Zov'ha and her company had been travelling through the countryside south of Aeroz. Resting at an inn only for a night, they were headed towards Pilopia — a quiet farming village that was under Aeroz's jurisdiction.

The small company departed at dawn, passing through rolling hills and grassy meadows that were littered with cattle and sheep. The narrow asphalt road twisted and turned, snaking through the numerous farms and windmills. Hardly ever coming to a crossing, the company were compelled to drive at full throttle to keep up with the speed limit. While Marana drove cautiously, Zov’ha hurtled on at perilous speeds — enjoying the thrill.

A few weeks ago, a messenger from Pilopia had arrived in Aeroz with an urgent plea for help — a couple of giant beasts had been seen in the village outskirts. Such creatures that lived in Hell’s Teeth mountains were born and nurtured in the crimson fog, and they rarely ever ventured out of it. Whether the pair had lost their way or they were on an unusual hunt, the monstrosities had to be taken care of before they unleashed havoc on the people living in the outskirts. 

Several troops had been deployed from the city to track and hunt the beasts. Soldiers, armed tanks, and choppers commanded by The Knights of Evalon had been gathered from across the Jurisdiction. The Rover’s guild had given its own orders to Zov’ha and several other guild members — the mission to safeguard the residents of Pilopia during this time, in case the operation went sideways.

This mission was perilous, and Zov’ha could use all the help she could get. She trusted Sinovan and Segran, who had accompanied her on some previous missions, and she had decided to unofficially bring them along. Efiros travelled with her everywhere. As for Marana, this was a good opportunity to test the infamous lance in action.

It was noon by the time they passed a vast lake called Sjinitov reservoir, at the west end of which they drove downhill to reach the solitary village of Pilopia. A large sign read, ‘Please drive slowly through our village.’ One and two-storeyed, whitewashed cottages lined both sides of the highway.

Zov’ha approached the community hall, and they were greeted by Nirec, the Landking of the people, and a small congregation of villagers. Nirec was an old, half-Mechanov, half-Calcar man, in that he had bone spikes poking out of his dark red skin and he had cheaply-constructed appendages attached to his limbs and waist to help him stay upright and walk. He presided over the farms of his village, and he smelled strongly of cinnamon.

Dressed in simple, yet colourful garbs he ushered them into his peaceful village centre — a scattering of a few cottages that served as shops and salons. Standing perfectly still beside him was a small dog, with long brownish-red fur, who excitedly yipped as the five guests began unpacking and greeting the other villagers. 

‘Quiet down, Ryler,’ Nirec croaked. ‘You know it is rude to bark.’ 

‘We come from Aeroz’s Rover’s Guild,’ Zov’ha nodded at Nirec, taking off her helmet. 

‘For the protection of the village, yes, yes,’ Nirec picked up Ryler, who showed no intention of quieting down. However, when Zov’ha stepped forward the little dog stretched forward to sniff her. She raised a gloved hand to pet him and received a few generous licks. ‘Ah, he seems to like you. You are the first group to arrive from the guild. We have set up lunch in the community hall. Why don’t you all wash up and join us within? You must be weary, I surmise.’ 

‘What of the beasts?’ Zov’ha asked, unconcerned about lunch, as they had already eaten at the inn before setting off. ‘Have KOE initiated the attack?’ 

‘Giant gloomhogs! Sinister beasts they are — feeding on cattle and horses! One of them was found dead this morning,’ Nirec replied, delicately stroking Ryler’s tiny head. ‘It must have died some time at night. The KOE have investigated it already and found that it was not a full-grown gloomhog. The bigger one probably ran off chasing whatever killed it. The KOE were going to report back here as soon as they found and eliminated the adult beast. You are free to go and explore the area where the infant’s carcass lies. It’s somewhere south — near the crags’, he pointed in the direction.

‘I will go with Marana. Sinovan and Segran here will stay and help set things up,’ Zov’ha reassured him. 

‘What about the elken bear cub?’ Nirec murmured, looking sideways at Efiros, who was now approaching them, which sent Ryler into a fit of ferocious yipping again. 

‘He’s peaceful,’ Zov’ha replied, her eyebrows knotting in confusion. ‘What's that you said? Elken?’

‘Surely you knew he was an elken bear cub? Where did you find him?’ When Zov’ha did not reply, Nirec continued, ‘Elken bears live in the east, in Xerbia, in the mountains. They grow up to magnanimous sizes. Why, my grandfather saw one on the horizon in his time, and he said the elken bear was as big as the hill behind it! Look at his stubs,’ he pointed at Efiros’ furry head, where two black beginnings of horns grew slowly everyday. ‘In a few years, those will be full grown antlers that will be as tall as the community hall!’ 

