Rapidity

By Michael Miller

As they sat and ate, something changed. A mist rolled in around them, but they were too busy to notice until it enveloped the ground they sat on. All three of them were up and on their feet, weapons drawn and ready.

Billy clung to Cestice’s sleeve, his eyes wide with fear, “Do you think… it’s him…?”

Cestice gripped her pistol so hard her hand shook, and then she fired off a shot into the mist, “Show yourself, damnit!” she fired again, “Heretic!” And again, “Monster!” And again, “Murderer!”

A figure rose out of the mist, and Cestice fired her pistol at it. The bullet sailed through the figure and hit the ground beneath it. As the thing rose up, the four felt their hearts stop for a moment. The thing moaned with its twisted mouth and grasped at them with limbs that dripped liquid darkness. Another on rose out of the ground beside it, and then another.

Billy shook his head and then turned and sprinted towards the city, bad ankle and all. Cestice glanced at Billy and then ran along side him and hooked an arm under his. Orion was not far behind, but as they ran the horrible ghost creatures followed. The barren outskirts were within reach, but the ghosts got nearer and nearer with each moment, and their claws grasped and clenched as if they could already feel their prey within reach.

“Open the gates!” Orion screamed as they left the cityscape and came into the clearing. “Enemies are on our tails, get the gates open!”

The gates creaked and the guards rushed out. Paul himself shouted orders and got his men to fan out, and he fired the first shout at the ghosts. The bullet pass right through the ghost.

Paul yelled to his men, “They’re wraiths! Payne’s armies are marching! There is nothing we can do here, retreat back to the city!”

The gate guards stopped, then turned around and rushed back towards the gate. Orion glanced over his shoulder as he ran and saw something he had not expected: a woman, garbed all in white, rushed across the clearing, with a hefty blade in one hand and a shield in the other. Orion tripped and fell, and tumbled across the ground. As he turned over, one of the wraiths lunged down at him, and all he could do was put up his arms and scream.

The hooded figure lunged forward and shouted something in celestial, and her blade erupted with the purest light. The wraith cringed at the sound and spun around just in time to catch the shining blade in mid chest. The creature cried out in pain and dissipated, melting away like fog in the morning sun. Immediately, the other wraiths turned and glared at the towering woman.

Sure enough, the mindless creatures rushed at her, and the woman held her ground in spite of their shrieks and howls. When the first one reached her, she gave a great sweeping slice through it, cutting it in half. As the second one lunged at her, the woman simply brought her blade down in one stroke, cutting most of the way down the phantom and destroying it.

She sheathed her sword again and leaned down to offer a hand to Orion. The young man hesitated, but then took her hand and let himself be helped up, then took a step back.

Billy and Cestice came up alongside Orion and stared up at the imposing figure.

Billy moved forward a little, “Who are you? Why did you save us…? And how did you kill those things?”

The woman smiled, “I am Spite, and I came to your aid because you were in need of it. I killed the wraiths by using a sanctification ritual on my blade.”

Cestice reached forward and shook Spite’s hand, “Well thank you. That was an incredible thing to do.”

Billy smirked, “It was. I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you.”

A shot rang out from behind them and a bullet flew past Spite’s face, and all of them jumped. Paul had come back out with the gate guards and they were all surrounding the group, weapons pointed at the unknown person. Paul had taken a warning shot and leveled his gun again.

A sick smile cross his face, “I don’t know why you came stranger, but we have operating procedure here that we have to follow. Either leave, or surrender your weapons to us and prepare to be taken into the city.”

Orion stepped forward and started to walk towards Paul, “Stand down, Redempionist Paul. She is a kind soul and means us no harm.”

Paul pointed his gun at Orion, who stopped, “I don’t think so, Orion. This woman came from the cityscape, so there’s no telling who she is or what kind of threat she might represent to this city.”

Orion gritted his teeth, “I said stand down, Paul. The orders would have come through by now, so you know full well that I am Orion Arghast, Master Redemptionist, and that I outrank you by three degrees. I am not asking you, I am ordering you to stand down!”

Spite took a step forward, “it’s alright, Orion, I will go with them quietly. I don’t wish to make a scene or cause any trouble here.”

She removed her sheathed sword from her side and gave it and her shield to the first guard who had approached her, then let them take her arms and begin to lead her.

“Remove her hood, men. I want to see the face of this woman before we let her in.”

Spite’s posture stiffened, “I wouldn’t advise that. You might not like what you see.”

Paul sneered, “All the more reason. You there! Remove her hood.”

As the hood was pulled back, all the guards took a step back, Billy covered his mouth, and Cestice and Orion both winced. A part of Spite’s face was different, and was not human. Her left eye and above it was torn away, and everyone could see metal and machinery beneath it; robotics of the highest quality. Spite shut her eyes.

Paul leveled his gun again, “Soulless monster! I’ll kill you!”

The shot rang out, and everyone turned to see Billy put himself between Paul and Spite, and caught the bullet in his shoulder. The young cat boy jerked and fell down, and then began to shiver as blood soaked through his sweater and dribbled on the ground. Cestice knelt beside Billy and tried to tend to his wound.

Orion pulled his glaive from his back and rushed the rest of the way to Paul. Paul barely had enough time to move out of the way as Orion swung his glaive around, and before he could counter Orion vaulted with the pole arm and knocked Paul off his feet. No sooner had Paul hit the ground than Orion had jumped on top of him and punched him in the face. The other guards moved away from the android and pulled out their weapons again as they approached Orion and Paul.

Three shots rang out, two flying just barely past the guards and the third Orion. All of then stopped and turned around to see Cestice still knelt at Billy’s side with her gun trained.

The young technomancer took one of Billy’s hands and squeezed it, but didn’t let any of the others out of her sight, “All of you, that’s enough! Orion, get off of Paul and help me out here! Two of you guards go get the medical facility ready for a heavily wounded patient and two others who are injured; the rest of you back to your post! And Paul… if you so much as look at me wrong ever again, I’ll put a bullet between your eyes faster than you can blink. Let’s go people!”