《The Mutant Mercenary》


 Chapter 1 - I am Tamina of Gartaste

    ¡°HERE?! AGAIN? Why do they want this bunker so fucking bad? Did anyone do ANYTHING to even remotely piss them off?!¡± Shouted the general, who stood by the sealed door, which had been getting blasted constantly by powerful, heavy shots the previous few minutes.


    Everyone shook their heads or looked around in response to the general, who generally had a calm temper.


    An officer stormed into the room, pushing past some of the armed fighters. ¡°General Tempeshte, we have received a word of offer, backup from the South-East Gartaste bunker. Should we accept?¡±


    The general stared at the officer. ¡°Does it look like we have a fuckin- does it look like we have a choice?¡±


    ¡°Is that a yes?¡± Replied the officer.


    ¡°THAT IS A YES! NOW GET THAT BACKUP ON THEIR WAY!¡±


    ¡°Yes, general.¡±


    The officer made haste, leaving the room much faster than she had entered previously.


    ¡°Someday that idiot Croaker should get a S¡¯vorum''s education, I swear.¡± said the general, sounding rather annoyed at the officer. One or two fighters stifled a small laugh despite the tense situation.


    The door sounded like it was loosening with every shot now, as if it was about to pop off it¡¯s bolts with every next shot fired. All the fighters and their general were readying their weapons. Checking and double checking that they were ready for the hell that was about to unleash through the door.


    ¡°Are the other bolt-fire doors locked?¡± Asked the general.


    ¡°Yes, master Tempeshte.¡± Replied one fighter back in the crowd.


    ¡°Then are you all ready to sacrifice yourselves for your family, your friends? Are you ready to give up this life so your otherblood may live theirs?¡± A boastful roar came from the crowd.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°So that our resistance may not only continue their fight against our traitor blood, but also against the Vandals, who have decimated our planet and our family?!¡± Another roar emanated from the crowd.


    ¡°THEN WE WILL FIGHT, TODAY, FOR OUR LIVES, THAT EVEN IF WE MAY NOT SURVIVE, WE WILL LIVE ON IN MONBELLO¡¯S GLORY! IN THEIR LEGENDS, THEIR TALES OF HOW WE FOUGHT FOR OUR PLANET! FOR THE PEACE IN OUR BUNKERS, SO WE MAY ONE DAY RISE AGAINST THE VANDALS!¡± The roar grew even louder now.


    Conveniently, just as the general finished her speech, the door flew off, flying into a fighter,cripplinghis body instantly, rendering him lifeless. Blood splattering on the walls and a pool forming on the metal floor. Guts oozing from under the door. Some fighters looked on, completely distraught, almost traumatised, at the sudden death, while others shot blindly into the thickdust cloudthat had formed on the other side of the door, presumably from the powerful blasts.


    Screams formed from every corner of the room, from shock, from the warcries, the general shouting, leading the fighters through the door and down the hallway. Shooting aimlessly, before stopping after about half a minute of non-stop shooting.


    They realised, there was no resistance. No fight, seemingly no opposing forces. The fighters moved forward, advancing through the fog in complete silence. Almost as if the walls absorbed the sound of their every move. It seemed like whole minutes before the fog cleared up. But they finally got to examine the scene.


    About 40 men and women fighters, completely mutilated or decapitated. Spines ripped out clean, so many heads on the floor it was almost like a human ballpit. Blood covered almost every inch of the walls and floor. The scene was gruesome, most fighters either threw up or retreated back into their sacred bunker. But the general had seen worse.


    Although, the bodies aren''t what shook the general, it was the- person? Standing amongst them, most likely the perpetrator. It was almost as if they didn''t even care about the horrendous scene that occupied the space. They slowly turned towards the general.


