Changeling

It was raining. Nestra looked out the window of the hover limo towards the reflective walls of Central’s skyscrapers. Some Varang guild elites flew past on their way to the Beacon, a show of strength, no doubt. Her own side had opted for limos, which was a show in itself. She wondered if she would ever get used to flying in those. By her side, Ulysses pressed a button, and a bottle of cold water emerged from the armrest with a disturbing ‘schlorp’. He took a sip.

The limo climbed towards the Beacon’s VIP parking for people who could afford hover vehicles (so usually not Nestra). The small delegation walked out into the cold, wet air with the grace of raiders alongside other envoys either landing or unloading, all within view of each other. Mana whispered through the open lot in subtle waves, the only hints that there were enough B-class in close distance to level an entire district. There were a few nods, a few glares, then everyone studiously ignored each other during the elevator ride as they played the roles of haughty killers. The general vibe was suffocating. Nestra was more than happy when the doors opened, spilling well dressed apex predators on the welcoming carpet. Her Aszhii self had been clawing at the walls from sheer panic at being trapped with so many creatures she couldn’t take down.

Although the parking lot had been exclusive, the lobby was very much a copy of the one where she’d registered as a gleam. Several other representatives of medium-sized alliances had already gathered. Nestra obediently followed An Ren, Century Guild leader and the highest representative of their alliance to meet a group whose boss she’d shaken hands with at the gala. They exchanged info at a low yet very fast pace while Nestra looked around. The way the air shimmered showed someone in the group was blocking the sound, probably the other group’s wind affinity bodyguard. She wasn’t sure how useful it would be when the susurrus of fast conversation set the room abuzz.

Nestra spotted Euhye Jade in the distance as she was completing her inspection. The young woman was also acting as the silent addition to a large group headed by the green-robed, cruel-featured man she’d spotted at the gala. Those were the rivals Nestra had heard about. Eunhye’s gaze met Nestra’s own, but only briefly. Things were moving. A government gleam with a severe expression and the uniform of the armed forces gathered everyone’s attention. It appeared the army would handle the clearing project.

“Welcome everyone. If you would follow me…”

An amphitheater awaited the delegates. It was very old school, with little names showing where people ought to sit to avoid hesitation. Nestra noticed that whoever had made the seating arrangement had placed the Palladian/Century alliance on the other side of the Jade Consortium. It was impressive how competent people were, sometimes.

“Hello everyone. I am Colonel Sato, with the user branch of our military. Today, we will be granting probationary land attributions to your user guilds and corporations. As per the file we sent you, the land in question is this one.”

His voice was almost too fast for Nestra to follow. He grabbed a datasheet, fingers blurring until a map of Threshold appeared on a holographic display above him, then it moved north towards an open highway outside the walls, and then east towards a peninsula protecting a secluded cove. It zoomed on the south-west section of the very large circle, split it in several sections, some of which were already labeled with megacorps logo, then zoomed on a very specific rectangle. Blue dots appeared on the heavily forested segment. All of it had taken around two seconds and Nestra was getting a headache.

Sato moved his hand. The rectangle was further split into six sections and numbered as such. Nestra knew, having studied the file, that her group wanted section five and six which contained a promising permanent B-class portal with up to two similar non-repeating ones every month or so. It was a rather high quality, low amount profile or a ‘tall’ distribution, as raiders tended to say. It fitted the Palladians just fine.

Three groups stood up, leaving the others unmoving and quiet like lions at the corner of a small room. It was a testament to how rushed the whole thing was, since Threshold chased efficiency with an anal focus. Or it was a deliberate ploy to put the guilds down a bit. Nestra couldn’t be sure. In any case, it took around five minutes for section one to be attributed, and the next one took only two minutes. Nestra’s gaze traveled back towards the Jade Consortium and their allies.

Eunhye sat at the back, her short black hair all Nestra could see from this angle. She had eschewed the lime dress in favor of a gleam designer dress with deep green highlights. The entire group wore green but while Eunhye and a few others were jade, the lead of the group had a subtle taste she didn’t recognize at first. He was the man with cruel features she’d seen at the gala. He was wearing another deep green dress but when he turned his head, she saw his hooked nose and light silvery eyes and realized he was probably a toxin mage.

