Blood in the Snow - Part 3

{[Battles don't usually end with flares, fire, and a big explosion. They end in a mute and empty silence… Gunfire dies out, the wounded hold back their screams, and the fact that you're alive eats away at everyone's consciousness… War is cruel, filthy, sickening, terrifying, and despite what some argue… Necessary.]}

"Where did they get the guns?" A Clear Water mercenary asked over his headset. He was on the main gun of an anti-gravity Abram X tank.

"Who gives a shit." A female merc with muscular arms in the tank commander's seat shrugged. "They made a mistake attacking our guys… Now we're wasting them."

"Fuck yeah!" The driver of the tank cheered.

"This was getting boring." Another tank commander came through their headset. "We've been here for over two years. It's about time we have some fun."

Sixteen tanks drove across the cold terrain with a handful of snowmobiles and a few personnel carriers.

"Alright, boys and girls." The lead tank commander, the same muscular woman, spoke to everyone. "These people forgot who we are… They challenged us, and we'll retaliate with the full force of Clear Water… Don't let a single one of them live… No mercy, no hostages, leave nothing behind but blood in the snow."

The soldiers smiled, eager to pull their triggers. In the distance, they got a good view of the city and a helicopter in the air ripping apart the resistance.

"I'll give the soldier with the most kills a handjob they'll never forget." She teased.

"With those arms? I'll pass!" Her driver joked, and everyone giggled.

"If you have a little cock just say so." She joked as they drove past a pale woman with red hair.

"My cock isn't that… Huh." The radio spoke random words of awe from half a dozen soldiers. "Did you guys see that?"

"What did you see?" Their Commander asked.

"It was a young woman with red hair." Her driver kept his eyes on the road. "She was wearing a thin black dress."

"We took all their women." The Commander checked the computer of her main gun. Everything was running smoothly. "Maybe one of them hid, and she's fleeing the battle. But in a thin dress, she won't survive long out here. Just ignore her…"

"Yes, Ma'am." The red flashes of gunfire glowed and echoed in the distance. Then, they passed by another young woman. She had blood-red hair and a black dress. This time, their Commander witnessed it, too.

"Another one?"

"No…" Her driver's tone shifted. "That's the same woman… How the fuck?"

"Are you seeing ghosts?" Another tank Commander teased.

"I can't say… That was the same woman." The driver got quiet. "Ma'am, something odd is happening."

"Just ignore it and keep driving. We have other pressing matters."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Her loader said. In the distance, buildings were collapsing. "No way is this possible."

"All tanks halt!" She ordered.

"Oh fuck." Her driver spoke once more, and he stopped the tank. He hovered in mid-air. "It's her again… She's in front of us…"

"What is she doing?" The Commander asked. Her tank platoon started getting spooked, and admittedly, she was too. But the last thing she wanted was her men shaken before the battle began.

"She's just standing there."

"Kill her." She ordered. "Use the fifty and put her down."

"Engaging now."

Her gunner aimed the secondary gun and fired a few rounds into the woman's body. She fell to her knees. "Target is K.I.A."

"It was that easy… All tanks move out! The scary woman is dead!" The Commander glanced at the city, and that's when the helicopter exploded. "Was that our Cobra?"

"They took it down!" One of the soldiers spoke out of line. "Fuck!"

"Don't lose your head. Our tank battalion won't go down."

"No, ma'am! It's the woman in black!"

In the distance, the redhead walked casually with four large holes in her chest.

The tanks were getting closer to her, and she smiled. Her fangs were white.

A mist of ice exploded from her body, and every vehicle froze in place.

The tanks all lost power to their anti-gravity drives and slid onto the frozen ground.

"What was that?" The muscular woman asked as soon as her tank stopped sliding. "All tank crews come in. Give me your status!"

One by one, the tank commanders gave their okay. They were bruised but not hurt.

She glanced at the main computer. It had an error sign. Giving a frozen equipment warning.

