Alpha Strike: [An interstellar Weapon Platform’s Guide to being a Dungeon Core] (Book 2 title)

Ganbaatar was amazed at their progress in catching up with the others. The Lord Protector's ability to "slide" along the ground made for a far smoother and quicker trip than he had expected. That was great for Yutu's condition.

Gan could tell his friend wasn't out of the woods yet, but the young man looked far more stable than he had only a short while ago. He wasn't sure what the Lord Protector had done. It wasn't like any Spirit healing or magic spell he'd ever seen. It was closer to alchemy than anything. Not that Gan had never heard of alchemy like this.

Alchemy was an esoteric art typically reserved for Grassreaders. The Jadewalkers were famous for it, and human alchemy was one reason the Akh'lut tolerated the Wandering Cities in their territory. Akh'lut were warriors and hunters, not farmers and craftsmen. The Radiant Sea Prairies were rich in natural treasures and Spirit energy, but that energy's chaotic, shifting nature made it extremely unsuitable for typical habitation.

The first few times one of the larger sects or clans had tried to establish a foothold, they had been wholly unprepared for its dangers and tribulations. Most had learned their lesson and set up branches along the edge. Yet you sometimes heard tales of this or that sect trying to build a fort with predictable results.

The Wandering Cities, however, took a different approach. There was no point in fighting the relentless, ruthless assault of nature. So instead, they became nomads. Entire cities, thousands of buildings, and hundreds of thousands of people traveled the prairies on top of specially designed carts.

Their secret was in the Seven-Radiance Spirit Grass. This hearty grass dominated the Radiant Sea, thanks to its rapid adaptability to changing Spirit climates. Much like how a navigator could read the patterns in the clouds and waves to ensure safe passage for their ships, Grassreaders could see the ebbs and flows of Spirit energy by reading the grass. It was an ability that should have been only possible with the most powerful and refined of [Spirit Sight].

As much as he was interested in the Lord Protector's alchemy, Gan knew now wasn't the time to ask questions. As they traveled alone on the trail, they encountered more and more Grassbreaker bodies. Each one raised Gan's spirit, as it was proof that his friends were still fighting and still alive. Then they found the herbalist's body.

Gan's heart plummeted when he saw the thick braids and festering poison. For one terror-filled moment, the image of Zolzaya overlaid with the human remains. He'd jumped from the Lord Protector's back before realizing it and rushed to the scene. He only came to his senses before nearing the poison's boundaries. Gan recognized it. It was one of Zolzaya's unfinished concoctions; she'd called it effective, but too dangerous to use.

Gan's eyes widened, and spirits soared when he realized the clothes, or what remained, weren't right. Thought it was quickly replaced with an overwhelming sense of shame. He recognized her, even if he didn't know her name.

She'd been one of the other herbalists, a girl Zolzaya had bonded with over their love for hair and poisons during the trip. The body's hair was even done in Zolzaya's signature, locking braids.

Gan had stood at the edge in silent mourning and sent up prayers before cutting off one of the girl's braids. They couldn't do much for the others, but at the very least, he could bring something back to this girl's family. His duty done, Gan returned to the Lord Protector, and they continued their journey. An hour later, with no other human bodies, strengthened Gan's hopes, though the sudden drop in penguin bodies was worrying. The constant emotional ups and downs made him feel nauseous, like he'd stepped on an unstable ship.

When they heard the distant clash of combat, Gan almost lept off again, but instead of slowing down, the Lord Protector sped up. Gan could barely stand straight against the buffeting winds as they rushed through the tall grass at blinding speeds.

Then, between one blink and the other, they broke into a small clearing. The front of the Lord Protector, and Gan, was splattered by gore as they plowed through a large flock of Grassbreakers. The Lord Protector came to a sudden stop as they entered the grass on the other side of the clearing, using his momentum to swing back around and stand to his full height. Gan was nearly thrown from his perch by the inertia but stayed standing. From there, he watched the Lord Protector's attacks obliterate the remaining penguins. Attacks so fast, Gan couldn't even perceive them except for the monstrous thunder they produced.