    It seemed to be a young girl, a normal S''goran with the power mutation, as seen by the marks on her neck, unique to any person with the mutation. This took back the general as to how rare it was, especially in the post-war. She wore an unusual, green coat with a strange, brown, striped shirt. Her hair was plentiful, like a brown hedgehog, spiking to the right. Her weapon of choice seemed to be metal claws protruding from her a strange device on her hands, with a dagger sheathed by her side, and a sword of some sortsto her other side. Unsure of what to say, the girl finally piped up after total silence;


    "Hey, I am Tamina of Gartaste. I seemed to have solved your little infestation problem."

 Chapter 2 - Get me out of here

    Tamina took a towel down from the racks and dried herself down. The blood of the fallen traitor blood swirling down into the shower drain.


    She took her clean clothes from her locker, which was positioned outside the shower room, and got dressed, then headed out into the main lobby.


    The main lobby was fairly spacious. It was about the space of four White House buildings. The middle area was lowered down with stairs going in from all sides, and doors along the outside of the top of the stairs heading into other areas, most of them having heavy, sturdy doors to seal them off in case of emergencies. These were called bolt-fire doors. Beside these, there were merchants selling all they had. Food that was raw or stale for the most part, old clothes they most likely found on the deserted above on some poor lost soul, some would illegally sell weapons under the counter, and some sold souvenirs from their bunker. Mostly just small pieces of jewelery held together by thin pieces of string or torn cloths. Coin was still widely used, but practically everyone would trade for what you want, or different fighters would do favours for items. They could deliver messages to loved ones in other bunkers, or help out with a delinquent, or go out on missions above. It always varied.


    Word spread through the bunker about `the mutant girl who slayed our otherblood`. As Tamina walked through the lobby, heading to the general, a few heads turned. Pointing at her and mumbling. As she reached the other door, a determined voice spoke up from across the room.


    "YOU''RE A FUCKING MURDERER!"


    The room became hushed. Tamina turned towards the voice. It was a middle-aged woman, dressed head-to-toe in plastic relics, sporting a torn, black shirt and tan jeans, with no shoes or socks. She looked completely famished, almost as if she would collapse even trying to say a word to you. But no, this girl is the one who dared to speak out.


    "Excuse me?" Replied Tamina, almost confused about her remarks. She wasn''t used to being talked to like this.


    "YOU FUCKING HEARD ME! YOU KILLED TENS OF OUR OTHERBLOOD! YOU FREAK!" Screamed the woman, sounding like she was in sheer agony.


    "I killed traitor blood. And way more than just tens. If you''d have rather I let this family die to them, maybe we''re lucky you''re going to shrivel up any second." Tamina said calmly, sounding completely disgusted with the accusations made against her. The room was tense. A man sitting beside the woman was tugging at her sleeve, trying to tell her to stand down. "Did you even see what happened? Were you a fighter? Have you fought against traitor blood?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "N-No. But- But you''re still a kil-"


    "Then shut the fuck up."


    The General came into the room, and the other woman sat back down, defeated. She put her head down into her arms, being comforted by the man beside her.


    "What was that?" Asked Tempeshte


    "This girl thinks I killed innocent otherblood. I think she learned her lesson." Replied Tamina


    "Hmmm." The General glared at Tamina, slightly annoyed with her for fighting with her family. "Shall we head inside?" The General turned back to the door, heading into the room. It wasn''t as massive as the main lobby, but it was still spacious, and there was a long, narrow hallway leading in. Bits of technology hung off the walls and there was an island in the middle, with a hologram map of the above land. A control panel, or computers, and chairs were placed on the far side of the room, with a few Sensavorum and Vandal officers sitting at them. Another woman, and a man stood by the island. Sporting the same black and blue uniform that the General wore. Presumably, they were of the same rank.


    "Nice to meet you, Tamina. I am General Yikki." Said the woman, with a kind smile and a hand out to shake. Her grasp was fragile, and she was tiny. Tamina wondered how this girl could''ve even gotten to such a high rank as this. She seemed weak.


