BXBX NOVEL Chapter 91: Why I came here
"Help him up Santi, give him a {heal} tablet. His arm looks trashed, we should be able to evacuate him with the two of us. We can't let our boss croak just yet."
It wasn't until they spoke that I remembered that I wasn't out of the danger zone yet. I had completely forgotten about them because I was concentrating on the giant. Santiago helped me to my feet before handing me the medical bag. I shook my head as I lifted my arm.
"I'm fine, my {fate} will heal my arm soon enough. What about you guys?"
They looked much better and their injuries had healed to some extent. They had stupid smiles on their faces, even though they were on the brink of death just a few minutes ago.
"Never better, boss. You must have balls of steel to fight like that. That poor giant didn't stand a chance," Mike praised.
"Considering we were about to die not fifteen minutes ago, we are doing very well, hombre. And we have you to thank for that."
Seeing the relief on their faces made the pain and effort worth it. Compared to the previous zones, I was finally able to save everyone here. Unconsciously, I was stressing myself out with every Reaper I failed to save.
"Glad to see you guys are okay. Give me a moment, let's clear out in a few."
"Okay Hombre," Santiago replied.
"I'll keep watch, after a fight like that you need all the rest you can get," Mike added.
Then I remembered I needed to arm them now that we had the time. Together with a couple of Big-macs, I drew some weapons as I got my breath back.
"{Draw} big-mac. Weissbier, MP5SD, MP5SD mags, AR-15 mags, ebony, 1911 mags, P30L mags, four M26s.
"Santiago take the SMG, Mike take this 1911 as a secondary. Keep the magazines and grenades with you. Finally, eat some burgers. We are going to clear this ruin of the undead."
"Hombre, where the hell did all this come from? You got an arsenal in your pockets or something?"
"Boss, I know you are a death seeker and all, but are we doing this now?"
"My {Fate} allows me to store weapons and supplies. I have enough weapons to fight with. And clearing out the undead is why I came here. I will not leave until every moving corpse has had its head blown off," I calmly declared.
"Boss, isn't your {Fate} all over the place? You can heal in addition to having space storage? Besides, your moves before looked superhuman."
"Santi, enough. Just because he saved us doesn't mean he has to tell us everything. Boss, if we are going to kill the undead anyway, I suggest we use the Soulgear Julius left behind. It only needs souls as bait."
Just from the short conversation, I saw the good points and negatives of these two. Mike must have been military based from his by the book attitude. Santiago, on the other hand, was naturally curious and had excellent observation skills.
"Eat, drink and get some rest. After your meal, we will retrieve the Soulgear. I will give you both the particulars as soon as we are out of here."
They both nodded to my words and ate in silence. I also ate a burger and washed it down with the German beer.
"Wow! This stuff is great! Thanks for the food, boss! Formless people like us usually make do with water and hard biscuits."
"First time tasting weizenbier, now I understand why they call American beer piss," Mike added.
After a quick meal, we all got up and got ready to move. Then I quickly asked them.
"Do you guys have a problem with me being on point?"
"None, I'll take your left."
Santiago then brushed the back of his head as he added. "I guess I'll take the rear then."
"You're both in the military?" I asked curiously. From the way they were forming up, they were used to working in teams. My limited knowledge of formations came from YouTube, Wikipedia, and what I remembered from Bella's crash course.
"I was in the Marines," Mike confessed.
Santiago smiled sheepishly as he replied. "Law enforcement. BORTAC."
I couldn't help but chuckle at Santiago's answer. How ironic that a Mexican was part of the border patrol and tactical unit that guarded the Mexican border. Probably amused by my expression, the two of them also had a few laughs at the funny setup.
"Yeah, I get that a lot. Got hombres asking for favors because we have the same color."
"Santi, it's better than not having a job, right? Hahahaha!"
As I pictured these two with Scott and Joshua, I began to see a hilarious future where these fuckers just insult each other. Now all I needed was an African-American and I had the complete set. I put the idea on a shelf and stood up.
"Breaks over, Mike, where is the soulgear?
"A couple of clicks forward, then we take some stairs half a click to the left. The area was the strongest structure wise. When the explosions went off, that area didn't even get a scratch."
"Got it, let's go there now. Aira, how many zombies are left?"
["My Lord, the remaining hostiles are 112 F-rank zombies. The Reapers of Savior have also been trying to contact you. Should I continue to mute them, or do you want to hear their messages?]
"Keep muting them, Aira, I have nothing to say to cowards."
[Understood, My Lord]
"Hombre, who is Aira? Your girl? Is she the lady boss? Where is she?"
"Santi, shut up. You gossip like a woman!"
