NOVEL WEB Interlude 3 (Uncertain Times) Part 1
Howl
The giant’s grotesque mouth let out a furious roar into the sky, sending fistfuls of spittle in all directions. Two badly burnt tusks extended forwards, facing a white-haired woman whose fists radiated with a blinding crimson light. Shockwaves rushed through the surroundings as the beast's two legs fell, one in front of the other, rapidly closing the distance between it and the human. The woman, faced with the creature nearly three times her size, showed only indifference. Fire burst from her hands, hitting the creature's chest and sending trails of flames through its fur. The main force of the fire bored deeper into searing flesh, organs, and blood, turning them into ash as it pierced through the other side of the creature's chest, continuing into the air like the end of a blowtorch. One last terrific scream escaped the beast's lips as its body fell to the ground with a crash, its vision going dark.
The woman approached the body, still billowing black smoke, while holding her nose. Looking down at the giant's lifeless body, a hint of tiredness crept into her expression while her eyes scanned over the haggard forms of her teammates.
[Selene] “You two over here, search the corpses loot anything you can quickly, the clean up team will be here shortly make sure there’s nothing living for them to deal with, and one more thing, don’t act so cocky next time, go, now”
Motioning coldly to the two subordinates standing nearby wiping clean their blood-stained weapons, their suits covered in a thick layer of gore that made Selene want to sigh, calling to them she watched coldly as the two wardens excitedly started to run about the corpses.
Though she didn’t say it, her mind contained a different sentiment. Saliane knew that the guild had no shortage of ideal hands. Every day, new awakened individuals would show up looking for their chance at glory. Any one of them would be grateful to be given such an opportunity. Yet, when she had barely gotten back from the destabilized rift, the vice leader of the association had been impulsively sent out on an extermination mission. Her presence here really had nothing to do with these remnants of an opened gate. After all, such remnants were no oddity in the wild lands. No, far more important than them was their location. This gate had opened on the border to The Republic of San-Mongolia, giving the association the perfect opportunity to make a show of force. In her heart, Saliane knew her actions were nothing more than that. A fact she had to remind herself of whenever the faint buzz of the constantly circulating surveillance drones would enter her ears.
Looking around at the severely burned creatures that lay motionless in the woods around her, she couldn’t help but shake her head.
[Selene] “I know these are uncertain times, but I really need to ask the Director to act with a bit more tact when sending me to the middle of nowhere”
Strolling past the giant, she came to a clearing before pressing a button on a thin band surrounding her wrist and speaking into it.
[Selene]“ This is vice Director Selene, requesting transport in the old highway sector .”
Her voice hung in silence for a moment before a static reply came from the other end.
“Roger that, this is ‘Watchtower’. Hang tight there, Vice Director. Nearest assets are 50 minutes out…” The voice suddenly cut off before the sound of chatter on the other end could be vaguely heard.
“Well, looks like it’s your lucky day, Vice Director. Your bird was already on the way to ‘Silk Road’, ETA 5 mins.”
Hearing the reply, Saliane's brows twitched. Raising an eyebrow, she answered before ending the call.
[Selene]“Understood.”
With a short click the commutation ended as motioning for the rest of the guild members to continue their work, she walked up a slope covered in footsteps from where the group had entered previously. At the top the surroundings shifted from mossy grass and trees to a clearing of asphalt that stretched on beyond her vision. Exiting into the opening, the remnants of a 12-lane highway stood, barely having managed to survive the test of time only due to its sturdy construction of steel and concrete. Still, the structure had seen better days, with cracks extending into holes so large that should a car fall in, there would be no hope of it coming out again. Scanning the highway, Selene had to begrudgingly admit that Head might have a point about the importance of this area. If the association was able to wrest control over this place from the monsters and other nations that lay claim to it, they would become the ones to effectively control trade on the continent. For now, it was a mere pipe dream, but not an impossibility. While thinking, Saliane found a large metal pole with wires extending from it, lying across the road. Judging by the rust on its surface, the thing had been there for some time.
