“I think we need to find a better way to do this,” Nestra said. Sereth smiled that goofy smile that made her want to smack him over the head and remind him he was supposed to be older and wiser. “I showed it to Siobhan by the way. She said if you were a man you’d be very hot!” “I am sure you were not supposed to tell me that.” “Oh. Maybe you’re right.” “Because she’s my best friend.” “Is it really awkward even though you are both close and she knows you’re not interested?” Where was he getting this sort of idea? “Enough,” Nestra replied. “The Scimitars will go first. Don’t try me again.” With a grumble, the scimitars took the lead, Sargon throwing a bag at the young scout. “Decha. Make yourself useful.” Nestra recognized the official loot bag where everything would be collected for valuation by the town hall. The Scimitars used him as a dedicated porter? Such a waste of a raider. Why even bring him then? The Scimitars were first through the gate, then it was Nestra’s turn. In that short moment, she opened her bag to release the drone, grabbing a small reinforced datasheet as an excuse. It wasn’t necessary. The Scimitars paid her no mind, having spread in a defensive formation with Sargon at the tip. A moment later, multiple feeds filled Nestra’s visor, small until she glanced at them. One for each raider. Nestra resisted the urge to look up but damn, that was a powerful drone. She couldn’t even hear it over the tweets and grunts of the local wildlife. This world was a jungle mixed with plains, as if they stood at the edge of a forest. Smooth dark grass that looked almost blue alternated with bulbous trees, their rotund trunks sweating water in the bright light. The temperature was pleasantly warm and the air smelled of soil. Alien songs emerged from the canopies, hinting at unseen birds. It made Nestra a bit peckish since she hadn’t eaten lunch. Behind them, the Seekers arrived in tight formation. “You may begin when ready,” Nestra said. Sargon was strutting ahead before Nestra was done talking. He followed a ruined stone path that led to a flat expanse of grass in the distance. His followers rushed after him with Nestra in the middle and the seekers behind. They walked in the relative quiet of nature for a minute before the first incident occurred. Decha, the scout, pointed a finger towards a form rustling in the tall grass to the left of the formation. Sargon’s second threw his spear at the form. There was a small hiss of pain, then the raider pulled out a transparent snake with a shimmering skin. Nestra could see the organs underneath. “Into the bag,” the spearman said. Decha shoved the dead thing in before rushing after Sargon. The man had barely slowed down. Shortly after, the stone path widened into a large clearing, revealing a flattened pyramid. Six statues guarded a sunken entrance, their armor shining brightly. That was the main source of pure electrum. Nestra noted that they had elephantine faces if elephants could be carnivorous with downward facing tusks. Nestra didn’t feel any mana coming from them right now but she’d seen pictures, of course. Those were golems. “Battle formation,” Sargon announced, then without waiting, he charged ahead. The golems activated when he accelerated. The mana was a little strange, with life, metal, and something more exotic surging from some construct in their torsos. Sargon smashed into the first one just as it removed a saber from its sheath. The C-class’ attack cleaved through the creature’s chest, hitting something important because it deactivated on the spot. Shards of electrum mixed with inner components clattered on the eroded stone. The other golems engaged, with the spearman and a mud mage providing cover for the whirling form of Sargon. He was a wind user, a good one too. His mobility was excellent but his penetration powers were not ideal. Nestra watched him hack the D-class creatures apart rather than cutting efficiently through them. Maybe he needed to let off some steam. It was just dangerous for his people. As she watched, one of the golems made for Decha. The Seekers at her back made a move. Nestra pivoted, making sure she was in position to help Decha if he got overwhelmed. The young man used a short bow to unleash arrow after arrow at the approaching golem with no result, even when he hit where the eyes ought to be. The mud user noticed it and slowed the golem down though Sargon yelled when two golems cornered him. Behind Nestra, one of the seekers was picking pieces of golem from the ground at her back. The electrum armor fragments disappeared in pockets and bags through graceful sleight of hand that made it feel so natural, it couldn’t have been their first time. Sargon reacted just as Nestra unsheathed her sword. The scimitar wielder flew through the air to stab the golem in the back, stopping it. With one last venomous glance at the scout, he was back to it. It didn’t take too long for Sargon to dispatch the remaining golems. They were too slow to be a danger to him so long as he was able to pierce their armor. Golems never tired but they relied on their defenses a lot. “And that’s how it’s done,” Sargon said triumphantly as the last foe collapsed, defeated. He frowned at the lack of cheers. “Get to it,” he told Decha, before surveying the entrance. All three remaining scimitars picked the electrum pieces with as much speed as they could, the seekers deliberately not helping. Nestra pretended to look at her datasheet while the three women exchanged smirks on camera. One of them had the audacity to pocket one more chunk while Decha passed her by. Nestra didn’t say anything. It took some effort not to blow up in their face here and now, but she wanted to see how far they would dare to go. At some point, the weight of the loot became too much. Decha patiently operated some interface and the bag inflated, gaining some hover element to accommodate the half ton of dense metal in its bulging innards. Nifty. The