“Fancy seeing you here. Come for some shopping?”

  “Evantra.”

  Something in the girl’s voice made Evantra pause.

  Noelle’s long, red hair was matted, sticking to her sweaty face. The girl stank of the sewers, just as much as Evnatra did. She saw a slew of cuts and bruises across Noelle’s skin, betraying a possible encounter with Veilcreatures – perhaps teethlings – in the sewers. She saw the way that Noelle twitched, barely concealing her winces with every movement.

  “Come here.”

  The girl extracted a stim from her sling bag. Taking the opportunity to properly look it over, Evantra’s eyes widened.

  This is Panacea stuff.

  It isn’t anything like the cheap stims that I bought.

  This is their mid-market stims. Their Phoenix line. It costs…

  “Noelle, don’t bother we should sell—”

  The girl pulled her towards her, ignoring her words, and gingerly inserted it into her—

  Oh.

  The needle entered Evantra’s cheek, and Noelle’s expression, wrought with concern, gradually eased. She felt the stim take effect, healing the burns that must have torn a bloody path through her skin as she had latched onto the rotstag to hold it down.

  [Clot acceleration]

  Evantra felt her heartbeat slow with the effort, and she knew that she had just about hit her limit with how much she could invoke the skills.

  “You’re hurt, Noelle.”

  “I’m fine,” Noelle turned away from her, quickly giving their surroundings a glance, before turning to meet Evantra’s eyes. “You haven’t noticed, have you?”

  Evantra raised an eyebrow quizzically, before she winced. Her hand, which had been placed on her abdomen came away bloody.

  The shards of glass intermingled with the stim liquid that she had dragged across herself in an attempt to heal her wounds had been embedded into the healed skin around them, and every movement brought with it a flash of pain. Thankfully, they weren’t embedded deep, otherwise she could only imagine the internal bleeding it would cause.

  “Let’s get you out of here.”

  ---

  They emerged from the sewers to find the corpses of Veilcreatures strewn across the street. Evantra groaned. She climbed out of the manhole, the slivers of glass lodged beneath her healed skin bringing her new bouts of pain.

  In hindsight, covering your abdomen with a mix of cheap stim and broken glass in a desperate attempt to stop your skin from bubbling brought with it its own problems.

  Still. It beat having your skin decay before your very eyes.

  Those rotstags can burn in the deepest, darkest circles of hell.

  The corpses of teethlings, gnomes, elementals and other creatures unfamiliar to her were strewn about the road ahead. The residents were working together to dispose of their bodies.

  “Wait, Noelle I need to text Trevor. We got separated and—”

  “Already have. He’s alright. A certain Clark Hallewell was in the area and helped take out another rotstag that managed to make it to the surface,” Noelle let out a sigh.

  “His gun supported incendiary rounds. You remember the Kali Arms pistol?”

  Evantra nodded with a wince.

  “Come on. Trevor’s on his way to pick you up. I told him we needed to get you to a hospital.”

  “I already owe him for the previous treatment… Darn it,” Evantra muttered under her breath. “Wait… we also need to let the police know that there’s a Veilsurge still open down there. They need to mask it from the Veilcreatures on the other end before it dissipates.”

  “Already have. Trevor said Caliburn is sending over a Ghostslayer to secure it.”

  Noelle’s eyes were fixed ahead as they strode past the bodies of gnomes and teethlings littering the ground. They came to a halt in front of Gale’s Gunstore.

  “Hey Tai. You and your dad ok?”

  The twelve-year-old Vietnamese girl had her horn-rimmed glasses on the very edge of her button nose, and a sawn-off shotgun in her hands. Evantra was quite certain that a single blast from it would have sent her flying, but she held it with the confidence that Evantra was certain she couldn’t replicate.

  The girl raised an eyebrow at her before counting off her fingers.

  “Uh… Tai, what are you doing?”

  “Just tallying your debt. Let’s see, I helped make about ten Molotov cocktails. At an average of sixty ectocredits a cocktail, that’s about 600 ectocredits that you owe us,” the girl’s lips turned upwards into a generous, warm smile.

  “We have a 10% interest rate on all loans taken out with Gale’s Gunstore—”

  Evantra’s eyes shot open as she stumbled forwards, out of Noelle’s grip.

  “10%? You’re killing me here—”

  “10% applied on a weekly basis. Is there a problem?”