"No choice then. Everyone dismount! We're going on foot!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The company replied, and they all stepped out of the tanks into the darkness one by one.

The buff woman glanced at the vehicles. They were frozen in place. Like the air itself froze and stopped them. She once-overed her company. Everyone in the armored vehicles stepped out armed and ready to fight. But nobody in the snowmobile's dismounted.

"A-3!" She spoke to her scout. "A-3! Talk to me!"

He didn't say a word. He also didn't dismount.

She growled and moved forward towards the closest snowmobile. She touched the shoulder of her soldier. He was stiff. "This isn't possible." Pivoting to glance at his face, she absorbed the cold reality. He was frozen solid.

"Commander!" Her driver talked to her through his headpiece. "A-1 is frozen solid, he's dead."

"D-1 is also dead." Another voice spoke.

"C-2 is gone." A woman gave her two cents.

"How is this possible, Commander?" Her gunner asked. He was close to her. "Our tanks froze. Had we not been inside them, we would've died too."

"I can't think of a possibility." The Commander spoke to her Sergeant. "Maybe… Something supernatural?"

"Ma'am?" The Sergeant didn't want to say it, but he didn't believe that was the case.

One of her soldiers screamed.

Everyone lifted their guns up. "Sit-rep!" The muscular woman ordered.

To her left, another soldier screamed. Then behind her, in front of her, and again to her left. She moved her gun to the screams, but whatever was killing her men was too fast to keep up with.

Then it stopped.

Everyone was breathing heavily, unsure of what the heck was happening.

"Ma'am." Her driver spoke. "A flash of red… It killed our loader… And his blood."

"What about his blood?"

"It's gone, almost like something drained it out of his body." His voice shivered. "It's her… How is she alive? She's the-"

Her driver screamed.

"Engage now!" The Commander ordered. "Kill this thing!"

Everyone opened fire in every direction. Occasionally getting glimpses of red.

A girl's laughter caught the mercenaries off guard in the middle of the firefight. It was a giggle filled with joy and glee.

That left a disturbing dread in the air.

One by one, her armored crewmen died.

Their moans of death were met with laughter.

The gunfire started dying down. Until it was just the Commander and her gunner.

"What is that thing!" He fired wildly into the wind until he gasped bitterly.

The Commander turned to him. A woman had casually punched through his rib cage. Her eyes glowed red, and her hair flowed like the blood in her hand. She was smiling, and her teeth had fangs.

Her eyes landed on the Commander, and she immediately lowered her weapon.

"What are you?" The Commander asked.

The vampire pulled her hand out of her gunner's chest. Blood rushed out of his body and into her hand. It disappeared on her skin like water evaporating against the hot sun. "I'm Angel."

"You're not an angel." The woman dropped her gun, and her arms shook in fear. "You're a monster."

"Am I?" Angel's speed wasn't as fast as Risa's, but it was still unnatural. She gripped the woman's chin, forcing the buff woman to her knees.

The woman didn't know how to react. The moonlight reflected off Angel as she smiled. Her fangs shined, and her allure left the Commander in awe.

Angel was the very definition of beauty. Even if she had just slaughtered everyone under her command. The muscular woman immediately submitted to the demi-dove.

"Make me yours." The Commander half begged for her life, and half wanted to be dominated. Angel's aura radiated dominance, and the muscular woman didn't mind serving her. "I'll do anything you want."

"You should know… I hate being called a monster…" Angel's eyes glowed red. "The last thing I need is a pig worshiping my feet."

"No! NO! NOOO!" The Commander tried to run away, but Angel's grip on her jaw grew tighter and tighter until it popped. Then, her blood left her body and melded into Angel's skin.

Angel took a few seconds and glanced around at the gore she caused. "I'm not a monster… I'm a good girl…" The dove was sour.