    "And I am General Xavikan." He had red, swirling marks on his face. He was a mutant. The general held out a hand to shake, only copying what Yikki was doing, but his grasp was much firmer, Tamina felt he could crush her with just his pinkie. "Nice to meet a mutant such as myself." He coughed up quickly, before being interrupted by General Tempeshte. He did not seem very socially adept.


    "We paid you for helping us already, but we want to give you another mission."


    "What is it?" Replied Tamina.


    "We have word of a special place that was preserved above ground. We would like to occupy it ourselves if the word is true. The main problem is it''s far north."


    "Where the traitor blood came from, right?"


    "Correct." Blurted Yikki.


    "So, what do you want me to do?" Asked Tamina, even though she knew where this was going.


    "We want you to escort our forces and a few of our workers there. You will do it, won''t you? We will pay you a very large reward in return." Tempeshte explained.


    "A very large reward and a chance to uncover a new land? Why the fuck wouldn''t I?" Xavikan seemed uncomfortable at Tamina''s pick of a swear word to throw in there. "Wow, he sure is sensitive." She told herself.


    Xavikan continued, "Just- please don''t get anyone killed. I don''t just mean our family."


    "What if I have to choose?"


    "Well- that- that''s different."


    "Yeah, yeah. Sure it is. Give me the plans and I''ll head out as soon as I''m ready." Tamina just wanted out of there. She didn''t like other people. And the Vandal officers sitting on the other side of the room just made her even more uncomfortable.

 Chapter 3 - Lets journey in peace

    The bunker''s heavy bolt-fire door slowly opened up into the wasteland above. Dunes of rubble, dirt and corpses of both family and enemy covered a lot of the surface. The air was thick, filled with chemicals and radiation, it looked like a blue and green fog enveloping the planet for as far as they could see, which was not much.


    Tamina climbed out of the bunker, in her regular clothes, while the group of ten otherblood followed her out in different suits to protect them from the heavily toxic surface.


    "It''s horrible, what happened. Nobody deserved this." Mumbled the first fighter who came out of the bunker.


    "I don''t give a shit, worked out for me." Tamina replied while still walking with everyone towards their destination. She made sure to look at the holo-watch every few minutes to make sure they were heading the right way.


    "You''re cold."


    "Well shit, the entire planet is fucked and I see hundreds of dead bodies on the daily, but hey, I''m still supposed to give a shit about the dead?"


    "You can still respect them."


    "And tell me, what''s the point in that? You''re all so sensitive, so primitive. Everyone''s so disconnected from what really happened, sitting in your boxes of comfort, clinging to your old morals. It doesn''t matter anymore, everyone''s dead."


    "I''m not saying you have to care, just respect them. You don''t have to be so cold."


    "Isn''t that the same thing? And if I wasn''t so ''cold'', I wouldn''t be so good at my damn job."


    "Whatever, it''s not like I can change your view-"


    Tamina interrupted. "Yeah, you can''t. So shut up."


    The fighter sighed. "I''m Tully."


    "I''m Tamina, but you know that."


    "I didn''t, actually. You''re quite unique, you know?"


    "Oh yeah? How''s that? Is it that I''m a mutant or that I like to kill for a living?"


    "No, no. It''s just that-"


    Tamina turned around, getting right into Tully''s face, cutting him off immediately. "IT''S JUST THAT WHAT? Just that I seem to be the only fucking one who actually gets what''s going on? That I don''t fucking care for any of you? I only do things for my own self interest, not any of you. If you died this instant, the only reason I''d care is because it''s my mission to keep you safe. So shut up and let me get on with my mission."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Tully got extremely flustered, his orange skin going yellow in the face. "I apologise. We- You''re right- we should get going."


    The nexthalf an hourwas half an hour of uncomfortable silence for Tully as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. They encountered five little beasts along the way, and had to take a few stops as some of the morally good couldn''t handle the countless bodies they stumbled into.