  The girl looked quizzically up at a stunned Evantra, as Noelle sighed beside her.

  “Thank you, Tai. Those were the only reason she made it out alive,” Evantra frowned as Noelle crouched next to the girl, pulling her into a light hug.

  That’s right. She’s twelve.

  No matter how confident she is with a shotgun, she would have been shaken.

  “I charge for hugs.”

  “I’ll pay you,” Noelle gave the girl a smile before turning towards Minh, who walked out of his store with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

  “Thanks Minh,” Noelle nodded towards the proprietor, who was holding what looked like an assault rifle in his hands that had seen some use. The stoic Asian man gave them a curt nod before going back to scanning the street ahead of them.

  “You’ve certainly done some socialising,” Evantra watched as Noelle frowned, her slight attempt at levity falling flat.

  “They’re the only reason you’re alive.” Noelle unzipped Evantra’s bag, plucking free the tracker that she had placed in it on the underside of the top surface of the bag.

  Evantra watched as Tai followed her father back into Gale’s Gunstore.

  “Minh opened his supplies to me, and Tai helped me make the Molotovs. Not to mention, the man is a beast with a gun. You should have seen him clearing them out when the Veilcreatures reached surfaceside. Tai helped me prepare the Molotovs, and I made my way to your last location in Wisptown before you appeared on the other side of the globe in Singapore.”

  “Singapore. Damn. The Molotovs? How did you know what to bring?”

  “Officer Foster. I called him and he told me that you were being chased by one of those rotstags. They’re a variant that’s weak to flame – the easiest counter to their regeneration.”

  Noelle’s tone was flat and inflectionless. Evantra winced at the pain in her abdomen.

  A police hovervan rounded the corner as Trevor pulled up beside the curb. Noelle opened the passenger seat door, gingerly helping Evantra into the seat. Trevor watched on in silence. Apart from a handful of cuts and scrapes, it looked as if the man had gotten off scot-free, without any other injuries.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Bye Evantra,” Noelle gave her a strained smile before shutting the van door. Evantra’s eyes lingered on the girl as Trevor pulled away from the curb, activating the van’s hover systems and ascending into the sky.

  ***

  “You know, kid. I hate it when people preach to me. Not uh… in the way that your parents did, you know what I mean.”

  Trevor’s words cut through the drone of the hovervan’s air conditioning, breaking the silence that had permeated the vehicle from the time she had set foot in it. Trevor scratched at the scruff of his neck sheepishly, before clearing his throat.

  The ride on the way to Bastion was silent and painful. Painful for two reasons – the shards embedded under skin, and the tension permeating the air. Evantra watched as Trevor winced after delivering his words.

  “You shouldn’t have gone into that Veilsurge, but I understand why you did it, you know?”

  Evantra watched him silently as he spoke. Even though he was addressing her, his eyes were far away – not just fixed on the distance, but on memories long past.

  “Forgiveness isn’t that easy.”

  Evantra let out a sigh.

  “Look, Noelle pulled me out of the Veilsurge. If you’re worried that me kicking her out—”

  “I’m not talking about Noelle.”

  Evantra froze as Trevor’s eyes found hers.

  Trevor gave her a soft smile before returning his attention to the skies.

  “I did the same, coming to Wisptown. At least… it started that way. I’ve found that you can’t run away from your mistakes so easily,” he said softly. As he did, Evantra looked at her trembling hands in her lap. “Even when what you’re running towards is certain death. That’s not how it works.”

  The silence returned as the hovervan arced towards Bastion.

  “I’m sorry you’re having to do this again,” Evantra whispered under her breath.

  To her surprise, she heard a gruff laugh erupt from the driver’s seat. Trevor raised an eyebrow at her, his moustache curling upwards as he did so.

  “So, you’re a fan of the ‘do the bad thing, then apologise later’ strategy, huh? The more I learn about you, the more you remind me of me. Gah,” Trevor winced, like he had taken a bite out of an artificially enhanced lemon.

  “Hey.”

  Evantra found herself surprised at the smile playing on her lips, as Trevor chuckled. They sat in silence, Evantra watching the passing clouds some distance above her.

  “Don’t apologise, kid. Just thank me.”

  Evantra looked back at the man, his eyes fixed ahead, but with the slightest smile on his lips, his eyes darting to hers for a second.

  “A secret, pro tip, from this old man to you. People want gratitude more than they want your apologies. If you already know you’re going to go against someone’s wishes…”

  Trevor’s moustache twitched as his lips curled into a cheeky smile.

