Dawn of New Age

Fiivon’s body bounced on Vivian’s shoulder. A sick look in his eyes, his pale face, and bloated cheeks were aided in holding back his vomit by a fuchsia band over his mouth.

Vivian’s ear twitched. The faint clinking she could normally hear was absent. “That’s odd. Whatever.” She knocked on Jesper’s door.

Even more odd: She couldn’t hear anything from the other side.

“Alright close your eyes kid.” She opened the door. Jesper’s unblinking eyes stared at her. “Fuck, Well. There goes my pay. You can open your eyes now; You’re mom sure did a number on this room and I want you to see it.” She held Fiivon in front of her like an unwanted baby she was trying to pawn off to somebody else.

His eyes went wide as his cheeks puffed out further.

“Oh, right.” She stepped closer to Jesper’s head. “Hi Jesper, this is Fiivon. Don’t be shy.”

Jesper's head didn't respond.

The fuchsia band disappeared and a torrent of green erupted from Fiivon’s mouth coating the bottom half of Jesper’s bed.

“Now I just need to make sure I don’t touch anything disgusting.” A pink light traced over his body. “Do you feel better now?”

“No. And I told you Miss Mary isn’t my mom.” His face was still pale and he did his best to avoid looking at the destruction caused by Mary, though his limited mobility prevented him from doing anything other than averting his eyes from Jesper’s gaze.

“Good for you.” She set Fiivon down.

“Mar—!” Fiivons voice was muffled as fuchsia bands wrapped around his mouth and body.

“Shut up and stay put.” Vivian walked over to the balcony and looked down. “This is why tall buildings suck, I can’t see a single damned thing at the bottom at night.”

The glow surrounding her concentrated itself around her eyes. Jesper’s body, or rather his clothing and the crimson Rorschach test that used to be his body, lay on the street. A handful of steambots dressed in poorly sized maid outfits were scattered around his corpse trying in vain to walk further into the amber paving. She heard voices on the roof, but didn’t care enough to make out what they were saying.

“Alright kid! Sounds like your mom is on the roof!” The door to the balcony slammed behind her with a thud. “And she’s talking to the person who better pay me regardless if I’m the one who helped finish the job or not!”

Fiivon glared at her.

“Let’s just hide that hideous thing.” A magenta mask covered Fiivon’s face.

———————————————————————————————————————

The silhouette of a mountain range stretched across the northern horizon. From their perch on Jesper’s roof, Jesperville and its walls appeared to be the only things standing against the encroaching forest. Cassius leaned against a rickety iron fence. The night’s pervasive silence was briefly broken as it bent forward with a metallic squeak.

“The Brass Armada likely constructed Jesperville in the center of this forest to more effectively destroy it. Doing so would have the accompanied benefit of obscuring their activities from The Consulate of Mages and expanding their borders. You, miss, have certainly expedited the personal investigation I have been conducting.”

“Where is the Brass Armada based?”

“It’s been stated the sun seldom sets on their empire. The phrase is both derived from the sheer size and extent of their empire as well as their deployment of flying cities to ensure direct supply routes. You’ll most certainly bump into one soon enough.” He pointed north. “Before you ask, the Consulate of Wizards is based in the North. They’re a reclusive bunch and, despite their failings, they’ve been doing a splendid job of waylaying The Brass Armada.” He stretched his hands, a royal flush appearing in each of his hands when he withdrew them. “Well, that’s enough chit chat for now. We’ve got a job to do.”

Mary’s goggles rested over her eyes. Her fatigue, clearly visible beneath them. Why has no one come yet; his body is still down there?

A brass coated brick chimney stood beneath an inverted circular cap on the roof’s center.

Mary walked over to it. “Would you be willing to give me a boost? Whatever is spreading the anti-magic crystals around should be at the bottom.”

“Where’s the explosions, the destruction, the theatrics?”
“That would draw too much attention. It would also be unsafe.”

“Attention is the purpose Mary!” He threw a ten of spades into the air. The card flew off the roof before disappearing with a loud pop and a bright flash of light.
Mary glared at him then began climbing up the chimney. And now I am working with a fully grown moron I will not be able to rely on, who I am going to need to save from himself at some point. She sighed.
“For too long our people and those of similar standing have been oppressed and branded as monsters!” He threw a Jack of Spades into the darkness. The pop was louder, and the flash brighter.