    They took another stop. Tamina started scouting the area, meanwhilst being fed up with the workers and fighters. "You''re all so weak, can''t even travel half a deon before you need to rest. Fighters my ass."


    "Oh yeh, and why''s it tha'' you can, missus?" Questioned one of theworkers.


    "Do ye not see the feckin marks on me neck?" She mocked him.


    "Aye, and what do it?"


    "Have you developed an ego or are you just that stupid?"


    "Just curious ma''am."


    "It''s a rare mutation. Unique power to anyone who gets it. In general, makes us more resilient. How come you haven''t heard of it?" She asked, geniunely curious inone of these workersfor once.


    "Eh, work takes most o'' me time. Fam is probably part a'' the bodies ''ere. I ain''t exactly got educated in anythin'' but I am skilled in me machinery."


    "Hmm." Tamina continued to scout the area, she thought she heard something in the distance. Like hooves, or an engine? She wasn''t sure.


    "Keep an eye out everyone."


    "I hear it too." replied Tully.


    "It''s soundin'' pretteh close, are we gonna be alright, miss?" asked the curious worker.


    "I''m sure it''ll be fin-" She stopped herself as she saw a blue light emanating from the fog. "We- we should hide."


    "Hide, you will not." Tamina turned so quick you could hear the air whooshing. A floating carriage halted behind the gang of workers. It had a blue light on all edges, and an engine on the bottom which helped it float. A bearded man, accompanied by two strong, female warriors hopped off it. "Give us yer'' fuckin'' loot or you''re gonna lose much more than that." His voice was rough, and deep. Sounded like he hadn''t had a drink of water in days. He had a belt of grenades and pouchesaround his waist and two swords sheathed on his back. He bore a metal chestplate but his legs were exposed with nothing but a pair of trousers covering them. He had a large gash acrosstwo of his blank, white eyes. Clearly a trait of a S''goran. His third eye was left untouched, though. The two henchwomen were buff, with generic, padded clothes with monotone colours. One of them had five, blank eyes while the other had two, deep black. They all seemed to be bald. Their skin were all a different hue of green or blue. They all seemed to have a bubble of clear air around them, and a device around their legs or waists.


    Another carriage stopped behind Tamina. Four more women stepped off it, almost identical to the other two with only their colour and their eyes being a huge difference.


    "I''m so glad you chose to attack us right now. I''m so... so thirsty." Breathed out Tamina.


    "What the fuck does that mean?" Said the man


    "It means- I''m going to slit your fucking throats and take your stupid land boats."


    "Take that egotistical bitches'' head! I want it on my wall."


    The women began to approach the group. Then Tamina grabbed her sword.

 Chapter 4 - Traitor blood

    "Watch out, girls, she''s a mutant witch!" Shouted the bearded man.


    Tamina was gripping the hilt of her sword when she felt a prick on the back of her neck. "Got your swords out already, I see. Fine. I give up."


    Tully burst out "Wh-What?! I''m not giving up now! We''ve hardly made it to th-"


    "Made it to where, little one? Where could you possbily be heading at this hour, with this many people?" The man questioned


    "None o'' yer fuckin'' business." Asserted the other worker.


    "Oh, it''s all my business now, you stinking Svorie. What? You gonna use your horrendous six arms to shut me up? Yeah, hardly." The man turned, then spun around and slammed the worker into the ground with his boot.


    "Load ''em up. They can''t fight for shit."


    Tully growled at him but Tamina kicked some dust towards him, nodding at him to reassure him. Tully went with his instinct and listened to Tamina. He calmed down, letting himself be taken.


    All the fighters and workers were loaded up onto the transports, including Tamina. They were stripped of their weapons and the holo-watch, which had been strapped to Tamina''s wrist, then the S''vorum henchwomen tied them up.


    Although they weren''t told where they were going, Tamina knew the wasteland all too well. The North bunker, those traitor blood.


