"Where are the rest?" Rowan asked.

  "Behind that treeline," Nerio pointed northward.

  "Let's join them," Rowan nodded. While walking to the group, he phoned Cora, but she didn't answer, and he called Grace instead.

  “Are you safe?” she whispered instead of a hello. It meant Lizzie was asleep near her.

  “I am… but we lost a kid and Inglotal.”

  “… I’m sorry. Where are you exactly?”

  “In the wilds, somewhere in British Columbia. Five miles west of Gladsheim Peak.” This is from Norse mythology, right? Inglo must’ve chosen this place because of that… "I just wanted to tell you I'm safe… I have to go. I have a call from Cora. Love you." Taking the next call, he blurted: "Hi, baby."

  "Thank goodness you answered. I hacked another satellite and saw a nuclear explosion. Everybody OK?" Cora's voice asked.

  "Except for two losses, the War Chief and a boy, Magnus. The nuke was a new… ally, taking care of the Neeks and the Russians."

  "So that's why I'm receiving an 'add to friends' ping from someone called Flame, Griffinoid Mercenary?"

  "Yes… Long story. How are you?" Rowan insisted on the last word.

  "It's all but over. Vladivostok has fallen. The rest of its territory will follow soon enough.”

  “You're in Vladivostok?" Rowan gasped.

  "Yes. We teleported to Harbin, and they're in teleport range from Vladivostok. We quickly broke through the force field, courtesy of a new generation of Harbin-made breakers, and met with little resistance. The Russian Awakened had sent their best after the elves. There was a notification about the Knyaz dying in battle in Canada and that he couldn’t be Rezzed. Was he there?"

  "I dunno… There was one big guy who looked like him but had a helmet on.”

  “The nuke prevented the Rezz, most likely. Others are rezzing, but we’ll arrest them as soon as they wake up.”

  “Don’t bother, just—”

  “I’m sorry to inform you, but your pal, the Dictator, insists on following the rule of the law. They’ll have a due process first, and then we’ll shoot them. I don’t think the jury will be lenient. Everybody hates the Knyaz and his groupies here. They never did anything for the common folks."

  Thank goodness for the swear jar idea and the plebiscites. “Is there some way you could extract us, baby?”

  "Wait a sec, I’m texting with Viscardi." Cora remained silent for half a minute. “The best solution would be a two-pronged extraction: first by choppers, but we couldn’t find any to rent before tomorrow. Viscardi is ready to send his plane, but you must get to an airport, preferably a larger one. I’m looking at options. The closest one is Kelowna, about seventy miles due west. Calgary is too far.”

  "Kelowna, it is. Viscardi's plane is a manatech one, with a forcefield shield, right?”

  “Yes, you’ll be safe in it. You get in fast and take off. I'm sending you a little app to coordinate with the plane. You know what? I’ll teleport to Vegas and meet you on the plane. I miss you."

  "Love you, baby, see you soon."

  Storing his phone, Rowan searched for words. They had rejoined the group, and the youngsters were depressed, as much was clear. Many were crying. Norie explained the unexpected help and the nuke to them, and then Rowan cleared his throat to get their attention.

  "I will ask you for one more effort. If we want to honor Magnus and Inglotal, we must survive first. We must make it to a nearby town, where a plane will be waiting to pick us up. We leave in one minute."

  Quietly, they rose and got ready for the next hike. Nottie offered him Inglotal’s revolver back, but Rowan told her to keep it. When the minute was up, he took the lead, and she followed, both activating their perks.

  First, they headed north to cross a tall, snowy mountain ridge with a high risk of avalanches. Rowan and Nottie went ahead to mark a path using a series of improvised flags. They overcame that obstacle in about an hour and proceeded toward the valley behind, which featured reasonable roads leading to Burton and Upper Arrow Lake.

  Checking his maps, Rowan noticed they needed to reach Fauquier, where the only ferry to Needles was. Swimming across one mile of cold water was out of the question. As they waved between hills, forests, and plains, he received a notification:

  Flame asks to add you to her contacts. Do you want to add Flame, Intergalactic Mercenary, to your friends' list and enable communication between you? Y/N

  What the heck does she want now?

