to punch."

"Let's find your friend first."

The team left Skye's truck at the logging camp and drove back out to the site of their last battle. It only took Orchid a few seconds to pick up Indigo's trail, and she plodded off into the forest in silence. Clay followed, frowning. "Cinnamon, the sun's going down soon. Shouldn't we make camp and pick this up in the morning?"

"That would probably be smart."

After another minute, he spoke up again. "We're not stopping, are we?"

"You have a keen grasp of the obvious, Clay."

"Everyone, stop." Clay dropped his duffel bag and unzipped it. "If we're going to keep going, we'll need some help." He pulled out a pack of energy drinks and started handing them out.

"These are gross." Lavender guzzled her drink, burped, and gave Clay the empty can.

"We'll need the caffeine." He handed her a protein bar, then turned to the rest of the team.

Cinnamon froze right before she dropped her can to the forest floor, then handed it to Clay to put in the bag. "You are ruining me."

"You're welcome. Now eat this."

A minute later, the team had finished, packed up their trash, and resumed trudging through the underbrush. Another minute later, and they walked right into the scene of a firefight.

"Crap."

"What did you-" Rose caught up and stared at carnage. Blood and bullet casings covered the ground. A broken shield was stuck in one of the trees, caked in blood. She took a deep breath, then turned and punched the nearest tree. Orchid looked up from where she was kneeling in the dirt. "Please don't hurt the tree. It didn't do anything wrong."

Rose glared at Orchid for a second, then turned away. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

Clay yanked Indigo's shield out of the tree and put it into his bag. "Orchid, can you pick up the other tracks... the killers?"

Orchid shrugged. "Boot prints lead that way. Looks like they carried off the bodies."

Cinnamon looked up from the casings she was examining. "Buckshot, .40 caliber, and 9mm. That's Indigo, Skye, and at least one more. Let's go get 'em."

"No."

Cinnamon turned to Lavender. "Why not?"

"Bullet holes." Lavender pointed at two trees heavily splattered with blood. "These are kill shots. I've been hurt pretty bad before, but if someone bled like this, their aura was gone. I can't tell what caliber the bullet was, but it doesn't matter; this was Lark."

Rose took a look at the trees, then frowned as she turned back to follow the trajectory of the kill shots. "They didn't chase her. Then why didn't she just wipe them all out?"

"There's no tracks leading her direction. Let's go find her and ask." Lavender smiled. "But I'm betting they ran away."

An hour later, they had combed through the forest and reached the hills. As the sun finally went down, Cinnamon called a halt. "We can't keep going through the night. Let's see if we can find a cave or alcove to get some shelter."

It only took a few minutes to find a suitable place, but as the team packed into the alcove, Rose stayed out. "I'll take first watch." She turned back out to the forest. "It looks clear, but if I'm in trouble, I won't hold back. You'll just hear gunfire. And my target's screams."

"I expect nothing less. Be careful." Cinnamon turned back to rest of the group. "No fire tonight. Let's get cozy. Rose, wake me up in two hours. And everyone sleeps with their headset on."

Rose climbed the rocks above her teammates and settled in between two of the bigger boulders, and whispered to herself, "No offense, Cinnamon, but I'm probably not waking you up. I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight."

"What was that?" Rose shook herself awake and scanned the trees in the moonlight. "Crap. I must have dozed off. What time is it? Maybe I should wake up Cinnamon."

Rustling in the trees pulled her gaze back out away from her friends sleeping beneath her. Mercenaries? Lark? Or is it that mutant bear? Knowing my luck, it's probably the bear. Yep. It's the bear. She eased her shotgun up and pointed it toward the noise as the monster broke the tree line, sniffing. Sixty feet. I wonder if buckshot can penetrate a mutant monster bear at that range. Let's find out.

She opened fire and a series of booms echoed across the forest, startling sleeping birds into flight. "Everybody up! It's the bear!" Rose jumped down and reloaded as the monster charged, then fired again just before it reached her.

"Rose, move!"

A pair of shuriken flew past Rose as she rolled sideways underneath the outstretched claws, followed by Orchid hitting with a jump kick, two punches, and an elbow before fleeing under a hail of bullets as Cinnamon and Lavender joined them.

"Stay wide! Broken field!"

Orchid pulled back and threw another handful of shuriken as she watched her teammates dart around the monster firing. No one got within thirty feet as they each emptied multiple magazines into the creature. It's not working. It's just like the mammoth; the bullets are barely getting through its skin.

