Disc 1: Many Streams. Ch. 9: Wondrous

The quartet was over a hill outside the OR, watching over the camp of the crusaders. Despite still being part of Many Streams, the land was barren. Some lungs of the outer sectors in the Community quickly degraded after god’s demise, as they were artificially maintained.

The Moon hovered over them, but Common Day couldn’t boast about the abilities of the Left Eye. He preferred not to draw more attention to himself than necessary—a task that Satis constantly made difficult.

Common Day decided his safest bet was to side with Black Tongue. He still didn't completely trust the ashen-haired woman, but she seemed to have combat experience. In the future, she could become a powerful ally.

What intrigued him the most was the Lottery Crusade. Pretty Anarchy Emerald had been silent since the encounter with Tongue, with little energy left to boast about her knowledge. Tongue gave only evasive answers every time Common tried to find out why she wanted to kill the scientist. It wasn’t impossible that it was pure hatred, but to Common Day, leaving someone alive in suffering seemed the more likely choice for revenge.

“Don’t think too much about it, dear. If you do well, I might consider giving you this.” She was referring to the battle gecko in her hand.

Battle geckos were primarily for military use, but since they relied on digital systems, they shouldn’t work anymore. In theory. For some reason, Black Tongue had one connected independently to her NCCAG, which granted vision through the gecko’s six eyes.

“This little guy can’t move as freely as before. Mostly in a straight line, and for just a few minutes until it stops. Enough time to infiltrate the Lotters’ camp.

And probably it only works with your NCCAG, scammer.

When the Moon was exactly in the middle of the sky, Satis moved to the opposite side of the camp. Being in the middle meant that it would take the longest to reach the horizon, regardless of how it moved later. Common Day tried to think the plan through, curious how much they could do without relying on a frontal assault. Still, he would’ve liked Pretty's support.

The demoness was already speaking with some of the crusaders. Using the Left Eye, Common Day saw they were entertained by her—though he couldn’t hear anything. Alternating views, he noticed the battle gecko already entered the religious camp. He was surprised how easy it was to use this power in a crowd.

Ten minutes passed, and Satis was already with the group, taking selfies and probably spouting off nonsense. Most of them were amused by the black horns, though Common Day could still see some unease in some faces.

Black Tongue was already down the hill. She assured him she had a way to create another distraction so he could have a clean shot, since the main part of the plan depended on his ability with the bow.

“I tell you, you won’t miss with the Left Eye,” had whispered Satis when they were alone earlier. They had moved away to summon the bow without suspicion. “I swear, it will work. But you need a clear intent—and something to shoot.”

He left Pretty Anarchy Emerald lost in her thoughts as moved into a better position. He would use a soda can. Their best option was to shoot from a distance, and with his control over the flow of water, their chances with just one clean shot improved. He shook the can to maximize output force. According to Satis, the stronger the original flow, then his—her—power could multiplied the force.

Thanks to that, we were saved from the Rose Horde, I guess. Oh, Tongue didn’t say what her distraction would be.

He couldn’t tell the ashen-haired woman that he could already see the entire camp from his spot, so Black Tongue moved as close as possible to maintain the connection with the gecko. Common Day wondered how difficult it was to manage multiple points of view. His thoughts wandered. For a moment, he felt as though he had more than two eyes.

Suddenly, someone tugged at his clothes.

“Call Deer-chan! This is bad—I remembered it now! Those crusaders… they’re Manichaean! If they think Satis’s horns are real, they’ll believe she’s an Accuser, a Tempter—an enemy of God!” Pretty Anarchy Emerald was panting behind him. It had been difficult for her to climb the slope where Common Day was.

With a glance, he saw Satis was already tied up by the crusaders. One of them—a leader, perhaps—was giving orders. They were preparing a new decoration to hang between four poles.

Damn those freaks. That’s why you were extinguished in the first place.

Pretty Anarchy Emerald stayed at his side, and he had no time to find a better position.

“Forget the plan! Find cover!” he shouted to Tongue. The mysterious woman looked his way but didn’t move. She understood the situation—and smiled.

Common Day began shooting the soda can. The process was rather simple: shake, shoot with the bow, and reinforce the trajectory and power using flowing-water control. Satis hadn’t lied—thanks to the Left Eye, his aim was better, even without proper training.

The merchant girl was astonished at first, but even she understood the situation they were in. She kept handing him soda cans so Common Day wouldn’t lose a second. The Left Eye helped confirm the deaths of Satis’s captors, while other crusaders were trying to identify the source of the shots. What surprised them both was the explosion that followed—it was the battle gecko. Fire began to spread everywhere.

So there goes our “prize”.

Tongue was laughing like crazy while charging at the crusaders coming in her direction. The ones in the camp lowered the scientist, shielding him with metal panels. These guys weren’t totally dumb.

With increased speed, Common Day slid down the hill, looking for a better vantage point. Despite the leader's orders, the crusaders were disorganized. Thanks to his flowing-water control, Common Day could direct the shot’s source, creating confusion for the enemy. At all times he carried the big electricity pile on his back, thanks to some harnesses that he improvised hours ago.

Many of the crusaders were focused on finding water, which could work in his advantage, if necessary. He slipped through an overlooked gap in the camp—right where Satis lay alone. With one look, the demoness understood there was no time to waste. They had passed the point of no return.

They quickly reached the point where the four guards had shielded the scientist with metal panels. The guards were prepared—but not for a water-based attack. Common Day knocked them out pretty quickly; the soda cans didn’t have enough pressure to kill.

Beneath the metal cover, they were now facing the old scientist with bleeding legs.

He looked at them calmly.

“Is it for revenge?”

“Just a favor for a last-minute acquaintance.”

“Don’t you want to know… how we did it?”

The scientist smiled, like someone remembering a good vacation when he was young.

“Not particularly.” Common Day grabbed a sword from one of the guards.

“Could you… remember my name?”

“I only remember a lady's name. Sorry, dude”.

He pierced the scientist’s chest. Common Day would never know if the man’s final expression was one of peace—of sorrow.

After killing the unconscious guards, they escaped the burning camp and soon found Tongue. She had evaded the crusaders and rescued Pretty, who was again in shock. Once they reached a Lung already undergoing desertification, they were able to rest. No one had time to retrieve the supply boxes.

“Did you do it?” Tongue’s expression was serious.

“I think so. He’s either dead or immune to stab wounds to the heart.”

Tongue finally smiled—not sarcastelly, but sincerely. At that moment, Common Day realized she might not be older than him—but she’d been through far more.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”