《Reanima: A World Reborn》 A Strange Little Jackalope A bird sat on a straggly beech tree growing out of a pile of shattered concrete, gazed over the countryside wastes, and cleaned itself with its second head. On the trail into a small village was a lone wanderer wearing a puffy jacket, shorts that exposed furred rabbit feet she skipped on with great strength. She was happy, uncaring of the desolation around her. She listened out with two big rabbit ears placed behind two small deer horns. Birds, swaying branches, and the sound of humming. As she got closer to the village, the humming grew louder and she picked out two distinct voices, one singing low and consistent and the other adding words. ¡°So we move on to,¡± it sang, ¡°another time without us. Human yet transformed.¡± She rounded the corner of the path where it narrowed from the bulging overgrowth of shrubs arching over into a form of tunnel. The lone jackalope wanderer peered around until she saw the two singers on a bench through the arch. Both of them wore overalls and had the heads of meerkats with blue eyes. The smaller and younger of the two had reptilian talons on his fingers which he pointed to the wanderer. ¡°Stranger,¡± he said, his soft singer¡¯s voice growing fearful. He was young, likely a teen. The older man stood up to support him. ¡°Woah, no harm meant,¡± said the wanderer. ¡°My name is Mori, I heard rumours there was an old person in these parts. It took me ages just to find your village.¡± The older meerkat man stepped forward, thrusting his chin forward. ¡°I am old, what of it?¡± He was gruff, and Mori noticed the handle of a knife tucked into his boot. ¡°You know what I mean,¡± she said. ¡°Old. As in, born before the Great Deviation. I heard she actually lived during that time.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Mori whipped out a piece of paper from her coat pocket and shook it like it was a tasty carrot. ¡°Manu City is paying a lot of money for anyone with lived experience of the past. And I mean a lot, hundreds of stamps worth.¡± The younger of the pair whistled. In his fingers, the boy played with a piece of wood he clawed down with his talons. The older one scratched his chin. ¡°And if she can¡¯t move to the city?¡± he asked. ¡°So there is someone?¡± said Mori. She stepped closer and handed the paper to the old man. ¡°Honestly, I was just guessing when I walked this way so I¡¯m glad I found the right place. And if she can¡¯t move, the historians will come this way with supplies, fix the roads, and trade stuff. Do you have solar panels or wind turbines?¡± ¡°You mean sun panels and wind spinners?¡± ¡°Yeah, those.¡± ¡°A couple sun panels¡­ but we could use more.¡± Mori smiled and patted the man¡¯s shoulder. He was a head taller. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, even without the old lady.¡± She flashed a badge on her coat: a helmet with a bee in the background. The two meerkats gasped. ¡°A Manu Knight,¡± said the younger. ¡°This way,¡± said the older man, bowing. *** It was a small village set in a clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees with overhanging branches to hide it from above. Mori counted over a dozen huts, and guessed a population of fifty at best. She knew they would be vulnerable to exploitation if the wrong person arrived. The older meerkat, Luke, apologised if the denizens were hidden away. ¡°Our well is blocked, and we need to walk miles to the only clean river we know about to get water. It¡¯s not even that clean, but we do have an electrical kettle to distil it.¡± ¡°A single kettle?¡± ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re scavenging for iron to boil with wood fires,¡± he said. He pointed to the edge of the clearing. ¡°This is her house ahead.¡° Covered by the trees was an old house made of red bricks and cement, though tree roots pierced through the cracks. The windows were either smashed clean apart or boarded up. The rest was a mix of old foundations with new wood. Mori walked up clean wood steps to a ragged doormat, admired the polished door knocker but one knock took the door off a hinge and it swayed in crooked. An object flew out the window, one with arms and legs. A classic-faced kid (no horns or hooves or animal features, he looked like a proto-human) levitated a few feet off the ground and shouted at her. ¡°Please, my grandma, help her!¡± Mori rushed in, ignoring the world of memorabilia adorning the walls and found a woman so wrinkled she might have been made of tree bark. She coughed thick flem and wheezed. ¡°What happened?¡± said Mori. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± cried the kid. Luke was running around the house, opened a door to the kitchen and came back out empty-handed, shaking his head. Mori noted the cracked lips on the old lady. ¡°How limited is your water?¡± ¡°Badly,¡± said Luke. ¡°She said she didn¡¯t need it,¡± cried the kid, ¡°she said the git in the well would be gone by now.¡± Mori frowned at the meerkat man. ¡°Why is your well really blocked?¡± she asked. The man sighed and shouted to his son to fetch some water for old McGoby who Mori presumed to be the dying lady next to her. He told the young kid to stay by her side and call out if they needed anything, then he led Mori out the door. They walked on the edge of the village clearing until he brought Mori to an arch much like the entrance. Luke stopped and gestured her down a path that grew darker as the branches grew denser. ¡°Is that toward the well?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s in it? The kid mentioned a ¡®git in the well.¡¯¡± She crossed her arms and leaned against a tree. ¡°Seems a bit mean. Maybe it¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s not, and you said you¡¯re a Manu Knight, which means you have to help us.¡± ¡°Only if you tell me what¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m not jumping into a well to find out you have otters spitting lava in there.¡± She shivered at the memory. ¡°It was¡­¡± said Luke. He paused, considered his words, then continued. ¡°A month ago a bloated fellow lumbered into our village. He seemed nice enough. His skin was blue and glowed in the night. All his freckles or blemishes shone like old pictures of pre-Deviant cities. But one day he asked about our water, where we got it from, and the next thing we knew, he threw himself into our well, grew to three times the size and dried up our supply.¡± ¡°And he refuses to leave?¡± ¡°Shite, I don¡¯t know if the git can leave. His arse will break the brickwork on the way out and it took us years to find the materials to build it.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Mori considered the prospects. A man who¡¯s Deviation was body growth and water absorption would be tough to beat in a well of all places, but now that she pestered Luke for an answer, she would look like such a dick if she said no. Plus, the reward Manu City is giving out for pre-Deviant people¡¯s stories is one she can¡¯t refuse, and she imagined old McGoby will only help if she helped first. She walked down the dark path. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him,¡± she said. ¡°And if he attacks?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a knight,¡± she said, ¡°I once handled a giant mole throwing cars.¡± Luke left, saying he would find a rope and Mori didn¡¯t explain she didn¡¯t need one: it was better for him to have something to do. At the end of the path was a well made of rubblestone (tarmac, broken bricks and whatever else could be glued together) and, attached to high branches, a network of plastic tubes and funnels to guide rainwater downward. She looked in, saw darkness at first, but on squinting found a blue glow at the bottom ¨C just like Luke said. She hoped that whatever this ¡®git¡¯ was, he drank enough water to not get her feet too wet. Rabbit fur and water don¡¯t mix, and if she gets too soaked, she slows down. Mori leaped in feeling a woosh of putrid air and splashed to the bottom. The water wasn¡¯t even ankle deep, but before she could relax, the room snorted. A massive toad-shaped creature took up a corner in the cavern. It bulged and melted, glowing out a pretty blue light. The git in the well. ¡°Who dares?¡± His eyes were black and his voice sent ripples along his body to the puddles beneath him. The colour of his skin and the soft light made it hard to tell where his body ended and where the water began. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Mori,¡± she said, waving and keeping the other hand in her pocket. ¡°I am the great Aqua Scourge, fear me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± His eyes might have popped out the way he tensed up. This bloated creature demanding fear was dumbstruck by her audacity. His body shook, stuck for words. She kicked her feet, messing with the water and realised how low it was. A couple feet away was a bucket and broken rope. ¡°That¡¯s mean, they need that rope to get the water out.¡± ¡°Never! I am Aqua Scourge and have made this well mine. Their water is tribute to appease me or face my wroth.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get it, you need lots of water so you stole theirs, but have you seen the fancy little funnel web they built up there? All they have to do is break it up, cover the well, then how much water will you get? I don¡¯t imagine you¡¯ll enjoy licking the ceiling for every drop you can get.¡± The bumbling, swelling toad unfurled two human-shaped feet and stood up. Luke wasn¡¯t lying, Aqua was huge. Even if he was tiny before, he stood at twice Mori¡¯s height now. ¡°You dare threaten Aqua Scour¨C¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She took her hand out her pocket and presented an origami swan made of white card. ¡°Stop now, or I will throw this at you.¡± ¡°Bahaha! What will a paper toy do to me? I can pulverise with a single blast.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you harassing this village,¡± she said and thought about what a ¡®single blast¡¯ might be. She crouched ready to jump. ¡°And I don¡¯t want them to trap you down here to die of thirst.¡± Aqua paused, his eyes darted side to side in confusion. His jaw flapped, but nothing came out. ¡°You¡¯re doing this because your body needs far more water than normal, but I can find you a better place.¡± Mori¡¯s ear twitched. Outside of the well, she heard Luke arrive and drop something heavy to the grass outside with a thud. The rope. She might need his help after all. ¡°Who are you?¡± said Aqua Scourge. ¡°Morielle Aisling, Manu Knight of the greatest city in the Fractured Kingdoms.¡± ¡°A knight¡­ from Manu City?¡± he said, eyes widening in recognition. ¡°Yes, I can help.¡± Aqua gurgled a crescendo, his glow brightened and from the pits of his body, a geyser of water fired at Mori. She ducked to the side and threw the origami. ¡°Manu City is cursed,¡± he shouted; a waterfall dribbled out. ¡°It is a mausoleum to the failures of the past.¡± Mori skidded through the puddled floor and felt her legs grow heavy. Her fur soaked up water fast and she knew she wouldn¡¯t dodge the next blast from Aqua, nevermind escape the well. Not that she needed to. The toad man gurgled in the crescendo to indicate his attack. In a few seconds, she¡¯ll be shot down. But she noticed how he stood a little straighter as his head no longer scraped the ceiling. Was he shorter? ¡°A mausoleum?¡± she said. ¡°No, we¡¯re bringing the hopes of humanity back to life, learning from those mistakes.¡± Aqua shone brighter than his first shot, his face scrunched up from the strain. A thousand purple veins popped on his face in a blinding fury. Mori crossed her arms. ¡°Oh yeah, you showed me your powers over water, but I didn¡¯t say what I could do.¡± She smiled as a flying object stabbed at Aqua¡¯s eye making him yowl and fire the shot wide. It streaked to Mori¡¯s side and crashed into the wall. Rocks fell, and Aqua¡¯s body was smaller than before. He tried to protect his eyes from the thing attacking him and it flapped away. There, in the cavern, the origami swan was flapping its wings as if alive. Even stranger, the thing had grown a set of human-like teeth from its card mouth and two cartoonish eyes. ¡°Gwan,¡± said the origami. It flew around and dove in for Aqua¡¯s eyes again. The toad man tried to duck but fell instead, striking the floor headfirst when the rest of his weight cascaded around him. ¡°What is that thing?¡± he said. It landed on Mori¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Animation. With a single touch I can bring objects to life. Cool, right?¡± ¡°They¡¯re horrid!¡± ¡°They¡¯re called Garys, or I used to call them that as a kid,¡± she explained, ¡°but now they can say anything!¡± ¡°Gwan,¡± said the origami. ¡°Gwan, gwan!¡± ¡°... provided it¡¯s a single word and it still has to start with a ¡®G¡¯. Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either.¡± She chuckled as she threw it again and ran toward the well¡¯s exit while Aqua struggled back to his feet under the attack of the animated origami swan pecking at his eyes. Fortunately, Mori saw what she was waiting for: Luke dropped one end of the rope down. She reached for it and a single touch made it wriggle and bend like a snake. Eyes and mouth appeared. ¡°Tie up the toad man,¡± said Mori. ¡°Grope!¡± ¡°No! We went over this, it¡¯s Gope,¡± said Mori as the animated rope slithered down into the cavern and around Aqua¡¯s legs. Up above, she heard a quick yell from Luke. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she shouted up, ¡°just let it go.¡± Aqua smacked the origami away and it crumbled to mush in the water, a final gasp leaving the body of the paper-mache, but Mori waited idly while her new animation curled up his legs, around his hands and contorted itself into a knot. She walked up to Aqua and wagged a finger. The toad man hurled insults and a water blast but it had less than half the power than his first shot and his body shrank, so the Gope animation tightened further. Mori sat on his back. ¡°Get off me you swine,¡± he said. She pointed at her head. ¡°Rabbit ears and horns look like a pig to you? You so silly. Such a silly little guy.¡± He spat out a meagre shot. It didn¡¯t even reach her. The rope returned to normal so she dragged Aqua toward the well¡¯s exit. ¡°I¡¯m taking you out of here. You had your chance for peace.¡± At a touch of her palm, the walls of the chasm came to life with eyes and mouths turning it into a twisted children¡¯s mural. ¡°Gwall,¡± they said, ¡°gwa¨C¡± and Mori shoved her hands and feet into the handholds those cartoonish mouths provided to drag herself and Aqua out of the well. Perspiration painted her brow and trickled down her bare arms now her jacket was securely wrapped around her waist. Above she was greeted not just by Luke and his son, but by the small floating boy, the old lady McGoby in her wheelchair and a dozen other members of this village who gathered around to witness the Manu Knight hauling the bandit out of the dark to restore their water. A cheer went up, Aqua was gagged. Luke agreed, after Mori pressed him, to keep Aqua hydrated enough to not die before she could send for support back home. A week to walk back to Manu City, a few days to prepare, and a week to return. ¡°But, if you¡¯re okay with me sharing your location,¡± said Mori, ¡°my friends can get here in less than a fortnight. they will take Aqua into custody and bring supplies. That means new solar panels, more food, and whatever else Manu City has to share. Oh, but we will want any stories the old McGoby has to share. The historians back home are dying to know about pre-Deviant times.¡± Luke shook her hand. ¡°Of course, a thousand times yes. I¡¯ll talk it over with the others, but after your help, I can¡¯t see a single person saying no. Put us on the map, but please stay the night. Let us celebrate.¡± She was brought a towel to dry her legs, but even as fur stood up, a bitter chill ran up her skin. It would be nice to stay and relax. A warm fire, share talk and gossip. Observe the stars at the brightest when day by day they disappeared from the shinier Manu City skyline. But somewhere, another village needed their knight. Mori sighed. She untied her jacket from her waist and zipped it back up. It was a rare thermal piece of clothing, useful for the dreary weather of the Fractured Kingdoms. ¡°Sorry, but I need to get back. Duty calls for the Manu Knights.¡± Before the rest of the village could see her, she gave Luke a hearty hug, and she hoped away into the night. To the edge of the clearing, back out the arch of branches, out of the woodland and off into the endless expanse. The moon was almost full as she bounded across ancient square fields filled with the dereliction of the lost. She found a road covered in a web of cracks, a rusted car flipped onto its side, and a sign too mouldy to read except for a few half-words: ¡®... I¡¯m loving i¡­¡¯ From her pocket she took out a banana to gorge on. On her face was a smile wider than her head. Life was good. The Octopus and the Moles The sign said ¡®Manu City - 10 miles¡¯ which did a fat lot of good considering the arrow was pointed to the sky. Mori kicked the stupid, fallen sign and when it rolled back, caused Manu City to now be hidden inside a bush. ¡°North, which way is north again?