Orchid circled around to Rose, reaching her as she reloaded. "Bullets aren't working; we need to try something different."

"Cannonball?"

"Do it."

"Everyone down!" Rose picked up Orchid, engaged her semblance, and hurled the monk at the back of the monster's head. Orchid tucked into a ball, then uncurled into a drop kick just before she connected, driving the beast forward two full steps with the impact.

As the creature spun to engage Orchid, Cinnamon sprinted in, slashed twice at the back of its calf, and ran, dodging a strike from a claw bigger than her torso.

"Hit it again!" Orchid wrapped a bola around the bear's face to distract it, axe kicked the leg that Cinnamon had attacked, then fled as Lavender came flying in, courtesy of another cannonball. Lavender got a few more shots off as she escaped the flurry of claws, and retreated back to Rose.

Clay's voice came in over the headset. "I've got an idea, but I don't think you'll like it."

"You see a weak spot?"

"No. I saw a twitch. You've all hit this thing dozens of times, but you've barely done anything to it. The first time it reacted was on the first cannonball, but I think it's because you caught it off balance. After that, it twitched when Orchid kicked his leg where Cinnamon slashed it. And I think I saw some bullet holes there, too."

"You want us to hit the same leg?"

"No. Yes. I mean, you need to focus all of your attacks on one point. That's the only way you'll punch through the outer layers of muscle. And it looks like it'll have to be close range."

"Damn. I should have seen that. Thanks, Clay." Cinnamon circled to Rose and Lavender. "We're going to tag team it. Rose tackle the head. Everyone else, blur. Target the lower abdomen; there's a red spot from Rose's buckshot that we can't miss. And nobody stays in place longer than two seconds. Keep moving, keep switching, and don't get hit."

"On it." Rose charged, narrowly blocked a claw strike, and jumped shoulder first into the beast's face, knocking it backward and allowing Orchid to rush in and unload a furious combination of punches and kicks to the monster's belly. As the bear regained balance, it started swiping at Rose, who took one hit before jamming her bayonet into its back, pulling the trigger, and diving to safety.

As the bear turned to follow, Orchid leaped up to its face, and hit with a flying knee, then perched on its shoulder, raining elbows down on its head while Lavender took her place at the stomach. Two seconds later, Orchid jumped off, only to be replaced by Lavender, who was in turn replaced by Cinnamon, all attacking the same targets in quick succession, and all moving before the monster could respond to their position changes.

After Cinnamon came Rose again, but instead of multiple strikes, she engaged her semblance, jammed her bayonet as deep as she could into the monster's stomach, and emptied a magazine of electrified buckshot into it.

Cinnamon fell off the bear's shoulder as it slumped to the ground, dying. It swiped at Rose weakly, but she blocked easily with her forearm.

Lavender pulled Cinnamon to her feet, then turned to Rose. "What did you do?"

"Bullet's weren't getting in. So I used my blade to get the gun barrel in, then fired." Rose pulled her gun out of the wound, and the monster fell forward onto its face, narrowly missing her and Cinnamon.

"Rose, you are the biggest badass I have ever met." Cinnamon looked up at her in the moonlight and squinted. "Wait, are you all right? How many times did it hit you?"

"Once. Why?"

"Clay, get down here. And bring bandages." Cinnamon guided Rose gently to the ground as Clay ran over to meet them. "Adrenaline is wonderful, but you've lost a lot of blood. Let's get you patched up."

Cinnamon stepped back as Clay bandaged Rose up. "You only got hit once. The guy back at the logging camp said that this thing tore up a truck with its claws. No cave bear in recorded history has been this big. What the hell is going on up here?"

"I'll track it back to its den in the morning." Orchid waited until Clay was done, then helped Rose up. "Let's get some sleep."

"You go. It's my turn on watch." Cinnamon climbed up to where Rose was posted while everyone else headed back to the alcove and gathered together. After a minute, she realized that Clay had followed her. "Get some sleep."

"Not yet. Working."

Cinnamon turned to see him reloading all of the magazines spent in the fight with the bear. "Don't take too long." She turned back to watch the tree line. "How's Rose?"

"She'll be fine. If it was you or Lavender, I'd be worried." Clay shrugged. "Give her until morning."

"You seem sure."

"I've seen a decent number of injuries in my time at the monastery and now with your team. That monster was nasty, but Rose has taken worse. If she took more than one or two, I wouldn't let her go to sleep tonight."

"You think she'd pass out and die from shock?"

"First aid 101."