    When they arrived, Tamina knew exactly what she was going to do. This was her plan. The transports stopped at the entrance, but before they could even shut off their carriages, Tamina disappeared. The traitors didn''t notice right away but the workers she was tied up with did. They exchanged looks, utterly confused as to what just happened.


    "Where the fuck did that bitch go?!" Shouted the man as soon as he looked back. "FIND HER AND BRING HER BACK TO ME!"This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    All of his companions scrambled together, trying to figure out what to do. Then, one of the man''s own swords went right through his throat. "Not if I find you first, dipshit." Tamina had re-appeared right behind the man, taking his swords. They had a leather grip, and a rigid, pointy edge. As she ripped out the blade from his throat, green blood flew everywhere. He lay in the mucky dirt, gurgling on his own blood, staining the ground beneath him.


    "That chestplate ain''t doin'' shit for you, buddy." Tamina said, gently laughing. Tully, although tied up, was surprised at this weird burst of emotion from this otherwise soulless warrior.


    The man''s companions were horrified, this was the man they served, now laying there, choking on his own blood. One of them ran at Tamina, but she disappeared again. The henchwoman crouched down to check on the man, who now lay there lifeless. Then she felt a burning sensation on her back.


    It was Tamina''s voice, "I was wondering where this thing had gone." A sudden rush of energy filled the companion''s body, filling her with an electric shock that began to burn her skin off and melting her insides. Her guts came up her throat and her padded clothes caught fire. She was holding a small, red baton with neon lights near the grip.


    Tamina turned around, the other henchwomen didn''t want to get burned up, and went for the bolt-fire door. She grabbed her dagger from a sack that was on the transport, and threw it over to the workers.


    "Unbind yourselves and man the other transport."


    Before the henchwomen reached the door, Tamina growled at them


    "Hold it. Drop anything you have from us."


    One of them dropped a bag of gold and the holo-watch, and stood still in fear as Tamina approached, with all the others already disappearing into the bunker. She picked up the bag of gold and threw something inside, then handed it to the henchwoman.


    "Take that for safekeeping."


    The henchwoman grabbed it and ran into the bunker. Tamina hopped onto one of the transports which were both being manned by workers. She gave the worker on the transport the holo-watch.


    "Go. Quick as you can, now."


    "Hold on, aren''t they just gonna get back up anyways?!" Tully screamed at Tamina, who was on the same transport, pacing around.


    "Nope. Just enjoy the fireworks." She smiled, sitting down on the edge.


    "What fireworks?"


    "These." She took out a small, plastic device with one big, red button on it. She pressed it and a giant roar came from behind them in the bunker. The bolt-fire door flew off so high into the air, the fog obscured it as a ball of fire came through the entrance.


    "Damn, I thought the explosion would be bigger." Said Tamina, completely nonchalant.

 Chapter 5 - Whats a prairie?

    "What- what the fuck even just happened? Th- You disappeared- and- that explosion? Where did you get that?" Tully was dazed and confused.


    "Relax. It''s my ability. I can go between worlds. This weird pocket dimension-type thing. Not sure where or what it is exactly but I sometimes store weapons there, too. I can only stay there for a small amount of time, though. It''s always random, I think, but under a minute and I can choose to leave. There''s a lot to it, and I would explain but I really don''t think it''ll matter to you, seeing as you''re just part of my mission."


    "Why did you even kill all those people?! They could''ve been innocent some of them! If you''d just gotten rid of the ones attacking us, we could''ve been fine!"


    "Could''ve been innocent, huh? And you''re willing to take that chance? If we''d just gotten rid of the ones attacking us, they would''ve kept coming, and not just during this mission, but after your family, and other families. And frankly, I was getting quite fed up with those stupid fucking traitors. They deserved it, even the ''innocent'' people who did nothing to stop them."


