The pilot had returned with Jenkins the Binder, but he wasn\u2019t in any state to bind. Someone had shot him through both palms, and the pilot had tied his sash around Jenkins\u2019 hands to help stop the bleeding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was that b-bitch you sent us after, with the guy in the jacket with the s-scar,\u201d said Jenkins, pale with shock and blood loss. \u201cT-too much for us l-level one and t-two guys to handle, I\u2019ll be c-complaining about this to the G-Grand Mas-t-ter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cQuit your whining<\/i>,\u201d snapped Abaddon, \u201cthis isn\u2019t some academic<\/i> course, tick a few boxes and come out with an A grade. This is field work!<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cF-f-fuck f-field work,\u201d quivered Jenkins angrily, \u201cI\u2019m going back to my b-books in the l-library, switch to a theory t-track.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm,\u201d replied Abaddon, disapprovingly. He glanced at Gratin just to make sure he wasn\u2019t moving. They should be able to get away with just tying him up, and if they were to get him out of there before he woke up – but they had to kill Gratin\u2019s friends, that was the problem. Why was it taking so long?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is it taking<\/i> so long to kill-\u201d said Abaddon, only to be interrupted by two acolytes running along the deck from a nearby staircase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all dead!\u201d one of them cried. This was followed by a yelp as he was shot in the shoulder from behind. The other went down similarly. From the staircase emerged four figures. Abaddon groaned.<\/p>\n
\u201cUseless. Absolutely fucking<\/i> useless,\u201d he said, exasperated. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple task, and not one of you fucking morons could complete it<\/i>.\u201d His fingers flexed, static crackled from the hand with the gauntlet. Jenkins frowned at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cH-hey, isn\u2019t it against the r-rules of the Order to use t-technology to augment your p-power? The G-Grand Master wouldn\u2019t approve!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Well perhaps I\u2019ve outgrown<\/i> the Order. In fact, given the state of your hands, and the sudden desire<\/i> to no longer be in the field, I suspect they\u2019ve outgrown <\/i>the need for you<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
With no warning, Abaddon aimed his palm at Jenkins and fired a stream of electricity into the acolyte\u2019s skull, which smoked and bubbled with the current. His eyes rolled backwards and began to drip down his cheeks as they melted. He burst into flame as death took him. Abaddon lowered his hand and raised the other. He made the flames dance brighter, lifting the burning carcass of Jenkins off of the ground. With a flick of his arm, the body flew across the air, bouncing off of a railing and disappearing down the side of the ship.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoly fuck!\u201d said Benny the Ballache, summing up the display with one blunt exclamation.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuite,\u201d said Abaddon. \u201cSo what can I<\/i> do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirstly,\u201d replied Doug, \u201cyou can let our mate Gratin go free.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not going to happen. Brother Gratin here has places<\/i> to be. Is there anything else I can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a second thing,\u201d said Doug, with conviction, \u201cI think we\u2019ll go straight to it. It\u2019s the part where you fuck off and die.\u201d<\/p>\n
With no prompt, both Bert and Blaise opened fire on Abaddon. With a swipe of his hand, a wall of flame geysered up around him, the act looking like a theatrical pyrotechnic display. Points of intense blue flame were dotted around Abaddon. He snorted as pools of liquid metal formed in front of him, in front of the shield of fire. The bullets being fired at him were melting away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this guy?!\u201d yelled Bert over the gunfire.<\/p>\n
Abaddon raised his gauntlet hand through the intense flame and blue spikes of energy danced on his fingers. A bolt of lightning cracked across the deck in a split second, earthing itself in the guns being fired at him. With a yelp, both Blaise and Bert dropped their guns. Bert shook his gun hand and rubbed it with the other, while Blaise looked at the black marks on her now smoking gloves. The guns plumed with smoke on the deck, the bullets having discharged themselves all at once due to the shock.<\/p>\n
Abaddon\u2019s shield of flame fell, like a curtain cut from its rail. Hearing the quick patter of footsteps to his left, he turned his head to see Doug barrelling towards him with intent. With one finger, he fired a small, sustaining arc of electricity into Doug\u2019s arm. The merc growled as volts travelled into him, slowing his pace. His chest felt on fire, and he slowed to a stop and fell to his knees at Abaddon\u2019s feet. The two suits and Blaise paused, captivated by what played out in front of them, out of ideas on how to contribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cHa, well that was futile<\/i>,\u201d the mage mocked. Doug shuffled his normal hand around his boot and, with great effort, hauled himself up on to his feet. As part of the movement, his normal hand clicked the release button on the flick-knife he\u2019d stolen from one of the mafia corpses earlier and stowed in his boot, and slipped it easily into Abaddon\u2019s chest, as if returning a kitchen knife to its holder. The mage regarded this as one would regard a large bug at a picnic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat…usually buggers…most men up,\u201d panted Doug, slightly crestfallen at the mage\u2019s response. Abaddon pulled the knife out of his chest, admired his blood dripping from the end of it, and then jabbed the implement into Doug\u2019s shoulder, just above the now useless bionic arm. He fed a small stream of current down the blade into Doug\u2019s shoulder, and leaned his head forward towards Doug\u2019s ear as the man creased up in agony.