  “The least you could do is thank them for their understanding. Speaking of gratitude, I think it’s about time you knew. Seeing as she’s practically saved your life twice.”

  Evantra frowned at Trevor in confusion.

  “Noelle paid for your nanotech treatment by selling her apartment. Made Carmen and I swear not to tell you a thing.”

  Evantra stared at him before her gaze fell to her lap.

  “She didn’t want to buy your friendship, kid.”

  They continued on their way in silence, the hovervan tipping as it dipped into a smooth curve.

  “Oh, and Evantra?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re bleeding on my seats.”

  Evantra gave him a wry smile before turning to look away, her eyes softening.

  “Thanks, old man.”

  ---

  Isabella Chen was loving life.

  The paediatrics ward at Saint Raphael’s Hospital in Bastion was quiet and steady. She looked down at the boy of seven who had come in for accidentally swallowing some bubbleflash gum.

  Dionysus Group were making all sorts of innovations in the F&B space. Bubbleflash gum was one of their latest inventions, along with tripout soda, which made you… trip out. All in all, they were a nightmare for paediatricians all over the globe, with unwitting parents purchasing products which were not fit for children and leaving them strewn about the house.

  The megacorporations made sure that their warnings and disclosures were as tiny as possible on the packaging.

  “Timmy, you aren’t at the age where you should be chewing gum, ok?” Isabella gently chided the boy. It was really a comment directed at his mother, more than at him. “It didn’t feel good now, did it?”

  Young Timmy, bless his innocent soul, nodded his head with genuine remorse as Isabella greeted him with a kind smile.

  Timmy, you dumb, adorable, little SHIT.

  Still, this posting is the most relaxing one I’ve had in years, and I’ll gladly deal with a hundred of you tiny, precious idiots rather than the usual bullshit over at general surgery—

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door to her patient room clanking open.

  “Isabella.”

  “Yes, Rick?”

  She smiled warmly at the doctor who had entered.

  “You’re needed over at A&E, we’re slammed right now.”

  Fuck.

  Fuck my life.

  I’m going to quit, and start a bloody organic flower shop, or start selling feet pics—

  “Of course, I’ll be right over,” Isabella gave him a warm smile and reassuring nod, lightly tousling Timmy’s hair, before turning to his mother.

  “If he has any more stomach discomfort, feel free to come right on by, Mrs Ray.”

  Dumb, neglectful bitch. I’ll show you the definition of stomach discomfort if you don’t watch what you leave lying around in your apartment.

  Isabella Chen waggled her well-manicured fingers at Timmy, taking a brief moment to admire them, knowing full well that the little ornaments they were adorned with would probably be lost up someone’s arse by the time her shift was over.

  If you call me out of my cushy posting one more time Rick, I’m going to make sure that my resplendent nails are wedged so far up YOUR ass that you won’t shit straight for days—

  ---

  Evantra turned to look at the pretty Asian doctor in her late twenties who approached her with a soft smile. Unlike the other doctors who were harried and seemed to be perpetually in a rush, she had the glow of someone well-rested and poised to provide the optimal healthcare experience.

  Huh, lucky me. She seems nice.

  “Hi there! Evantra Wraithmarked? I’m Doctor Chen. They tell me that you have—”

  She swiped across her tablet, and Evantra watched as the woman nodded knowingly, reviewing her preliminary diagnosis.

  “Shards of glass stuck beneath the skin in your abdominal area. Hahahaha I wonder how they got there!”

  “Hahahaha, yes,” Evantra laughed uncomfortably in reciprocity, clearing her throat and glancing away in embarrassment.

  “Oh, don’t fret, at least you haven’t lodged something in one of your orifices, this is nothing compared to what I’ve seen. We’ll get you all set in a jiff. You see, with Panacea’s advancements in nanotechnology, we’re able to find and dissolve the foreign objects with minimal need for a messy, invasive treatment.” The woman gave her a kind, reassuring smile.

  Phew, that’s a relief.

  For a moment there... I thought she was upset.

  Wait… did she say nanotechnology?

  That’s going to set me back thousands of ectocreds.

  “Wait, could we use a different trea—”

  Doctor Chen pointedly ignored her, tapping her tablet a couple more times, before her lips turned into the slightest frown. She turned to one of the doctors close to her, her voice pitch artificially high.

