Sworded Affair

Chapter 146 : Ticket to Ride

The supply convoy set off at half past twelve on the dot. In the first few minutes, Emma flitted between the vehicles, one eye ever towards the horizon in anticipation of trouble, the previous patrol's ending fresh on her mind. It quickly became evident that her concerns were not shared by the rest of the party; whilst the riflemen stood straight at attention, their weapons were held loosely and they were chatting away on their headsets. The machine gunner was napping outright, and every vehicle present was playing music of some sort; the pickup truck favoured country rock, but a quick flutter around the convoy showed that rap, metal and pop were all in evidence.

[Remember, the path being taken was already cleared recently. The expectations are very different when setting out on a routine supply run, vis a vis an extermination mission where heavy combat is a given.]

So it is, Emma agreed, taking wing again, now hovering at treetop height, partly to maintain a lookout but mainly to avoid the multiple overlapping songs proving that more did not always equal better. Despite her caution though, the outbound journey was genuinely peaceful, without so much as a hint of demonic activity anywhere to be seen. Clear skies, bright sunlight and a calm drive through the English countryside; all of this only served to deepen her sense of foreboding.

With the roads otherwise empty, it took a mere twenty minutes to reach the border of Woodstock, a testament to the toll traffic usually took on such journeys. Like the rest of the world, the town had seen better times. Cracked windows, overturned bins, and the occasional burnt out vehicle were the order of the day. The roads were empty and unkempt; once carefully cultivated gardens growing wild and spilling onto the street. Compared to the crater that used to be Oxford though, the town had survived remarkably well. There weren't any people around, admittedly, but Emma thought that if she squinted just right, she could even see lights inside some of the windows.

[Foolish, to advertise their position so blatantly. The smart ones will have curtains shut at all times.]

Emma flew ahead of the convoy, which had slowed to a crawl, as it reached the first empty house, the drivers disembarking as the search for supplies began. There were no signs of danger, so Emma felt safe enough to head a bit further forward to do some scouting of her own. Predictably, that was when things went a bit wrong.

"Got one!"

A thin, reedy shout was Emma's only warning, and then she was falling in her armour.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

[-300 Anima]

Her landing was far from graceful, though at least she got back up again, unlike the pigeon, which had caught a brief case of death. Examining the bird, Emma found its chest caved in, but no signs of the projectile that did it. That corrected itself a moment later, when a small stone bounced off of Emma's head, failing to do enough damage to even register in the System. A second stone followed; this time, she saw it coming and grabbed it mid flight, turning a gimlet eye on the perpetrator.

[Scavenger - Level 1]

A slingshot?

Given the level of threats Emma had already faced in recent memory, it was a disappointing showing. A gaunt, malnourished looking youth stared her down, the rock already loaded in his slingshot and a knife at his waist the only things elevating him above Level 0.

"This is our town, beat it!"

Emma looked to and fro, but neither her eyes nor the System could find anyone else.

"You'll do," Emma murmured, deciding that either the youth was bluffing and actually alone, or his companions were very well hidden. "Oversoul."

Like most of her targets for possession, the Scavenger barely put up a fight; just a second or two of distraction, and then his mind was shunted out of the driver's seat. Unfortunately, this was where the limitations of Oversoul came into stark relief; while it granted access to the physical body, memories remained completely separate, meaning Emma still had no idea where he'd come from, or where any hypothetical companions might be hiding. Luckily for her, none of this was actually her problem.

"Show yourselves, wherever you are," Emma demanded in her captive's voice, pulling the knife from his belt and holding it to his neck. "Come out and surrender yourselves, or the boy gets it."

Earthbound Immortal, seek and destroy.

In tandem with her demand, a mental order brought the earth elemental into play, spawning beneath the ground as he was wont to do. Whilst that wouldn't allow him to see in the traditional sense, he was, by nature, exceptionally attuned to the tremors of the ground, which had its own advantages. For a while, nothing happened, not even when Emma drew blood, carving a thin line into the boy's neck, but eventually, her unseen enemies broke, and red dots populated her map as their movements exposed them to her summon.

[Gang Leader - Level 2

Scavenger - Level 1

Scavenger - Level 1]

"Capture them," Emma ordered, no longer keeping up pretences as she exited her possessed body.

A fist to the head repaid the boy for his earlier stones; Emma held back considerably, so his skull remained intact, but he'd have a bad headache when he woke back up. His companions, meanwhile, were busy screaming as the earth twisted beneath them, hauling them out of the nearby brush. The presumed leader was an adult, taller and bulkier and the only one carrying a firearm; the other two were much like her first victim and utterly unworthy of notice, slingshots and all.

"What are you doing here?" Emma sighed, a bit let down by it all. With such a difference in Level, she'd get barely anything for killing them.

"What are we doing here? This is our town!"

"You'd be dead a hundred times over, with just the four of you," Emma retorted. "Even stray demons would do you in; so tell me, how many people are here, and who actually runs the show?"