city had really kept the best toys. “The Golden Seekers will now take point,” she said once they were done. The Seeker head woman advanced with a short hammer and tower shield combo, backed by a mage that smelled faintly of solid heat — lava maybe. The last one used a spear with a strange flat end. They descended through the now open gate and into a mausoleum. With eerie coordination, all the human users activated lights and torches fixed on their armor so they could keep their hands free. The corridor inside was covered in eroded frescoes of abstract designs. It was barely enough for three people, certainly not if they had to fight, but the two Seekers just stood behind their leader in tight formation. “Traps,” the mage said. “I’ll mark them.” Using the expedient means of spray paint, the obvious triggers were circled and crossed. Nestra only felt the barest hint of mana when she was close. Clearly the mage had come prepared. As she watched, she caught a reflection, just a little anomaly over her head where the surveillance drone was. The lead Seeker held her fist high. The two others prepared while Nestra and the others came to a stop. Clanking sounds came from the darkness ahead, like bells sounding a ghastly dirge. Ok, it wasn’t dark to Nestra so she could clearly see the golems stepping out from alcoves, but the effect was rather cool. Honestly the place would be better with hidden alcoves setting golems on raider’s backs but no one ever asked for her opinion on portal world design. The golems, walking two by two, charged the seekers with mechanical coordination. The seekers were ready though. The golem’s faultless formation was countered by three determined fighters. While the leader blocked blows and countered with heavy hammer blows, the lava mage coated the construct’s articulations with thick, melting blobs of incandescent rock. As for the spearwoman, every strike resonated against the golem’s armor, breaking it in shards. Soon, delicate joints were exposed and demolished. As soon as a golem fell, it was replaced by another. The strategy might have tired unprepared raiders but the seekers dispatched them too quickly for it to matter. It looked like the fight would be over in under a minute, then Nestra caught movement at her back. Sargon brought his hand back as she watched, expression carefully neutral. Mana pulsed in the wall, then openings clicked at the back of the seekers. Nestra used momentum to shift forward, pushing the lava mage out of the way. She pulled back just in time for the openings to belch fire. The spear wielder was on the way but as Nestra expected, the swift warrior managed to dodge forward. This still bundled the formation. The leader was forced to parry two blows while the lava mage recovered. Another golem stabbed down with a thick saber. Nestra threw her sword, infused with void. The thick sword pinned the golem like a butterfly into the one behind, sending them both tumbling on the ground. That was all the opening the Seekers needed. The remaining golems were dealt with, then once the flames faded, Nestra walked to recover her sword in an embarrassed silence. She’d barely gained anything from them. They were too weak. Only by killing all six would she have gained something. “Sorry…” the spearwoman said, looking at her lava mage friend who merely shook his head. The leader’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I… I thought I had them all…” In theory, Nestra wasn’t here to judge if but rather how well they would do… but now things had changed. In their eyes. Nestra was just wondering if she should call it in now. The portal needed to be cleared though. That was her job. So they would clear it. “We’ll continue in this formation until the guardian chamber. The Golden Seekers will rush ahead to block reinforcements while the Scimitars engage the guardian as planned.” Sargon huffed and Nestra refrained from killing him. The group continued in awkward silence until they reached a barely lit hall overgrown with vines digging from an opening in the ceiling. Soft light bathed the tall statue of an elephantine warrior, its belly bulging forward. Precious metal covered the chest and arms. Besides the statue, the room was empty save for an opening to the left. “Go,” Nestra whispered. The Golden Seekers rushed for the opening with decent coordination. They stopped at the threshold. Nestra knew she could count on the drone to keep an eye out so she refocused on the trampling form of the awakening guardian, as it stepped down from its pedestal. Sargon engaged immediately. His scimitar found the creature’s knee and… failed to achieve anything of note. Nestra scowled. This was a C-class monster. Not exactly the most dangerous one but it was famously resilient. Surely, Sargon had come with some sort of plan? She kept watching, and quickly came to the conclusion that no, he had not. Thirty seconds into the fight, the guardian blared something that sounded a bit like an audio amplifier thrown into a mixer. In response, golems tried to come from the opening to reinforce their master. The Golden Seekers answered with violence but the golems kept reconstructing. They were drawing mana from the guardian. Fortunately, that seemed to weaken it enough that Sargon’s scimitar was scoring some hits, but the battle was still an uneven one. Also, the golem kept going for Nestra instead. She had to constantly sidestep it. Decha was kindly trying to distract it with shots which served no purposes as the golems didn’t even register them. Eventually, the golem went for Sargon instead. This was taking entirely too much time. The Golden Seekers were clearly tiring while Sargon was no closer to taking that thing down. As for his helpers, they were mildly useful in slowing it but just like Decha, they didn’t have the gear to pierce through. Tired, Sargon took some distance from the golem… behind Decha. Nestra saw the golem step towards the