Mantle of the Gods

Whisper was fighting Aryne.

Gesai was sitting against a portion of one of the Blacksmith walls that hadn’t been destroyed. I tried to ignore the two Tier Five men fighting as I ran over to the redhead.

“Gesai!” I ran over to the red-haired woman. I touched her cheek, “You have got to stop getting stabbed!”

“I’m…not… going to… die.” She leaned her face against my hand.

I looked at the wound. I’d seen worse on her and she’d lived. Passive recovery was something she focused on, so she was very resilient. But I did need to get her away from the fight.

There wasn’t much of the smithy or any of the buildings between the bar and the Authority station still standing. The Dispatcher’s office was on the opposite corner of the bar and still looked like it hadn’t been touched. I started to pick her up and felt her get lighter.

“Rix?” I felt Gesai’s weight shift as I got under her left arm.

“I’m here.”

I looked over at the flattened Mapper’s bunk where Whisper and Aryne were fighting. “I’m glad you’re here.” I looked over at Gesai’s right side, “I’d thought you’d try to kill Whisper.”

“Thought about it...” There was a pause, “He’s helping us right now.”

I could hear the disgust in her voice. Of our team, Rix had been the most messed up when another kidnapping victim had tried to escape. The Noble had been a Tier Three and almost made it until Whisper had executed him. Rix had tried to help the Noble and felt partially responsible for his death.

I didn’t know what to say and we walked in silence. Once we were behind the Authority Station, I was able to see in the dark down the road well enough to see red lights going away from the town. Someone had at least gotten away. I wondered who, focusing on that was only going to get me killed right now.

“What have we here?” A brown-haired man with blue eyes came around the side of the Authority Station. I felt all of Gesai’s weight lean on me.

“She got stabbed by Aryne!” I nodded at the Dispatcher’s building, “I’m trying to get her to the Dispatchers.”

“Here let me help you.” Deputy Jart Spari started walking towards me. I couldn’t help but notice how calm he was.

I backed up a step and nodded towards the fighting, “Aren’t you Authority? Shouldn’t you be trying to stop that?”

There were flashes accentuating the fighting that could be made out in the low light. Outside of town was basically pitch black though it looked like some of the fighting might have spilled over into the swamp.

“She looks like a more immediate concern.” He reached out his hand for her other shoulder, “I can help you patch her up inside.

“ATLAS!!”

I looked behind him and saw Rix standing at the corner. There was a crash and the breaking of glass. I looked down and saw that Rix had thrown a health potion at Gesai. A Tier Four Health Potion that Sipher had given us to use on Gesai when we’d been kidnapped. Rix had only used half of it back then and right now seemed like a great time to use it.

“HE’S GOT FOODA IN THERE!” Her chain sword zipped out and wrapped around Jart’s neck.

Gesai blinked as the Health potion did its job. She braced herself. “What?”

Jart yanked the weapon out of Rix’s hand. The look on her face told me that she hadn’t planned on being the one to take him out. She’d planned on being the distraction.

I pointed at Jart.

“Badguy.”