Chapter 12-335: Thoughts on the Emerald Isle (1/2)

The Mick smoothly dropped off Fire and Flame, who rapidly headed for the small church to Aru that serviced the community, where several dozen people with weapons ready had gathered to defend Labasheeda.

There was also the small problems of the outsiders to scan, and probably to put down violently. The small hotel was going to get leveled, more than likely, but it could be rebuilt.

I glanced off ahead of us, where Legion and Azaia were pulling onto ground in Foynes and Legion had popped up the Eyes of Heaven.

The blaring purple clusters of the visitors staying overnight was pretty hard to miss as the trio came noiselessly into town, having skirted the edge of the raiding force undetected as Sleipner Ward-Rode above the waves.

Azaia was looking to link up her own Lived-Lines and get a connection across the Atlantic, maybe directly to Heavenbound Hall. As Sleipner could move quite a bit faster than Bone Marrow, it was something that had to be done sooner or later, so why not? She just had to make a connection to her past travels in Ireland and Europe, all of which had been interrupted by the little ponds in the way.

Having a consistent and known Lived-Line was suddenly becoming quite a thing as people reached towards Nine and wanted to hop across the world. Just recognizing it was important for such things was a big moment for people, and how to extend it a problem many were puzzling over, as just running or biking somewhere was such a time suck...

I could only smirk. It was all rep counts, one way or another. Get the tedious crap out of the way so you could do the cool stuff. If you wanted a Lived-Line that stretched across the world, then you had to travel across the world. There was simply no way around it.

It was even more onerous for me when I considered that I’d be leaving this world and my Lived-Line here. Annoying. I would have to do something about that...

We were coming up on Shannon quickly and silently, with lights off. I was feeding our Commune location, so I didn’t need to say anything when Highsun and his three kids cut their Disks loose and glided away from us. They got off; the Disks lotused closed, went into their Masspacks, and then all four of them started flying off, low and close to the ground, as all their attires went shadowy and black.

They’d learn Morningsuns were atop them when Morningsuns were atop them, not any sooner. I was wondering exactly who was dumb enough to be attacking here, but I supposed I’d be finding out soon enough.

The friendlies were warned we were coming, and we ghosted into the town without a problem.

Like so many other churches, this local one to Aru was converted from a Christian one, this one an old Catholic property, renamed Gables of Green and Gold. I could sense some impish cheek here, indicating that they weren’t taking themselves too awfully serious... but you didn’t get to be a successful Divine Caster without Faith, it was a requirement of the job.

The Mick pulled into its drive, which only had a couple more vehicles than usual in front of it, and headed around to the back, where several others had somehow found their way late at night.

Needless to say, his ride stood out the most. Furthermore, The Mick wasn’t about to change his attire, and Amaretta put on her sable hat as he tapped his top hat.

The Irishmen (and a few women) looked at the pair of Blooded incredulously, and then Briggs stood up from his trailing Disk. They gawked at the Ancient, quite near the size of an ogre, and radiating that Crystal Dragon vibe of the immovable mountain, especially when clad in a full set of Shieldplate with a whole lot of fresh scars and burns on it.

“I am Commander Briggs,” he stated, and silenced any and all comments as the stones on the ground trembled. “Will there be any problems with me taking command here?”

It wasn’t a question, and he didn’t even slow down. “Lady Traveler, give me an Aural scan of the town.” I shot into the air promptly, reaching out with layered Bitchood and the Eyes of Heaven, looking for collaborators, and found my first ones within fifteen seconds. “You, take a team, start vacating the homes along the river. We’re going to pull the bastards in off the water, and then we’re going to kill them.

“Lord Mick, Amaretta, you’re on the Casters. Give me a weapon tally of teams! You, why aren’t you leaving yet!” The older man jumped, gestured to several of his friends, and hurried away. More people were coming out of the church as they heard his voice, and with my mental nudge, Amaretta popped up a holo of the town and nearby sea. Breaths hissed when they saw the numbers coming in, and those two squiddy blobs.

“Are they coming for the women?” one of the younger men blurted out. “The Festival of the Green is tomorrow! There’s a lot of women staying in town...”

Somehow, Briggs got even grimmer. “That is exactly why they are here. Deep Ones can’t breed for shit among themselves, so they get new ones by making fish-fucked bloodlines who get called to the sea as they age. They either rape them here or carry them off to the deep to be baby makers in the abyssal realms in the depths of the sea.”

Hard faces replaced nerves and excitement. Briggs’ pale violet eyes swept over them. “I have killed a lot of Deep Ones. I’m going to kill a lot more. Don’t you worry about their bosses, we have those covered, and don’t you worry about their numbers. Lady Traveler is here if you have problems. Now, let’s get some firing lines drawn up.”

-------

It had been too long since the world had seen her get angry.

She was Jaelez Morningfire, arguably the most famous Fire-wielder on the planet after her mother had been killed. Her daughter Brigette had built upon her fame, but her achievements had been hers.

And then, that man, one of her own lovers, had done that to her!

It was worse than rape. He had taken everything of hers: her name, her beauty, her power, her social position, her reputation, her acclaim... and her daughters.

THREE of her four daughters!

She was going to simply unlock the door to the garage where the outsiders had gathered. She could feel the Evil leaking off them, hungry, ready to explode forth when violence came, and the touch of it, that sickening feel as she had writhed in torment under the fires of that bastard’s Pact...