scout. She used momentum to grab him and get him out of the way. The distraction allowed Sargon to finally land a perfect blow on the golem. Its knee articulation crumbled. The ground shook when it fell. Without waiting for recovery, Sargon attacked its elbows. It took much less time to split it open now that the golem had lost what little mobility it possessed. When Sargon finally lodged his blade into something important, all the golems deactivated at the same time. The nearby altar now shone with a small pile of treasure. Very small, in fact. The lowest end of rewards for such a world. Decha wordlessly shoved them in the loot, well, coffer now, before picking up golem pieces. All the others soon joined with various degrees of annoyance. Except Sargon. Physical labor was apparently beneath him. The two groups were left sweating and glaring at either end of the room. Nestra checked the time. Two minutes thirty-seven to clear the guardian. An abysmal performance, and Sargon had to know it too, but cleared the world he had, and the Golden Seekers were none too happy about it. “The Scimitars will cross the exit portal first. I’ll follow. Do not keep me waiting.” Just as Nestra left, she caught a glint of yet another chunk of electrum disappearing in the Seeker’s pockets. Nestra was the second to leave, recovering the drone as she emerged from the cave while the Scimitars were not looking. She pulled two key recordings on her data sheet. Anger smoldered in her chest. One of the town hall spooks in black suit approached her. “Hmm. Miss Crescent?” She looked. He paled. “Commander Lidstrom would like you to call her to share your judgment as soon as you make it.” “I have made it,” she hissed as the Seekers emerged behind her. “Finally, let’s end this farce,” Sargon complained. Ragnhild picked up as soon as Nestra made the call. “Tell me,” she just said. Nestra grabbed her datasheet. “The Golden Seekers lose access to the portal.” The spear wielder bowed her head in shame. Nestra showed a slow motion of the girls pocketing electrum. Several instances. “You thieving whores,” Sargon spat. “Quiet,” Nestra hissed. She glared at the Seekers, their expressions one of children caught red-handed. Morons. “As a reminder, the loot was property of the township until equitably split. That means you’ve stolen from Threshold.” Stealing loot from Threshold carried a very heavy monetary penalty. For first time offenders. Second time offenders were rare. The leader knew this. She paled. This would set her back months, at the very least. And she deserved it. A part of Nestra realized she was being hypocritical because she was stealing from Threshold too when she wasn’t raiding as Crescent. But that was different. She was a demon who would be killed on sight by high gleams if found. She was supposed to work in the shadows. This was more… her being an infiltrator currently working with a foreign government, in a way, while they were straight up thieves. “We will be in touch.” She turned to Sargon. His victorious smile faded. “Sargon’s Scimitars lose access to the portal.” Sargon gasped in anger. “For attempted murder.” A slow motion of Sargon smashing his fist in a trigger to activate the trap was replayed. “You ASSHOLE,” the spear wielder blurted. “So what? It’s a raid! You’re supposed to be ready.” “I’m going to kill you!” The Seeker leader held back the spear girl. Nestra dropped the datasheet when Sargon reached for his scimitar. It almost cleared the sheath. “I’d like to see you —” Nestra appeared in front of him. Grabbed him by the collar. Lifted him. Smashed him against a steel pillar. It groaned. His anger melted like snow, replaced by sheer, utter terror. Her fingers dug into the small gorget of his armor. It groaned. The enchanted armor groaned under her strength. She was so angry. “Miss Crescent, please,” someone said. Sargon hyperventilated. “Give. Me. One. Reasssson.” He did not. He just coughed until Nestra dropped him. She was craving his core but… not here. Here, she was working with humans. She still liked humans. Just… not these. Behind her, the entire room had frozen in terror. She walked to the datasheet and returned it to one of the spooks. He grabbed it between shaking hands. “Holy shit,” the lava mage said. “Is she really C-class?” In Nestra’s visor, Ragnarok chuckled. “Excellent. I fully back your decision. You have performed to my complete satisfaction. You may leave whenever you want. Payment is on the way.” “Take him in,” she ordered the spook. Sargon didn’t resist, but as she was about to leave, she realized there was one thing to salvage. Nestra turned to Decha. “You are wasssted here.” “You know what?” the scout replied. “You’re absolutely right. I quit. Fuck this bullshit.” Nestra returned home tired and annoyed. She dropped her bag on the counter with a sigh before landing her ass on the nearby couch. A quick visor search showed no intrusion at her house, no breach of the condemned Nestra cave. Nothing. She was sure the killer was fast and also impulsive. So why had they done nothing? Maybe her assessment was wrong. Maybe she’d overlooked something… “Hey…” Helena mumbled from the side. Helena plopped herself on the larger seat. She breathed deep. “Ok, what’s going on? And don’t nothing me please.” “Nah, mom will tell everyone anyway. Probably. Got into trouble at school.” “No, not like that. I was doing better. Well, I think I am doing better. But you know I was always sort of… isolated. No one is actively bullying me, ya know? I just can feel the stares. And group work is always a reminder that I don’t really have friends. I mean… some of the girls are nice. Fuck this is annoying.” “So someone went rabid on my stuff. First time. They got into my sports locker and completely savaged it. Fucking asshole.” Nestra breathed in and out, very slowly. “I mean, it’s nothing I even care about. Just some shorts, shoes, ya know. It’s just…. fuuuuuck. I’m taking it hard.”