While humans associated poison and radioactive stuff with green, it appeared the universe disagreed, and the owners of this unfortunate type sported irises like the precious metal. Toxin gleams had an undeserved bad reputation which was only matched by transformation gleam’s. Now that she thought about it, Nestra realized it was smart for toxin and jade raiders to team up. Jade raiders were not just highly defensive, they also had a fortifying effect that would allow them to resist toxins so their allies could bombard the area without fear of too much friendly fire. Well, not, there would be friendly fire, but the jade users would resist it. It was pretty smart.

Nestra swore the man must have felt her gaze on his neck, because he was suddenly looking straight at her with those impassive silver orbs. He had long brown hair held in a tail at the nape of his neck. The gaze wasn’t challenging. It was the patient observation of someone who found a rat swimming in a gutter, wondering if it would drown. Nestra didn’t feel valued as a person. She looked away after a short delay. Ulysses was looking at the man too, which gave her some confidence.

It took only twenty minutes for the room to be fully empty. The green group had bid for segment 4, and soon Sato returned to call Nestra’s group to a separate meeting room. Unsurprisingly, the green group was here.

Sato barely waited until everyone was seated to begin. Nestra eyed the coffee machine longingly. Truly, hospitality was a dying art.

“Your two groups will compete for segments five and six. The Century Guild and House Palladian will make their offer, then Soothing Venom can expand on its own.”

Soothing Venom? At least they were owning their affinities.

“Thank you,” the cruel man said very fast.

As the senior member of the group, she would be taking the lead.

An Ren connected her visor to the central table, using its display to back her offer. She began by showing an extensive list of capabilities measured against the expected portal strength. Although she was herself a B-class and so was her second, the rest of their elites were C-class and that was where the Century guild shone. Nestra admitted that the projections looked pretty good based on past performance and an estimate of the creature count inside of the zone. After all, the difficult part would be to clear it first. Apparently, each zone would be cleared simultaneously. Nestra would have thought it better if everyone just made a big ball of death backed by gunships and then rolled over the hill, killing anything in their path but maybe that wasn’t cost effective?

An Ren concluded with profit estimates, which was bold, and highlighted the alliance’s excellent record when it came to supplying government-backed companies. It was pretty good for an emergency offer.

“Thank you,” Colonel Sato replied. “And now for Soothing Venom. Elias, if you could?”

The hooked-nosed vid villain took the lead. His voice was low-pitched, calm, and neutral, which helped lead the point home, and the point was that they were really prepared.

“Soothing Venom is an alliance of three guilds. We claim three separate squads with two B-class each, all specialized in dealing with hordes. I personally flew to the area yesterday to observe the fauna and take measurements of the currently opened large portals and came to the conclusion that those were hive-type worlds.”

Pictures showing giant wasps and what appeared to be large groups of bipedal primates filled the screen. They’d been taken from up high.

“AI projections and the government’s portal agency experts Soo and Clark agree with my assessment. We also estimate that there is a 60% chance that the harvested material is biological in nature. As you may know, Soothing Venom also specializes in toxin and anti-toxin synthesis for medical and military purposes. For the lone portal harboring large creatures, we have a standing agreement with the Sharp Message guild to send one of their archers for temporary assignments…”

Elias concluded with a full list of projections and team compositions. They didn’t just have an offer, they had a battle plan and then an exploitation plan that relied on the scouting done by Elias himself and the work of several predictive AIs. Nestra knew it meant they had more resources, but the difference still stung her pride. As a member of her family, she’d been caught not giving her best. Elias was giving his best. And two thirds of his elites were not currently in a raid, which helped.

It was still abundantly clear who had the upper hand. As soon as Elias was done, Colonel Sato turned to An Ren.

“Two of those portal worlds have been observed to appear roughly at the same time, and both of them have strong B-class guardians. Can the Palladian elites split into two teams capable of tackling this level of danger?”

“I have no doubt that we can,” An Ren replied with confidence.

“Should the lead team not decide this themselves? I am referring to the squad led by Hector Palladian” Elias added, his voice cold and emotionless, and the challenge all the more blatant for it.

“As you can see, they are not present.”