Zov’ha looked up at the whitewashed two-storeyed cottage in front of her and tried to imagine how big Efiros would grow up to be — it was wonderful, yet frightening. She looked down again at the cub, who was looking intently at Ryler. The dog had stopped barking and was curiously smelling the air around Efiros. 

‘Looks like they’ll be friends,’ Zov’ha declared. She turned and put on her helmet again. ‘We’ll be back in an hour.’ 

The gloomhog’s carcass was not near the crags where Nirec had pointed. The plains around them were relatively flat, scattered with shrubs and tall grass. Trees did not grow here, and a large fallen creature would have been easy to spot. Marana was ready to head back, but Zov’ha’s sharp nose picked up a smell.

‘It’s not far,’ Zov’ha said, hopping on her bike. 

‘What? C’mon, the old man lied,’ Marana shook her head, taking her seat behind Zov’ha. They had left the hover buggy in the village, hoping to make a short trip on a single vehicle. The bike was designed for a single person with just one large seat, but Marana fit behind Zov’ha comfortably. ‘There’s nothin’ in these wastelands.’

‘I can smell it,’ Zov’ha fired the ignition and zoomed farther southwest. She raced across the plains alongside the tall yellow crags until they reached the borders of some woodlands. The land sloped downhill into a gorge, and there was the distinct sound of a waterfall.

Beech and plum pine trees grew in clumps, but the woods were dominated by giant silver ferns. Moss and creepers clung to the trees that prevented the sunlight from seeping into the gorge, which led to a fierce competition amongst the flora to grow taller. 

‘Now, I smell that too,’ Marana alighted, taking the lance with her, moving towards what looked like stone stairs leading downhill. The reek of decay was strong, and she raised the collar of her bodysuit to cover her nose and mouth. ‘Reckon it’s been dead for a while. Last night? Maybe longer.’

Zov’ha gestured to Marana to follow her down into the thicket. Though the track was a bit muddy, they were careful not to slip, and within minutes, they were at the waterfall. The beast lay in the stream that issued from the fall, but its body was so big that it covered both banks. 

‘This is the smaller one?’ Zov’ha shuddered at the sheer size of the gloomhog. It looked as big as a hoverbus. She put on her gas mask and mumbled, ‘I understand now. KOE had no option but to send in the troops — a few fighters with guns would be folly.’ 

The white fur of the creature was dirtied with mud and blood. Though it had the face and body of a wild boar, it had several horns on its head and bony spines on its back. Its forelimbs were stunted and small with long claws, whereas its hind legs were hooved like an ordinary boar. Large chunks of its flesh had been blown apart by explosives. 

‘Shells?’ Marana ventured. ‘Who’d do such a thing?’

‘No,’ Zov’ha examined the wounds, standing uncomfortably close to the reeking carcass. ‘Look, dark crystals.’ Just like the ones she had seen on Segran’s wound and on Jeshka’s helmet — dark iridescent crystals. ‘Raiders! They did this!’ 

‘Raiders? No way! Out here?’ Marana whispered, a little out of breath as she made her way towards Zov’ha. ‘Thought the terrorists worked the farms in the east of Aeroz. Looks to me like their numbers are growin’.’ She caught a movement in her peripheral vision and scanned the thicket to her right. Dismissing it as just a bird or the trees moving in the breeze, she continued, ‘Nirec prattled ’bout the whole damn universe but couldn’t spare a sec to tell us ’bout raiders in these parts?’ 

‘Looks like the beasts are a threat to them as well,’ Zov’ha examined the blade of her lance and eyed the common features of the dark slits and the crystals on the rotting hide. ‘They have more of these weapons.’ 

Marana sensed some movement again in the same spot as before and this time she spotted it — a scout bot hovering in the shadows. The red and white bands painted on the machine were characteristic of M.A.R.T. technology. What was Lint up to? Why is M.A.R.T. tracking us? She needed to distract Zov’ha before she noticed the bot. 

‘Come with,’ Marana said, holding Zov’ha’s gloved hand. ‘Gloomy’s body’d be enough to cushion the impact of the lance’s ‘splosion. Time to test this baby.’ She led Zov’ha towards some underbrush away from the scout bot, so that neither party would be visible to each other.