¡± The sun was at its highest and it was midday, so it was in the south. She turned back to the fork in the road, and both paths headed north. She kicked the sign again, it rolled back, and now Manu City was between her legs. ¡°Touche,¡± she said. Dry leaves cracked behind her and Mori spun to see a tall and strange silhouette walk up the path. A man six feet tall, with pink skin and a mass of tentacles protruding from his waist and three more from his head that curled up into a pompadour. At the sight of him, Mori ran forward and leaped in to hug him. ¡°Richard!¡± she said. ¡°Bonjour Mori, ¡®ow long has it been?¡± His Northandy accent was stronger than before. ¡°Half a year, I think.¡± She got off him and scratched her chin. ¡°Yeah, we threw the party and Arachnia got so drunk she started crying about you leaving.¡± ¡°Ah, oui. And if I remember correctly, you got drunk off les banane.¡± She blushed. ¡°... no I didn¡¯t.¡± Richard laughed while Mori recollected the evening six months ago. Their friends from the knighthood were together celebrating his going away party to Northandy across the ocean. Chiki and Roland were showing off their printed wedding pictures, Marco went into detail about his railway business, Magnus and Briareus had a fight over politics while Mori went a bit crazy eating the food. She was waiting for someone special to arrive who never did, so she stress-ate the evening away. Next thing she knew, she was hopping through the city in her pyjamas breaking rabbits free from their cages. Run my pretties! They will never take us down, she said drunk off her ass. A wave of fluffy critters followed her insane ramblings not because she could actually speak to regular rabbits, but because of the intense smell of bananas coming off of her. Our revolution shall shake the earth! The police had to cart her away and let her cool off overnight until Richard could pick her up. ¡°I was perfectly normal that evening,¡± said Mori. ¡°Sure, sure, now let us fix zat sign.¡± Mori put the sign back in place while Richard held a map and compass in his tentacles. He kept his hands free to point at the sun. After consulting his map to his pleasure, he twisted the sign to point to the left fork in the road. A third tentacle took out a pencil and made a note on his map. According to him, the next town was Kashla and was on the edge of the Manu border, affiliated with no one but would at least have access to showers. ¡°I ¡®ear they do good salt baths. Get it directly from l¡¯ocean.¡± ¡°What about dirt baths?¡± asked Mori. ¡°My fur could use a good scrub down.¡± ¡°Yes, Mori, they do dirt as well.¡± He pointed toward the soil as they walked together. ¡°I never understood why you don¡¯t just use ze dirt lying around. It¡¯s everywhere.¡± ¡°I need clean dirt to bathe, not dirty dirt.¡± ¡°Dirty dirt?¡± She furrowed her brow. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get it, marine boy.¡± ¡°Understood, rabbit queen.¡± ¡°One time! I freed a horde of rabbits one time,¡± she said, flicking his arm. It was a sunny afternoon, and Mori was glad for the change. When she left the last village, it rained for two days straight, and she had to hunker down to avoid the wet mud sticking to her legs. On the second night, she slept in an ancient post box, the red paint mostly peeled off, and found hundreds of stamps inside ¨C all untouched. She was going to treat herself to the best dirt Kashla had to offer. ¡°How was Northandy?¡± said Mori in the evening. The campfire was a neat pile of sticks and dry leaves, but no logs as the summer months were rolling by. ¡°Bon, good,¡± said Richard. He was eating dry fish from his backpack. ¡°I organised a truce between Manu City and Le Coeur but I still need to get Lord Stanford back home to agree to it.¡± ¡°Good luck with that. I imagine they still hate her?¡± ¡°Yes, but enough of that. I saw Jamie when I passed ze East of Brumland.¡± Mori perked up at that. Jamie, the only guy in their year to fail the knighthood. ¡°Is he still, you know¡­ the way he is?¡± One of Richard¡¯s tentacles scratched his chin. ¡°When I saw him,¡± said Richard, ¡°he was punching his commanding officer unconscious.¡± ¡°How does he still have a job?¡± Mori was on her elbows now. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°He¡¯s a menace to ze Talpids.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she said, ¡°that makes sense.¡± Mori had only fought a Talpid once in her life after graduating from knighthood. Imagine seven foot tall mole people, built like a furry, fat potato, and with limited intelligence. They¡¯re an epidemic in the East of the Fractured Kingdoms, and no one knows where they came from. They grew in numbers quickly, but they¡¯re spread has all but stopped since they reached the borders of Manu and Brumland. Strangely, it¡¯s the conflict against the Talpids that keeps Manu peaceful with Brumland. The next day, Mori and Richard reached the small town of Kashla. At its centre was a preserved theatre converted into a town hall. Inside was a reception where they met a helpful doe-eyed lady with a long beak for a mouth who wore little books as earrings. They requested telegrams from her, which Mori paid for with stamps. ¡°I like your earrings,¡± said Mori. ¡°Thank you, I like your little horns,¡± said the receptionist. Mori blushed as she wrote a request for a caravan to be stocked with extra solar cells. She also asked the historians to get ready for when she arrived in three days. Back outside, the two wandered the streets of Kashla, and Mori dragged Richard around with her fistfuls of remaining stamps. Richard mentioned his plans for getting a house for him and Arachnia, while Mori found an outdoors restaurant cooking up fish pizzas in clay ovens. She threw her money toward getting the biggest size she could buy. As they looked for an empty bench, the two recognised badges on armed travellers from other kingdoms like Brumland, Mercy Pull, and Bloodrose. Mori picked seats toward the edge of the restaurant to give some distance. One of the travellers who caught her eye was a rough-looking woman with short cropped hair and tape across one side of her mouth. The woman was armed with a knife in her boot and a nail gun on her hip, though she wore no badge Mori could see. Once food arrived, Richard went into detail about the type of flooring he would get. Mori, barely listening, animated her fries. Goofy eyes popped out of them and they all lined up like soldiers only to dance in a conga. ¡°Ghip, ghip,¡± they said in high-pitched voices. Richard was about to take another bite when he saw their little dance, and a green prawn fell off his slice. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mori snapped back to focus, and the fries fell down. ¡°Oh yeah, sorry. You were talking about flooring?¡± ¡°A few minutes ago, now I¡¯m talking about plumbing. We were thinking of trying for an indoor toilet, with pipes, like zey did in ze past. I know it¡¯s expensive¡­ I¡¯m boring you.¡± ¡°Yeah¨C I mean no,¡± said Mori. Words seemed to fall out her mouth, and now she was started she couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°I mean, everything you¡¯re saying, and thinking about your going away party is reminding me how everyone is doing better than me in life. You have someone waiting for you back at home.¡± ¡°You have your famile¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about pussy Richard! Your girlfriend is six and a half feet tall and has a limb for every one of your tentacles.¡± Mori stood up. ¡°I want a proper goal or a girlfriend, or a lot of money¡­ or figure out how to use my Deviation to its full damned potential!¡± So much potential. She heard that line a hundred times, if not thousands, in her knighthood training. Her power is rare, but she never fully mastered it. ¡°I¡¯m going to do it, you know,¡± said Mori. ¡°¡®Ave you been eating ze banane again?¡± asked Richard. ¡°I¡¯m not drunk, I¡¯m high on my potential.¡± She stood on the table, attracting attention but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯m gonna become a great knight and meet someone with massive honkers, and get the biggest farm just so I can say I did it. Just you watch me Mr my-girl-is-the-best.