“Indeed, because they are currently raiding a B-class world, possibly Y-22-36 which their alliance acquired last June. The bulk of Palladian and Century elites are currently at or close to capacity, not to mention that they are devoting resources to bringing their… less fortunate scion up to speed.”

Eyes wandered towards Nestra. It was her opinion that the Soothing Venom boss was being kind of a dick right now.

“There is nothing wrong with it, of course, but the task remains time and resource-consuming. Their absence today is a feature, not an exception. The Soothing Venom group has more than enough personnel to clear the land and sustain the strain of holding it. Our offer is comprehensive. I believe you will find it superior.”

And Sato did. An Ren made a good show of it. She did have some convincing arguments, but Sato was here for quick results. It didn’t matter that the situation was obviously skewed. It was the Game, and the Palladians had lost this round. Partially because of her.

It sucked.

After some false hesitation, Sato gave the area to Soothing Venom. Eunhye whispered towards Nestra as the Palladians left.

“Won the battle but lost the war.”

Nestra wasn’t sure about that. It had just begun, after all.

***

“I’m a little annoyed,” Nestra said back in the limo.

Ulysses grabbed another bottle before commenting in a dry voice.

“Don’t let it get to you. The most important thing is that we’re alive and safe. Everything that doesn’t draw blood needs to be taken with some emotional distance.”

“Your words?”

“Dad’s. He’s been at it for a very long time. Well, I say this, but going after you made it personal.”

Nestra shook her head. The wind sent a fresh bucketful of rain splashing against her window, blurring the sights.

“That’s not why I’m so pissed off. I’ve been the butt of gleam jokes and comments for all of my adult life. No, it’s not that, it’s a, hmmm, a realization.”

“A realization?”

He considered her for a moment.

“You know, I’m curious to hear about an outsider’s perspective. And I don’t mean it as an insult either.”

“None taken. The realization is, ah, how should I put it?”

“Take your time.”

Nestra just decided to open the dam instead.

“Even besieged on all sides by monsters with portals popping up everywhere and kaiju at the walls every two years or so, even with all that shit and the near extinction we suffered only sixty years ago as a species, and like, this is nothing in terms of species lifetime. Sixty years is not even a generation for us. Despite all of it, we’ve reverted to the exact same byzantine shit we’ve been doing for as long as the concept of court existed. Battles of power and influence, low blows, backstabbing, undercutting, cutthroat competition all at the apex of a vertiginous social pyramid, and by that I mean us raiders are up there, and below us, the manufacturers, the planners, the artists, the teachers, the engineers, the hospital personnel, the architects, drone operators, pilots, all of that population is just trying to live behind those walls hoping their kids will awaken so they’re not completely tossed in the bin of history. None of it has changed from before. None of it is any different from, say, Song Dynasty China, or the Roman Empire. We are still the same species with exactly the same flaws and exactly the same ways of being assholes and fucking things up. That’s not even what makes me mad.”

“Oh? The idea that we’re just uplifted monkeys with anxiety and superpowers isn’t enough to annoy you?”

“Kids,” An Ren chuckled, but she didn’t interrupt.

“Yes, well, no. I knew that already. What pisses me off is that it’s working. It’s working for us. We are living in Earth’s densest portal area and we’ve turned it into a metropolis where you can get a latte and a manicure thirty meters away from an opening into the fabric of reality that threatens to spit monsters if left unhandled. We’re actually, against all odds, thriving. Because we’re playing on our nature instead of, I don’t know, trying to transcend it. Threshold could decide that we could clear that place as a cohesive army for the common good and it would be done in half an hour with Shinran’s help, and no casualties, but no, raiders function best if fragmented and competing for every last bit of resources in a place where resources are virtually infinite. So we bicker and we split holograms in board rooms like the continent is just one large pie we’ve not quite sliced yet. This is what pisses me off. Not that we’re monkeys as you said. But we’ve decided we want to stay that way. It’s not that we’re struggling to improve, it’s that we won’t even try.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Can’t fight our own nature and monsters at the same time, sister.”

“Now you’re pissing me off as well.”

An Ren interrupted them then.

“Your parents just sent me a message that they are back. They’re already home and they want to talk.”