Gan could feel an icy chill run down his spine at the display of power, despite the splattering of still-warm gore.

After only a moment, the deed was done, and the Grassbreakers in the immediate area were dead or had fled. Then, slowly, the Lord Protector walked back into the clearing like a mighty conqueror come to claim his prize. As Gan looked out over the clearing toward the people he'd thought he had seen for the last time, he couldn't help but laugh as muscles he didn't even know he had slowly unclenched. He slowly sank to his knees, gripping the edge of his seat, but before he could recover or call out to the group, something else unexpected happened.

A primal roar sounded from the cart, and Zolzaya lept off, charging the Lord Protector with what looked like a Guardian blade. Her face was contorted into a demonic visage he'd only ever seen on the otherwise calm and mellow woman.

It was that day, years ago, as she stood over her wounded father and swore revenge on the Jadewalker scion who'd put his blade through the man's chest, all for the "crime" of denying the arrogant young man Zolzaya's hand.

Zolzaya crossed the clearing in what seemed like a flash before Gan could fully process. His heart racing, he cried out, Ulagan echoing just a heartbeat later.

"Zaya, No!"

"Stop!"

But it was too late. With both hands on the hilt and her full body weight behind it, Zolzaya swung the large blade towards the Lord Protector… only to bounce harmlessly off a cyan energy shield. The Guardian blade was forcefully knocked from Zolzaya's hands, and the young woman was thrown back, tumbling several times.

She recovered easily enough, rolled to her feet, and prepared to lunge again, the fire in her eyes screaming her intention to bite and claw if she had to. Gan was there in an instant and wrapped the woman in a tight hug, despite her struggles. In her blind rage, she even bit into Gan's shoulder hard enough to draw blood. Gan powered through and spoke to her.

"Zaya! Zaya, snap out of it! It's me! You're safe! We're safe!"

Slowly, Zolzaya's struggling weakened, and she looked up at Gan, eyes wide and weary, as if being startled awake from some dark nightmare. The demonic look shifted to a more familiar, wide-eyed stare, which soon morphed into a teary mess. The young woman wailed and wrapped her arms around Gan, squeezing a mite too hard, as she buried her face into his wide chest, heedless of the blood and penguin bits.

After a long moment of not-so-quite sobbing, Zolzaya pushed him away, though she refused to look up at him as if afraid he'd be a hallucination. The two stood in awkward silence before Gan placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly.

"We're back, Zaya. I'm sorry we left you like that… But we—"

At that moment, Zolzaya's fist slammed into the side of his jaw.

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Following the trail of bodies had been easy enough. At least the people they were tracking had put up a decent fight. Not long after discovering the human remains, the [Wasps] Alpha had sent scouting reported active combat. The live feed showed a small group of humans surrounding a large cart as they fended off a group of attacking penguins.

Well, one of them was, at least. The rest of the group was injured or attempting to free the cart from a tangle of plants. The penguins had caught up to them and were slowly surrounding them. Even if they freed the cart, they'd walk straight into a waiting ambush.

Alpha played with the idea of letting them do just that. The giant penguin was nowhere in sight, and if it was hiding, the ambush might be the bait he needed. He decided against it in the end. While Alpha didn't enjoy leaving such a loose end, there was no guarantee the penguin boss would show. Generating goodwill with the humans was more important… for now.

Breaking the ambush was easy. A quick show of force and the surrounding penguins hiding in the grass scattered in the wind. That likely meant Alpha's choice had been correct; if the giant penguin had planned an ambush, the rest would have acted more cohesively. At the least, they would have distracted Alpha while their boss made its escape. No matter, something told Alpha he'd have another shot at the creature soon.

The reunion between the humans went about as Alpha had expected. Though the fiery female had caught him off guard. He almost put a bullet in the woman on reflex, though the timely intervention of the man he'd rescued prevented that tragedy. To Alpha's surprise, the girl's attack even triggered his hex shield, showing there'd been a significant force behind the blow. More than you'd expect for a human woman of her build.