"I did as you asked Luna… These people were that much of a threat? They didn't stand a chance against me… I'm changing… In the past, the sight of blood sickened me… Now, I barely give it a second thought." Angel turned around and rushed towards the command center. Taking blood from ally and foe alike. Her power increased with every drop. Now, it was her turn to give Luna some Mana. "A monster? UGH! I'll ask Ashner to call me a princess when I see him next… I want to wash her filthy words out of my ears."

*******

"STORM THE BASE!" Eugene roared into his headset. He, along with the remaining platoons, drove and rushed towards the base. Clear Water lost all its armored vehicles, its watchtowers were on fire, its C-Ram was destroyed, and mortar rounds had destroyed the walls and portions of its main base. The militia was even using the snowmobiles that had survived the battle to rush into the base, carrying two or even three people on them. "ONE LAST PUSH, MY BROTHERS!"

Eugene was the first to drive into the half-buried floating city. He jumped off the snowmobile and used his MTs255 shotgun, which ripped apart his enemies with its five-round revolving cylinder. Then, he quickly swapped to his AK-74M and shot down stragglers who were using the rubble as cover.

The locals advanced into the city from all directions. Quickly ripping apart the forces of Clear Water, the professional mercenaries retreated without missing a beat.

Now that the tide had shifted, Eugene and his soldiers showed no mercy. Not even for the wounded Clear Water members. Years of oppression and fear were unleashed in the form of violence. Clear Water deserved no mercy, and they got none.

The militia quickly scanned and cleared every part of the crumbled city they passed. Just as Eugene had trained them. "FIND OUR GIRLS!" Eugene pulled out his side-arm and fired at a terrified mercenary. The man fell backward, moaning in pain until Eugene fired again.

Slowly but surely, the rebels broke Clear Water's defensive line. Their objective was the center of the city, where Clear Water had established its base.

Even as they pushed, the rebels used their radios and redirected mortar fire on buildings their enemies were hiding in, crushing them over their targets.

Finally, the center of the city was in sight. The place where their mothers, daughters, and sisters were kept.

The rebel's roar echoed as the white-clothed army stained the snow red.

*******

Gio opened his eyes. It took him a few minutes to regain consciousness after being tased. He was grateful he didn't piss himself. The swole man focused on his hands. They were bound with rope. His legs weren't, and he was sitting on a wooden chair.

He studied his surroundings. Gio was inside a sealed room filled with young women who were all wrapped in blankets to fight the cold. Their eyes were on Gio as they studied him from inside their prison cells.

"Found them." Gio smiled.

"FUCK!" One of the soldiers yelped as he held his radio. He glanced at his battles.

"What's going on out there?" Another member asked.

"They took out our armor and our helicopter. At this rate, we're screwed if they keep pushing towards us." One of the Clear Water members was panicky, keeping his finger on his weapon.

"Our chain of command isn't replying either." Another one of them spoke. "We're the skeleton crew, and we don't know what's happening… This whole situation is fucked… At least we have the girls. They'll be our bargaining chips."

"You guys are pathetic." Gio scoffed.

The five Clear Water mercenaries glared at him. "You're not Russian. Are you special forces? American or perhaps British?" The largest one crossed his arms and stood a little over six-three with an AK-107 in his hands. "Who are you?"

Gio recalled his military training and whispered the advice that had been drilled into his mind out loud. "Always keep the enemy guessing. The truth can and will be weaponized against you."

Solid advice… But then again, this was Gio.

"Oh, where to begin?" Gio took a deep breath. "I'm a weeb, a lost cause, hungry, tired, a sapphire, a libra, a dragon, a monster to some, a hero to others, and above all that… A dedicated Rem over Emilia fan."

"More like a smart-ass." The tall man wasn't amused. Why was a captive this cocky? Did he have a death wish?

"That too!" Gio cheered, earning him a blow to the face. "Oh… Oh… I guess I deserved that one."