  “Hey, Rick? Why does it say that the Panacea nanotech treatment is offline?”

  Thank god.

  “Oh, some girl came in here a couple of days ago and the little things worked at a 50% efficiency increase. We reported the anomaly to Panacea and they’ve ordered a temporary shutdown of the treatment unless we’re dealing with critical cases. They took the bots in question off our hands to see if they could replicate it. Besides, they don’t want to be slapped with a class action if they aren’t working within accepted perimeters, you know the drill,” Rick glanced towards Doctor Chen, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to remove them manually. You’re from gen surg right? You’ll be fine.”

  “Isn’t this a job for surgery?”

  “Nope. They’re all pretty shallow, a pair of tweezers and some elbow grease should do the trick. Besides! Surgery’s under the pump.”

  Doctor Chen’s smile didn’t waver an inch as she absorbed the information.

  “Oh, is that so? What was the patient’s name again? The one who got the nanotech pulled?”

  Rick idly tapped his chin.

  “One ‘Evantra Wraithmarked’ if I recall correctly?”

  “Huh.”

  Doctor Chen turned to regard Evantra, her smile growing wider.

  “Hey, um. Trevor. Officer Foster,” Evantra cleared her throat, casting desperate glances towards Trevor, who was slowly backing away from her bed, his eyes fixed on Doctor Chen.

  “I’ll leave it to you Doctor Chen. I’ll uh, be in the waiting room.”

  “Trev—TREVOR, HELP—”

  Evantra watched as Doctor Chen extracted a scalpel, giving it an experimental slash through the air.

  Doctor Chen looked down at her.

  “Hahahahahaha,” the woman laughed.

  “Hahahahahaha,” Evantra replied.

  They stared at one another for a moment before Doctor Chen leapt towards her and held her down, preventing Evantra from fleeing her “treatment”.

  ---

  “H-hey Doctor Chen? How has your day been? Have you been having a good day? You have this glow to you. I really like your nails— FUC—”

  Evantra yelled as Doctor Chen “gingerly” removed another piece of stim glass trapped in her abdomen.

  Evantra’s chest heaved, and she was certain now that Doctor Isabella Chen was not having a good day, despite the angelic smile painted on her pretty face. She was usually the one terrifying someone else with her smile, and it was quite discomforting for the roles to be reversed. Doctor Chen gave her a run for her money.

  “T-tell me, what made you want to become a doctor? I-I’m always so curious about healthcare professionals. You’re all so lovely, and thoughtful,” Evantra’s lips stretched painfully into as genuine of a smile she could muster, which was promptly returned by the woman.

  If I can reconnect her with her empathy, the reason she got into medicine, maybe she’ll—

  “I have a passion for healing, you see. That, and my parents said they would disown me if I didn’t get into law or med. In other words, my interests perfectly aligned with my familial priorities.”

  “ARGH—”

  Doctor Chen yanked another shard of glass out of her belly.

  “Y-your passion is clear to me. Hey, are you single? If you are, that dashing officer I was with—”

  I’m so sorry Carmen, I’m going to DIE. You’ll understand. OW—

  “There.”

  Doctor Chen gently placed the final shard on the metallic tray to her right, which was covered in the little slivers of glass, as well as a healthy dose of her blood.

  Evantra held her breath as Doctor Chen began rigorously bandaging her midriff, after conducting a quick scan to ensure that all of the slivers of glass had been expunged.

  Isabella Chen gave her a resplendent smile as Evantra struggled from the bed with a slight groan.

  “T-thank you so much for your help. I’m sorry for uh, inconveniencing you.”

  “Oh no, silly. This is my passion, remember?”

  “T-thank you. I hope you have a lovely rest of your morning.”

  “You too, Evantra Wraithfucked. Have a pleasant day.”

  Evantra paused, staring at the woman who dignified her with the sweet smile of a biblical angel.

  “Um, I think you said… you know what, it must have just been my imagination,” Evantra waving off what she thought she heard.

  “Hahahaha, it could be the painkillers! Is something wrong?”

  Evantra started rapidly heading for the door.

  “N-not at all, have a lovely day. Thank you.”

  As the doors shut, Evantra cast one final glance back at Doctor Chen.

  The woman slipped her foot from her shoe, grabbed her phone from her white coat with bloodied hands, and snapped a picture of it.

  20 chapters ahead on my Patreon (no feet pics).