***

This side of the estate was dad’s sanctum, or his ‘man cave’ as mom would sometimes joke with an indulgent smile. It had been specifically built to be soundproof, not because of dangerous secrets uttered at midnight, but because dad had been a sound engineer before the Incursion. Music was his jam. As he liked to remind everyone, he had met mom and Claire at a concert.

Claire liked to remind everyone that those two dorks wouldn’t have started talking if she hadn’t pushed them into each other’s arms.

Nestra knocked on the door. Exactly a second later, the lock opened without anyone approaching. Although the lock was mechanical, it didn’t mean much when one could manipulate metal with their mind. Nestra went in.

Dad’s room always smelled different. It was the old wood, mostly, or perhaps the faint scent of burnt cables that always seemed to linger. The decoration was spartan. It was the clutter that gave the room a personal touch: old furniture loaded with electronic parts and pre-Incursion speakers that still worked. An entire rack of antiquated medium took one of the walls, clogged full with CDs and cassettes and other arcane storage devices, their contents capable of comfortably fitting on the sort of drive you could buy at a convenience store for twenty creds a pop. Dad himself was packing a small sound system with slow and confident gestures. Well, slow for a B-class.

“Hey dad. I didn’t know you were taking commissions?” she greeted with her best impression of ‘jolly’.

There was a pleasant background music in the air, something deep and slow she’d never heard before. It was barely music, to be honest. She found the low hum soothing.

“It’s not a commission,” he said. “It’s for you.”

“Oh! Oh… You… know we lost the bid? Right?”

Dad’s gray eyes twitched with amusement tinged with sadness. His emotions were strongly grounded at all times. Aunt Claire said that mom always found that very comforting. She preferred more fiery people.

“You were dragged into a very old contest, Nestra. Even if we’d had time to prepare, I’m not sure if we could have won the bid. I read your report on the gala. You have seen our rivals, and they are out in force.”

“What’s wrong with them?”

Dad finished packing as he spoke. It didn’t take long. It felt like he was enjoying the ritual.

“Medium sized guilds like ours compete for resources. Threshold is extremely rich, portals wise. It also means that the competition here is the fiercest. Guilds constantly unite and split over better rights. More raids means more progression and more resources. In turn, it means better gear, better incentives for newcomers, better recruits as a result. A house can rise or fall over one portal. As I said, it is an ancient game and we simply lost this round… for now. We will appeal if only to waste their time.”

“Portal attributions can be appealed?”

“Normally, the process is extremely difficult, but this isn’t a portal attribution. It is an ongoing project with no strictly defined rules because we’ve never expanded before. The wall was built with a hundred years of expansion in mind.”

Dad was feeling talkative, which was a rare and precious occasion to ask about the past.

“Was it different when you first landed on the continent?”

“Very much so, of course. We were far fewer, and united. Despite all the tediousness our increased numbers bring, I am actually happy that we would end up fighting over portal rights. It means we are doing fine. But enough of this. What you really meant to say was that you were feeling bad about failing at something and then receiving a gift, right?”

Nestra nodded vigorously, then she averted her gaze.

“Is there something more?” dad asked.

Damn him for being so observant.

“You know you can always tell me if something’s wrong.”

Something was wrong alright. She was here stealing his love and receiving gifts despite the fact she was not his offspring, but the product of deceptive rape and a monster beside, but she didn’t have the heart or courage to tell him because he looked so peaceful now that things had gotten back to the way they were supposed to be, and she was too afraid he would kill her. So no, she couldn’t tell him. Not unless she was ready to destroy everything.

“I’m fine, just a little unused to us being… a sort of normal family again.”

It was his turn to look guilty.

“Look, I failed you as a father.”

“Huh?”

Nesta blinked. This wasn’t going the way she expected.

“When we thought we’d run out of options, Debbie and I stopped. Only Claire persevered with what we thought was a time and money sink with almost no chance of success. She was right and we were wrong. I should have helped. And I should not have let you go.”

Nestra shrugged.

“Can’t blame you, I would have thought the same. And I didn’t leave you a choice with the letting go part.”

“You know what I mean. Not standing with you. Not owning it.”

“Well. I forgive you. It was a shit experience for everyone involved.”

“You are being nice, but you were bearing the queen's share of shittiness. Claire told me about the cravings. I… wasn’t aware of how bad it had become. But enough of that. I can’t make up for the lost time with words alone. I just wanted to give you a gift for that warehouse of yours. It wasn’t easy getting the acoustics right without some measurement but here we are.”