"Tell us the truth…"

"You want the truth?" Gio licked his teeth where the blow had connected. "I'm an interplanetary traveler, currently living between two worlds and gathering gold. Ironically, the demi-humans locals from said world view gold as a worthless metal, but it's made me filthy rich in our world."

The large man's lackey nailed Gio's chest with his fist. "Stop lying!" The blow did no damage to the heavily muscled man.

Gio gasped, then giggled. "I'm also trying to fuck a demi-cow queen… I'll knock her up… Fingers crossed for a baby girl…"

That earned him a few more strikes. Gio's head got a cut, and blood went down from his forehead to his cheek. The man took every strike with a smile.

The hostages witnessed the beating. Some of them hid behind their mothers, and others covered their eyes.

Gasping away for air, the mercenary rubbed his bloodied knuckles. Gio's face was red from the blows. His lip pulsed and tore when it pushed against his teeth.

"Out of breath after just three minutes?" Gio giggled. "I can only imagine what girls say about you in the sack."

The mercenary gritted his teeth and struck Gio's body again, each attack weaker than the last.

"That's enough." The largest one stopped the punching session. "He's getting under your skin."

"Hey." Gio smiled with the aftertaste of blood in his mouth. "I didn't expect your girlfriend to stop you."

"… You know what." The most prominent man's eyes sharpened. "Just keep hitting him."

Gio's body was in pain, but it was nothing compared to the rage he had for these men. Gio locked eyes with them, and he kept grinning. This pissed off the mercenaries more.

"Why are you smiling?" The large man asked, annoyed. "There is no scenario where you get out of this alive. Just save us the time and tell us who you work for and why you attacked us… If you do, we'll kill you quickly."

The women around them cuddled together, and some of them moved closer to Gio. They were a few feet away from the beatings behind the bars. They were all malnourished and terrified of Clear Water.

Gio giggled. He genuinely enjoyed this situation. The mercenaries glanced at each other until Gio started laughing obnoxiously, which only unsettled them more… Gio suddenly stopped abruptly and calmly asked, "Why'd you stop punching me? Do you need a Dorito and code red break?"

Surprisingly, the abuser chortled, and then that shifted into an all-out laugh.

"You find this funny?" The largest man warned his subordinate.

"He's an idiot." The mercenary admitted. "But he's a funny idiot."

"Why did you stop hitting him?"

"Yeah." Gio teased with a cocky gaze. "Why did you stop hitting me?"

The man broke out in laughter again. The most prominent man had enough. He kicked Gio's chest, knocking the chair he was on to its side. As he fell, the wood around his hands snapped, and Gio reached into his sleeve, pulling out a small pocket knife.

Gio glanced up at the cameras. They were CCTV cameras, and they were all focused on him. Something out of the ordinary in a jail cell. "Crow… You sly dog," Gio muttered to himself as he carefully cut the rope binding his wrists.

"If a vehicle survived the battle, we'll take one or two hostages with us. After we get far enough, we kill them and make our way to our base in Kazakhstan." The large man suggested. "We might get some radiation exposure, but that's better than dying… We'll take the youngest girls with us."

A vein on Gio's head pulsed. He focused on all the cameras and grasped that they all had a little green light on them. All except one. It was turning on and off rapidly.

Gio focused on its pattern, which was Morse code. "W,I,N,K." Gio whispered to himself, so he did just that.

That single camera turned on and off rapidly again. "S,T,A,N,D A,N,D L,I,G,H,T,S W,I,L,L S,H,U,T O,F,F K,I,L,L T,H,E,M." Gio smiled and winked at the camera.

His gaze went back to the five mercenaries who were plotting their escape. Unaware that Gio was preparing to face them head-on. The pocket knife cut through the rope, and Gio stood up slowly.

The lights shut off.

Gio charged in, grabbing the two closest men. They moaned in pain. The room was pitch black, and the three remaining mercenaries panicked. "The power went out?" Then, the echo of something pounding caught their attention.

