Astrid and I had just made it to the square when I felt a wave of anger and resentment wash over me from Bone-lasher.
[Enemies! Soldiers!] He reported.
My vision darkened as I shared Bone-lasher's electromagnetic vision field. In the square up ahead were a dozen soldiers all carrying guns, obviously not Tolapo warriors.
[They bare the mark of the ssssssoldierssss that Raziri sssssacrified in her ritual.] Alpa'nagia said. I skidded to a stop and Astrid crashed right into me then took a step back and looked at me.
"What happened?" Astrid asked.
"Bone and Alpa said that there are soldiers in the square ahead. I think they are Niger soldiers." I replied.
"Niger soldiers!" Astrid exclaimed then covered her mouth when she realized she was loud. She lowered her voice as she spoke again. "How could Niger soldiers get inside the village, there's a shield that makes it invisible and prevents outsiders from getting in?"
"Crap…we could see the village when we were riding Alpa. I thought that was because we were welcomed but maybe it's because the shield is not up anymore. The village is defenseless!" I replied.
Astrid and I shared a look then broke back into a sprint, heading towards the square. We came to a stop at the mouth of the square and ducked into the doorway of a nearby building. The dozen soldiers were standing over the unconscious Tolapo people and warriors, occasionally walking around to check and make sure that they were all still unconscious. My eyes zeroed in on the steps of the tower, there were two warriors lying dead with unmistakable gunshot wounds.
"Guns? Really…they must be normal foot soldiers…" Astrid said. I looked at the closest solder and smirked when I saw the gun. They were old Skazzas 3-450s, semiautomatic rifles designed by Egypt almost eighty years ago in the 1990s. I would be worried if they had fully automatic weapons but those the first one was created only fifteen years ago in America and it was the cost to make enough to equip a small platoon with them were astronomical at the moment.
The Skazzas were a cheap gun and well known for their tendency to jam up if fired too quickly or for no reason whatsoever. They were normally given to front line fodder since they were inexpensive and easy to replace of they get destroyed.
"Can we take them?" I asked. Astrid snorted in disbelief.
"Those are obviously normie foot soldiers. No splicer worth theory Sault would be seen using a gun in combat, let alone a gun that cheap." Astrid said. "Plus we have your two evos with us. That ascended you tamed could mop them up by itself."
"Yeah…I bet he could but changed or not he's a sonic viper still and loud at that.. And you wouldn't send twelve soldiers to take a village this large, especially of you didn't know it was there in the first place." I said. Astrid scratched her chin as she thought a moment.
"We need to find Lady Baset and the others." Astrid said confidently.
"You're right. There are too many people exposed right now to risk doing anything. We could get everyone killed." I agreed. Astrid looked off towards the direction of the barracks.
"We should check the barracks first." Astrid said.
"Right behind you." I said. Astrid and I snuck back up the street as quietly as possible then dashed into a side street and made our way towards the barracks.
[Bone-lasher scout out the rest of the village and see of there are any more soldiers roaming about please.] I asked.
[Good sport…] Bone-lasher replied gleefully.
[Alpa, keep an eye on the ones at the square.]
[Of courssssse Ssssstar Sssssshaper.]
We reached the barracks in record time to see that like everywhere else there were warriioorrs and villagers passed putting all over the barracks steps and the street. Astrid and I walked inside surprised to see that there are no soldiers asleep inside the common room. We walked up to the top floor to Geryo's floor. The second I stepped onto the floor a spell sigil activated above my head. A chain of light circled around Astrid and I and pulled us together.
"Hey!" Astrid and I exclaimed. She struggled to pull away from me. While I just groaned in frustration. A second later the spell shattered and I felt a rush of energy. I turned and scanned the room.
"Tri-clops was that spell you?" I called out into the darkened room. Two familiar heads popped out from behind Geryo's desk.
"Star Child?!" Iris exclaimed.
