"I've always been curious," Ignis said, glancing at Nicole. "You people don't wear any kind of protective gear?"
"First of all, my clothes are made of anti-corrosion material," Nicole replied. She took a vial from her bag and drank it down. "Second, I also carry anti-corrosion potions."
"And most importantly—the Cunning Hares can't afford proper armor."
Phaethon's little sister, controlling her Bangboo, patted Nicole's pale thigh.
"The Public Security Bureau and the Defense Forces have official Hollow-grade protection suits. You can find some on the black market, but they're expensive."
"Thanks for the reminder, Proxy." Nicole didn't look pleased. "Anyway, we usually avoid drawing the attention of the Ethereals."
"That might be difficult," said Ignis. "Armor this heavy makes a lot of noise when I move."
"Don't worry, I'll take you along a route with fewer Ethereals." Phaethon thumped her chest proudly. "Freight routes are always designed to avoid Ethereal clusters."
"Ehne!" Another bright-green Bangboo nodded in agreement.
This little one was a member of the Cunning Hares—Amillion, its left eye covered by a cross-marked patch that looked like an eyepiece.
Earlier that day, Nicole had stopped by the mod shop on Sixth Street to pick it up after its maintenance. The little green fellow had immediately taken a liking to the equally green Salamander.
But Ignis was more interested in the shop owner—a man with a mechanical right arm who always carried a hammer.
"The toy-shop owner said the most important things in that shipment were W-Engines and some limited-edition toys," Phaethon said as she walked along the rails, the others following close behind.
"And part of the payment, too." Her Bangboo stopped in place. "The boss said as long as we bring the goods back, we can keep the money as a bonus."
"Great! Street rules—everyone who sees gets a share." The moment Nicole heard the word bonus, she perked up. "Fifty-fifty split!"
"Nicole, you still owe me quite a bit," Phaethon said, pointing toward a nearby switch lever. "Pull that for me."
Ignis stepped forward carefully and pulled the lever—gently, worried he might snap it.
With a groan of metal, the rails shifted, connecting to a side track.
"And now?" Nicole looked down both directions of the track—nothing.
"Something's coming," said Ignis. His ears picked up movement along the rail. He moved into a guarding stance, shielding the others behind him.
"That back view really does inspire confidence." Phaethon patted his leg. "No worries—it's just a working inspection cart. I picked it up from the local network; the systems here are still operational."
"How long has that thing gone without maintenance?" Ignis's ears caught a shrill metallic screech. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Sure enough, as the inspection car drew closer, that noise drew a pack of Hollows straight toward them.
"I thought you said we'd take a quiet route!" Nicole's suitcase split in half, revealing a gun barrel.
"Yeah, but once we're on board, we'll outrun them." Phaethon shrank back a bit, rubbing her neck. "I'm a pacifist—so I'll leave the fighting to you!"
"Enemies incoming!" Ignis's helmet vox roared like thunder, the sheer volume making Nicole's head ache.
A dozen Tyrfings staggered toward them, each one raising a blade-shaped left arm, ready to strike.
The powered armor's systems calculated their distance, highlighting the flamethrower's effective range on his HUD. Ignis steadied his breath, waiting for them to step closer.
When the first target entered range, Ignis unleashed his wrath. Pressurized Ether-based fuel mixed with oxygen burst forth and ignited.
"In Vulkan's name!"
The torrent of fire swept through the swarm. Sticky burning gel splashed across their bodies; the living shapes melted into ash, leaving only bright sparks scattered on the ground.
"You seem pretty good at handling this sort of thing." Nicole collapsed her weapon back into its case. "If only you didn't have to shout like that."
"Battle cries boost morale," Ignis replied, scanning the smoldering area for survivors through his thermal view. "And they focus the enemy's attention on me—so you can fight safely."
After the first wave fell, the inspection car rolled to a stop beside them.
"Get on, boss Nicole! I'll cover you," Ignis called, watching another pack of Hollows approach.