"You're right." Cinnamon sighed and shook her head. "I knew that. Sometimes, I think I shouldn't be leading a team at all. Outside of combat, I'm not good at this."

"Not good at what?"

"Dealing with people. Even my own people."

"Yeah... you kind of suck at it."

Cinnamon stared at him, stunned, then grimaced and nodded. "Jerk."

"Don't. No one can do everything. Your job is to kill monsters, and you excel at it. I can't do that at all, but you make it look easy. My job is to make sure you are all taken care of. Mostly, that's been supplies, ammo, nutrition, and first aid. If there's anything else you need, just say it."

"Sometimes, I think I need to hear that this is working. That we aren't... that I'm not a failure."

"You're not talking about missions and money."

Cinnamon shook her head. "That part is easy. It's just... you're right; I'm not good with people. I may be the only person on the planet that has managed to argue with and disappoint both Lavender and Orchid."

"The closer you are, the more you're able to hurt each other. If you didn't care, it wouldn't hurt."

"I guess so."

"I know where you came from. I can see the progress you've made, even in the short time I've been with you. You're trying. And sometimes, you succeed."

"Thank you." Cinnamon smiled and tried to hide the single tear in her eye. "There's one more thing. I hide it pretty well, but sometimes... sometimes I just need a hug."

"But only when no one's watching."

"Yeah..."

Clay stood up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but let go before she could turn into him. "Go get some sleep; I'll take watch."

Cinnamon turned and raised an eyebrow. "And if a merc team shows up?"

Clay pulled two grenades out of his pocket. "Flash bangs. Lavender bought them for me on her last ammo run."

"That should wake us up." Cinnamon grinned. "You are planning on throwing those at the mercenaries, right?"

"Get some sleep, Cinnamon. They'll need you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Clay." She put her hand on his shoulder as she walked past him, pausing briefly as she felt his hand on hers. "For everything."

Prey

"Everybody up."

Cinnamon blinked as she stared up at Orchid. "What? When..?"

"Clay switched with me over an hour ago. And now it's almost six. Get up."

"Fine." Cinnamon struggled to rise, but she was covered in appendages. "Whose hands are all over me?"

"Sorry. That's me." Lavender pulled her hands free and moved Rose's arm so she could get up.

Cinnamon sat up as Orchid turned away, then yawned and stretched. Wait. There's one more. She looked down to see Clay's arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight. No one else was looking. Lavender was helping Rose up, and Orchid was already checking the bear's tracks.

"I'm sorry." Clay released his grip as he woke.

"Don't be." She gently took his hand and pulled it up to her chest, squeezed it, then let go before rising to check on Rose.

"I'm fine. Stop mothering me, both of you." Rose pushed them both away and dusted her clothes off, then checked her bandages. "Orchid's waiting. Let's get moving."

"Eat something first." Clay was already passing out protein bars, and Rose found one in her hand before she realized he was there.

Cinnamon smiled as she joined Orchid at the bear's tracks, then stopped and pulled out her phone. "I forgot to get a picture of this last night. Wait. How is my phone at full charge?"

Clay caught up alongside Lavender and Rose. "I charged all of your phones last night."

"What would we do without you?" Cinnamon got a couple of pictures, pocketed her phone, and followed Orchid into the forest.

"Lunch break."

"We shouldn't stop."

"Orchid, look at me."

The monk turned on Cinnamon, but caught herself before she said anything.

"We're no good to anyone if we're starved and exhausted. Take a minute. Sit down and eat." Cinnamon shrugged. "And I have to pee, anyway."

Before she could leave, Cinnamon's phone buzzed. "Hunter team CORL. This is Cinnamon. Oh. All right. No, we haven't found Lark yet, but we found solid evidence that she didn't go down with the others. And we killed the mutant bear they were after. Freaking huge. I'll send you a picture. Yes. We're still looking. Thanks."

Lavender was the first to break the silence after Cinnamon hung up. "Well?"

"Hikers found Indigo and Kenjiro in two different locations last night and this morning. Body dumps, just like Skye. Same type of injuries."

"So it's just Lark, now." And wherever the bear came from. That was our contract, right? Not just to find the bodies, but investigate?"

"Exactly. Now let's move." Cinnamon took two steps, then turned aside and walked behind a tree. "After I pee."

Fifty feet away from the edge of the forest, Orchid stopped. "There's something up there. Look at the hills up there." She paused and squinted. "Looks like an opening in the side of the... oh, that'll help." She took the binoculars Clay was holding out, and scanned the entire hillside. "Yep. Definitely an entrance to something."