Nestra realized she’d never invited them to her house.

“Oh yeah, you never visited...”

He gave her a glance that was just filled with amused understanding.

“It’s alright. All young raiders want their own den away from their nosy parents. I know you were never much into music…”

He sounded a bit pained by that. Nestra did have some favorite bands in middle school but that hadn’t lasted long and, loath as she was to admit, it was probably peer pressure as much as it was true enjoyment.

“There is a carefully selected collection of ambient sounds. Like the one we’re listening to right now.”

“Oh I was just thinking it sounded nice.”

“They are some brainwave-affecting frequencies I’ve developed with a partner who works for Beyond Record. It won’t turn your brain inside out, it’s just supposed to help with sleep and relaxation. A few of the other tunes help focus. Anyway, I will let you figure it all out.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“I would like you not to concern yourself with the space program too much. Your mother and I will be working with the Century Guild folks to see how we can salvage the situation. In the meantime, the best way to help us is to focus on raiding. Claire said you’re already halfway to C-class, core wise. This is very encouraging. There is also your cadre.”

“They are not my cadre.”

“They are still potential recruits. I read the profile of one Camille Nguyen. A convicted felon? I was not expecting that.”

“It’s complicated. They were forced to commit crimes by their family and then they decided to exile themselves.”

“Not very complicated then. If you need more resources to help, let me know. It’s when someone is at the bottom that the opportunity to help them and build loyalty is the strongest.”

Nestra rolled her eyes.

“Riel, dad, that’s cold-hearted.”

He shook his head.

“Loyalty goes both ways. Trusting and helping someone with no immediate benefit and no guarantee of return is your expression of faith, one that costs you more than it costs them. You are currently the one extending a hand in friendship. You know it; they know it. We are human, Nestra. Transactions are what make us a functioning civilization. It doesn’t mean you don’t mean them well on a personal level.”

“Ok chill out Descartes.”

“That would make it a theory of sociology, Nestra, not philosophy. Now grab the sound system, get out, and have fun. Get stronger. Kill a lot of monsters. Don’t let politics get in the way of life. Debbie and I will take it from here.”

“I’ll do my best.”

***

This specific portal world wasn’t in the sewers or even near them — for once. Instead, it appeared without fail every month at a vital intersection in the city’s utility tunnel, an inconvenience that didn’t actually stop trains from running since mundane materials just moved through. The city was still forced to reroute traffic for the sake of safety, and that was why this gig was the most lucrative the Little People League had ever landed.

“The team supposed to clear the Running Gauntlet is caught in the space program bullshit, so they decided to pay the fee and just cancel. We’re getting an urgency bonus on this one. Seventy-five thousand tax-exempted creds total, split four ways.”

“Damn that’s some good money. Miu Miu is going to be sad she couldn’t join,” Helena said, swinging her axe around.

“Too inexperienced,” Nestra replied. “I had to get a special authorization to bring you in. It’s ok; they can get the pizza. Or get more experience. Seriously though, Miu needs more practice. This one’s a little too difficult for her.”

“And Albert?”

“He’s from a family,” Nestra replied, and that explained everything.

Miu was a new awakening. She didn’t have the lifelong training Albert had followed.

“Who is number four?” Valerian asked.

He was looking a bit rough around the edges but otherwise determined. He also looked more like a bodybuilder, and he’d traded his light armor and sword for plate, hammer, and shield. They looked expensive.

“You’ll see. They should be here any minute. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Nice set by the way. Where did you get it?”

He blushed a bit before replying.

“Gift from my mum. She’s pissed but not that pissed. It’s a Bright Security standard issue raider gear, by the way.”

Helena whistled which made Valerian blush a little. Nestra knew this was a lot of money to buy without a contract with Bright. Valerian hadn’t been abandoned by everybody.

“Nice. How’s your hammer technique?” she asked.

“I’m doing surprisingly fine. I can use a sword instead if you prefer.”

“No, you always were a pretty mediocre fencer. No offense.”

“From you, none taken.”

“Bonk bro!” Helena said, waving her axe around.

She clanged it against his mace, causing him to chuckle.

