The sky above Emberfall was the color of rusted iron, thick with the haze of centuries-old pollution that never quite cleared. Beneath the looming atmosphere, steel vines coiled around ancient skyscrapers like dead ivy. This was the edge, where the Wilds began and the safe hold ended.
A convoy of vehicles passed the silent outlands. That was the problem-it was too silent. Silent may be a good thing, but like this, it was very suspicious.
On the hills at one side of the road, an eye watched the convoy. He was an escort, a protection. Most people in the group down there didn't even know he followed.
Ash listened carefully to the grasses. He knew that if the little insects down under those grasses were too quiet, it was a sign that a predator-or predators, were present.
His objective was down the road with the convoy, but he had to be cautious for himself, or for them, to protect them and get the job done. Otherwise he almost wouldn't care for his own safety.
This was his second mission as an Ashborn. The first was field training. It was good that he passed the test at a young age; his performance would be fascinating to others, meaning he would go on more missions.
He thought of the gains he would make from this mission. The people down there may give him a token, in addition to the original payment. Sometimes he wondered why Ashborn aren't seen as mercenaries.
But something in him made him doubt that he will receive any token; many people dislike the Ashborn, despite their great contributions to society. It was a major reason why some people in that convoy weren't told of his presence.
They know that they need his escort, but refuse to admit it. And it was amusing to Ash.
Unlike him, other Ashborn had specific codenamed. Ash was scrapped in when he had no codename for this mission. Ash was short for Ashborn. Yet he didn't feel bad about it.
He noticed something moving. And it was fast. A sudden boom split the air. The convoy came to a screeching halt.
"What was that?!" One of the people in the convoy was terrified. No, all of them were.
From the dust stepped Morpin, a towering Ashborn armed with a vast amount of weapons. He was a veteran of the Edge, and he wasn't here to talk.
Clashing with an experienced Ashborm was not something he could handle. No matter how skilled or efficient an Ashborn was, they'd surely lose to one more experienced compared to them.
Before he could engage, Ash landed right in between Morpin and the convoy.
"What is an Ashborn doing here?!"
"What are two Ashborns doing here?!"
"No time for that! Quick, get the goods inside!"
Ash could tell that some of them were unhappy to see him, but that was not the matter.
As an Ashborn, he had learnt how to focus on the mission despite what the people involved said about him, even though this was his second mission.
Morpin advanced. "A pup? They left a pup to guard them?"
Ash said nothing, his left hand resting on one of the guns he carried on his back.
Every Ash had two main guns they carried on their back, a melee weapon(mostly a sword), and a small sidearm.
After all, being physically enhanced compared to normal humans didn't mean they wouldn't carry weapons, otherwise they'd be at a high disadvantage.
Rather than draw out a gun, Morpin unsheated his sword and rushed Ash.
Instinctively, he dashed backwards and grabbed his first main weapon; the MP 120, a very effective shotgun model designed solely for Ashborns.
Ash fired the shotgun at Morpin, who skidded backwards in an attempt to evade the attack.
But Morpin laughed, pulling out his Bardan smgs. "Cute trick".
Ash narrowed his eyes. He couldn't block the attack if it were to come- at least, not for long. Too much, and he'll surely die.
Morpin fired the two guns at once. Ash took a hit, pain lancing through his ribs. He immediately dashed to Morpin 's side and fired his shotgun.
The plan was simple; take out his arm. As a veteran, it was only logical that Morpin could withstand more damage compared to Ash, as his body had gone through multiple enhancements.
It was a good thing that Ash's armor had not been completely damaged. If it were, he would have to cope with taking all the bullets bare.
Ash had successfully hit one of Morpin's arm. He could see the arm come down like a bird hit by a bullet.
Still, Morpin stood, nearly unfazed, grinning.
"Done playing?" Morpin said, raising the arm, which had a small rocket launcher in his place.
He surely has stable funding, Ash thought. Ashborn were meant to work for Emberfall, instead some of them would work against it.
The reason- only they know.
Ash braced- too late. The first shot landed right before him, and it exploded.
The blast hit him square, slamming him into scraps of a rusty wrecked car. He gasped, the metal groaning beneath him. Blood trickled from his mouth.
But behind Morphin, the convoy moved again. The goods vehicle had nearly gone.
Morphin turned to pursue.
Ash growled and launched himself in front of Morpin. The other Ashborn spun, but Ash wasn't attacking-he was diatracting.
He tried to redirect every shot, moving around as fast as he could, until Morpin couldn't keep up, and began losing his aim.
With a final grunt, Ash grabbed hold of Morpin's arm. He bit it hard. Morpin yelled out, surprised by the young Ashborn's tactic
Ash took the rocket launcher and leapt backwards, firing the remaining two rockets inside.
The area exploded, sending Morpin rocketing into a hill. The explosion unearthed a half-buried sedan. Ash dropped to one knee, steaming, breathe ragged.
From the distance, a radio crackled. "Convoy clear. We're out. Ash, are you-?"
He clicked the comm. "I'm alive. He's not following. Go."
Ash looked at the rising dust cloud where Morpin had landed. He knew it wasn't over, but the convoy was safe. And that was enough.
Mission accomplished.