"And that's where the tracks lead?"

"Yep. Could be a den. Or a pen, I guess. I don't know."

Rose stepped forward. "My turn, then. We know we're headed into a fight, so stay behind me. And don't hold back."

"No." Orchid turned to face everyone. "We're expecting to face a team of mercenaries that are capable of murdering veterans like team SLVR. You can't be the bait. You're tougher than all of us, but if they all hit you at once, there's a good chance you'll die."

"You have a better plan?"

Orchid nodded. "They won't hit me. We're expecting an ambush; you know those don't work on me. I'll see it coming and dodge, then we all counterattack."

Before Rose could respond, Cinnamon stepped forward. "Orchid's right. We're all going to take some hits, but we should avoid as much as possible, so she's the best to take point. None of the injuries reported were indicative of a sniper, so she should be fine. We just have to make sure we back her up."

"Are you sure?" At Orchid's nod, Rose hugged her. "Don't die."

"Don't leave me alone out there."

"Before we go, there's one more thing." Cinnamon paused and took a deep breath. "No mercy. These people are murdering Hunters. They're going to try to kill us. We're going to have to kill them. Failure is not an option, and holding back is likely to get one of us killed. Got it?"

Orchid and Rose nodded. "Got it."

"Lavender?"

"I'll try."

That will have to do. She won't intentionally kill a human being. "Let's move. Orchid in front. Rose on right flank with Clay. I'll take the left with Lavender. Clay, stay as far back as you can. I don't want you taking a gunshot for any of us."

"Understood."

Lavender watched Orchid advance, then followed Cinnamon to the left. I can do this. They're all counting on me. Remember, these people murdered our friends. And team SLVR. They aren't people. They're monsters... they're monsters.

Orchid moved through the forest toward the break in the hills, staying under cover as much as possible while continually scanning the rocks and hills in front of her. Nothing yet. Wait. There's a reflection off of something forward and to the left. Something metallic. Forty feet away. She continued to advance until she reached the edge of the forest. There's one more on the right. Both of them thirty feet away. They prefer melee. That should help; so do we. She took a deep breath and whispered, "One target visible on either side, thirty feet out. I move in three."

She carefully palmed a throwing knife in each hand, then stepped out of cover and moved up, careful not to look at the two targets she marked. "Hello? Anybody there?"

The two targets on the sides stayed put, but gunshots from farther away drove Orchid back toward the trees, where she finally saw the trap. There you are. And now you're mine. She sidestepped as a man dropped out of a blind in the tree above her, missing with a hammer strike that would have flattened her. Orchid quickly threw the knives at the other two opponents, then grabbed the man with the hammer, pulled him, spun, and circle threw him toward Lavender and Cinnamon. "All yours! I'm with Rose!"

Cinnamon sidestepped the hammer wielder as he rolled out of Orchid's throw, completely unharmed. "Scorpion!" She threw a spinning wheel kick into the man's face as Lavender jumped in with a sweep kick. As the man hit the ground in a heap, they both pounced on him and unloaded two magazines each, killing him instantly.

"One down! Go!" Cinnamon pulled Lavender to her feet as gunfire raged around them. "Reload and keep going. They need us."

Lavender started to follow her, then turned and threw up in the bushes. She took a second to wipe her mouth, then got moving again. "I'm okay. Right behind you." A flash-bang erupted near them, and she lost sight of her friends. "Cinnamon? Where?"

Before she got a response, a man jumped out of the nearby rocks with a pair of swords, driving her back across the battlefield and out into the open. Lavender converted to batons, defended, and counterstruck, but she was quickly overwhelmed by his speed and ferocity. Too dizzy... Vomit and flash-bangs suck. I can't... A gunshot stumbled her attacker, then a second one punched though his left shoulder, driving him into her and forcing him to drop one of his swords. She responded by battering his other arm, making him drop his remaining weapon, but she was too slow to follow when he fled and took cover.

"Still dizzy... where'd he go?" She turned and saw Cinnamon and Orchid engaged with one enemy, but Rose was barely holding off another. "I have to help. She stumbled off toward Rose in time to see her target take a bullet in the back. "What was... wait, Rose, freefall!"

She charged and drop kicked the man toward Rose, who jammed her bayonet into his stomach, then Lavender swept his feet out, allowing Rose to drop on top of him, engage her lightning crystal, and empty her shotgun into the pinned mercenary.

Rose wiped blood from her face. "Thanks. He was too fast. I don't know if..."