¡± ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t say zat, but agreed,¡± said Richard. ¡°Heck yeah. I will become a powerful, fearless, knig¨C¡± The ground shook, glass cups rolled off tables and shattered on the floor. People fled the scene, while Mori, Richard and the armed mercenaries stayed until the restaurant¡¯s clay oven exploded. Orange-red brick rained down with shards of flames, filling the air with the intense smell of roasted garlic. Smoke wafted out the crater and at the edge of it, one of the cooks (a man with tusks jutting out his gums) crawled away, a badly twisted knee stopping him from standing. Mori ran forward and Richard used his many limbs to clear the debris. She slid swiftly to the cook¡¯s side. ¡°Hey, I got you,¡± she said. The man had blood staining his face, eyes darting wildly. She hefted him onto her shoulders, shifting his weight until her stronger legs could take the bulk her arms struggled over. She heard a quake in the earth, and the sound of knives being drawn. The mercenaries around drew their weapons and pointed them toward the remains of the oven behind her. ¡°Mori, move!¡± shouted Richard. Thump. Thump. Footsteps. She jumped, heaving at the pain of being crushed between the weight of another person and the strength of her mutant, rabbit legs. Damn, I need to work out, she thought. A long-clawed hand struck, brushing past her toes, letting her land on a large furry arm. The bristles pricked like pine needles into her feet. Behind her was a pink snout attached to a massive, rotund and eyeless beast. It sniffed. Talpids. The mole people of the East. It shook its arm to throw Mori off. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± she said and leaped away with the cook. She noticed that out of the crater, the Talpid¡¯s tunnel, was a second one. She put the man down as the armed mercenary¡¯s rushed past to get a hit in. ¡°Talpid hide sells for a lot, we¡¯ll be rich!¡± one shouted. ¡°First kill, first served,¡± said another. The Talpids swung their long claws, flinging the attackers away. They moved slowly, never running, and only striking when an enemy came within range, as they barked incomprehensible noises. Once the attackers had either been repelled, injured or ran away, only Mori, Richard and the rough, short-haired woman from before were left. Rather than rushing in, these three kept their distance. The Talpids sniffed the air and shuffled about with thumping steps. Mori got the strong impression they were searching. ¡°You fought a Talpid before?¡± asked Mori. ¡°One, when I first went back to Northandy,¡± said Richard, ¡°but zat was with assistance. Yourself?¡± ¡°Same, one. And I only won because I animated a run down building to break apart and bury the damn thing.¡± Mori couldn¡¯t see any tall, run down buildings in Kashla. They must have been torn down and the debris recycled into rubblestone. ¡°I killed one, once,¡± said the rough woman. She was holding her nail gun and pointing it at the Talpids. She still had the tape on one side of her mouth, but it looked loose. Mori and Richard, shocked and disgusted, turned their heads toward her. ¡°Found a pack of them with my hunting buddies,¡± she continued. ¡°Rifle bullets through the skull when they weren¡¯t looking.¡± ¡°Zat is horrifying.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Mori, ¡°we need help, but like, damn.¡± Just the thought of it gave Mori goosebumps. They¡¯re violent at times, but not murderous. The Talpids stopped sniffing around the broken clay oven and faced their three opponents. They flared out their long claws and advanced. A deep grumble resonated out of one. ¡°Okay, quick plan,¡± said Mori, ¡°we let the crazy lady take one, and we take the other one together.¡± ¡°I like zis deal,¡± said Richard. ¡°Agreed,¡± said the crazy lady. She smiled and the tape broke off, revealing a tear up the side of her face exposing sharp teeth. ¡°Let¡¯s get hunting.¡± Dont Fight Giant Moles Seven years ago. Morielle Aisling, a fourteen year-old knight in training, was throwing basketballs. At least, she thought they were basketballs. All the pre-Deviation sports kind of blend into one. The ball (made of black and white hexagons) was the size of her head, and it fit through the hoop, so did it really make a difference? She threw. It sailed through the air. Miss. It bounced off the floor, filling the gymnasium with the echo of her failure, alongside the slow dripping of rainwater leaking through the patched-up roof. She walked across the faded out floor marks and picked it up. How could she work it? The idea was sensible enough: animate the ball as it left her fingers and control its trajectory. The only problem was she didn¡¯t know how to control an animation when she stopped holding an object. She focused on the basketball(?) until it grew blank white eyes with tiny black pupils and a smiling mouth to nowhere. ¡°Gary,¡± it said. Okay, she thought, it¡¯s animated. She launched the ball, throwing it overhand like a spear. ¡°Gaaaaaaa!¡± screamed the ball. Mori tried to focus, picturing it turning mid-air and forcing its way down the hoop¨C It bounced off the wall, deanimated. Mori sighed and went to pick it up. She couldn¡¯t think fast enough, but how does she speed up her brain? That¡¯s not what her Deviation can do. Mori¡¯s ears stood up as, stepping through the doorway, was her teacher already holding the ball. Miss Lucia ¡°Fitness Beast¡± Freer. The teacher was of average height, well-built and had the skin of a snake but long-pointed ears. She also had training weights strapped to her wrists, and ankles. And elbows and knees. In fact, the entirety of all her limbs were covered in weights, yet no sweat marked her brow. ¡°First of all,¡± she said, ¡°this is a football. You kick it, but while she can certainly kick a lot harder with your Bio-deviation, I still doubt you¡¯d get it in the hoop.¡± ¡°Sorry Fitness Beast,¡± said Mori. Her teacher insisted on being called by her epithet. Knights work hard to earn their names and, if they get a good one, like to use it often. She walked to the gym¡¯s closet to swap the balls out. ¡°What are you working on? Training finished hours ago.¡± She threw a real basketball to Mori. ¡°I¡¯m trying to animate and throw at the same time.¡± Mori caught the ball, animated it and rolled it on the floor. The little face got smushed then came back up, saying ¡°--ary ¨CGar¨Cry¡± as it rolled in circles around Mori and Beast. ¡°Making it roll in a circle isn¡¯t a problem. It¡¯s simple.¡± She snapped her fingers and the basketball rolled back to her like a happy dog. ¡°But when I throw it,¡± she did so and it screamed again, bouncing off the wall in a perfect arc, and Fitness Beast grabbed it without moving then handed it back, ¡°I can¡¯t turn it during flight.¡± The Beast thought for a moment, then asked Mori to stand on one end of the gym. ¡°Do you have the energy to run?¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, we mostly studied the history and geography of local kingdoms today. I¡¯m itching to move.¡± ¡°Good. Run from this side to the next, but on every lap, I want you to take your animation¨C¡± ¡°They insist on being called Gary.¡± Beast paused. ¡°Sure, animate the Gary and roll it alongside you when you get half way across. But don¡¯t slow down. Sprint.¡± Mori nodded. She took her place, and ran, her feet pounding on the hard floor. Halfway, she brought the basketball to life but when she tried to keep it next to her, it rolled away to a stop. The Gary smiled like an idiot. If it had arms, she knew it would cheer her. ¡°Again,¡± said Fitness Beast. So Mori did. Twice, a third time, a fourth. She did a little better on the second try, then on the third she did too well and the Gary rolled into her feet and knocked her over, but on the fourth she was so tired her focus slipped and it didn¡¯t animate at all. She skidded to a stop next to Beast, falling to the ground. She slapped the floor, frustrated. This should be easy. She joined the knighthood as a prodigy but now her classmates are getting ahead of her, day by day. Fitness Beast tapped Mori¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Okay, try it again,¡± she said. ¡°Why? I suck at this, I don¡¯t know what to do different to make it work,¡± said Mori, but she picked up the ball anyway. She didn¡¯t believe her own words, she had to be better. ¡°It takes concentration to activate your, err, Garys, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then, if you can¡¯t concentrate on two things at once, when should you order the Gary?¡± Mori thought, and an idea flowered in seconds. Her ears stood straight as she hopped back up. ¡°Thank you! I figured it out,¡± she said as she prepared for another lap. She wiped the sweat off her brow as the ball came to life once again. ¡°When you leave my hand, roll next to me, got it?