Bunk. Bunk. Bunk.

The lights turned back on. In Gio's hands were the heads of two of the mercenaries. He had grabbed them by their hair and slammed their heads together over and over until their souls left their flesh.

Gio dropped the corpses to his sides.

The two smaller mercenaries charged. The first aimed his Beretta M9 at Gio's head.

Gio grabbed the weapon with his hand.

The barrel was against his palm. He pulled the slide against the hammer. The mercenary aimed it at Gio's chest and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

"What the fuck?"

The second one reached for his knife and slashed. Gio grabbed his wrist with his spare hand and tugged down hard, dislocating the man's shoulder and knocking him to the ground. Gio's foot stomped against his windpipe.

The second mercenary pulled the trigger repeatedly, but nothing was happening.

"That's a safety feature…" Gio's fingers grabbed the slide lock level and brought it up with his thumb, and his index finger pushed the take-down lever. He pulled his hand back, taking apart the slide from the frame. Gio didn't stop there. He thrust the slide deep into the man's eye. The slider's end was sharp and dug deep into his face, killing him instantly.

With his free hand, he pulled on the arm of the man below him. He was keeping his foot against his neck. Gio's eyes glared at the largest of the mercenaries as he tugged tighter, and his foot crushed the man's throat until he stopped fighting back and died.

Now, it was Gio and the largest mercenary who had stood back and witnessed the massacre.

"So you are special forces." After witnessing Gio's skills in action, the man unclipped his weapon and let it fall on the ground. He grasped that Gio was trained to kill anyone who aimed a weapon at him… Plus, he also wanted to face someone with his skills in hand-to-hand combat. "Let's end this one-on-one."

Gio released the dead man's arm and readied his fists. Behind him, the girls whimpered and cried. But some of them cheered for Gio.

"Here's the thing… I like to believe that I'm a good man…" Gio's voice rumbled across the makeshift prison. "But if someone hurts women… Or children… A part of me changes… And everyone involved… Well, they end up like your friends…"

The lights flickered, and Gio charged in, striking first. The large man parried and countered.

Gio dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged again.

Being shorter than the mercenary made no difference. Gio's skills far outweighed his enemy.

The large man lifted his arms up to protect himself as Gio's fists attacked. They were like machine guns. Each blow bruised and fractured the large man's bones and flesh until he found himself stepping backward and regretting the decision to face Gio one-on-one.

Gio took advantage of his position and jumped, spinning his body mid-air. The odd attack confused his aggressor. Gio's forearm connected against the large man's face. And he tumbled backward, spitting out a tooth from his mouth as his back hit the floor.

"Fuck!" The mercenary panicked. His fingers gripped something hard. He glanced to his side. It was a combat knife. Gio mounted the man, putting his entire body weight on his chest.

The mercenary used his newfound weapon and slashed.

Gio caught the knife with his bare hand. He gripped it tightly, and the metal bent and ultimately snapped in two. Gio opened his palm, revealing that the cut tore through his skin and the bones in his hand had been replaced with artificial metal. The merc's eyes widened. He was facing a beast. The large man took a swing with his knife in hand, but Gio caught his fist.

"Surprised? Late into the war, my hands were torn apart, but a certain medic kept me alive and even petitioned to get me state-of-the-art synthetic graphene replacement bones… And thanks to a certain potion, my nerves merged with my metal bones." Gio's hand squeezed tightly until the bones on the large man's hands snapped and bent unnaturally.

"Fuck!" The man moaned. "Please stop, I'll go… Just let me live…"

Gio's eyes became soft. For a second, he pitied his enemy. Gio even considered letting him go. That was until one of the women screamed.

"He's lying! He'll kill you!" Gio's eyes focused on the woman. She was in her early twenties, and sometime during the fight, she had gotten her hands on a AK-107. Her hands were shaking, and her face was covered in tears, but she was pointing it at the mercenary. "Don't let him live! Not after what he did to us!"