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s a hint: I am no mere man,\u201d he whispered menacingly to the man in his grasp. Doug slid on to his hands and knees on the floor. With no indication of difficulty, the mage leant down, found a grip around Doug\u2019s neck, and hoisted him into the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I said before, you must die<\/i>,\u201d announced Abaddon. Doug flailed in his grip, but the charges of electricity to his body had scrambled his brain and left his body in racked with pain. The best he could manage was an angry gurgle.<\/p>\n
There was a loud crack, and Blaise flinched. She expected to open her eyes and see Doug\u2019s head hanging limp from Abaddon\u2019s grip. What she saw was the small (when compared to Abaddon\u2019s stout size) and tense figure of Benny, holding what looked like a thin table leg, removed from one of the nearby deck tables. The leg was bent at a sharp 90-degree angle over Abaddon\u2019s head, and he was still holding one end of it. The mage\u2019s nostrils flared as he sighed, giving the mobster a thousand-mile glare. Benny let go of the leg, and it remained sat on the mage\u2019s head. He cleared his throat and loosened his tie, looking at Bert for advice. Bert shrugged. Looking back at Abaddon, Benny grinned and chuckled nervously.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey man,\u201d he said, \u201cI don\u2019t even know these assholes.\u201d<\/p>\n
In one motion Abaddon grabbed the wood sitting on his head with his free hand, set it alight in his fingers and flung it at Benny, catching the mobster around the midsection and knocking him to the floor. Panting and whooping, Benny rolled around and tried to pat out the fire on his suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cPathetic<\/i>,\u201d growled Abaddon. \u201cIs this really<\/i> what my Brother here calls \u2018company\u2019? Now stop that<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said this to Doug who, although looking far from well, was digging inside his jacket with his human hand. Abaddon gripped Doug\u2019s sleeve with his free hand and forcefully pulled it out of the leather. Expecting to see a gun, he instead saw a slightly crumpled cigarette between Doug\u2019s fingers. Astonished, he let go of Doug\u2019s hand. Still dangling from Abaddon\u2019s gloved hand, the merc slowly placed the cigarette into the corner of his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t suppose you\u2019ve got a light, mate?\u201d asked Doug, his voice a low wheeze.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmoking will kill<\/i> you,\u201d said Abaddon, \u201cor at least I will<\/i>. I suppose one last wish<\/i> is in order.\u201d<\/p>\n
With one finger he carefully lit the end of Doug\u2019s cigarette, and the merc took a long toke, expelling the smoke from his mouth and nostrils.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else<\/i> for the dead man?\u201d asked the mage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine, ta,\u201d Doug said in a low tone, \u201cjust wanted to have something to chew on while watching my mate hand your arse to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abaddon\u2019s brow creased into confusion, his eyes darting over the other three people on the deck, excluding the air mage. Realisation dawned, and he looked down to see Gratin\u2019s toes and fingers all waggling.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh fuck<\/i>-\u201d was all he managed when, within his field of view, a small can rolled in front of him. It exploded, and his world was filled with light, and then pain as a heavy metal fist dislocated his nose. He let go of the heavy weight in his hands and began firing flame and electricity around him in a panic, unaware of what was going on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m blind<\/i>, you bastards<\/i>, I\u2019ll kill<\/i> you all,\u201d he howled, aware of footsteps around him but unable to see. The pure white in his vision began to fade after some furious blinks, and he discovered that, between the spots, he couldn\u2019t see anyone, including the air mage. Turning around completely, he saw Gratin was still lying there on the floor. He hurried towards the prone figure, wiping blood from his mouth, and walked into an invisible wall. Beating against it with one fist, he could make out the slightest of a green tinge in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour friends are gone<\/i>. You cannot save yourself, Brother<\/i>,\u201d he sneered with glee.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither can you,\u201d said Gratin. All his fingers and toes stretched outwards, all at once, as if Gratin had suddenly been shocked. Recognising the gesture, Abaddon looked around himself, and then down at his feet. The floor in a circle around him was almost bright red with intense energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh very good, Brother<\/i>,\u201d admitted Abaddon. There was a loud bang, a cloud of smoke and a sudden burst of flame, and Abaddon was no longer standing there. Off in the distance, a small figure flailed in midair, completely wreathed in green fire.<\/p>\n