¡± ¡°Gary,¡± it whispered in a way only Mori thought was badass. She practically launched herself forward with how much vigour she ran with and when she let the basketball go, it rolled and rolled, spinning on its own animated will. She reached the opposite side of the gym, pushed off the wall and ran back, then in circles, then zigzags, not slowing down and not looking toward the Gary that followed after her. Its voice rang out like a kid. She finished exhausted and collapsed. The Gary rolled next to her, then turned back to normal, faceless. Fitness Beast walked up to her. ¡°Better?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Yeah, thanks teacher,¡± she said and sat up with a wince. ¡°I need to focus on a Gary to order it, but I can¡¯t do that while distracted. When I sprint or throw, I¡¯m thinking about my body, not the order. But if I order it beforehand¡­ it works.¡± ¡°Good job Mori.¡± Fitness Beast pulled her student off the floor. ¡°If you perfect the timing, you will be able to command a Gary in the most intense situations.¡± She sighed. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if I can get you to stop sprinting like the average person and get you to start hopping, then you would be so much faster.¡± Present Mori hopped easily out of the Talpid¡¯s grasp. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t get away from it. Richard, burdened by a skirt of tentacles around his waist, was exceptionally fast in water but slower on land so she had to stay close and taunt the sack of furry muscle while the both of them steered it away from civilians. Neither of them knew if the short-haired huntress would handle the other Talpid by herself, but Mori saw her guide the creature into the forest and hoped she knew what she was doing. ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± said Richard. They were all on the road. The Talpid turned its head, sniffing, and was about to run toward a pig-faced child on the pavement when Mori picked up a rock. ¡°Curve and hit the snout,¡± she said. ¡°Grock!¡± said the Gary as it came to life. It spun through the air, twisting the shot so Mori hit her mark. The Talpid flinched and focused on her. ¡°Yeah, keep throwing rocks at it until I can think of something better. Keep everyone else out the way.¡± Richard went ahead and shouted to make room, leaving Mori alone on the empty pothole covered road with the Talpid. It was impossible to know what they were thinking, as the creatures didn¡¯t have facial expressions, just two small beady eyes to stare into her soul. Mori shivered. What could she use? Rocks were okay to get its attention but did nothing. She needed something bigger. The creature charged at her, bearing its long claws, strong enough to tear through concrete and as it did, Mori got an idea. She touched the floor, let it get close, then leaped as high as she could, somersaulting over its head. When she landed, she brushed off her jacket. ¡°Bite its foot,¡± she said. The pothole under the Talpid came alive, a ring of teeth forming around its ankle to clamp down. It squealed, letting Mori think. She couldn¡¯t knock it out, as a weight big enough to do so would also be too heavy for her to move. The fiery explosion of the clay oven made her consider burning the Talpid, but that would be too cruel, and now she was hungry again. The Talpid stabbed at the ground, carving up the aged tarmac and gouged the Gary to pieces, but even when its foot was free, it continued to tear up the ground. The mole people were at least stupid, which made trapping them easy, but their claws ensured they wouldn¡¯t be trapped for long. So she has to trap it and knock it out. But how? When the creature remembered Mori existed, it lunged for her. She jumped onto its head and scratched herself right where the skin met her horns, like a nervous tick. ¡°You can¡¯t make this easy can you?¡± she said and rubbed her knuckles into its skull. When her fist came away, her fingers were covered in dirt. ¡°Oh, do you also get dirt baths?¡± It swung again and she dodged while brushing her hands of the mole dirt, which finally gave her an idea. She turned tail and hopped off, not before throwing another homing rock at its snout. The Talpid dropped to all fours and skittered at an alarming speed to catch her. At the end of the road was a lamppost. She grabbed it, animated and the ¡®Glamp¡¯ swung her with a head-bang before the Talpid crashed into it head first, giving Mori the time she needed to find what she wanted. A high fence, a crisscross of metal wires, blocked her path but it didn¡¯t matter, so long as it wasn¡¯t a wall. She grabbed the fence and lifted it half a metre off the ground. The smell of salt filled the air. ¡°Come on, animate and lift,¡± she said, breathing hard. The cartoon eyes popped out the top and a mouth formed out of the wires. ¡°Gence.¡± ¡°I know, now lift.¡± Despite having no arms to speak of, the Gence gave the strong impression of hitching itself up like a skirt, creating a gap as high as Mori¡¯s shoulder letting her crouch under. But as she did so, a squeal and pitter-patter of heavy feet sped toward her. One of her ears got caught on the fence as she was headbutted in the gut and thrown back. Pain seared from her head to her torso. She lost her footing on the edge of a steep hill and struggled to balance. ¡°This is okay, all okay,¡± she said, waving her hands back and forth to regain control. The Gence was shredded down and the Talpid stepped up to her but before she could hop away was smacked by a bony hand. She heard a crack in her chest. Mori rolled down the hill, and in a moment of sheer stubbornness, dug her fingers into the earth. ¡°Shake and tremble.¡± The face that grew from the ground was unlike the happier Garys. Its eyes were deeply furrowed, the mouth not full of white teeth in a rictus smile, but clenched shut. It grumbled, drew back and the hill tilted, forcing the Talpid to roll down after her. She managed to roll to the side and let it go crashing into the basin below in a huge splash. The sign above the fence said ¡®Fresh Sea Baths and Bathing Emporium.¡¯ ¡°I get weighed down by water, cause my fur soaks it up like nothing else,¡± said Mori, although every word made stabbing pains in her chest, ¡°so I got thinking that maybe you did too.¡± It thrashed and spun, the huge webbed paddles that made its hands and feet splashing Mori. It was panicked, unable to focus, and the high sun dazzled its beady eyes further. Mori crawled back up the slope to the fence while she heard the rabid swimming behind her. Time, it should give her time, now all she needed to do was find Richard. As she crawled, she found blood on her hand, then another drop fell into her palm. It came from her head, and the sharp pain in her ear finally hit. Between that and the nausea of broken ribs, her head swam making her collapse. Her head felt like lead, but she still dared to look back to see how much time she still had. Her heart sank. The Talpid, obviously scared by the water, dug into the concrete basin to push up the edge. Its darkened brown fur, though soaked, didn¡¯t slow it down in the slightest. It hated the water but wasn¡¯t weak to it like her. Once it regained its senses, Mori was going to be done for, and the Talpid will get away. ¡°Oh heck,¡± she said. Her head dropped down and moving suddenly felt like the greatest challenge. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get an easy one, could I?¡± She trained as hard as she could in the knighthood. She aimed to make a difference, but while everyone else knew what they wanted to do, she couldn¡¯t form an ambition more concrete than simply ¡®be a good person.¡¯ It was a shame, really, to watch as all her acquaintances flew ahead in progress leaving her behind to wander on her pilgrimages. Will Fitness Beast be disappointed in her lack of training? Will her parents be proud of her? Then Mori thought of a pretty face, one with long silver hair and the most beautiful pink eyes. Will she ever get to see her again? The crunch of the earth told her it was time. The mole person towered above her, shivering. Most creatures didn¡¯t seek to kill, only protect. Mori hoped this was true of the Talpids. It raised a paw. ¡°Damn,¡± she said. ¡°Mori!¡± A writhing mass flew over her, barrelled into the Talpid and both crashed back into the pool. Fists and tentacles flew, smashing the beast into every sensitive spot: snout, eyes, gut. Richard, unlike his slow plod on land, flew in water. He stuck a tentacle to the basin floor to whip around and deliver a sharp kick to the Talpid¡¯s feet, throwing it upside down. The more it panicked in the water, the more Richard thrived. He danced a waltz, which the Talpid stumbled through, tripping over itself. It unleashed a high-pitched squeal, letting Richard attach two of his limbs to either side of its head and pull himself in for a final knockout blow: a knee to the face. The beast tumbled back, and collapsed with a thud. Richard dragged its head out the water to keep it from drowning. Mori, through all the pain, was astonished. She¡¯d never seen him move like that. He can¡¯t move like that. When he reached her, his hands and tentacles moved quickly, removing bandages and scissors from a satchel on his back. ¡°Mori, what ze hell were you zinking? Where are you hurt?