What am I doing? Am I protecting Zov’ha? Or am I just distracting her so that she doesn’t notice the scout recording our every move? She suddenly felt anger wash over her and her cheeks turned red. Zov’ha was a good person and she didn’t deserve this attention from M.A.R.T! But my history with M.A.R.T is important too — I am a part of that family. I am a preeminent hyperprosthetist, for crying out loud! 

Maybe Parpa Dourne was right about Zov’ha — maybe she was dangerous. It was likely that she had been too treacherous or unstable to be around civilised people, and so, she had been exiled from her country — exiled and induced with amnesia so she would never return. The thought came to her with a horrifying sense of fear.

Jeshka — her partner, her best friend — had been a normal person all her life, but she had turned into a monster, and Marana had seen it first hand. Zov’ha could have been a maniac, a terrorist perhaps, a mindless killer…

No, Marana could not make this decision based on assumptions. And she wanted to believe that Zov’ha really was a good person. The decision would have to wait. ‘Right, we’re outta range. Give it muscle, and make sure it shoots deep.’

Zov’ha held the weapon above her head. Balancing the shaft delicately, she aimed towards the bowels of the fallen beast, where the lance would face least resistance. With a quick motion she stepped ahead and threw the lance, which hit its mark and embedded deep in the gloomhog.

The two women took a few steps back, and within minutes, the belly of the beast exploded, sending the lance spinning back towards and a bit away from them, striking the trunk of a tree before falling upon the ground. The creature’s innards decked the landscape in red, brown and pink.

‘Sweet,’ Marana mumbled, smiling at the mess they had made. She tapped her wristwatch which produced a series of holographic graphs and tables. ‘We gotta try that again.’  

‘What’s that?’ Zov’ha looked curiously at the colourful charts. 

‘Taking records back to the lab, girl,’ Marana reassured her. ‘Just the basics, y’know, energy yield, range, impact radius, resonance. I got a feelin’ it’s gonna be different every time.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Zov’ha did not show any hint of suspicion — she was just curious. 

Marana eyed the scout bot, which had now repositioned itself to their left. She took a deep breath to try and clear her mind, ‘It’s had varied effects, hasn’ it? Back in Aeroz, the crystals didn’t blow up till our man Sinovan reached the KOE Headquarters, which wasn’t that big a blast. It just brought down a wonky wall. But back when you saved my ass in Lüstravyr, these little dudes rained hell on the castle that’s been standin’ there since long before the Divine Purge. And look at the wounds and burns on Gloomy there — they’re so offbeat it ain’t musical. These crystals are unstable for sure, but let’s try it a few more times. I’ll draw conclusions once I analyse ‘em back in Aeroz.’ 

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon throwing the lance at various parts of the carcass. It was big enough for several tests, but once it had turned into mush, they had no choice but to leave. 

Marana was aware that the scout bot had recorded everything they had done and would dutifully return to M.A.R.T. With a heavy heart, she turned towards her friend, guilt burning her from within, ‘Before we go, Zov, I have to…’

‘Don’t call me that!’ Zov’ha snarled, suddenly turning towards Marana, baring her sharp fangs. Her eyes were red with anger, and she had unconsciously thrust her lance at Marana’s throat, the blade inches away from her skin. But her rage dissipated as quickly as it had built up. ‘What…? I… I’m sorry Marana. I don’t know what came over me. When you called me that… I felt suddenly weak and angry at the same time.’ 

Marana did not reply. She stood, as if frozen, unable to move or speak. Could it be true? Was Zov’ha a vicious fugitive who was exiled and deemed to wander the wilderness away from civilization? She stared into the strange woman’s placid grey eyes… not a hint of madness. Whatever fire burned within her for those few seconds had been extinguished. There is more to her than a simple vagabond who finds herself coincidentally in bad situations. She could be dangerous. 

However, Marana’s thoughts were left suspended when the earth below their feet began to shake. The sound of great hooves thumping across the plains to the northwest could be heard, along with the chuffing of KOE choppers.

The thunderous hoofsteps were getting louder, but neither Zov’ha nor Marana moved from their spot, paralysed by fear and confusion, trying to balance themselves as the quakes became more violent. A plume of dust in the sky to their west could be seen rising above the dense growth.

The trees on the northern bank shook and a storm of dust and debris flew at them. Though they could not see the beast, they knew it had run across the plain very close to the valley they were in, headed east. Within minutes the choppers flew above them, and then hoverbikes and armed tanks roared after the beast from all around them — all obscured by the lush greenery in the gorge. 

‘Pilopia!’ Zov’ha whispered, her voice shaky. Marana nodded and the two of them bolted back towards the hoverbike.