"Later. Cinnamon and Orchid are still fighting." Lavender ran off toward her friends, leaving Rose to reload and follow. As she approached, she saw the final mercenary sweep Orchid off of her feet with his naginata, then kick Cinnamon into the nearest boulder. She shook her head clear and charged him from behind, pummeling his kidneys before blasting him up into the air. "Finale!"

Orchid took the cue and jumped up to meet him, jamming a knife into his stomach before throwing him toward Rose, who had finally caught up. Rose caught him on her bayonet, then blasted him into the air, setting him up for a jump kick from Cinnamon. The man slammed into the ground and rolled up to his feet, but Cinnamon didn't charge. Instead, she stood between Rose and Lavender, and the three of them riddled him with bullets until his corpse stopped twitching.

Cinnamon spun around as another gunshot went off, but couldn't find the source. "I make two down. Where are the others? Why were we all on this guy?"

Lavender smiled as she holstered her guns. "Three down. And the last one's over here. Follow me." She picked up the swords that he had dropped and walked around the rocks he was hiding behind. "There you are. Having fun playing hide and seek with my friend?"

"What?"

"The sniper in the hills. Your friends missed her when they murdered her teammates." Lavender waved, triggering movement from the rocks.

"No way." Cinnamon squinted for a second, then turned to Lavender. "She's got to be four hundred yards out. That's a hell of a shot."

"She saved me from him earlier, then helped Rose before I got to her. I don't know if we would have won this without her, even four on three."

"Probably not. But are we sure there were only four?"

"Lark is covering us. She'll signal if anyone shows up. And she'll shoot them, too."

"Fair point." Cinnamon turned to the remaining mercenary. "Want us to bandage that shoulder for you?"

"Just kill me and get it over with."

"We aren't mercenaries, and you aren't that lucky. Now let us get a look at that shoulder." Rose grabbed the mercenary and threw him onto his stomach, then cuffed his hands behind his back.

"I've got him." Clay pulled a medical kit out of his bag and knelt next to the merc. "Just keep an eye open. I don't want to die while saving this butcher from bleeding out."

"Not on my watch." Cinnamon turned back to the entrance Orchid had pointed out and trained her guns on it. "Scan the rest of the hillside. Make sure there's nothing else waiting for us."

It took a few minutes for Clay to sufficiently bandage the cuffed mercenary, allowing Lark time to climb down and join them. When she arrived, Lavender grabbed her in a bear hug. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

Lark returned the hug, then backed away. "I'm not all right. I'm tired, sore, dirty, starving, and pissed off. I've been lost out here for day and a half. Ever since..."

Lavender hugged her again as she trailed off. "I'm not going to pretend everything is okay. But maybe if we stop the people responsible?"

"Right..." Lark shook her head clear. "But there were three more. The group that attacked us."

"We got them already. And the mutant bear, too."

"What?"

"There were only three of them." Orchid dropped back to join Lavender and Lark. "And we ambushed them. They're in police custody now."

"So who's left?"

"Whoever's in the cave. That's where the bear was going, and that's where these guys were guarding. Feel like investigating?"

"Definitely."

"Then let's go." Orchid turned to the cuffed mercenary. "You know you're a threat, right? We can't leave you conscious."

"What?"

Orchid dropped to one knee and slammed her fist down on the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.

"Orchid, are you okay? You never struck me as..."

"No, Lark. I'm not okay. Now let's go."

Cinnamon led the way up toward the cave entrance with Lavender and Orchid on her heels, Lark and Clay following, and Rose bringing up the rear and carrying the unconscious merc. After clambering up through the rocks, they reached a steel door. Cinnamon took one look at it and groaned. "Solid steel, with bars and three locks. Did anyone see keys on any of the mercs?"

"Let me give it a shot. Everyone, stand back." Rose jammed her shotgun into the first lock and engaged her lightning crystal, and fired. Everyone cringed as the lock was blown into pieces, but Rose grinned. "Next." Two more blasts, and the locks were bits of shredded, sparking metal littering the ground.

"You've been using that lightning crystal a lot recently. Are you sure you're not going to use it up?"

"You got me a new one, didn't you?"

Cinnamon smiled. "In Kerachi. Right. Go nuts."

"Want me to knock? Or just kick the door in?"

"Hold on. Clay, give Lark your headset. Lark, back off and target the door. Rose, when she's ready, you open the door and move. We don't know what's in there, so she's our eyes and our cover. We advance on her command. We should expect more mutants, maybe even another bear."