¡± She was flipped onto her back, and she tried to gesture to where it hurt but she ended up pointing everywhere. He bandaged the ear where the cut was obvious, and left her to rest on the floor as there wasn¡¯t much he could do for a broken rib. ¡°Did you like my plan?¡± asked Mori. ¡°Zat was the plan,¡± said Richard, ¡°to almost get yourself killed by luring it to a bath?¡± ¡°I thought it might slow it down, but I knew you would beat it if I couldn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t expect you to move like that though.¡± Mori cried. The tears burnt hotter than her own blood. She laughed. ¡°You¡¯re so strong Richard,¡± she said, the tears came on faster so she covered her face before he could see. ¡°Since when did you get so strong?¡± Broken Bones and Broken Egos ¡°The cut ear is the least of it,¡± said the doctor. He was a short, plump man with the upper body of a fox, wearing overalls and a shirt. He tapped a pen on his clipboard. ¡°Okay,¡± said Mori. She was bandaged around the ear, belly and across her chest under her sports bra. ¡°It will scar, but your fur will cover it.¡± ¡°Awesome.¡± ¡°Next, you pulled a muscle in your abdomen,¡± he said and passed Mori a bottle full of pills. ¡°A couple of those a day will dull the pain, but aside from that you need rest.¡± ¡°Coolio.¡± ¡°My big concern are your ribs,¡± and he showed her a drawing on his board. It was a sketch of a ribcage with red crosses on one side. ¡°I don¡¯t have an X-ray machine to scan your bones, but based on your pain they shouldn¡¯t be broken or fractured, just cracked.¡± ¡°Lucky me,¡± she said and made to stand up. Her shirt and jacket were on the end of the patient¡¯s chair. ¡°Woah! No moving and certainly no prancing around, for a couple days at least.¡± ¡°But I have the magic pills?¡± She shook the bottle and it gave a satisfying rattle. ¡°They ain¡¯t magic, honey. You need rest.¡± ¡°Okay Doctor, err¨C¡± ¡°Cabin. Call me Cabin,¡± said Doctor Cabin as he wrote his last notes then handed a page to Mori. It described her injuries and the pills she was given. ¡°Keep that if you see one of my colleagues.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and pocketed the note. When he turned around, she put her shirt and coat on and eyed the door. ¡°That¡¯s a neat name. How did you get it?¡± Doctor Cabin tidied his shelves, putting away his bandages and disinfectant. When he opened the cupboards, Mori saw how empty they were. ¡°Mum gave it to me,¡± he said, ¡°because she thought I looked cosy when I was just a baby. Cosy as a cabin with a warm fire in the dead of wint¨CGET BACK HERE!¡± Mori was out the door, one arm through her coat sleeve holding her pills and awkwardly trying to get the other sleeve on while hopping through the corridor and out into the daylight. She went straight to the town hall, where she saw the pretty, bird-beaked receptionist sat behind her desk. A long line kept her busy. ¡°I¡¯ll telegram you,¡± said Mori, and the receptionist smiled and brushed a feather behind her ear. Mori ran past the line, up the main stairs, trying to ignore the stabs in her chest at every step. ¡°Ow, ow, ow.¡± She found Richard up the steps and around the corner. He was staring out a balcony window, and the three small tentacles on his head he normally twists into a pompadour were uncurled and drooped down to cover one eye. He whittled with his hands. Also, sitting on a chair in the corner, was the short-haired huntress who fought the Talpids with them. She had a classic face apart from a gash on her cheek, which she¡¯d tapped up. ¡°Hey,¡± said Mori. The two looked toward her. ¡°Did ze doctor say you could move?¡± asked Richard. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± she said and rattled her medicine bottle, ¡°I got magic beans to stop the pain.¡± ¡°Eh, pain is pain,¡± said the huntress, ¡°power through it.¡± Then she stood up, and the chair gave an awful creak as the legs drew together as if a huge weight removed itself. It took Mori aback. Each of the huntress¡¯s steps made the floor groan. Sure, she was tall and covered in muscle but she wasn¡¯t a bodybuilder built as wide as she was long. Just a normal, strong lady. ¡°I¡¯m Ferra, by the way,¡± said the huntress, ¡°I never had a chance to mention it before.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Mori, he¡¯s Richard,¡± she said, ¡°and we¡¯re Manu Knights, although you can probably tell.¡± She flicked the badge on her jacket. Ferra looked confused. She stared at Mori¡¯s and Richard¡¯s badges. ¡°Manu¡­ from Manu City?¡± ¡°Yessiree!¡± Then Mori¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you also have a vendetta against us? I fought a toad guy who did a few days ago. I still don¡¯t know what that¡¯s about. I should probably ask¡­¡± ¡°And you come from?¡± asked Richard when he saw his chance to interject. ¡°South of¡­ Brumland,¡± she said and paused as if the words were unfamiliar to her, ¡°in Lon¡­ Londoom.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to hear, that must be tough,¡± said Mori, ¡°no wonder you¡¯ve travelled this far North, and why you¡¯re so strong. How did your fight go?¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Ferra as she left the room; Mori and Richard followed. They wandered down the stairs, and out the back door. All the while, Ferra explained her own brilliant and strategic plan. ¡°Talpids don¡¯t fight to the death, usually, so I kept punching it in the snout until it ran into the forest where the roots would tangle up its claws if it tried to dig. Then I shot at it with my nail gun until it surrendered out of fear. Then I knocked it out.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Truly a bard with her eloquence, Mori and Richard bestowed upon her the greatest compliment they could: complete silence and two horrified expressions. Outside, where the sound of people died away, Ferra guided them into a flat building made of rubblestone. It was a prison: square on all sides, economical and sturdy, a trait mirrored on the inside. There was a classic-faced guard sitting behind a pull out table who gestured them on through. The cell they arrived at was better described as a pit than a cell. Through the bars, they looked down and there were the two Talpids: one covered in bumps, the other in bandages to hide the nail shots, Mori guessed. They didn¡¯t move, look up, nor did they sniff the air as they were apt to do. No. Instead they sat down, faced the floor and stayed still, apart from the occasional twitch. ¡°Can¡¯t they just dig their way out?¡± said Mori, ¡°seems kinda pointless to put them here.¡± ¡°I talked about zis with ze mayor while you were resting last night,¡± said Richard, ¡°we don¡¯t have ze means of containing zem, nor ze chance to send zem back to ze Talpid Plains. We hope if zey leave, ze Talpids will retreat.¡± ¡°I suggested killing them,¡± said Ferra. She pulled a knife out her boot. ¡°Their skin and meat will pay for damages.¡± ¡°Lady Ferra¨C¡± began Mori. ¡°Ferra.¡± ¡°¨CFerra it is¨C we aren¡¯t gonna kill them. It¡¯s not our way.¡± ¡°I never suggested us killing them,¡± said Ferra and she stood next to Mori so she faced the full, towering height of the huntress, ¡°I suggested me killing them. I don¡¯t trust a cute bunny like you can manage.¡± Mori cocked her ears to the side. ¡°You think I¡¯m cute?¡± she said and smiled, but inside she was furious. The audacity. She held her hands behind her back to hide her clenched fists before she could strike Ferra. ¡°Anyway,¡± said Richard, ¡°ze mayor agreed to prison. We can leave now.¡± Ferra nodded, sheathed her blade and left. Richard waited for her to be out of earshot before turning back to Mori. ¡°I hope we never have to deal wid her again,¡± he said and gave the Talpids¡¯ pit a final glance, ¡°or deal wid zem.