  [Flame to Rowan]: Are you going toward Needles?

  [Rowan to Flame]: Indeed, you eagles. Why?

  [Flame to Rowan]: I'll be not shy. Let's take them together.

  [Rowan to Flame]: Please explain, red feather. Take them who?

  [Flame to Rowan]: Them too. The Neeks have a base in Needles to control the road and the ferry. Get my team through the forcefield, and we’ll finish the job.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  [Rowan to Flame]: Very well, but let me talk to the mob.

  Raising his hand to signal the group to halt, he announced: "We'll make a pit stop in Needles."

  "Why do we need to stop at a pit?" a boy asked.

  "It means we make a pause. There's a hostile base there, and I'll make sure to flatten it to the ground." As soon as his mouth said the words, his mind realized he had to do the contrary. If that base had Rezz ponds or other usable tech, even if primitive, that could increase Elkins's capabilities.

  "We go in and kill them all!" Nerio roared.

  "Sit, you mad hound of war!" Rowan frowned, making a rhyme unwillingly. "The mercs and I will deal with it."

  "Mad hound of war… I like it," the girl grinned.

  [Rowan to Flame]: I'll get you into the base as long as you promise me not to involve the kids in the fighting.

  [Flame to Rowan]: Agreed. We'll hit them like lightning.

  As they started running, he called Cora on the phone. "Are you on the plane already?"

  "Boarding it. Had some delay in Vladivostok."

  "Don't board it yet. Can you borrow a Core from Viscardi? Tell him we'll give it back.”

  “Why?”

  “I'm sick and tired of running through woods; Kelowna is still fifty miles away, and approaching a big city carries risks. I don’t want to lose some other kid to a stray bullet. Come to Needles with the core and jump from the plane or something. We'll Awaken this area, then teleport home."

  "You're sure?"

  "How many Awakened towns are around, nine? We still have room to grow. This is a lovely area, surrounded by beautiful mountains. I'll make it a training ground and ask Isla to build a monument for Inglotal and Magnus."

  "Err… Isla? Are you sure? What if the monument is not pretty?" Cora asked.

  "At least it will be made by someone who cares about it."

  "Moment… Viscardi says it’s a good idea, and in the same spirit, he wants to take over Vancouver."

  "He has a V fetish or something? Viscardi, the Vampire of Vegas and Vancouver, father of Verna and Victoria, and father-in-law of Vito? Never mind… Call me when you're here; love you."

  Half an hour later, they approached Arrow Lake. It was a quarter to five in the morning. The ferry crew was preparing for their first trip, scheduled for five. A couple of guards dressed in military fatigues near the ferry ran away as soon as Rowan and the youngsters appeared. The shadow and frost AoE rows emanated by Rowan and Nottie were menacing enough.

  On the other side of the lake, three points of light landed, spreading machine fire: the mercenaries.

  [Flame to Rowan]: West side guards have been handled. The base is three miles from us.

  [Rowan to Flame]: We’ll be there shortly to discuss.

  The AoE was dismissed, and they went on the ferry. The crew looked at them with apprehension, trembling in fear.

  “We just want to go on the other side, relax,” Rowan offered a gold coin to the person who looked in charge.

  Ten minutes later, they reached the other side. The mercenaries began to run, leading the way. Soon, they halted after a bend in the road. The Neek base was a couple of hundred feet farther, enclosed in a force field. Flame approached him.

  “In battle, our mettle we’ll prove,” the Merc clasped Rowan’s forearm with their hand.

  "I approve. Let's have a word with those Neeks. You kids stay here."

  He gobbled a Mana potion and approached the entry to the base. Eight more Mercs landed nearby, heavy blasters at the ready. Stopping in front of the forcefield, Rowan sneered with disdain. "That's all?" On the other side was a welcoming committee with a couple of tanks, about sixty military in shooting positions, and six Classed Neeks. It meant they had received news of the mountain battle or river passage. The camp had light projectors, which, combined with morning fog, bathed the whole area in an eerie translucence. They could see the shield generator close to the gate and rows of Rezz tanks.

