Dust Demons

I hope you've been enjoying the story so far and will hopefully enjoy this chapter. As I've been posting it on pretty much every story I've updated so far I have more time to update atm as I have broken my rib which sucks. But anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter and I will try and update soon. As always I don't own anything other than my characters .

The vehicle crashed through the desert dunes like a rhino, every dune that was obliterated by the huge metal ram at the front of the vehicle showered the occupants with sand and dust. As they continued to rip through the desert the dust flew off their bodies tearing through their clothes but Sig didn't seem like he cared about the sand. The massive suspension springs holding the vehicle recoiled at every bump and crash.

The sand splashed up the sides of the vehicle, Ortz looked over to Panacea who was sat in Sig's shadow. The roar of the huge engine masked everything that was happening around them and every time the vehicle went up a dune the engine revved massively, bellowing across the barren landscape.

A small rock feature came into view on the horizon, "What's that?" Ortz shouted over to Sig who had was still steering the huge vehicle towards the rocks.

"It's called Dushara," Sig replied as the next dune came up right infront of the vehicle, "Hold on!" He shouted as the vehicle smashed into the dune like a ship crashing into waves. The sand was thrown straight up over the occupants.

Ortz dusted himself off as they belted towards the rocks, "What is Dushara?" he asked as they bounced over another dune.

"Dushara was the mountain god in the ancient tongue, that's his temple," Sig told him as the vehicle bounced up yet another dune, Sig tossed Ortz a rifle with some kind of scope on the top, "Scan the horizon and tell me if you see anything!" Sig told him as he revved the engine trying to get the vehicle over the next dune.

Ortz peered into the scope but the vehicles bouncing threw his aim off target, as they came over a crest on the top of a dune he was given a brief second to scan the horizon, "Nothing in scope," He told Sig as they crashed to the dip in between the dunes, as they came over the next dune Ortz took aim again, "Hang on, I can see some vehicles over by Dushara," he told Sig as they dipped again.

"What kind of vehicles?" Sig asked as they came up again.

"Like this one, only they have old turrets mounted on them, they have some kind of tattered flag on their rear," Ortz replied as he hunkered down for the next impact.

"I'm gonna park up and we can take a look," Sig told the two of them as he killed the throttle and pulled the immense vehicle up inside one of the dips in the dune. "Get off we don't have long the desert will swallow us alive if we don't get there soon," he told Ortz and Panacea as they dismounted the vehicle falling the nearly two metres to the sand below.

As Ortz clambered up in the hot sand, it was so hot his hands felt like they were scorching but he eventually found his feet but started sinking fast. Panacea was helped to her feet by Sig, he then noticed that within seconds the two of them were almost knee deep in scorching sand, he climbed up onto the vehicle and pulled two sets of boots off the top, "Put those on, they'll stop you sinking," He told them as he jumped down, he was also wearing a pair of the boots making his feet look like elephants feet. Ortz and Panacea placed the boots over their walking boots and started to walk up the dune with Sig.

"It's hot," Panacea pointed out as they reached the crest.

"Pull your scarf up it and put your hood on it will keep Naʽāmāt off you," Sig told her as he laid down and took the rifle from Ortz. Ortz pulled his cloak up and felt the shade cool his head down instantly. "Shit!" Sig whispered as he peered down the rifle scope towards Dushara.

"What?" Panacea asked him as she squinted to try and see what he was looking at.

"Marauders," Sig told them simply as he continued to look down the scope.

"Can't we just kill them?" Ortz asked as Sig zeroed the scope.

"The marauders in the desert are a bit more violent than the underground or street mobs that you faced in the guard," Sig told him shocking Ortz that someone outside of the circle that he had told knew that he was ex KG.

"How do you know that?" Ortz asked sounding worried.

"I work for Krew, I have to know the dirt on everyone," Sig replied chuckling to himself.

"Now, now boys, why do we need to get in there?" Panacea asked Sig as he continued to dial in on the rocks.