Alpha had chalked the man's surprising physical feats, even injured, to Esper shenanigans, but now he quietly reassessed his findings. What followed was a sweet, if somewhat awkward, moment as Alpha and the rest stood silently to one side.

Then the woman had cold-cocked the young man on the jaw, dropping him instantly. Alpha liked this woman!

Of course, Alpha had to point and laugh at the young man. The glare he received in return as the man stood on shaky legs needed no translation.

Laughter was universal.

Still, that seemed to break the floodgate as the others rushed the pair, nearly smothering them. After extricating themselves from the group, the young woman began laying into the man with a tone Alpha was all too familiar with. She even wagged her finger at him! Some things really did transcend space and time.

The man raised his hands and tried to defend himself, though not very well. The man glanced at the group, but each turned away. He even looked at Alpha, pleading in his eyes. Alpha took a step back and pretended to fuss over the dirty Snowball.

Yup, he wasn't getting involved in this one; even Alpha wasn't that stupid.

Alpha recorded it all, of course. This was a gold mine for his lexicon. It helped that the young man was graphically retelling his story, letting Alpha decipher the inferred meaning of several keywords through context alone. The chatter quickly died down when an older woman approached, helped by another of the group.

She looked healthy, given she seemed to have lost both an arm and a leg during the case if the bandages wrapped around the fresh stumps said anything. The group parted ways, and the older woman approached the young man. The young man bowed to the woman and spoke, but the woman only waved him off. She stared at the bowing young man with a deep frown, her face and brow crinkling as she looked over his injuries. Her eyes lingered on his missing foot, but she said nothing, only sighed and shook her head.

She asked a question, and the group behind her muttered. The young man stood straight, then turned to Alpha, bowing to him as well, before leaping up onto his back. With gentle hands, he lifted the other man into his arms and jumped back down. As he approached, there was an audible gasp from the group, and the young woman who'd attacked Alpha broke into sobbing tears.

The unconscious man was laid on the ground at the older woman's feet, and she sat down beside him with some help. A sharp shout sent one of the group running off toward the cart while the older woman examined the man on the ground while the other one spoke. A large leather bag passed through the group once the shuttle-bus returned and made its way to the older woman.

She dug through the bag, pulling out several impressively crafted tools, before looking up at Alpha and asking a question. Alpha didn't know what was asked, but he could infer based on the context and her hand gesturing toward the sealed wound. He queried the medical nanites and found they were still hard at work, but the man was stable enough. Alpha waved the question off with a flick of his hand.

The older woman nodded and called other the young woman, then pulled out a thin knife from the pile of tools. Alpha watched in amazement as the young woman produced an open flame on top of her hand. With a few quick swipes through the fire, the blade was sterilized, and the older woman cut both the clothes and hardened sealing foam from the man's chest. Once the wound was exposed, the group marveled at both its severity and cleanliness. Alpha knew the nanites wouldn't let it fester, but the humans were likely surprised.

The old woman began digging at the sealing foam, but Alpha stopped her with a curt word. The foam was designed as a material for the nanites to use and would be absorbed by the body over time; removing more would cause issues. She stared up at Alpha with a frown but nodded, pulling out several marble-sized pills instead. With practiced hands, she added them to a mortar with some water and ground them into a thick paste. After flushing the site with more water, she applied the paste to the wound and wrapped the man's chest in clean bandages.

Next, she ground a different-looking pill and, with help from her assistant, force-fed the medical concoction to the young man. He choked and sputtered, but got it down with some help.

Alpha wasn't sure what any of it was for, but anything the medicine did the nanites didn't have to do would only result in a faster recovery. Her job done, the older woman stood with help, then turned to Alpha.

Seeing her attention was finally on him, Alpha moved forward. This should be fun.

At that moment, Snowball popped out of the ground between them. She stared up at the woman, tongue hanging and fluke wagging. The adorable whale-puppy gave a joyous bark. The older woman only stared down at her, wide-eyed. Slowly, she closed her eyes, sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.