Gio's resolve returned with a bitter rage. He punched the man's face over and over. The broken hand that clung to the combat dagger lessened and lessened.

Blow after blow, Gio released his rage and his hate. He hated monsters… But he also accepted long ago that the only way to kill a monster was to become as fearsome as them. His fists kept beating the man's face until he became unrecognizable. His face was caved in, his nose was shattered, and all his teeth were broken. The mercenary had accidentally swallowed some during the beating session.

"Sir." The woman spoke meekly. "He's dead."

Gio stood up slowly. He was out of breath, and blood dripped down his fists as he studied the girls.

Some of them yelped. Others shook in fear.

"Are you here to save us?" The woman with the rifle dared to give herself hope.

"Yes…" Gio's voice shifted to a sweeter tone. "You won't live in a cage anymore…"

The women around him wept joyfully for the first time in two years.

Footsteps rushed towards them, ruining their moment. Forty or so Clear Water mercenaries ventured into the prison. More than likely with the same idea their dead comrades had.

Gio raised his fists.

The mercenaries raised their weapons. Gio was the intruder, and the women who got caught in their gunfire were replaceable.

The roof above Gio collapsed between him and the mercenaries, who were just as confused as the short man. For a second, they hesitated and didn't pull their triggers. From a room above them, down came a portion of the special squad.

A busty elf smirked behind her computer as Mana returned to her.

Falling at half the speed of gravity thanks to Risa's glide ability. Ashner took a second to take in the scene.

Everyone's been fighting hard. We won't let any of the hostages die.

Ashner unloaded his rounds, nailing two targets.

XP:20,850 > XP:120,450

The remaining mercenaries took cover behind heavy desks. Some took a knee and readied their weapons.

Menu. Buy these items.

The menu appeared on Ashner's left side.

XP:120,450 > XP:119,450

Saki's Powers

* Crystal Magic – Level 1 > 2

XP:119,450 > 119,325

Crystal Armor – Level 1 > 2

Crystal Manipulation – Level 1 > 2

Crystal Spike – Level 1 > 2

Crystal Wall – Level 1 > 2

Crystal Weapon – Level 1 > 2

Saki sensed her magic increase. She had used her crystal hammer to smash through the floor. It had shattered into pieces as the group fell down a level.

XP:119,450 > XP:118,450

Twila's Powers

Dark Magic – Level 2 > 3

XP:118,450 > XP:118,275

Crowd Blending – Level 2 > 3

Invisibility – Level 2 > 3

Manipulate Shadows – Level 2 > 3

Nature Blending – Level 2 > 3

Night's Silence – Level 2 > 3

Shade Blades – Level 2 > 3

Shadow Step – Level 2 > 3

Risa's Powers

Wind Magic – Level 3 > 4

XP:117,275 > XP:117,100

Glide – Level 3 > 4

Wind Boost – Level 3 > 4

Wind Shield – Level 0 > 4

Wind Slash – Level 3 > 4

"Saki, protect the hostages!" Ashner ordered as he landed on the ground. "Everyone engage!"

Saki willed her earth magic on the steel floor. From underneath the flooring, Diamond ripped the metal apart, lifting it up high enough to protect the hostages. They emerged outside of the metal bars.

Risa and Twila used their handguns and fired at the Clear Water members, who were unlucky enough to have no cover.

Twila

Firearms – Level 2 > 3

Handguns – Level 2 > 3

Risa

Firearms – Level 0 > 1

Automatic Handguns – Level 0 > 1

Rounds flew towards the group, and Twila's dark magic manifested in the air. The rounds disappeared and reappeared above the mercenaries. Ripping them apart from above.

That's new.

XP:117,100 > XP:117,300

Saki used her power and raised makeshift barricades in front of the group for cover.

Gio reached for Ashner's handgun and fired away. Gunning down a merc who popped his head out from behind cover for a second.

