350 - "This must be an intentional mating display." [Stumblitz] (Patreon)

The trio continued discussing the plan of the hunt, working out the details. The main problem was that the second Wildfire Kite could not be found out in the open, and only exited its cavern nest once every two weeks to check on its counterpart and to feed. The location of the aforementioned nest was not known. For this reason, the only way to readily track down the beast would be to wait at the nesting site and slay the beast as it came upon the nest remnants.

It soon became evident there was no more to be achieved through debate.

“Well, the plan’s settled,” Zel said, rising from her seat. ”May as well go out and get it done, then.”

Zefaris rose up just as readily, clinging to Zel’s side, and Makhus, giving a look of tacit understanding, made an excuse that the next batch of Black 7 would likely need to be checked on. This consideration would turn out to be unnecessary for the moment — as if she was exerting some insurmountable feat of willpower, Zefaris peeled herself off of Zelsys.

“You go on ahead, I’ll change and catch up in a moment,” she excused herself.

Zel did so without questioning, preparing the sturmgandr and waiting at its side — she didn’t pay attention to how much time passed, busying herself with the simple pleasure of reading a pulp about a power-fantasy character clearly inspired in part by her personal legend. The novel’s creativity with its martial arts was admirable, despite the author’s clear lack of any basic understanding. Really, it was impressive how complex of a system the author had created without ever considering even the most rudimentary things that, in Zel’s mind, ought to come naturally to any amateur. 

Finally, she felt an aetherwave ping from Zefaris. As she looked up from the pulp, she expected any of a half-dozen outfits that she knew Zef favoured for their blend of fashion and practicality. She did not expect something entirely new, let alone something so alike her own tastes. Certainly, it was unmistakably something to Zef’s sensibilities in terms of militarist fashion, not something Zel would think to wear, but it was nothing like the reserved, elegant fare Zefaris normally wore.

She came out of the sect’s front door wearing a modified Ikesian commander’s coat as a cape, all national iconography replaced by that of belladonna flowers and eyes. A dark-grey dress shirt was held tightly to her body by her usual armored corset, worn on full display rather than concealed. Her ever-present peaked cap retained its spot securely on her head, but she had tied her hair into a bun, and had clearly cut it shorter to make that bun possible. A tube-like, tight skirt, grey in colour, covered her legs down to the knees — or it would’ve, were it not for the slit that climbed most of the way up her thigh, allowing her left leg to peek out with every other step. Simple, opaque black stockings covered the lower three-quarters of her legs, crowned by lace and held up by garters. Even her choice of footwear went against convention, having noticeable heels where Zefaris had rarely strayed from combat boots. Pentacle and Tempesta hung proudly by her hips from criss-crossed belts, with her skull-faced mask accompanying Tempesta on the right-hand side.

Zelsys was keenly aware of the fact she was staring, and she made the conscious decision to keep staring. As the blonde gunwoman crossed the yard, the Primordial Self made itself known in the back of Zel’s head: “This must be an intentional mating display.”

Zel disregarded the thought for the moment, though she didn’t disagree. She kept quiet for the moment, waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

__________________________________________________________________________

The Newman Sect’s two highest elders rode out with no extensive preparations or fanfare, yet nonetheless were met with it from the city’s people. Zel couldn’t help but feel a sense of rapid change as she steered her sturmgandr through Willowdale — the city, previously half-deserted, had become far more lively in recent months, with many people seeking permits for permanent residence.

Outside the gates, a procession of tankmen made their way down the road, approaching the city. She recognized several of the hellhounds she had fought alongside in Eberheim, just by the aura they gave off. They were clustered at the front and back, riding blitzgandrs. In the middle, meanwhile, marched children — teenagers barely old enough to fit into their Second-model suits. The procession’s suits bore a new type of outer armor, polished and painted prominently with various heraldry — it had been customized to integrate the aesthetics of antique knights, and their blitzgandrs bore cloth coverings reminiscent of what might be worn by horses. Singing an upbeat marching cadence, they gave off a sublime sense of glory — faint, weak even, but undeniably there. At the head of the procession, an enormous titan skated along, similarly covered by a cloak of bright livery. too tall to be a First-model and too bulky to be a Third-model. It was concealed , but unmistakable.

Zel met the tank suit’s sensor lens as she passed it, and she could swear she felt Strake warning her to not go spreading around what she had seen.

“Wonder what that’s all about. Wasting tariff money on parade livery without good reason doesn’t sound like Estoras…” she remarked.

“Zero pushed for it,” Zef responded. Her arms clamped down on Zel with every iota of superhuman strength she could muster, despite the fact she could easily keep her balance atop the machine standing upright at 200kph, and Zel was barely pushing it at half that speed.

“...Zero? Did the Knights of the Boar influence it so much?”

“It believes in the knightly virtues. Wants to cleanse the realm of evil and shelter the small. Estoras took the opportunity to er… Take inspiration from the Order of the Iron Dragon. Nothing official yet, but he sought our approval for the formation of a knightly quasi-sect of sorts to juxtapose the Hellhounds and help raise new tankmen separately from the city militia.”

“Wonder why Strake went along with it. Maybe Alcerys had more of an influence on him than I’d thought.”