Since I joined the academy at eighteen, my reaction to any trouble had been drilled to stop, assess, then attack if the situation arose. It was stressed numerous times that we made sure there was good reason when we pulled out our guns and fired - and that assessment had to be made usually within the span of one heartbeat.
Unfortunately for me, The Morrigan - Celtic Goddess of Strife, Battle, and Death (also my Mother) seems to believe that marksmanship is fitting for archers and snipers sure - but not for her vision of me. What took a year to instill in me via mortal methods she wiped out over the course of a three-day weekend. My new calling, she told me, was the blade and I took to it like a bird takes flight.
For example, when the Formorians crawled out of their hole it wasn't even a conscious thought to dodge, twist the blade around, and chop down and back at their legs, stilling their forward momentum. Each cut was precise enough to sever the limb completely and as one crashed into the ground, I turned towards the other giant who was charging towards the jeep and Moira (she'd tossed a spear at him, that's a daughter of the Dagda for you!) and we fell into perfect sync. She hugged the giant, I sliced him in two.
Bonding moment, really. By the time we were finished Tetsuko had finished her own kill and the poor girl shook just minutely enough that it wasn't visible, but it was noticeable. Got to hand it to those Japanese, they've got the stoic warrior thing down pat. Me? I threw up for an hour after my first melee kill and like I told Tetsuko - the second kill would be worse before it gets better.
In the crater the Formorians popped out of was a woman who shied away from my touch. Ok, sure, I was covered in gore and looked a mess but I'm not the bad guy here. Moira, smooth charmer that she is, swooped in, checked the girl out, and between the four of us we figured that we'd set her up at the Lodge and go explore the northern tracks of the giants. Moira and I got walkie-talkies for contact, she got smug about the jeep, yadda yadda.
She whispered something scandelous in my ear that sent my blood pounding (no, I'm not sharing - find your own novelist!) and then warned me that the girl was eing evasive about questioning before they took off. And, of course, about three minutes into my hunt for the northbound trail turned into a "I think the girl in the crater was more like a lady-giant in the crater" moment. I radio'd Moira, told her I thought it was lupus, and hustled Tetsuko and Aren back towards the Lodge.
Over the walkie-talkie, the girl contacted someone to drive her and Moira brought up our fishing trip at the Loch which meant that she expected trouble and to prepare for it. Then the radio went dead and my mind went so far past asses mode that I scooped up poor Aren who wasn't used to marathon sprinting and just dashed up the rest of the mountain trail.
Gotta hand it to Tetsuko, kid's taking this all pretty well for only being a Scion of a few days.
We get to the Lodge and it already looks back. Then Moira crashes out a window.
There's going to be nothing left of those giants when I'm through with them.
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