Gio's handgun ran dry. "Out of mags!" Gio reached for ammo that wasn't there.

Ashner glanced at the girls.

I can't risk us running out of ammo. Menu buy Reload for everyone fighting!

The menu bounced and complied.

XP:117,300 > XP:27,300

Wait? That much? Oh no, I didn't specify. It gave it to everyone including Luna and the girls in the Command Center. Don't overthink. Fight. Kill these assholes.

"Use your Mana on your weapons. It'll reload them!"

Risa, Twila, and Gio did as they were asked, and their firepower quickly suppressed their enemies, giving Saki enough time to fire her RPG. It hit the wall behind the mercenaries, causing the floor above them to crumble.

XP:27,300 > XP:27,380

Risa grabbed Ashner and pulled him away from the falling rubble. Twila grabbed Gio and Saki, and using her dark power, she melded them into the shadows and away from the falling debris.

The floor above collapsed and crushed the remaining Clear Water members.

XP:27,380 > XP:28,770

The gunfire stopped as the dust settled. The room was suddenly colder.

Ashner glanced at his allies.

The girls are on the verge of mana deprivation, Gio's hand is wounded, and I'm exhausted… It's a miracle none of us died… No, this was all Luna's doing. She made the choices to keep us all alive.

The rebels broke into the building and killed the last of Clear Water. Saki's mana crumbled the diamond shield around the cages as Eugene and his men rushed into the prison.

The women reached out to their saviors, and Crow opened the doors electronically. He lit a well-earned joint and glanced at his laptop, which was just about done downloading the data he needed.

The rebels studied the carnage and held a new level of respect for Ashner's group.

Eugene hugged Ashner and Gio tightly. "You saved our girls!" He laughed, and his heart raced when a little girl spoke to him.

"Dad?" She held a woman's hand and was covered in a thin blanket.

Eugene broke away from the guys and walked up to a little girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old. He hugged her tightly. "You've grown." Eugene was a massive man, with a body easily comparable to that of a seasoned Olympic athlete. His tears ran down his face as he held the girl he had fought so hard to get back.

Standing up, he carried her and kissed his wife. "I'm here," he cried happily, finally holding the two women he loved most in his arms.

Spin?

Right now? Sure.

The blue menu spun like a leaf on top of the water.

(Common) Wine into Water

Level 1 – (Bought) – By using your Mana on wine, you can shift it into water.

Oh, this one is kind of lame...

Twila emerged from the shadows. She studied Ashner and then melded into the shadows once more. They had exposed their powers to the hostages, but Ashner didn't care. These women were grateful to them so they wouldn't expose their secrets.

"The battle is over," Luna said to the entire army through her headset. "We won."

*******

The women stepped out of their prison. They embraced the fresh night air for the first time in two years. Every one of them breathed freely once they walked outside. The destruction was a sight to behold, and bodies were littered everywhere and stained the pavement crimson.

The rebels searched for their loved ones. And the women desperately asked for names of men. Some of which had met their end that night.

The air was filled with weeping.

More militia members arrived, including Wong, Luna, and Alex. As soon as Luna caught eye of Ashner and Risa, she rushed in and hugged them both.

Alex was struggling to walk, so Wong was lending him his shoulder. He was covered in dried blood, and he was on painkillers.

"Wong." Gio helped him carry Alex. "How did things go on your side?"

"Some parts good, others bad…" The two just about carried Alex. "But I'm glad we're all okay…"

The group united once more. They all made it out alive.

Some of the women found the bodies of their husbands, fathers, and sons. They were carried outside and laid side by side. But the battle had been fierce, and it would take months to find everyone.

Wounded men were being tended to by women and medics. The rebels who had been ripped apart were wrapped up in blankets. Some of which were not identifiable.

"How many…" One woman spoke decent English. Her eyes were red from crying. "How many died?"