¡± As they walked out, Mori saw the beady eyes of the Talpid she battled peek in her direction. It sniffed her way, then she left the prison building, hoping to never see a Talpid again. However, neither Mori nor the Kalshan locals knew of the impending threat growing beneath their feet. *** Mori felt she wasted enough time resting, so she was eager to leave Kalsha behind. She and Richard put on rucksacks filled to the brim with dried fruits and fish, before continuing once more to Manu City. On the first day, she saw a pine tree with a huge hoop-shaped crown with a family of two-headed birds nesting in it. In the evening she found ¡®wristshrooms¡¯: mushrooms that grew like hands digging out the earth but only got up to one wrist out. They¡¯re delicious to roast. Eating merrily on a finger-shaped fungus, Mori inhaled the fresh night air. The campfire flickered, making the shadows of her hands dance on the grass. She imagined her shadow stretching out so far and so big it would reach the stars above, and she could make inappropriate shadow puppets for all the earth to see. But when she thought about it, she only knew one dirty shadow puppet, and the idea felt a tad too childish. ¡°What are you laughing about?¡± asked Richard. He was lying down, his tentacles curled around him to make a sort of bed. He ate from a stick pierced through a roasted wristshroom and a dried golden salmon. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t realise I was,¡± said Mori. She thought about dancing shadow puppets next to the stars and chuckled. ¡°Imagine if I could project a dog on the sky.¡± ¡°A dog-dog, or a dog-like guy?¡± ¡°A dog-dog,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯d make it dance around the constellations. And then it would eat them.¡± The laughter was infectious and they both couldn¡¯t help it. Dance around. Like snapping awake and remembering you need to be somewhere, Mori stuck to the word ¡®dance¡¯. Her laughter died away. ¡°Hey Richard?¡± ¡°Oui, lady jackalope.¡± ¡°How did you learn to fight like you did yesterday?¡± He put down his food stick, planting it in the soil near the fading fire. A few flickers crawled along the logs and the light dulled Richard¡¯s pink skin to a brown-red. ¡°Ah, my Waltz of Water. A silly name, I know, but if you can zink of a better one, do share.¡± ¡°But how did you learn it?¡± Mori rolled onto her back. She couldn¡¯t look him in the face. If he asked her, she would blame it on her ribs. ¡°Well, Mori, just because we graduated ze knighthood didn¡¯t mean training stopped. I found a dance teacher in Northandy, Jean de Fondi, and he suggested using my tentacules,¡± he stretched one out, ¡°could control ze flow and ze rhythm of combat. Are you impressed?¡± In the corner of her eye, even in the growing dark, she could see his beaming face. The eagerness of her friend seeking confirmation. ¡°Mori?¡± ¡°Heck yeah!¡± she said and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s awesome, like the coolest move ever. Remember when you could barely walk with those things around your waist, tangling in your legs? Now you¡¯re so cool.¡± ¡°Merci beaucoup,¡± he said, dipping back into his native tongue in excitement, ¡°I was always worried I would lag behind being in ze bottom of our year, while you stayed in ze top. I feel like I can rival you now, mon ami.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, hoping he didn¡¯t see the jealousy seep through her facade. Night enveloped them, but Mori didn¡¯t sleep for hours. She was knighted over three years ago and what had she achieved in all that time? She started as a prodigy with the most unique Deviation in years, standing next to Marco who¡¯s potential matched her own, but he was successful and she continued to wander. Even Richard was outclassing her. She tossed and turned, covering her face with her ears, then flinching as she touched her healing cut. The embers charred, and when she squinted Mori could see the outline of Richard sleeping. She knew she was supposed to be proud of her closest friend. I am proud, she told herself but her heart wasn¡¯t in it. Logic could not overcome her pulsing heartbeat. There was only one way to quell the growing anxiety: she had to train harder. In three days, she will be back in Manu. For three days of walking, she healed. Her fur covered the scar, her stomach became strong enough to do sit-ups again and her ribs only ached when she didn¡¯t take the painkillers. She avoided taking too many. ¡°Fitness Beast told us to keep a little pain,¡± said Mori when Richard pressed her, ¡°because if you don¡¯t hurt, you won¡¯t know if you need to rest and you stay injured for longer.¡± ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you zese last few days?¡± he asked. They passed a sign painted over a large green panel on the old motorways. It said ¡®Manu, the City of Bees straight ahead!¡¯ Buzzing, and the smell of flowers, greeted them as they reached home. ¡°I¡¯m gonna learn how to dance,¡± said Mori. What鈥檚 a Human Anyway? Before the old world fell apart high-rises dominated skylines, but now the fallen pillars of glass and steel line the earth cutting through the landscape. Empty offices filled with soil and the windows that once gave stellar views became ceilings for greenhouse farms. Plants burst through the crevices of the horizontal monolith and give it green hair. Wooden scaffolds lead in and out of the building. ¡°Home sweet home,¡± said Mori, smelling the fresh air. A large bee, the size of her head, flew past. It had a smiling face, big eyes of pure black and held a sprinkler can in its six legs. The signature drone bees of Manu on their way to pollinate and water the environment into growing back. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± asked Mori. ¡°I need to run to ze HQ,¡± said Richard, ¡°zen get back home to see Arachnia.¡± ¡°Like, right now?¡± ¡°We have spent a whole week travelling together. ¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re sick of me,¡± said Mori, pouting, ¡°I see how it is. Maybe I¡¯ll come visit Arachnia and just ignore you.¡± Richard laughed, and the two went in for a hug. Then Richard left her sat on a bench under the shade of a sycamore tree. Where to first? The telegram she sent in Kalsha meant she didn¡¯t need to report back straight away giving her time to burn. But she also had to get started on her new goal to get stronger. She snapped her fingers and got moving. There was only one way to celebrate a return home and find the right exercising materials. She manoeuvred through the long high-rise greenhouses, under an arch built through a collapsed motorway and up into a sprawling market street. Buildings were covered in grass, solar panels and wind turbines; every inch used and painted on. Shops smashed through walls or built outdoor staircases to reach cafes as the death of pre-Deviation building codes led to an organic free-for-all battle to be the most inventive business around. The weeds that once plagued humans of old by bursting through the curb were embraced as natural gardens, turning defunct, straight roads into a winding, bustling meadow. Urban nature brought to life. Mori walked along and petted a dog with the arms of a pangolin owned by a man who had skin of literal granite; crystals lined his cheeks. She passed a smithy run by a woman of huge stature with a cyclopean eye, who breathed fire into a cauldron. Smoked billowed out the hole in the roof as it passed a blackened sign saying ¡®Cyclops Forge: Sell your metals here!¡¯ When Mori reached a T-junction, there was a classic-faced man in the corner of the street standing atop a tree stump. He held a sign in his hand that read ¡®Let the TRUE HUMANS rule again.¡¯ Oh heck, she thought. ¡°Don¡¯t be kowtowed into thinking you are lesser than these spawn of beasts,¡± said the man, ¡°for WE who bear the faces and bodies of True Humans have been tricked through our infinite kindness to bend our knees and grip the harness of labour alongside these animals¨C¡± ¡°Hey, can you shut up?¡± said another man, sticking his head out a window who features of a wolf like furred skin, dark hair and the sharp eyes, ¡°it¡¯s my sister¡¯s birthday party and we¡¯re trying to enjoy it.¡± ¡°See? These animals cannot hide their rudeness,¡± said the street crier. Mori walked past, but she kept one ear trained in that direction. These situations had a nasty habit of turning violent quick. The last shop on the street buzzed loudly with the sound of drone bees floating in and out of the windows. The top floor bore a sign with grape vines draped on the sides to emphasise it further. It read ¡®Simon¡¯s Mean Greens.¡¯ The bell jingled as she entered. The shop was filled with flowers, fruits, vegetables, grass, hay and small buckets of insects; all reliable sources of protein. One of the drone bees flew in through the window and deposited a small package of avocado seeds, each as big as an eye, on the counter. It flew into the backroom and Mori heard a calming voice. ¡°Ooooh, the seed shipment,¡± spoke a kindly old man, ¡°we¡¯ll get that new garden running in no time. Next year, I¡¯ll call it ¡®Green Butter¡¯ for all to enjoy.