Nicole nodded, scooped up Amillion, and leapt aboard.
"I'm not on yet!" Phaethon's Bangboo jumped and waved frantically.
There wasn't a proper step for Bangboos, so after setting Amillion down, Nicole grabbed Phaethon's Bangboo and hauled it up.
"Hurry!" Nicole yelled as Ignis's flames blazed again. "Save your fuel! That stuff's expensive!"
Ignis sent two jets of fire to form a wall, then turned and vaulted onto the car.
"Alright, go!"
Phaethon flipped the power switch. The inspection car sputtered and screeched as it started up, the grinding noise practically begging for mercy.
Maybe from lack of maintenance, the thing was painfully slow. The flame wall behind them was already being snuffed out under the weight of the charging Hollows.
"Ehne! Ehne-ehne!" Amillion pulled a mini-turret from its body, mounted it on the platform, and opened fire.
Though the bullets were small, the twin rotary cannons spat a storm of lead—enough to pin the enemy down.
"Amillion! Ease up! Those rounds aren't cheap either!" Nicole was on the verge of screaming. "Ugh, forget it!"
She flipped a switch on her suitcase—Ignis heard a metallic click as the gun reloaded.
"These bullets cost a fortune!" she shouted, pulling the trigger.
A black-violet glow bloomed at the cannon's mouth, condensing into a sphere—the same color as the Hollow itself.
After a brief charge, the orb shot forward and landed amid the swarm.
The sphere emitted a crushing pull, dragging the creatures toward it. Those too close were flattened outright.
A gravity gun?
Ignis's eyes widened. Could this really be one of those legendary weapons—able to distort a local gravity field and crush its targets from within?
Thankfully, one shot was enough. The car finally picked up speed and left the monsters behind.
Nicole flipped her weapon back into suitcase form. A single brass casing popped free; Ignis caught it midair and examined it.
The shell bore visible Ether corrosion—like the crystal growths they'd seen on the train cars.
Nicole waved for it back.
"This custom ammo is very expensive." She held up the shell for Phaethon to see. "You're reimbursing me."
"Fine, fine. Deduct it from your debt." Phaethon nodded, then turned to Amillion. "Looks like Uncle Enzo's tuning really did the trick."
Nicole pulled out a coin and handed it to Amillion. "Of course! Our little employee here's one of the Cunning Hares' best."
"Ehne!" Amillion chirped, then dropped the coin into a slot on its turret.
It's coin-operated? Or is that… a piggy-bank feature?
Either way, Ignis's worldview was collapsing a little.
New Eridu was truly full of wonders—a suitcase that fires like a gravity gun, a Bangboo that pulls twin miniguns out of its body.
Wouldn't surprise him if one day he saw one hauling around a rocket launcher.
He pictured the round little unit lugging a tiny bazooka sized to match its body.
"By the Emperor," he muttered. "That'd be more adorable than scary."
"Proxy, do you know where this track leads?" Ignis asked, looking ahead.
"To a freight station. Our target's there," Phaethon replied, craning her neck to look up at him.
"Then get ready to stop. There's a derailed car up ahead."
"Brake! Brake!" Phaethon yelped. Nicole yanked the emergency lever—which promptly snapped in half.
"Crap!" Nicole stared at the broken rod in her hand, then at the wreck looming closer. "We're doomed!"
As the others panicked, Ignis quickly estimated the vehicle's weight and speed. Then he jumped down onto the track.
Turning around, he planted his feet and grabbed the inspection car's platform with his powered gauntlets. With a grunt, he lifted—and heaved.
The car lurched upward, pivoted half a turn, and slammed down sideways off the rail.
"Thought we were gonna crash for sure," Nicole said, patting her chest as she climbed down, still pale.
Eous hopped off after her—and promptly tumbled twice like a bouncing ball.
"That's weird," it muttered. "My calculations said the line should've been clear."
"I've got a bad feeling," Nicole said, glancing at Phaethon. "We should get moving. Now."