    "THEY HAD NOTHING TO STOP THEM WITH! IT WASN''T THEIR FAULT! YOU''RE FUCKED UP! YOU''RE A MONSTER!" He shouted at her from behind her back, then went to the other end of the carriage and sat down, taking his breath. "I''m sorry-"


    "No you''re not."


    "Yes I am. I''m sorry. You''re not a monster. You still have feelings. I saw you back there, smiling. Even if it was for something slightly gruesome. You''re not a monster."


    "Then what am I?" She scoffed


    "You''re family. Maybe not mine, but you''re still otherblood."


    "Yeesh, you''re sappy. Can''t wait to drop you off"


    "So you can go back to pretending you''re emotionless?"


    "Precisely."


    "You don''t have to do that, you know?"


    "Do what?"


    "Pretending you don''t care."


    "I''m not pretending. I told you before, I''ve seen hundreds of dead bodies on the daily, I''ve got nothing or no one to care for, people like to use me, and I use people for what we want. I really just do not care anymore."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I believe you still do."


    "I don''t give a shit about what you believe. It''s like saying the fucking moons don''t exist. It goes against what''s fact."


    "Nah."


    "Nah?"


    "Just nah."


    "Alright, shut up, idiot."


    Tully laughed


    "What? What is it?"


    "Nothing, just thought it was funny."


    "How''s that funny?"


    "Don''t worry about it."


    "You''re all so fucking weird. Not just you, but society. Fucking constructs and shit, you gotta abide by unwritten rules and go along with people''s morals and all that stupid crap. I can see how people go fucking mad."


    "Well, once you''re in it, it''s not so bad."


    "That''s what you think, I''m not like you."


    "Well, yeah, but-"


    The worker who was driving the vehicle suddenly dropped, stopping the vehicle, and the other one stopping just inches behind. Tamina dived over and caught him before he hit the ground. He seemed to be sweating, his face going from his natural bright blue to a pale green.


    "What''s happening to him?" Exclaimed Tully "Also why am I always getting cut off?" He thought to himself


    "I''m not sure. I think he''s probably been bit by a corpse critter. Check his ankles."


    Tully took off the worker''s suit and looked on his right leg, then his left, and sure enough, a small bite, and a small, red bulge in the same place, with deep red veins racing up towards his heart.


    "Okay, fuck. We need an experienced doctor. It''s gone far already." Tamina said, panicking slightly. She didn''t want to fail this mission.


    A worker stepped forward "I''m a doctor." She stood in place, examining from afar. "But that bite looks really, really bad. I don''t think I can cure him, especially with my current tools, but-" She reached into her bag and took out a small aid kit. She hopped over and kneeled beside the collapsed worker, beginning to aid the bite in what ways she could. "This shouldn''t really help in a major way, but it''ll slow the infection for a little bit. We need another doctor, or better resources, immediately." She seemed to have injected something into the worker''s side, and put a small, white strip above where the infection hadn''t yet spread.


    "Shit." Tamina took the holo-watch off the worker''s arm and searched for the nearest bunker. "The closest bunker is way too far now. The closest thing we''re to is the mission. The doctor immediatelyshot up.


    "We should go there." She said


    "Are you sure? Will we be able to help him?" Tamina asked, while putting the suit back onto the worker.


    "Yes. We just need to hurry." The doctor snatched the holo-watch off Tamina and got on the wheel. "Hold on tight."


    The vehicle zoomed off, almost twice the speed it was before.


    "This doesn''t feel safe" Tamina thought to herself.


    The other carriage followed suit. They didn''t have the holo-watch either, so they didn''t have a choice. The driver seemed confused and worried.


    After about 15 more minutes of this,they arrived. And everyone,except the bitten worker, was fine.


    "Here she is. The prairie." The doctor said, stopping the vehicle right behind what seemed to be a giant, blue forcefield.


    "The fuck is a prairie?" Tamina asked, right before looking up. Her eyes widened. It was beautiful.