“Alright. Riel, I’ve missed you guys. I thought working in an ER for a while would make you feel better but, turns out, it really doesn’t. There’s just so many kids beaten by their parents I can treat every day without getting a little depressed, apparently.”

“But did it assuage your guilt for leaving your family to pursue your dream?” Helena asked, all innocent.

“Going straight for the jugular I see.”

“Hey hey,” Nestra said, “They’re coming!”

Two people walked over the rails at a brisk pace. One wore a bright orange prisoner jumpsuit under a thin armor, the other a cheap business suit that marked them as a low level government employee — corpos tended to make a little more effort.

Camille emerged from the shadows between the tunnel’s dim bulbs. They looked like they’d lost some weight but they seemed fine otherwise, if a little bit on edge.

“If it isn’t my favorite convict. Hello, Camille!”

“Good evening, police girl. Ah, and this must be your sister. As for you, I am sorry, I do not recognize you,” they replied a little quickly.

“You really should. We met,” Valerian replied.

Camille clearly had trouble placing him so he obligingly decided to help.

“Your clan tried to kidnap and enslave me to sell my healing services to a warlord,” he said, affably.

“Ah…”

“Yes. Ah.”

Nestra realized that maybe she should have taken this into consideration before shoving them back to back in a running battle. She started to wonder of she had fucked up. Badly.

“I am sorry. You look much more muscular. And your face is… cleaner.”

“Hygiene wasn’t a major concern when facing party killers.”

“Sorry Valerian,” Nestra said, “maybe I should…”

He waved her concerns away.

“I knew who she was before coming here. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t agreed. I’ll give her a chance but don’t forget. For you it’s a rivalry. For me they were fine having me enslaved for the rest of my life.”

“I have nothing to say except that I am sorry, that I have changed, and that I will make amends,” Camille said a little too quickly.

“I believe you. I believe actions even more. Just stating where I stand. Now, what’s next?”

“And I am Redemption Program Officer Calhoun,” the stern woman in a suit added once the confrontation was over.

She was a gleam too with no awakened affinities. A curious choice. Nestra could only assume the city had designated Camille as a low risk and given up on trying to hold them back. To be fair, Camille was a competent infiltrator and a deadly C-class raider. If they wanted to leave, there was little the city could do to stop them without a serious team on it. Nestra greeted the poor woman saddled with this useless job with a thin smile.

“Hello. Let’s get the official stuff out of the way then. I need to sign a discharge, right?”

The woman frowned. She looked at the team with a critical eye.

“Isn’t the running gauntlet normally handled by a team of five C-class?”

“Yes?”

“I count only two.”

Nestra’s smile died down with her sympathy, but she still had her patience online.

“It’s normally handled by such a team because it’s a dangerous raid and the city wants it done quickly. Our team can still do it safely and in a timely manner.”

“I don’t like this. Let me remind you that my role is to make sure Citizen Nguyen raids in a way that safely advantages the city so they can repay their debt to our community. I can, at any time, refuse to let them raid if I consider it unsafe or unreasonable.”

That was it.

“Are you with Portal Management?” Nestra asked.

“That is not the question here.”

“Yes it is. Are you with Portal Management? Are you qualified to decide if our team is not sufficient? Do you believe they were mistaken when they granted us raiding rights? Do you wish to appeal?”

Camille showed fear for the first time, which annoyed Nestra even more. Calhoun was on a power trip — a sadly common occurrence. Valerian and Helena quietly adjusted their stance to support Nestra. She could feel it in the way their mana flows shifted at her back. She liked them for it.

Calhoun didn’t reply.

“Well, are you? Because if you are not, then you’ll have to explain why this emergency raid in a logistically critical part of the city was canceled because you decided your expertise surpassed Portal Management’s.”

Calhoun rallied but she was definitely paler under the yellow glare of nearby lamps. Out of all the things Threshold cared about, closing portals on time was near, if not at the top. The Portal Management’s Agency was firmly in the ‘limited scope, maximum power, don’t fuck with us’ class of government agencies.

“I am just trying to do my job.”

“That’s very nice. Can I have the discharge now?”

Calhoun didn’t move. Nestra breathed deeply. Condensation formed in the air.