¡± Mori waited next to one of the open windows to keep an ear on the street crier and wolfman outside, then a short fellow walked in from the backroom. He was round with the smooth grey skin of a dolphin. In fact, he had the head of one, a blowhole hidden under a flat cap, and rounded flipper hands with opposable thumbs. He carried a basket of dandelions, which he placed on the counter after standing on a stool, then gave the heartiest wave when he saw Mori. ¡°How are you doing missy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing good,¡± she said, ¡°how are the bees and business Simon?¡± ¡°My beesiness is going eggcellent.¡± She laughed at the terrible pun. Simon¡¯s laugh was more of a high-pitched hiccup drawing in looks from outside. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± said Simon, ¡°I don¡¯t sell eggs.¡± They giggled some more and when Mori settled down, her stomach aching, Simon asked her ¡°so what can I do to help today, Miss Aisling?¡± ¡°Well, the usual to start off.¡± ¡°Got a handbag?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I got this nifty rucksack from this town I saved.¡± Mori removed the bag and unzipped it. ¡°Let me go get the fresh stuff,¡± he said. He brought a wooden crate of fresh bananas from the back room. ¡°Should be just about ripe. How many?¡± ¡°Twenty, but I want half ripe and half not ripe so I don¡¯t eat them all today. They¡¯ll be my reward-food for training.¡± ¡°Mind helping an old fella out and restock what you buy?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Simon weighed the produce while Mori replaced the bananas and grabbed other handfuls of vegetables. ¡°Training, huh? What has the knighthood got you doing now?¡± ¡°Oh, I finished all the official stuff,¡± said Mori, ¡°but I need to brush up on some skills if I want to get ahead. Richard¨C you know Richard?¡± Simon pondered for a moment, pressed a few buttons on his register, then answered. ¡°Northandy fellow? Pink-skin and his mum is built like a kraken?¡± ¡°Yeah, him,¡± she said, ¡°he won some land and I saw him in battle recently, which is when I realised I¡¯m really slacking. I need to make sure I don¡¯t get left behind.¡± Her rucksack was stuffed full of bananas, clumps of hay, potatoes and spinach. She heard an old legend years ago that spinach, if eaten in large enough quantities, could give a person the power to lift a mountain. After years of consumption she still couldn¡¯t, but it tasted good on toast or in mash. Simon tallied the total and the cash register opened with a ping. ¡°Thirty-two queens,¡± he said. ¡°Has the price gone down?¡± ¡°For special customers it has,¡± he said with a smile, ¡°but also the Manu council subsidise shops who keep bee farms. I got a telegram machine too.¡± ¡°Neat.¡± She handed over thirty-two queen-faced stamps, and her ear twitched at hearing a little shouting outside. ¡°Has the street crier been around a lot?¡± Simon sighed. ¡°Fraid so. I don¡¯t see the big deal. Even if you look like a proto-human, no one actually is one¡­ did you know I have a tiger¡¯s stomach?¡± ¡°No way, really?¡± She tried to pay attention, but her body and ears were turning toward the door as she knew she would be needed soon. ¡°Yes, I got tested because of digestion problems,¡± he said and leaned closer, ¡°I need to eat little red meat too. But don¡¯t share that part around.¡± ¡°Pricey stuff.¡± She thought she heard skin punching skin. ¡°Could you hold my bag?¡± ¡°Course,¡± he said and gave a thumbs up. She vaulted out the window, hopped past houses in seconds and reached the street crier and the wolfman going fully at it, blood dripping steadily out their nostrils. Incomprehensible screams came from both of them. Their fight went off the street corner and went into the middle of the road, pushing into people around them. The two were dangerously close to a girl in a wheelchair with her mother pushing her along. The wolfman spat at the crier. ¡°Acid spit!¡± shouted the street crier, ¡°see these demons show their true colours. Beasts inside and out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not acid, idiot,¡± said the wolfman. He grabbed the crier by the shirt and kneed him in the stomach, rocketing red spittle out the his mouth. That¡¯s when the situation turned worse. The crier jumped back, howling in pain and knocked the small girl out of her chair. The wolfman saw Mori leaping forward and backed away, hands in the air. She helped the crier to his feet though he seemed dazed out of his mind. ¡°Deviant form,¡± she said. ¡°Oh come on, he started it,¡± said the wolfman. ¡°Form.¡± The man pulled a small card from his pocket and handed it over. Mori pretended to remember the name and address on it to scare him, but paid attention to the descriptor at the bottom called ¡®Deviations.¡¯ It listed enhanced strength in the upper body, greater smell and a pungent saliva that can induce nausea. Deviant forms, or Deviant Cards, were a great and simple way to list unique medical requirements or dangerous abilities when Deviations could cause such an infinite myriad of changes to the body. Thankfully, Mori didn¡¯t read anything too dangerous about the man and handed the card back. ¡°Fight¡¯s over,¡± she said, ¡°I need to take you both in.¡± ¡°What? He started it,¡± he said, ¡°you can¡¯t arrest me, it¡¯s my sister¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know that made you immune to crime,¡± said Mori. The crier muttered under her arm, so quietly only she could hear. ¡°Beasts, the lot of them. City full of monsters who need to be skinned, dominating the true humans¡­¡± The air warmed up, making Mori¡¯s face tingle. A yellow glow emitted from the street crier¡¯s eyes as he pushed away from her. ¡°Sir, I need to see your forms too,¡± said Mori, growing concerned. ¡°Monsters, beasts,¡± he said, ¡°demons!¡± A yellow beam shot out his eyes which she barely dodged in time, but it struck the wolfman behind her on the arm. His fur ignited instantly and he ran screaming. The crier¡¯s beam died away but his eyes continued to glow a malevolent yellow. ¡°No beast shall touch me,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone stand back,¡± said Mori. She heard more screaming. ¡°And could someone get that guy to stop, drop and roll. While you,¡± she pointed at the crier, ¡°need to stop and put your hands behind your head¡­ actually, put them over your eyes.¡± ¡°Such a pretty, human, face,¡± said the crier, though he gazed slowly at her ears, small deer horns and her legs, ¡°do not let your deformities sway you to the side of the beasts.¡± Get lost, she thought but it was better to keep it to herself. Near them both was the mother helping her girl back into the wheelchair. She couldn¡¯t make any sudden moves, not until they got away. She edged back toward a tree bursting through the middle of the street. The beautiful purple flowers arched over her head, and the crier followed. Those yellow dots in his face never left her for a moment. ¡°Sir, you need to stop,¡± she said. ¡°I need to stop? Me?¡± He grabbed his oversized shirt. ¡°This world is inflicted with a disease, and while some were gifted like myself, others,¡± he waved toward the crowd, ¡°we¡¯re not. Deviations are not made equal.¡± ¡°Get a grip, you don¡¯t get permission to set people on fire.¡± ¡°The dogs need to be cooked.¡± Mori saw the mother and girl pull away back to the curb. It was safe to fight fully. She placed her hand on the tree, the familiar sensation of energy leaving her fingertips to be infused in an object. The crier looked over her head, and his eyes widened at the face forming in the bark. ¡°Gree,¡± it said. It bashed the street crier on the head. He tried to look at it, sprays of yellow cutting through burning flowers. Mori leaped forward and in half a step drove her fist into his cheek. His feet left the floor, he span around and landed on his chest in a puff of dust. She lifted his face off the floor (his human face as he might have said) and the light had gone out of his eyes. She was as surprised at her strength, as she was satisfied knocking a supremacist out, as she was in complete pain. Her wrist felt swollen and her fingers felt like they were barely holding on. Using her animations frequently meant she punched so little she was no longer used to the force. When she stood back up, a crowd had formed around her. They all clapped, and she smiled through the pain. ¡°Home sweet home,¡± she said.