  "This is too easy. Tell them to call for more friends," Nerio said.

  "Hey, I told you to stay back!" Rowan yelled.

  "You told the kids to stay there. I'm a young adult," the girl shrugged.

  "Never mind… Stay behind us."

  "Don't fuss. I'll protect her," Flame promised.

  Rowan yelled at the ones inside: “Can you hear me?” he said. There was no answer, but the crispation in the soldiers’ bodies told him they at least could read his lips. “Surrender, or you’re dead,” he said slowly.

  The soldiers and the Neeks were arguing. He can’t pass the forcefield; Rowan read the lips of one Neek. He prepared to repeat the ultimatum when Nerio blurted: “They had their chance. Time’s up.”

  She stepped forward until her shadow was cast inside the camp, then disappeared, reappearing as a double of herself, now well over ten feet tall. The ones inside were so shocked that no one moved. She smashed a soldier with her shield, projecting him twenty yards, and impaled a few others with a heavy and long spear that had appeared in her hand out of nothingness. Letting her spear fall on a side together with the slain enemy, Nerio plunged her hand into a soldier's chest, pulled his heart out, and bit into it with gusto. A soldier discharged all his bullets into her for naught, and she headbutted his head into smithereens.

  “Fuck!” Rowan gasped.

  “Such luck,” the Merc said. “What do we do?”

  “Get inside too!” Yelling the rhyme, Rowan activated the Joint Trip and pulled the Merc by the elbows to avoid other verses. Flame's fellows followed. Inside, he activated his weapon, divided it into filaments, and skewered six different enemies, letting go of the perk. Shooting his Snowstorm AoE to the left to avoid hitting the girl, Rowan retracted his weapon from the dead bodies. He searched for other targets as the Mercs unleashed fire, mowing down the enemies.

  Calling the Elemental Shield around him for protection, Rowan tried to get in front of Nerio, but it was too late. Screaming like a Banshee, she barged into a tent, picked a Neek, and broke his back in two on her knee. And it was over.

  You have cleared an enemy camp and captured valuable equipment. +1 AP. You rank as the second contributor after Nerio.

  “Ew, ew, ew…” the girl screamed, spitting on the ground and wiping her mouth with her forearm. She had returned to normal size. “This is so gross!”

  “Why did you do it, then?" Rowan hissed.

  “I dunno… When I changed, the idea of eating raw hearts looked yummy. I received a Perk from the Secondary class I unlocked earlier; some dude sent it to me as a reward with a red message.”

  “Is that dude called the Warlord, perchance?” Rowan growled.

  “Yeah. He said we’ll be good pals. Anyway… The perk is called War Goddess’s Avatar. Mythical. I transform only once per battle, and I must kill an enemy every six seconds to keep it up.”

  “Sweet buttercup! I don’t think you killing people during battles will be hard,” Flame said.

  “You spoke like a bard," Nerio bowed.

  "All that remains is to find the controls for the shield," Rowan said. "We can stay inside the base until Cora arrives. After we throw out the bodies, of course."

  "You think this is it?” the girl grimaced, squinting her eyes, squatting near a truck. “What do I push?”

  “Let me see,” Rowan leaned forward. “A green button marked Start, and a red one marked Stop. Let’s go for the red one. And once our guys come in—.”

  “We press the green,” the Merc said.

  Cora came to the rescue in the early evening after a previous stop in Vancouver to transform it into an Awakened Town. Ten minutes after her arrival, a two-thousand-square-mile mountainous region became Rowan’s new domain.

  Of the sixty Rezz pods in the camp, two had been destroyed during the fight. The rest remained operational, with fifty housing the recalled remains of the Neeks killed in the mountain battle and eight of those who perished in the camp. One by one, the pods ejected them, and each individual was restrained and taken into a cellblock constructed by Cora through the new Town Core’s perks. After briefly interrogating a few, they uncovered nothing of significance. No one knew who had given the orders for the ambush. The enigmatic leader stayed a mystery, known only by a title: the Neek Supreme.