After a delay, the redemption officer still gave Nestra a datasheet to sign. Nestra wasn’t an idiot so she read the sheet again to make sure it matched what she expected. Once signed, she returned it.

“Excellent. Alright, everyone. Shall we?”

Calhoun removed a seal on Camille’s blade then everyone quickly went in. It always felt weird to Nestra that a portal would just absorb her human form instead of her having to break into the place like she had to do as an Aszhii. Masks were really something else.

The squad was now standing in an old forest between the trunks of tall trees, the canopy far above them. The air was slightly warmer. There was a pleasant smell of loam and living things.

“Damn, Nes, you’re cold when you’re angry,” Helena laughed.

“I have to agree with your sister, Nestra,” Valerian said with a more relaxed voice. “You were already impressive as a baseline, but the cold aura adds a little ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’ to your intimidation. Maybe the irises help as well but I didn’t get to see them.”

“They flashed,” Camille helpfully added.

“Right! Introductions!” Nestra said, clapping her hands.

It didn’t take very long. Helena and Valerian already knew most of everything about Camille, the family drama and identity crisis notwithstanding. As for Camille, they were surprisingly shy and didn’t ask any questions.

“So how’s life in the slammer, convict?” Nestra asked after they were done.

“Should we really talk about it now?”

“There won’t be time after we begin. This place isn’t called the running gauntlet for nothing. Honestly, if Valerian weren’t here, I wouldn't have tried it. He’s incredibly good at buffs and competent at crowd control. You’ll see.”

“Well…”

They scratched their cheek. It was weird seeing the distant and haughty blademaster turn insecure now that they didn’t have any fursona to hide behind. Maybe Nestra should get them a fox mask.

“I have one year of probation during which I have to live in some sort of gilded cage and all my movements are monitored. It’s not too bad. Feels like an ok hotel. I get monthly outings for good behavior and they let me order things off the internet. Touhei’s marketplace is incredible.”

“Oh I know that place, it’s where they send rowdy raiders who don’t belong in the Red House!” Helena exclaimed. “What was it called again?”

“The nepo tank,” Nestra huffed.

“It’s the Halfway House,” Valerian corrected. “Because it’s halfway between freedom and the Red House. All raiders undergo training but few are truly educated. That’s why there are a lot of entitled crimes and that’s why the house exists. The nepo tank, Nestra? Really?”

“That’s what we cops used to call it because if we baselines did half the shit those narcissists did, we’d be looking at bars for decades.”

“Yes, well, sorry about that,” Camille said, but Nestra waved her hand.

“Stealing for your family isn’t the same as punching a waiter’s teeth off because he said he didn’t have your favorite brand of vodka. And no, I’m not making this up. The victim had to get a brand new jaw.”

“Does raiding help? With your sentence I mean.” Helena asked.

“Me?” Camille replied. “Oh yes. Well, yes and no. My prison time is fixed, but I also have a fine to pay. The raid goes toward repayment and whatever I get extra, I’ll have as a starting capital when I get out. So this raid’s really good for me. And my sanity. Nineteen thousand creds won’t hurt.”

“And that’s just the clearing bonus! There’s going to be loot as well!” Nestra exclaimed.

“So I heard. Ah…”

“Alright. Let’s start with the actual briefing. All of you read the notes, right?”

A series of acknowledgements confirmed Nestra’s teammates didn’t have a death wish.

“Camille will take point. Helena and I will cover the right and left flank respectively while Valerian covers the back. We don’t really have much in terms of ranged attacks so we’d better keep moving. I will eliminate those archers I can spot but don’t count on it. Oh, something else. Valerian will control the crowd as I said. His spells have low mana consumption.”

“I can help with those ranged threats,” he said.

“Ok good. And he can buff us. You can do it, right?”

“I will do it.”

“Good. Otherwise standard patrol formation will serve us well. Two last things. One, everyone here knows about my other form…”

The mask folded inward and true Nestra emerged, suddenly the tallest one around by a large margin.

“Sssso I will switch if we need it, and for the guardian.”

“You shouldn’t do this so close to the entrance portal,” Valerian reproached. “In case we’re followed.”

“Ah, true. I just needed…”

Nestra used a fang to open the skin of her thumb. The blood oxidized almost immediately.

“I just needed to call in the last member of the team.”