Her feet stretched out in front of her, and she sat down. A strangely frosty wind blew through the trees, causing small bits of frost to whip in gusts over the open highway, but Selene didn’t seem to notice any of it, looking out at all the ground their country had lost to the rifts she couldn’t help but feel excited to be taking something back.
The sounds of rotor blades slicing through the air broke her chain of thought. Above her, a black military helicopter circled, before it slowly began to land on an intact piece of road. The spinning blades created a torrent of air that caused Selene to lean forward, her hand shielding her face from the gusts. When it reached roughly the height of a man, a pair of wheels stuck out under it, and it slowly closed the last meter to the ground. The helicopter's blades spun at a slower rate as a door on the side of the machine was slid open by a man in a green flight suit, revealing a row of interior seats that stretched into the back of the craft. The man leaned out of the door, one hand on a bar above his head, the other motioning to Selene who had already begun approaching the craft. Grabbing the man's hand, she stepped up onto the metal floor of the craft. Looking around, it seemed slightly different from the M5-Dayhawks she had been used to flying in. The walls, which were normally exposed metal, had been covered with a plastic shell, and despite the number of seats, there weren’t any places to store weapons or other equipment. Instead, cup holders and footrests took their place. Suddenly, the roar of the engine faded away with the crisp clack of the door sliding closed behind her, the man in the pilot's uniform opening the door to the cockpit, stepping inside. In an instant that he was about to enter, he turned around and handed a headset to her while yelling above the reminder sound of the rotors.
[The pilot] “The Director is on the line for you. After we lift off, we’ll be heading towards the capital. I can’t say expect a comfy ride while we’re still in the range of winter's bane, but I’m sure you know that already, ha ha.”
The pilot’s laughter could only be faintly heard as he sat down in the cockpit, reaching over to push a lever forwards, causing the vehicle to tremble violently as it slowly rose into the air. Selene placed the headset on, her smile fading as she heard the familiar voice on the other end of the line, though her tone was nothing but polite when she replied.
[Selene] “Sir, if you’re calling personally it must b. . . ”
Before she could finish her sentence, a gruff voice came tiredly from the other end of the line.
[The Director] “What level would you rate the exposed rift you found today?”
Glancing out the circular window of the helicopter at the ground rapidly disappearing as they went higher into the whipping snow.
[Selene]“I believe with a mix of giants and trolls, it was no lower than a rank five. My attempts at getting an energy signature from the core were unsuccessful as it died too quickly.”
The sound of fingers tapping on wood came from the other end before a grunt broke the
silence.
[The Director] “It looks like things aren’t any better there than…”
Pausing, he slowly continued.
[The Director] “Selene, we had another rift open in the city yesterday; it was a level three.”
Selene gripped the edge of the window a little harder, only partly to deal with the shaking hull of the helicopter around her. Her voice lowered to a point.
[Selene] “How many civilian casualties?”
She could almost see the director shake his head as he responded wearily.
“No, the rift’s area of effect was contained within an unoccupied shop; the only casualties were three members of the Roaring Flame Guild who were in the area. The association has offered to pay their funeral costs.”
Hearing this, Selene let out a breath of relief. Having managed the association’s press wing for so long, she knew that another civilian death in such a short time would destroy the narrative that the first one had been an unlucky accident. The truth was that the public thought of wardens as people meant to die. Having three disappear in a rift was hardly worthy of news coverage. Getting this far, her thoughts leaked out.
[Selene]“Still… A level three coming so soon after that level six insect gate. When was the last time something like this has happened? The public will want a statement.”
Her words hung in the air before the sound of fingers tapping was heard again, and the director continued speaking in the same tone.
“The association has decided it to be in the best interests of the nation to report only a level one and a level four rift.”
Selene opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
If this is revealed…
Cutting herself off, the director finished his thought.
“The statement has already been made. The nation is in a critical state. If we have a panic now, it will only worsen the situation. It was the only way to guarantee that we can maintain security.”
“It was only my decision; the president has signed off on this.”
Looking out the window, the snow around the helicopter had cleared slightly, showing a massive pillar of ice that was bigger than most skyscrapers in the distance.
[Selene]“I wonder if the nations of the past said the same thing?”