"Why?"

"This looks like a hidden mountain lair. The first mutant bear came from here. These people obviously wanted to stay off the radar, and they're doing things they know aren't acceptable. That's why they hired mercenaries. It's anyone's guess what's actually going on here."

"Paramilitary group?"

"Mad scientist?"

"Psychotic animal trainer?"

"Cannibal clowns?"

"What the hell, Clay?"

Clay shrugged. "You said to guess. And I hate clowns."

Cinnamon turned away to hide her smile. "Everyone ready?"

From fifty feet away, Lark gave a thumbs up. "Ready."

"Let's do it."

Rose ripped the door opened and sidestepped, triggering a gunshot from Lark as a monster jumped out. "Saber!" Rose engaged the overgrown tiger, and she and Cinnamon killed it easily, but Lark kept firing.

"There's an entire pack of these things. Just fire into the doorway and you'll hit something."

Cinnamon and Rose sprayed bullets into the opening, but stayed out of Lark's way. "How many more?"

"Not many." Several seconds later, Lark stopped. "Looks clear. Someone get a light in there."

How did they ever lose a fight? Cinnamon caught a flashlight from Clay and poked around the doorframe. "Clear. Rose, lead the way in."

"Wait. Look at the sabers."

"Why? Oh... that's new." Cinnamon poked the saber in front of her and looked up at the rest of the team. "Look at the fangs; almost a foot long. And the sabers are bigger than normal, too."

"More mutations?"

"Looks like it. Rose, Orchid, take point. Flashlights out."

The team slowly advanced into the lair, passing cages and storage rooms before reaching a rough corridor. Rose frowned when she looked at it. "Fifty feet of narrow rocky tunnel? This looks like a kill corridor."

"I'll go first. I don't sense anything yet." Orchid drew a handful of shuriken and slowly walked down the tunnel. After thirty feet, she whispered back over her shoulder. "Nothing. Keep moving."

"Orchid, wait. There's an opening here. Like a gate."

"At the tunnel? Weird." Orchid continued out the other side, then turned as Cinnamon caught up. "Nothing yet. Wait..." She looked at the far side of the room. "That shadow moved."

Before Cinnamon could respond, a voice came out of the darkness. "You're too late. My research here is complete. And honestly, I'm just a servant anyway." Two clangs echoed through the darkness as gates dropped on either side of the tunnel, sealing it off. "But it would be rude to leave you here all alone..." Orchid and Cinnamon chased the voice across the dark room, but stopped in their tracks as a huge wolf blocked their path, then stood up on two legs.

"Werewolf... it took all of us last time."

"Crap." Cinnamon opened fire as the werewolf charged. "Stay mobile. Don't try to tank it."

The door behind the werewolf closed and clicked as Orchid jump kicked the monster, then dove away and rolled sideways. "We lost him! Unless you can get that door open?"

Cinnamon ran to the door, but couldn't get it to budge. "It's locked. Look like we're stuck in here with this thing, for now."

Back in the tunnel, Rose and Lavender were trying to get the gate open from the inside, but Clay had followed Cinnamon and Orchid out before it shut. He frowned as he shined his flashlight around the grate and wall. "It looks like it's built to withstand something bigger than you are. I'll try to find the release." Shouts and gunfire echoed across the room behind him as he searched. "Maybe this one..."

The lights came on as Clay flipped the switch, revealing a mass of scorpions flooding into the tunnel through holes in the ceiling. Everyone screamed as the beasts started stinging them, but Rose pulled up her shotgun. "Everyone, down!" As she started blasting, Lark whimpered and turned invisible.

"That's not helping!"

"I know! I can't help it!"

Between Rose's shotgun and Lavender's batons, dozens of scorpions died, but the three were on the verge of being overwhelmed when the grate popped open.

"Got it!" Clay pulled Rose out into the open room, then pointed at Cinnamon and Orchid. "They need help. Go!" As Rose shook a few stray scorpions out of her clothes and charged, Clay went back in for the others. He caught Lavender and dragged her out, but was almost bowled over as an invisible Lark dove out past him. "What..?"

Lark turned visible and started pulling scorpions out of her hair and clothes. "Get them off! Get them off!"

Lavender ducked as Orchid flew over her head and slammed into the wall. "Clay, help her out. We're going to need her gun." She turned to the carnage in the room and saw Cinnamon on her hands and knees dripping blood, while Rose stood between her and the raging werewolf. Lavender charged, firing, and threw a jump kick at it while converting to batons, but missed completely. She rolled out and spun to see that the monster had sidestepped, grabbed Rose's shotgun, and yanked her across the room. "What?"