"Chase! You're safe!" Jane yelled joyfully and ran out from behind the desk and pulled into a hug. Iris rushed over as well and the two squeezed me tightly.
"Can't breathe!" I wheezed. The girls both let me go took a step back and then noticed Astrid.
"You're okay too." Iris said with a lot less enthusiasm.
"Thank you for noticing " Astrid said sarcastically.
"Where's Baset?" I asked. Then took another look around the room. It seemed that everyone had been busy while Astrid and I had been trudging through caves. The room looked like a hurricane had come through, however I didn't see Baset.
"She went to find Geryo. She found a clue in a secret compartment of Geryo's desk." Jane said.
"Apparently the note she found was part of it and Geryo had been suspicious of someone named Raziri." Iris added. Astrid and I groaned.
"Raziri…" I growled through gritted teeth. Jane and Iris looked surprised.
"You know Raziri?" Jane asked.
"She's Tarrika's daughter." Astrid replied. "We met her when we went looking for Tarrika."
"We found a tunnel under his bed that lead into a cave system where we found the ascended sonic viper." I said. Jane and Iris eyes widened hopefully.
"So you killed the Ascended?!" Iris said.
"No…." I said looking away from the girls.
"He tamed it." Astrid said flatly. Without batting a eye Jane and Iris nodded in acknowledgement.
"That sounds like something Chase would do." Jane said.
"Yeah and that isn't even the most shocking thing he did…." Astrid groaned.
"Knowing Chase it was something that is totally unprecedented and beyond the pale." Jane said.
"That's putting it mildly…" Astrid said narrowing her eyes at me.
"Can we get back to what happened to the village?" I asked, trying to get everyone to focus.
"A little after Lady Baset left a spell sigil appeared in the sky and people started falling asleep in the streets. We didn't know what has been going on since." Iris said.
"You didn't go to investigate?" I asked.
"Lady Baset told us to stay here in case you two came back…:" Jane explained. "By the way where is that warrior that went with you too?"
As if on cue I felt a few thousand excited chattering going off in my head. Astrid started talking but her voice was drowned out by the chattering. A moment later I felt Apla'nagia's presence in my mind.
[Sssssstar Ssssssshaper, my brethren have found your Dakarai. He is dead.] Alpa'nagia summarized.
[How did he die?] I asked. There was a moment of silence before Alpa'nagia responded.
[Stabbed with icicle through the chest.] He replied.
"Fuck!" I groaned causing everyone to look at me. "Dakarai is dead. The sonic vipers found him. Looks like he was killed with a icicle through the chest."
"Well that's bad…" Jane said solemnly.
"Raziri probably killed him. He wasn't with us so he didn't know she was working with her dad and not just another victim of his." Astrid said.
"Seems that way." I said.
[More soldiers…] Bone-lasher growled. My vision went black as I shared my vison with Bone-lashermyHe was on top of the wall near the other gate; which was wide open. A large carriage pulled by eight steeds was passing through. His electrostatic vision focused on the carriage and I could make out the outline of twenty more soldiers inside.
"Fuck a duck…." I groaned.
"What?" Jane asked.
"I had Bone-lasher check to see if there were anymore soldiers around the village and he just found a military chariot coming through the other gates. There are about twenty soldiers inside." I explained Iris narrowed her eyes at me and pointed a accusatory finger.
"You can speak to your evos telepathically now can't you? Not just convey emotions?" She asked. I nodded and Iris and Jane both just shook their heads, faint smiles tugged on their lips.
"What are we going to do about all those soldiers?" Astrid asked.
"What are we going to do about all the villagers? We can't risk attacking the soldiers without them getting caught in the crossfire." I said.
"It would be easier to deal all the soldiers if we can just carry all the villagers at once. Or maybe cast a spell that takes them all out before they can attack." Jane said.
"Carry them…" I muttered then smiled wickedly after a second.
"Chase has a idea…there goes that sick feeling in my stomach." Iris groaned.