Mary ignored him and tested a poorly laid brick’s stability.

“For too long our people have been driven out of our homes and enslaved.” He threw the remaining cards in his hand. A series of pops and flashes of different intensities rocked the roof.
She tied her rope to the brick. He can handle himself.
His gaze intensified. “Mary, do you not understand?! We are heralding an end to the dominion of elf and man and welcoming in the dawn of a new, more equal age.” He madly tossed a deck of cards. Loud popping noises echoed throughout the city as a series of random, vibrant images danced in the sky.

Mary glared at him again, annoyance present in her voice. “If someone does show up, distract them until they leave.” She slid down the chimney carrying a flashlight in her mouth.

A thick layer of black grime coated the bricks inside. Mary lifted up her hood then tested the grime. Another unknown substance with trace amounts of lead, carbon, and other random elements. Even with her respirator, the air was so thick it was nearly suffocating.

At the bottom was a small, borclay box with a funnel centered on it; its insides caked in the same grime as the chimney. The box lifted off the ground with a pop, revealing a pipe underneath. It felt no heavier than her flashlight despite being many times the size. With her back pressed against the chimney and her free hand on the rope, she climbed back up.

Cassius laughed as he haphazardly tossed cards into the night with a manic expression.

He is useless for now. Mary hopped off the chimney pulling the rope with her. She briefly inspected it before placing it in one of her inner coat pockets. A lock with a dog-tag sized hole prevented Mary from opening the box. She reached into her breast pocket and removed a dog tag with Jesper’s name on it and inserted it into the hole.

The lock emitted a brown light and flew off as a cloud of anti-magic crystal shards burst out of the box. One of Cassius’s cards disappeared upon contact with the cloud. Mary’s eye twitched.

The inside of the box was coated with a thin layer of dust and grime. Mary removed some of the grime. A smaller borclay box sat in one corner while a clear pipe ran into an antechamber containing four blades. Two more clear pipes with half the diameter led out of the antechamber. The first headed straight for the funnel while the second made a detour to deposit anti-magic crystal shards into another clear chamber. Small caps created poor seals for each of the pipes. She pocketed the chamber storing the shards as well as the crystal she removed from the borclay box.

Footsteps clanked up the stairs. Mary drew one of her desert eagles and pointed it towards the stairs. Vivian’s head poked out, followed by a resigned Fiivon on her shoulder.

“Show me your hands.”

Vivian held out her hands, staff in one and her wand in the other. “For the record, I don’t care what either of you are doing up here.” She kept moving.
“Good seeing you, Vivian.” Cassius tipped his hat before continuing to throw cards.

Vivian held Fiivon out and set him on the ground in front of Mary. “I believe this is yours.” Fiivon was pale and ran behind Mary as soon as he was free.

“I told him to meet me at the bottom. He would have been fine.” She put her hand on Fiivon’s wrist to check his pulse. Her gun still aimed at Vivian.

“I… I’m fine, miss. Just a little sick.”

“He would have been fine! Just who do you think I am!? Because it is not some babysitter!” Vivian loomed over Mary.

Mary pressed her gun against Vivian’s forehead as she stood up. “Stand down.” Her threatening eyes betrayed her calm voice.

“What is that suppo—!”

Cassius walked over while speaking. “Vivian! Listen to her! That’s Galorex’s apprentice cowering behind her! Do you have any idea why he might be here without him?”

Vivian paled and stepped back. The pink glow surrounding her faded. “I knew she was strong, but did she really destroy all of those steambots with that small thing? And Galorex…?”

“I believe so.” Cassius pulled Vivian away slightly.

Mary shined a flashlight into Fiivon’s eyes with one hand, the other held her gun still trained on Vivian. “Your pulse is good, your eyes are responsive.”

“I’m fine miss, just a bit sick. Why did you kill him like that?”

Jesper deserved it. Mary chose not to vocalize her answer. I guess even children in this world hate death. She holstered her gun.

Vivian eyed Mary curiously. “You seem to know more than the others, and you’re wearing weird clothes. Who are you and where did you come from?”

“I am nothing more than a ranger from the Earth city of Reythe.”