Cinnamon finally made it to her feet. "It's smarter. Faster." She pulled up her guns and tried to fire, but they clicked. "Dammit. Need ammo." She stumbled toward Clay as the wolf started beating on Lavender. "Reload!"

"On the way! Stay down!" A boom echoed inside the room as Lark opened fire. Clay stayed low as he scrambled over to Cinnamon and grabbed her guns. Five seconds and two more shots from Lark later, they were reloaded, and he was steadying her to fire.

"Oh, crap." Cinnamon leaned into Clay and dragged them both to the ground as the werewolf leaped, but it went right over them. She got her head up just in time to see the beast tear into Lark. "Shit. Sniper rifle's not going to help her. Clay, wait..."

Cinnamon tried to get up as Clay ran to Lark's aid, but she couldn't catch him. He picked up one of Orchid's throwing knives and threw it, dodged sideways as the monster spun and roared, then pitched his last flash-bang right into its open mouth.

The werewolf connected with one claw strike on Clay before half of its head exploded from the grenade. It stumbled backward, giving Rose and Lavender time to catch up, reload, and blow the thing to pieces. "Everyone all right? Where's Lark?"

"Over there" Cinnamon pointed behind the monster's corpse as she staggered over to Clay. "Someone get his bag. Need bandages."

Orchid dragged the big duffel bag over, and the team spent the next few minutes bandaging up their friends before Lavender broke the silence. "What happened?"

"We were all down or out of position, so it got to Lark, and she's useless in melee against that thing. Clay got its attention and fed it a grenade. Probably saved her life."

"And maybe yours."

"Maybe." Cinnamon stood up. "But since they're both going to live, we need to figure out what to do next. Orchid, can you bring that merc in here? I want to question him."

"Sure." While Orchid walked back the way they came, Rose took the time to kick the back door open, revealing a dirt parking lot and a work van.

"Pretty crappy car for a mercenary. Usually those guys can afford better."
"Maybe they wanted to keep a low profile." Lavender froze as she joined Rose in the doorway. "Hillside Media? That's my dad's company..."

Orchid returned with the unconscious mercenary. "He got away? What now?"

"It's not all bad. We've got a lackey here to question." Cinnamon slapped the unconscious man awake. "Hey, jackass, what are you doing helping this maniac? Is it really just about money?"

The mercenary took a moment to focus, then glared at Cinnamon. "There's no choice. He's going to break the world. The people he's working for are even worse. It's already happening."

Rose stepped forward. "It won't happen if people stand up."

"Look around. The division between Hunter and Mercenary is just one piece. Kingdoms fight. Social and economic classes blame each other for everything. Criminals are a threat to everyone."

"It only works if idiots like you join in. Division only works if people want to destroy. Or if they're afraid to stand against it." Rose shook her head in disgust. "Criminals and cowards can't remake the world. They only make a mess for the rest of us to clean up."

"Are we all done here?" Orchid was staring down at the captive with a pensive look on her face.

"There's nothing you can do. We've beaten you already. Now I'll just sit here and wait for the police. And you'll lose."

Orchid swallowed nervously, then took a deep breath, steeled herself, and slit the man's throat.

Rose's eyes widened. "What... Orchid?"

"What the hell was that?" Cinnamon stared at the corpse, then looked up at Orchid in disbelief.

Rose glanced at Lavender, who was frozen in shock, then turned back. "What did you just do?"

"Pruning."

Lavender finally unfroze. "What?"

"If a branch produces rotten fruit, you prune it. All that man produces is destruction and death. Rot. He was a stain on the world."

"That's not our call. That's for the courts to decide."

Lavender leaned on Cinnamon. "He wasn't a branch. He was a person. And you..."

"Stop it, all of you. I know you all voted for the death penalty."

"Through the legal system!"

"Where's the distinction, Rose? We killed all three of his teammates earlier. You emptied your shotgun into a man's chest."

Rose's jaw dropped in shock, but Lavender turned to their leader. "Cinnamon, what do we do? I don't want to turn her in."

Cinnamon was still staring at the body lying in a pool of blood next to them. "No. I'm with Orchid on this. The only thing that would result from his continued existence is more pain. He made his choice; you all heard him. The people he's working for are trying to break the world and he stood with them. Intentionally."

Orchid nodded. "This is only the beginning. It's not just this guy and his team. It won't just be Hunters and Mercenaries."