All the freed women wanted that answer. "As of now, it seems we lost a little over a quarter of our army." Eugene lowered his head.

The woman glanced at the world around them. Almost like they were staring into the abyss. Guilt ate them up inside. None of them asked to be taken prisoner… And none of them wanted their men to kill or die for them.

Crow walked out of the base. He was still protected by the special squad that came with him. In his hands, he carried multiple computer components. More than his backpack had space for.

"Did you erase our data?" Eugene asked.

"Yes." Crow nodded. "But Clear Water sent out an SOS to their main base in Raven. They'll attack in a day or two… And things just got worse."

"Worse?" Eugene raised his eyebrow as Ashner and Luna walked up to them.

"The anti-gravity drive is gone." Crow hung his head low. "It's dangerous to remove it from the center of the floating city, but they did it… They never intended to lift the base into the sky… They were just stripping it for parts. Once they got what they wanted, they were going to destroy it… It's an utter waste… Clear Water is just as desperate as we are…"

"FUCK!" Eugene took a few steps away from Crow and shrugged his massive arms. The local's gazes became distant, and fear wrapped around everyone. "We have too many wounded, and our city is destroyed."

"I'm sorry." Crow was genuine with his words. "I was expecting the floating city to be in disrepair… But we would only need to fix the anti-gravity drive, and we could get it airborne… I have an excellent worker at my disposal. One might say he uses magic to fix things… But with the drive gone, we have nothing to work with."

He was planning to use me to fix it. Figures.

"What do you suggest we do?" Eugene asked.

"I suggest you run and hide… Unfortunately, after today… Everyone here will be an international terrorist… The world powers may be in shreds, but they still help each other."

The rest of the citizens held their families tightly.

Ashner grabbed his key and studied it. Wong and Gio took him aside as the locals continued to search for their dead. They had to leave soon, which meant they had no choice but to leave the dead unburied.

"Don't tell me you're considering taking in more refugees?" Wong asked.

"Everyone we've helped so far has been a refugee…" Ashner glanced at Luna, who was talking to Twila, Saki, and Alex. "I have the power to help them… What kind of man would I be if I turned a blind eye?"

Wong sighed, then nodded. Gio smiled.

Ashner stepped up towards Eugene and Crow. Evaristo had also joined them. Ashner held his key up, and Crow smiled.

"No one has to live in fear… I can give you a new home… A place where Clear Water can never reach you…"

Eugene tuned in and guided Ashner to a large shed used to store massive boats. There, Ashner opened the door to the White Room.

Wong and a handful of medical professionals guided the wounded into the Medical Ward.

Some of the locals ventured into their homes and took some belongings, while others walked in with nothing except the clothes on their backs.

Gio, Serenity, and Sapphire ventured into Eden to negotiate spaces for the Russians. The last thing they wanted was Sanctuary, presuming they were slavers.

It was deep into the night. Some of the locals refused to break away from the bodies of their loved ones. But burying the dead wasn't an option. They had to leave. In the distance, the power inside the floating city shut off, leaving the world pitch black.

Ashner glanced at Luna, who was walking with Angel.

"Can you send the spirits away?"

"In front of everyone?" She studied the corpses and locals.

"Yes… These people are mourning… Your power is special… Show them a miracle…"

Luna nodded and stood up. Her body started glowing, and her light engulfed the landscape. The locals all studied the beautiful woman. Angel gave her a vast portion of her mana, and light overtook both the Russian fishing city and DC.

Her light erased all the bodies and blood in the snow. Then, the clouds above shifted, allowing the moonlight to shine down on the locals.

In front of them stood the spirits of their family members, from brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, friends, and strangers. Some who died decades ago. Their souls found their loved ones.

Among them were Clear Water members who were yanked away by some invisible force.

The locals wept, and some gasped as the ghosts of their loved ones said goodbye… For the last time… Then all together, their souls faded away… Leaving behind just the empty and silent night…