"Well there's an old eco mine in there which Krew wants to try and get up and running again to sell it to the Baron," Sig told them sounding rather uninterested in the plan.

"Now, how?" Panacea then asked Sig as he clicked his rifle off safe.

"Well there's a cave entrance just to the south of the mountain which we are going to try and go through quietly, hopefully we don't attract too much attention," Sig said sarcastically, "But if we do then we go loud until we clear the well," He continued as he tracked a target, "then we'll radio Krew and wait for his 'advance' team," He finished as he placed his finger on the trigger.

"What happened to quiet?" Ortz asked as he looked at Sig who was ready to pull the trigger.

"I just wanted to get my sights in," He replied chuckling.

"Well let's just get in close shall we," Panacea suggested as the two men glared at each other. The small group made their way back to the vehicle which was starting to become engulfed by the sand but when Sig turned over the things engine, the sand dispersed from the wheels and the vehicle lurched forward. Sig tried to keep the engine noise to a minimum as the group made a slow accent towards the mountain. The vehicle kept inbetween the dunes to avoid being spotted by the marauders. As they got to the rear tunnel the engine was killed and the vehicle had a tan coloured dust cover placed over it.

Sig passed an old style blowback rifle to Ortz and a small SMG to Panacea whilst he held the rifle, Ortz brass checked the rifle and looked down the sights.

"Let's do this," Ortz told Sig, as Sig started to walk into the tunnel with a flashlight pointed into the blackness. As they walked in single file behind the light, the walls were coated by a thick slime and the floor of the cave had some kind of grease covering it.

"Watch your step," Sig whispered as the team made their way deeper into the cave. The cave had some movement on the ceiling as they walked deeper, the scratching of claws could be heard through the cave, but every time the light was shined in the direction the light was coming from there was nothing.

"Keep your guns up," Ortz told the group as they made their push into a large atrium which had large pools of what Ortz assumed to be eco. As they walked forward the body of a man who had died a while ago he was badly rotted, his face mask had a scratch going right across it but it had eco spewing out of the eye holes.

"Stay clear of the eco, it will do that too you," Sig told them as they walked through the darkness. A shadow darted across the light.

"What the fuck was that?" Panacea screamed.

"A Manta," Sig said calmly as he sparked up a flare illuminating the room in a dim red.

"And we're in their fucking nest!" Ortz said as he turned around looking at the creatures climbing all over the walls of the atrium. One of the Manta's looked at the team and tilted its head to one side before flying off the wall flapping its wings, causing Panacea to scream.

"Calm down, they fear the light," Sig told her as he patted her on the shoulder. She stopped shaking as she stepped behind Sig and the Manta's began seeping back into their holes and warrens in the walls. When the room was clear they proceeded forward into the tunnel, the eco was still seeping from the walls. "We're nearly there," Sig told them as he turned off the flashlight.

"How do you know?" Ortz asked Sig as he tried to tightened up on Sig.

"Hear that?" Sig replied quietly as the group fell silent, eventually the distant sounds of people speaking could be heard.

"Marauders?" Ortz whispered and Sig nodded in response. They both raised their weapons and spread nearly to the walls of the cave, Ortz caught his shoulder on the wall covering it in eco, "Fuck that's hot!" he said sounding far too calm for how hot it was.

"It will be, it's come up from the depths of the planet," Sig whispered to him as they entered a large illuminated area. The wooden torches mounted on the walls illuminated a small area just below them but it was enough to illuminate the room. Ortz walked over to the far side of the room and peered down the corridor where the voices could still be heard. "That's it," Sig told them as he looked at the pump which was where the eco well had once been.

"Good, what now?" Panacea asked as she covered the area where they had come from.

Sig pulled out a large radio along with a small brass object which he clicked and then threw on the ground, "Krew, we've found it," Sig spoke calmly into the radio. The radio eventually screeched into life echoing through the tunnels, "Ah fuck!" Sig said to himself. The marauders voices fell silent and scampering could be heard in the distance.