 Chapter 6 - The whole world goes blind

    Beyond the forcefield lay a strange prairie. Grey grass, stretched long fields as far as the eye could take you. A fair few trees and other strange plants and assortment of flowers spread throughout the distance, moss and shrooms lay in the shade of the strange, young trees, which also had grey leaves. Although a sparse few animals, there were some small creatures lurking in the trees, and a farm animal or two grazed in the distance. But, in the middle of this beauty, was a huge, metal block with large and small pipes and poles stretching sky high. There seemed to be slits along the top of the metal block and some different few neon lights covering the outside.


    Everyone was shocked by the revelation. The workers were told on a more detailed level of what they were to expect, but never anything like this.


    Tully hopped off and walked forward, while everyone watched on. His hand reached for the forcefield. As soon as he touched it, electricity sprung up his arm, shocking him. He yelped in pain and jumped backwards. The doctor ran over to him, checking for any damage. There was a burn on his hand. They both looked at each other in shock. All of a sudden, voice rung out from within the praire, and red lights radiated from the cube in the middle.


    "You are not authorised to be in this area. You will be extracted for interrigation immediately. Please stay where you are." All the workers looked around. Confusion spread amongst them all.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Tully looked up at Tamina with a look of hopelessness, his face turning yellow like it had done earlier. "It''s them, the Vandals. They''ve come back."


    "It''s true." A worker said, "I''ve studied this technology myself. That forcefield ain''t nothin'' like ours.


    "And this." The doctor held up Tully''s hand, there was a mark burned onto his hand. The symbol the vandals used for their flags. A simple dash with two circles on top, and one on the bottom. Although, it usually had a larger array of colours, but you can only do so much with burnt, orange skin.


    "W-What do we do?" Exclaimed one of the workers, although most of them sat around hopelessly.


    "I''m not sure." Tamina looked around, she was fresh out of ideas. "We can try to run, or let ourselves get taken. And considering the technology they have, I don''t think we have a choice. Well, you don''t." She looked towards Tully, and he looked back, scared and confused. "I''ll be back. I swear." There was a kind of sadness to her voice. Then, she disappeared, with a clang on the floor. One of the badges she kept on her coat stayed. Tully stumbled over, picking it up and holding it close. "You better."


    "Tully, look!" Shouted the doctor.


    He turned quickly, and saw Tamina running through the praire and towards the metal box. Her power! She must''ve used it to get to the other side. But off in the distance, Tully saw a shuttle heading for them. A Vandal shuttle. Their symbol painted on all sides of it. Tully stared longingly towards Tamina. Watching her while waiting to be taken away.

 Chapter 7 - More to it

    Clang CLANG Clang CLANG


    Now crouching down through the grass, the closer Tamina got to the box, the better she heard the heavy, metallic sounds coming from it. Not wanting to look behind her, knowing they were all being taken right now, she felt slightly ashamed.


    "I can''t do anything, it''s not my fault." She said, trying to rationalise her feelings. ¡°I am so not getting paid.¡±


    Once Tamina reached the walls of the box, she placed her hand on it. The metal was warm and there was vibrations all through it. Although the type of metal was unknown to Tamina, it just looked like a generic, grey metal. Through the slits at the top, there were some really vague voices, but the loud booms and clangs of machinery mostly overpowered them.


    She searched the entire perimeter of the box, there no visible entryway. Thinking about it, Tamina realised she hadn¡¯t even seen anyone outside the box. Guess they felt the forcefield was protection enough. But who wouldn¡¯t want to see this beautiful scenery? Aside from corporate overlords.


    She looked off at the animals in the distance. ¡°I could continue my journey- or I could eat. It¡¯s a really tough decision. Self care or people I generally don¡¯t care about? Hmmm-¡±


    It was a calm night. Tamina had decided to venture far from the box so she could enjoy her meal without the pleasant sound of someone trying to pound metal into the core of the planet or some shit. And, thankfully, the forcefield deflected the biweekly dose of acid rain.


