Western Australia
9 Months Ago:
Afterglow's convoy drove down the broken road. Dust trailed behind them as they rode past numerous abandoned and burnt buildings. "How does any Intel from somewhere this desolate?" Afterglow mused, staring out the window from her private quarters in the back of the bus.
The buildings gradually became cleaner and more hospitable as they neared the center of the town. The bus began to slow. A mercenary peeked his head through the curtain. "We're at your destination, Miss." Afterglow stood up and walked towards the man. "You think I'm foolish enough to not notice myself?" She snapped at him, forcing down the urge to kill the man on the spot.
"Leave me, I have to get ready. Tell the bastard in charge to bring his people to us, an epic wants to have a chat." Four days. Four whole days without killing. How long had it been since that hadn't been a problem? Keep calm a little longer, she reminded herself, you need the rage to win.
She began her usual routine: oiling her blade, checking her pouches and pockets were properly filled, and cleaning her revolver. Once finished, she slid the machete into its sheath and holstered her revolver.
Completing the last step of covering her hands in chalk dust, she pulled back the curtain and walked to the front of the gutted greyhound. The man in the driver's seat opened the door, and she stepped out into the sweltering town square. Standing near her bus were a dozen of her mercs, grasping their guns tensely. Behind them was her small grouping of varying vehicles, all covered in some degree of armor plating and solar panels. Opposite her was a small group of nervous townspeople, carrying aging firearms and an assortment of various sharp and heavy objects. The man in the middle of them was a beast, at least 8 feet tall, muscles bulging on his bare arms, wielding a hefty concrete pillar. Either side looked prepared to start firing at so much as a twitch.
"Goliath" Afterglow growled "I can't say I'm entirely pleased to meet you"
"Who are you, girl, to be in my town?" The giant's voice boomed, carrying across the whole of the square.
"First I'll make you bleed, then I'll make you die. Once I finish you, I can take all the spoils I want." Insanity twinkled in Afterglow's eyes, she reached for the machete at her hip. The bearded titan chuckled "I've always enjoyed a chance to prove my strength, this should be fast enough." He waved his spare hand backwards. "Charisma, move the serfs away, I can kill this one on my own." The lone man looked horribly out of place, dressed in a fine suit with a glistening gun. He made a gesture and his crudely armed guards moved back, the townspeople following behind them.
Afterglow coated herself in speed and durability, outlining her in orange light, then yellow. Goliath shot towards her at immense speed, covering the 50 feet between them in under 3 seconds. Afterglow threw herself out of the way, colored light trailing behind her. Taking advantage of Goliath's surprise by her speed, she reached into a pocket and threw a fistful of marbles at him. Being enchanced by a speed aura they became a functional shotgun blast, causing the man to stagger. The spray pocked his clothing with rips and caused blood to ooze lazily, but all of the marbles fell to the ground. "Wonderful" She thought "He's far more durable than I'd thought." Beating her wings, Afterglow rose into the air, far out of the man's reach. Once she reached high enough, she curled the wings close to her body and dropped headfirst like a rock, sword pointed down at her target. Goliath took his turn to surprise her, smashing his fist directly into her torso while she plunged. Searing pain rushed through Afterglow's body, one of her wings clearly broken in several places. She went flying backwards from the force of the impact, crumpling upon hitting the ground. Seeing Goliath advance quickly with pillar in hand, she tried to force herself up. Not fast enough, Goliath rammed her head on, throwing her even farther back. This time, she rammed her blade partially into the ground while falling, before deactivating it's sharpness halfway through. When Goliath tried to smash her against the ground, he found Afterglow's sword hilt blocking her body. Afterglow rolled away from the hilt and sprung up. She drove her sharpness-enchanced nails directly into his eye, clawing at it viciously. Goliath let out a scream of pure, rage-filled agony, thrashing around violently as Afterglow pushed off of his chest. She sprinted around him rapidly as he failed around, leaving a red glow wherever her feet touched. In moments, Goliath stepped on one of the traps and toppled to the ground, his entire foot turning to ash as his leg caught flames.
"You're insolent enough to think me a little girl?" Afterglow wrenched her sword out of the pavement. "Now you get to see firsthand how wrong you are. Consider yourself lucky I don't have more time to spend with you." Goliath attempted to lash out and grab her, but Afterglow sliced his arm off at the elbow, green trailing behind the blade. Joy flooded through her, finally being able to have fun again. Everything seemed a shade brighter and slightly more vibrant. "I can still kill you!" Goliath roared as he attempted to push himself up on the pillar in his other hand. "Say it all you want, it won't come true" A manic grin split Afterglow's face as she lopped off his other hand, waiting several seconds then moving up the arm in chunks. Viscera sprayed from the ruined limb, pooling around the brute as he screamed in agony. Afterglow sighed "It truly is a shame I'm in a hurry to finish this fast" Taking her sword she severed the man's head from his body then kicked it, letting it roll towards the crowd.
The townspeople stared upon her with varying looks, some horrified while others in total awe. Jonah, her second-in-command ran up to her. "Ma'am, are you alright, you seemed to get hit quite hard out there!"
"Don't bother me now Jonah, you can't understand how fulfilling that was." Insanity glinted in Afterglow's eyes as she stepped near the fellow Epic, watching the man sweat slightly. As she'd expected, the man felt far too familiar, like a best friend or relative, someone you'd unconditionally trust. His immaculate beauty didn't help her foster the healthy dose of paranoia needed. I know I can't trust him, but Calamity, I want to.
"Don't worry, Charisma, I'm not going to kill you. You've seen my power, I was wondering if you'd be interested in a business proposal."
"What type of proposal might you be implying, M'lady?" Does he have any flaws? He seems impossibly immaculate.
"We aren't exactly in the most hospitable of situations, and someone always needs mercenaries. Your . . . interesting skillset seemed useful on a aquiring others. Besides, what would happen of you refused?" She winked at the well-dressed man and spun her sword in one hand.
"I suppose I could come to agreement with you."
That's probably for the best, now round up anyone who feels they're worth their salt. We move out in half an hour, and I've made sure to set up a room for your on one of the buses."
Charisma made a gesture with his hand and the entire crowd silenced. "Anyone who would like to accompany me on a journey for prosperity, please gather your things. Be back in half an hour, we'll be waiting.
After the time had passed, Afterglow had more than half the village milling around in the main square, waiting to depart. Following the commands she had given him, Charisma sorted the people into groups by age. Charisma cleared his throat "Alright, here's how it will go: anyone between the ages of 16 and 48 will be allowed to leave with us. The rest of you have been paired into groups of ten. Last one standing joins us. You run, we shoot. You don't fight, we shoot. Don't feel sorry for killing them, those who die are inferior anyway. Best of all, you get my loyalty if you survive." He flashed a grin to the crowd. Shockingly, only a few even looked panicked by what he'd said. Most non-epics found resisting his will incredibly challenging. The soliders threw a single fist-sized rock into each group of ten.
A woman in her early 40's struck first, picking up the rock and dashing it against a man's skull, making it crack like an eggshell. In moments, most of the other groups joined in. But still, a handful refused to participate. Afterglow yanked out her revolver and shot an old man in the head. Several mercanaries followed along, giving the people the motivation they needed. Afterglow took in the massacre, the carnage making her feel practically euphoric. If only I could do this every day, that would be the life. She thought. I may as well enjoy it while it lasts.
In the end, Afterglow left the desolate little town with 300 recruits and an epic, although many wouldn't last very long. She needed to get more before the fireworks truly started between the Fiefdoms of the stronger epics. Time telling, she would.
