Ashen Crucible

Chapter 13: The Savage Heart

Chapter 13: The Savage Heart

At Luther's command, retainers began unloading crates of equipment components from the armored vehicles, rapidly assembling a rudimentary base under the watchful eyes of Saramontoga's inhabitants. The modular construction allowed this surprisingly substantial outpost to take shape within an hour.

Luther studied the tactical map before pointing in three distinct directions. Without unnecessary words, three Dragon Riders departed with their respective retinues to commence the search. Luther and Justin remained behind, standing shoulder-to-shoulder before the command vehicle. While Justin focused on sensing Su's position through his psychic abilities, Luther maintained tactical oversight and provided protection for his companion whose combat skills remained conspicuously underdeveloped for a Dragon Rider.

The two immaculately groomed warriors stood ramrod straight, their spotless uniforms contrasting sharply with the rugged metal contours of their vehicle. Together they formed an incongruous tableau of precision amidst the desolate, radiation-scarred landscape.

At Saramontoga's perimeter, a red-haired brute shoved through the gawking crowd. His eyes widened at the sight of Dragon Rider equipment - the armored transports, crated supplies, and miraculously erected compound made his head swim with calculations of unimaginable wealth. Turning to the silent, cigarette-smoking man beside him, he rasped in a conspiratorial whisper: "Hey boss! This looks like big-league business!"

Quinn exhaled smoke through his nostrils without turning. "Business so big it'll rupture your guts. Pursue it alone if you must - but don't come crying to me. I've shipments waiting in Pendragon." The grizzled man walked away without backward glance, leaving his underling sputtering protests that faded into the toxic breeze.

The redhead's greedy gaze returned to the Dragon Rider camp. "Stupid!" He smacked his own forehead. "If they needed intel, they'd have asked by now!"

Nearby commotion interrupted his scheming. Five Saramontoga scavengers argued with a black-armored retainer blocking their usual trade route now declared off-limits near the Dragon Rider perimeter. Tempers flared - five rifle muzzles swung up in challenge against the lone guard's futuristic weapon.

The retainer's body shifted backward in fluid motion, knees flexing as his matte-gray assault rifle snapped into firing position. Nearly invisible muzzle flashes preceded soft coughing reports. Five bodies convulsed mid-snarl, each sprouting multiple crimson blossoms before collapsing.

Bystanders blinked in disbelief - the entire execution lasted less than three seconds. The retainer calmly slung his weapon and began dragging corpses by their ankles, using the bodies to demarcate a 200-meter exclusion zone. Saramontoga's survivors now watched with hatred mingling in their fearful gazes.

Later, the settlement's hulking, bearded leader approached Luther and Justin. Standing three meters from the preoccupied officers - Luther studying his tactical tablet, Justin gazing absently into the fog - the 6'5" man cleared his throat. "We need to... discuss your men killing mine over... over nothing!"

BANG! Justin's golden Magnum roared. The leader's head vaporized in crimson mist before his body crumpled. Two retainers wordlessly dragged the headless corpse to join the others. Justin holstered his smoking revolver with ceremonial slowness, violet-shadowed eyes still fixed on distant horizons.

Luther produced a monogrammed handkerchief, fastidiously wiping blood spatter from his uniform before discarding the soiled linen. "Must you persist with that primitive cannon?" he complained. "Modern sidearms don't create such... messes."

Justin caressed the Magnum's engraved barrel. "You wouldn't understand. Those smart pistols from HQ whimper like frightened virgins. This..." He kissed the warm steel. "...sings with proper savagery."

Seven days crawled past. Three Dragon Rider teams rotated through resupply cycles while Saramontoga's survivors developed new routines around the exclusion zone's rotting landmarks. Luther's tactical tablet accumulated identical reports: No trace found.

Justin's appearance deteriorated - foundation cracked around deepening eye sockets, lipstick cycling through morbid hues before abandoning cosmetics entirely. When the sixth Dragon Rider arrived on day three, even Luther's parade-ground posture developed restless tics.

On the seventh dawn, Luther issued recall orders. Failure tasted bitter, but unlike the late Lecroix, he knew when to retreat.

Deep beneath an abandoned villa's atrium, Su's metabolism accelerated from hibernation levels. His chest expanded with first conscious breath in a week, compressed earth yielding as he emerged like some pale revenant. Soil trickled from matted hair as he retrieved buried weapons: A .44 Magnum gleaming with fresh grease, followed by the Barrett anti-materiel rifle's cold bulk.

A shadow fell across the doorway. Both men moved faster than conscious thought allowed - retainer's polymer pistol versus Su's roaring hand cannon. Armor-piercing rounds hammered both combatants backward. The retainer's second shot went wide as survival instinct overrode training. Su's follow-up Magnum blast erased the man's head from neck upward.

Wincing at bruised sternum, Su collected his gear without looting the corpse. The Barrett's weight settled into familiar embrace across his back as he melted into radioactive fog, Magnum still smoking in hand.