    She just needed to restbefore continuing, ¡°it¡¯s been a long few days¡±, she told herself. Trying to take her mind off the workers desperately needing her help. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, they can protect themselves.¡± Drifting off in the flowers, beating of metal far in the distance, those were her final thoughts.


    Waking up, she heard a sharp singing from above. Panicked, she sprung up, taking out her dagger- looking all around her, but didn¡¯t see anyone and slowly lowered the weapon. What is that? She looked up and it was, uhhh, a bird? ¡°Those little weirdos are actually real?¡± Tamina never got to see a proper bird. On the occasion she saw a mutated vulture with tumours everywhere, but never a pretty bird. ¡°You scare me again and I¡¯ll- well- no- you¡¯re too nice to kill... I¡¯m talking to a fucking bird. Ugh.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Tamina looked ahead of her again at the box. ¡°No better place to start.¡± She dragged her feet through the grass, hadn¡¯t felt a good morning like this in a while, if ever. She approached the box, still with no entrance. There was only one way Tamina thought to progress. Using her powers, appearing inside.


    The noise of machinery seemed lessend when inside, which really made no sense but at least you could hear yourself, or others if you bother socialising.


    There were pipes coming up and sideways from more hunks of metal, there also seemed to be clockwork gears in some places mixed with modern tech like wires and screens displaying some funky sci-fi hieroglyphs. There was a huge fan on the west side wall which wasn¡¯t even connected to anything and wasn¡¯t moving, and this whole place just didn¡¯t make sense. But, what was most interesting was probably the source of all the vibrations and steaming heat. A big hole in the middle of the place going deep down into the void, and a drill-like object.


    Tamina had appeared behind a pipe on the ground, and she made sure to keep low, spotting two croakers speaking on a walkway ahead. ¡°It¡¯s really them. They¡¯re back, even after destroying the planet and killing billions. They came back for more. Greedy assholes...¡±


    Tamina listened in on the conversation ¡°What you reckon she thinkin¡¯?¡± Said the first one,


    ¡±No clue, mate.¡± Replied number two.


    ¡±Probably thinkin¡¯ she won¡¯t get caught sneaking around like that.¡±


    ¡±Probably, dude.¡±


    ¡±Should we talk to ¡®er about it?¡±


    ¡±If you want, man.¡±


    ¡°Well I ain¡¯t doin¡¯ it myself. Ya in?¡±


    ¡±Sure, pal.¡±


    ¡±Alright, well-¡° The first one turned to Tamina. ¡°You are so very garbage at that whole thing. You don¡¯t even fit behind that pipe for fucks sake!¡± He looked a bit crooked, like he¡¯s done some really rad herbs for half his life. His expression was full of excitement.


    ¡°Yeah, like, so garbage.¡± Said the second one as he slowly turned to her, expressionless.


    A cold blade wrapped around her neck. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m getting the promotion here, fellas.¡± Said a third one.


    The first one screamed up in a high pitch, ¡±OI! NO YOU FUCKIN¡¯ AIN¡¯T, PRICK!!!¡± He took out a handmade knife from his half-torn pants, or shorts at this point.


    But without a second thought, Tamina slowly reached behind her and slid her hands into her claws, shredding the third¡¯s fingers off two of his hands, then cutting off his other two arms entirely, but before he could even process it, she spun around and shoved her claws through two of his eyes. He dropped dead.


    ¡±What in the fuck?¡± Said the first one, ¡°I¡¯m still gettin¡¯ that promotion.¡± He tried to jump over the railing on the walkway, but landed on a pipe, slipping and hitting his head on a different pipe, knocking him out cold.


    The second one scratched his neck. ¡°Uhhh, lunch is in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡±That¡¯s ten minutes to answer my questions.¡± Replied Tamina


    ¡±Yeah, dude! Exactly my thoughts.¡± He finger gunned with all four of his hands.


    ¡±Oh boy.¡±