The mercs, the suits and the air mage emerged from the staircase, the mage being led at gunpoint by Bert and Doug being carried on the shoulders of Benny and Blaise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis guy\u2019s fuckin\u2019 heavy,\u201d complained Benny.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuh-sorry,\u201d slurred Doug, drool escaping the corner of his mouth and streaking a sticky line down the front of his jacket. He felt limp and looked tired, his head nodding back and forth and eyes lolling back and forth in their sockets. He gasped as Blaise pulled the flick-knife out of his shoulder and pocketed it.<\/p>\n
Gratin picked himself up off of the floor and dusted himself off as the crowd drew close. He reached out his hands and grasped Doug\u2019s head, examining it.<\/p>\n
\u201cInt-interesting technique, mate,\u201d Doug managed to grunt out. \u201cDid-didn\u2019t look stu-stupid at…all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug passed out, Gratin let go of his head and it fell forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d said the mage. \u201cHe just needs rest. Can I suggest we make our swift exit most hastily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the rush?\u201d said Benny, grunting as he shouldered Doug into a more comfortable position, the metal arm wrapped around his neck. \u201cApart from getting this lummox offa me, and leavin\u2019 before the ship burns up?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gratin simply pointed over his shoulder. Everyone turned to look, and saw the flaming speck plummeting in the distance was slowing. It stopped its descent, and then appeared to get bigger and bigger in size.<\/p>\n
\u201cShit!\u201d blurted Benny.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime to go!\u201d announced Blaise. Bert poked his gun into the air mage pilot, who waved his hands dismissively.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah yeah, I\u2019m not going to give you any trouble.\u201d The air mage led the way into the aircraft sat nearby. \u201cHeck, that asshole\u2019s so far off the deep end, he\u2019ll probably just smite me out of rage when he gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConsider it incentive,\u201d reassured Bert sarcastically.<\/p>\n
Inside the craft, Blaise and Benny slumped Doug\u2019s unconscious form on to one of the benches built for ten, while the air mage took seat behind the controls. Bert took his place at the mage\u2019s side in the cockpit, gun still drawn in case the magic user got any funny ideas. A couple of pang<\/i> noises from the rear of the craft caused all the occupants to startle their heads in that direction. Gratin stood at the doorway, arm outstretched. A green glow in front of him deflected two big fireballs with the same pang<\/i> noise.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s almost here,\u201d remarked Gratin with a degree of practiced indifference. The air mage levered the thrusters into gear and the craft hovered for a moment before taking off at sudden speed.<\/p>\n
Blaise joined Gratin at the doorway, leaning out while hanging on to one of the straps alongside the door built as emergency grips. She could see Abaddon gaining on them, streaking in flame and fire headfirst towards them like some ballistic fireball, an angry snarl on his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to catch up,\u201d she observed. Gratin nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cUndoubtedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t you do something?\u201d she asked. Gratin bowed his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbaddon is at terminal power right now, and I am weakened. I can offer minimal protection spells. Apologies, mistress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blaise bit her lip, and then marched around the craft, looking for something, anything she could use.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you have any guns or explosives on board?\u201d she called out. The air mage chuckled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot much call for that sort of thing with magic users, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the bench, Doug groaned and rolled himself over. His limp metal arm caught against something with a tinny clang<\/i>. Blaise looked to see what he\u2019d caught himself against.<\/p>\n
\u201cA fire extinguisher<\/i>,\u201d she said to herself. She leant down and carefully un-tucked it from behind Doug\u2019s arm. \u201cWhat is it with you and fire extinguishers, McCracken?\u201d she muttered to her unconscious colleague with a chuckle. \u201cStill, not one of your worse ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat mighta worked with the guy\u2019s cronies,\u201d Benny said, still sat on the bench along from Doug and gripping one of the hand straps above him, \u201cbut that piddly thing\u2019s not gonna work \u2018gainst that guy out there!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t you pay attention during science class?\u201d Blaise replied, removing something within her coat whilst knelt next to the canister. The noise of Velcro loosening implied she was tearing off a strip off something secreted inside her coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNope, did you?\u201d said Benny.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may have used to bunk off. When I even went to school, that is. Actually, I learnt a lot from friends of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