"'It's okay, Mike. Aira is my personal artificial intelligence. I got her when I joined the mercenaries. Even though she doesn't have a body, I consider her my ally. Aira, is there a way to let them hear you?"
[Yes, my lord. I have joined the Defender Network. Reaper Mike Walker and Reaper Santiago Gonzalez should be able to hear me now].
"Wow, she sounds damn sexy, Hombre!"
"Santi! Shut the fuck up! Have some dignity, you fucking cholo!"
"Cholo? Listen puto, take your cowboy bullshit and shove it up your ass. I was giving the boss's AI an honest complement!"
'These two are fucking hilarious, one second they are at each other's throats, the next they would be willing to die for the other. They are good people,' I analyzed inwardly.
"Break it up, Aira doesn't mind. I need you both to focus, Aira said there are still over a hundred rank F undead. We will find the bait type soulgear, lure them in, and wipe them out. Understand?"
"Roger." X2
"{Draw}. MAC-11's {Thief}. On me."
"WOAH! These look like the guns the black puto used. What was his name? The vampire with the sword."
"It was Blade. The half vampire Marvel superhero. Interesting choice of weapons, boss. Not only the Terminator 2 shotgun, but the 629 revolver from Triple X and even the 1911 looked like the one from the Punisher. Are you a movie gun nut or what?"
"What really? I hadn't noticed! I loved those movies, Hombre!"
Mentally, I buried my head in the sand. It was so embarrassing to have my dad's hobby figured out by my guns. But since I couldn't deny it, I just nodded and focused on finding the bait-type Soulgear.
Like the AR15, both the MAC-11 and the MP5SD had flashlight attachments. The lights allowed us to move at a fast pace even in near total darkness.
"We have contact. Ten zombies. 12 o'clock. Be ready," I warned.
As my ears picked up the running feet, I informed my guys while raising the MAC-11's. Mike, believing my words, had his weapon up almost immediately. Santiago, on the other hand, questioned my words.
"I don't hear anything, are you sure Hombre?"
Without answering him, the zombies started coming out of the corner in front of us. They were all sprinting, using the walls to change direction.
Normally, such speed would catch unsuspecting people by surprise. But for our group, they were just running to their deaths.
I concentrated on killing those in front and to the right. The ones that managed to get out of my line of fire suddenly ate 5.56 rounds to the head.
Like clockwork, Mike covered my blindside, allowing us to take down 10 zombies in a matter of seconds.
"Eight, nine, ten. WOAH! They really showed up. Your amazing Hombre! Is your hearing also part of your {fate}? And Mike, since when do you shoot so well?
Did you eat something bad or what?"
"It wasn't me, the gun showed me where to shoot. It's an amazing feeling. Here, hold it, this beauty is also extremely light. There is no recoil either. The quietest AR I have ever fired."
"What? How is that even possible, switch with me for a bit."
"Let's continue," I urged.
The two of them exchanged weapons and we continued on our way. I felt vibrations coming from behind. There were four large signals, two small ones, and a normal one.
"We have seven coming from behind. Four Bigfoots, two Chuckies, and one Normie."
"Huh?" murmured Santiago.
The zombies arrived before I could explain. Knowing there wouldn't be any enemies coming from the front, Mike and I backed up Santiago as he unleashed lead on our rear. After the encounter, Santiago went silent. Curious, I asked him if he was okay.
"Hombre, let me be honest with you. Are you some kind of mutant or something? You have way too many abilities. You some super soldier experiment of the Pentagon? like the American with the shield?"
"Boss, while I respect your privacy, this is starting to make me a little uncomfortable. Are you really Formless?"
"I'll tell you when we get out of here," I repeated.
For the rest of our journey, the two of them lost their casual attitude and concentrated on their tasks. The number of coming zombies increased the closer we got to the Soulgear. About fifty were dispatched on our short journey to our destination.
"There she is, boss. The main culprit in this whole mess, Julius, called the thing a honey trap. I almost died for that damn vase. Next time I see that bastard, I intend to put a bullet in his head," Mike said angrily.
I then used {Reveal} on the vase, which looked like a naked woman, and analyzed it. It looked elegant and artistic in a way.
___
Name: Evelyn Flowers (Replica)
Rank: Wraith
Soul Capacity: {Fate} 2/2 | {Kismet} 0/1
Available Souls: 0 | To evolve: 400
{Fate}
1. {Pheromone} Lvl 2 | Cost: 2 | Owner: Self | Sub: {Honey Trap}
{Kindred}: N/A
{Kismet}: N/A
Soulgear:
___
Just like {Cavalry}, this was an item that was a replica of an actual reaper. Even though it didn't seem right, I infused souls into the soulgear and invoked {Honey Trap}.
"Get ready, we are going to finish this now."