"You're talking about common criminals. Are you going to execute them, too?"

"Case by case. It depends on the choices they make. Their goals and intentions."

Cinnamon nodded. "Right. A thief doesn't deserve to die. A mass murderer or gang leader does. Anyone who intentionally lives by destroying or preying on others."

"Stop."

Cinnamon turned to Lavender and saw her tearing up. "I'm sorry. This was this too hard and fast, wasn't it?"

"Stop. What's your goal?"

"What?"

"You said case by case depending on goals and intentions. I need to know your goals. What are your intentions?"

Cinnamon and Orchid glanced at each other, then answered in unison. "Stop them from breaking the world."

Lavender wiped her eyes and hugged Cinnamon, then stepped backward and took a deep breath. "Either I pick the missions, or I walk away right now. You can still handle the combat tactics, but I don't trust you enough to kill on your command. You aren't forgiving enough to wield that kind of authority."

Rose blinked, then nodded. "I'm with Lavender. You said goals and intentions, right? She starts with love and forgiveness. You don't. I'm only staying if she's in charge."

Orchid nodded and faced Cinnamon alongside Lavender and Rose. "Sounds like a good compromise to me. I trust you as well, Lavender."

Cinnamon stared at Lavender for a few seconds, then broke into a grin. "That's not a compromise. I will follow you to the end of the world."

Lavender took a deep breath. "Then we need to get out of here." She glanced around the ruins of the laboratory. "There's nothing more for us here."

As they started the long walk back to where they left her SUV, Lavender texted her father about the work truck while Cinnamon checked local news for information. Lavender spoke first. "Dad says they've had a couple of vans stolen recently. Both were reported to the police. The plates on this one matched one of the thefts."

"There's some good news, at least."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything else is crap. Look at this; we're wanted for questioning about SILK and SLVR. We're freaking suspects now."

"How?"

"Ammunition type and style of injuries. Some experts are already weighing in."

"That's got to be fake; it's too early for the police to even ask those questions."

"It gets worse. Look. Hillside Media has been linked to the discovery of an illegal lab in the woods north of Myaria. They're trying to investigate the entire company."

"How is that possible?"

Orchid paused. "He said they're trying to break the world. They've been planning this for a long time; we're irrelevant. So were SILK and SILVR. Casualties in a war they didn't know existed."

"But we know. The question is, how are we going to fight it?"

Lavender stopped and faced the group. "Alone. Anyone tied to us goes down with us. Lark and Clay need medical attention; we can drop them at the logging camp. After that, we vanish. These guys have reporters and police in their pockets. They're probably already looking for us."

"Lavender, what..?"

"I'm not bringing down my dad's company. Or Beacon. I think I know how to proceed, but I've got to check a few things and run a few errands. Alone."

"Which means?"

"We split up. Ditch your phones, change your clothes, and get back to Velaria however you can. Under the radar. Meet at the farm from our first mission; they won't turn us in."

"Are you sure about this?"

"No. I'm scared out of my mind."

Cinnamon stepped forward to hug her. "I'm in."

Orchid and Rose nodded. "See you in Velaria."

Before parting, Cinnamon whispered into Lavender's ear. "To the end of the world."

"Don't ever leave me."

Lavender parked her SUV in an upscale neighborhood west of Myaria and sighed. This will work. Abandoned vehicle in a neighborhood like this will be reported immediately. And hopefully, returned to dad. Before she left, she wrote him a note and stuck it behind the visor. It doesn't really matter if the cops read it. As long as he does, too.

Dad:

They're going to say we did horrible things. We didn't. The man that created the laboratory was experimenting on monsters. Making them faster, smarter, and tougher. His creatures are the ones that attacked the logging camp. And the size of the lab indicates that we didn't kill them all. His hired mercenaries are the ones that murdered the other Hunter teams. We stopped them. But we couldn't stop him. And he said he wasn't working alone. He said he was just a servant.

They're going to say we were bad Hunters. We weren't. We never failed a mission. We consistently risked our lives for people. And when they couldn't afford to pay, we never made them. We always treated the client as more important than the job. How many Hunters can say that?

They're going to say that we're a threat. We are. But only to monsters, and to humans that act like them. Anyone that seeks control or destruction should fear us. Licensed or not, we're still Hunters. We won't stop helping people. We won't stop fighting.

I know you can't help us anymore. We appreciate everything you've done, but you need to cut all ties with us until we clear our names. Goodbye, hopefully, not for the last time. I love you.