She removed a black woven canvas strip from her coat, the most notable thing about it being the two smaller metallic canisters held in two loops within the strip. She wrapped the strip around the canister and secured the Velcro, so the two canisters were attached to the big extinguisher. Gripping the handle on the canister she stepped over to the door of the aircraft and placed the extinguisher down. With a quick series of hand movements manipulating bits retrieved from her coat, a couple of snaps and clicks, her rifle materialised in her hands. She nodded at the fire extinguisher when Gratin gave her a blank look.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrow it at him,\u201d she stated. Gratin shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy pleasure, mistress.\u201d He hefted the extinguisher with one hand and flung it spinning into the air. Before gravity could pull it away it became wrapped in a green glow, and then straightened out before firing towards Abaddon like a bullet. Gratin held his hand out at the projectile, guiding it.<\/p>\n
Blaise took a deep breath, removed her hat and stepped forward, perching against the doorway as the wind ripped around her.<\/p>\n
\u201cStep out a little further,\u201d said Gratin. \u201cI\u2019ve got you, mistress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blaise bit her lip and did so, casting her foot over nothing. It found solid purchase on a transparent green platform. Kneeling down, she aimed, following the canister. The world flying past her, hair and coat tussled with the wind, she retreated into her rifle scope, her own little world.<\/p>\n
Abaddon saw the canister flying at him, and held out a hand in preparation to blast it out of his way. He wouldn\u2019t let something so trifling stop him now, he could see the airship, Brother Gratin standing in the doorway and one of his stupid insignificant friends alongside him with a gun. The woman with red hair. She looked like a scared little girl. A little girl. The<\/i> little girl.<\/p>\n
Blaise could see Abaddon glaring at her as he flew head first at them, his expression changing briefly from rage to mild confusion. She took her shot.<\/p>\n
The bullet struck one of the napalm grenades strapped to the extinguisher, which ignited the canister, and in turn ignited the flash grenade strapped to the other side of it. Abaddon flew into a bright ball of intense light, heat and shrapnel. Appearing the other side of the sudden burst of light and energy, he plummeted, spiralling towards the ground miles below. He was a fireball, every inch of him covered in smoke and flames.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat, Gratin, is why you never keep a chemical<\/i> fire extinguisher on an aircraft,\u201d said Blaise, stepping back inside the craft and replacing her hat on her head. Gratin nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll blame me for that,\u201d groaned the air mage to Bert, having overheard the mercenary behind them. \u201cUnless I can somehow prove that the guys in maintenance have been ordering the wrong equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, pal, I think you\u2019ve got bigger fuckin\u2019 worries right now,\u201d said Bert, disinterested in the air mage\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cEr, right. Where to?\u201d the mage asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cGalmanoc,\u201d said Blaise, replacing the rifle\u2019s components into her coat. She looked at the two mafia men. \u201cThat alright with you two?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, let\u2019s go to a city in the middle of fuckin\u2019 nowhere,\u201d replied Benny sarcastically. \u201cWhy not, it\u2019s not like we\u2019ve got anywhere else to go now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIgnore him,\u201d said Bert. \u201cWe\u2019ll make a few calls once we\u2019re docked, figure some things out. Let the guys know back at home that we\u2019re down to a skeleton crew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose I should say sorry for what me and Doug did,\u201d sighed Blaise, eyes fixed on the unconscious form on the bench nearby. Doug\u2019s impromptu sleep looked far from peaceful.<\/p>\n
\u201cAhh, forget about it. Whatcha gonna do?\u201d said Benny, waving a hand dismissively.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Agony, and pain. Intense burning, outside and in. Seeing red.<\/p>\n
What was left of Abaddon hauled itself on to its haunches, and sat upright in the middle of the large black round smear that marked his impact on the sand. It screamed at the sky, a howl of solid anger. Every inch of him was red and black. Most of his clothing had been burned away, and his flesh hadn\u2019t fared too well either. Just him and miles of desert. Failed in his mission, because of Gratin. And the girl, he knew the girl<\/i>. It was her fault. And the man, the curious idiot with the metal arm and the knife and the cigarette, his fault too. All three would pay, feel his wrath.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrother Gratin<\/i>,\u201d Abaddon whispered in a guttural drawl to the world, \u201cI think it will take going rogue<\/i> to catch a rogue. Perhaps it is time<\/i> to become a mercenary. It\u2019s not over yet<\/i>…\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The pilot had returned with Jenkins the Binder, but he wasn\u2019t in any state to bind. Someone had shot him through both palms, and the pilot had tied his sash around Jenkins\u2019 hands to help stop the bleeding. \u201cIt was that b-bitch you sent us after, with the guy in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[59,43,64,65,32,31,33,42,60,9],"class_list":["post-187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mercenaries-tale","tag-abaddon","tag-airships","tag-benny-the-ballache-spigotoli","tag-bert-benolli","tag-blaise","tag-doug-mccracken","tag-gratin","tag-magic-and-mages","tag-the-galactic-finders-of-the-tserulian-monastery","tag-the-mercs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.payneful.co.uk\/tales-of-sin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}