"I've got no movement!" Ortz told them as he looked down the sights of his rifle towards the tunnel where the marauders voices were coming from. The silence lasted about a minute, a shadow entered Ortz view they were clad in makeshift armour but he couldn't see for sure, "I have movement!" Ortz shouted as he locked onto the corner. He waited for the marauder to show himself as the marauder placed his leg around the corner Ortz fired three shots into it shattering the marauders armour and then his leg. He collapsed on the floor and then Ortz put two more shots into his chest killing him. But just as one died the next came charging around the corner clutching an axe made out of pipe with a saw blade at the top the man lunged for Ortz but he was gunned down by an automatic volley from Panacea. She trembled as the gun came to rest on her hip but then she walked over to the marauder and kicked his axe from him.

"You okay?" She asked Ortz as he aimed his rifle back down the cave and tried to find targets.

"I'm fine," He told her but just as he did another marauder came around the corner clad in heavy armour clutching an old style heavy machine gun, the rounds belted from the gun but when Ortz and Panacea tried to fire their rounds couldn't even pierce the armour. Sig raised his rifle and fired two shots into the heavy armoured marauders head, each round exploded into a shower of molten metal ripped into the marauders helmet but it didn't stop them firing. The face shield on the front of their helmet was smashed and their face was badly burnt but they kept advancing. Ortz fired into the gap in the helmet but didn't actually leave a mark on the helmet. "It's too thick!" Ortz shouted to Sig who was almost engulfed in a hail of bullets but he took aim with the rifle again and fired into the helmet which caused the whole thing to erupt from the back, with molten copper being flung across the cave entrance.

"Panacea, grab that MG," Sig ordered as he continued to aim the rifle into the tunnel, as Panacea tried to scoop up the MG but she couldn't so Ortz passed her his rifle and picked up the MG which he then sat on his hip and aimed it towards where all the marauders had come from.

"What do you want here?!" A female voice shouted into the cave from where the marauders could be heard clacking their weapons.

"We are scouts!" Sig replied as he kept his gun up.

"For Praxis?" The woman shot back sounding scorned by the words.

"No, for Krew," Sig told her as Ortz charged the MG.

"Lower your weapons then," She requested calmly.

"Have you dropped yours?" Sig asked back.

"Yes!"

"Okay," Sig replied as he lowered the rifle and placed it on the floor, "You two abandon your guns," He then ordered to Ortz and Panacea who did as he said. "We've dropped our weapons!" Sig told the woman.

"Okay, I'm coming in," She replied as footsteps were heard in the cave and eventually a woman clad in similar armour to the first man but she had very little on her upper body, just a dust covered sleeveless shirt which had a bullet hole in the upper left side, but it only had dried blood on it which meant she hadn't been hit in crossfire.

"So who are you?" Sig asked as he kept one eye on the rifle on the floor.

"Seer Valetta Forsien," The woman replied as she walked into the well room showing her face. She had a scar running the length of her face through her left eye, her blue hair had a purple streak running down it and the eye that was scarred had a metal patch over it which looked like it had been bolted to her face.

"I'm Sig, that's Panacea and Ortz," Sig told her as he took a step forward.

Valetta looked over to Ortz who was stood next to Panacea, "So you are the one who killed my men?" She asked him as she took a step towards him, he couldn't respond as she started speaking again, "You have the aura to you, but what of?" She questioned as she shoved Panacea out of the way and placed her hand on Ortz chest, she kept her right side facing him which was fair attractive until she faced him revealing the metal clamped eye piece, the eye piece had a blue glow from within which glinted towards Ortz like a laser he was mesmerised by it.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter it is kind of long for one of mine but I just couldn't stop writing but I hope it's worked out fine anyway please feel free to review and tell me what you thought, how I can improve and where you think I could take the story. But until next time…. PEACE!