CHAPTER 30
Cait walked back into her apartment, hoping Kennedy would already be in bed. She still didn't really understand the dynamics at work here,but doubted slinking home wearing her mom's clothing would win her any points. She wasn't so lucky.
Lira and Kennedy were snuggled up on the couch, a bowl of popcorn balanced between them as a beautifully horrible dating show played on the TV. Cait didn't quite get why Kennedy was so comfortable with Lira, when she wasn't with anyone else. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as the dark beauty rested her head on Lira's chest, one hand absently stroking at the redhead's toned tummy.
Cait did her best not to freeze as she entered. She, technically, was not doing anything wrong, and acting guilty was unnecessary. She gave the girls her best smile, buuuuttt knew she hadn't nailed it. Making a beeline for her bedroom, she could feel their eyes on her as she hurried to change.
Snaps sounded from behind her as Lira called, "Ah ah! Do you know what time it is, young lady?"
Cait didn't, actually, but it couldn't be that late. She just looked back at Lira, confused now. "Like… 9:30?"
"Fuck, yeah, that's not even a reasonable curfew." Lira admitted, but beckoned her over anyway. "Come come, mommy wants a sandwich."
It took Cait a second to realize Lira meant she should cuddle into the side of her opposite Kennedy.
I literally smell like Swan's perfume and sex, that is not happening.
"I'm gonna shower first," Cait explained. "Nothing to make you sweat like upset parents!"
Her excuse seemed to make sense to Lira, but she felt Kennedy's eyes boring into her even as her link blossomed in her mind.
Shit!
Cait made eye contact with Kennedy's topaz irises as the goth babe cocked an eyebrow. No hiding discomfort from her. Fortunately, Lira never stopped talking for long.
"But I liiiikkee the way you smell," she pouted, stretching an arm out towards Cait behind her. It caused the loose tank she was wearing to fall away from some very enticing freckled skin, her pink nipple just peeking out.
Maybe Kennedy won't notice….
Cait shook the thought, making another mumbled excuse as she made for her door. She stripped, showered, and joined the girls on the couch. Lira arched her neck to kiss her as Cait wiggled in behind her. The girls caught her up on the torrid web of relationships in their show, Salad joined the pile, and an episode and a half later they were all passed out.
Sunday passed in a blur of prep and nerves. They woke to a sharp, insistent rapping on the door, and a bleary eyed Cait rose, opening it to find Warhawk. Unlike the drowsy pile of girls on the couch, Warhawk was awake, ready, and fully outfitted.
"Y'all fuckin' realize you're heading outside the 'Shell tomorrow right?" she demanded, her energy wayyyy too much for…. whatever time it was.
"Yeah, tomorrow," Lira whined from the couch, disentangling herself from Kennedy as Salad grumbled but refused to be disturbed. "Lemme have my girls today, Sandra!"
"No can do Lira!" Warhawk barked, barging into the room, slapping Cait on the ass on the way in. "C'mon Kenn! Up! Wilds Witch and BREAST MAN are already in the Coliseum, waitin' on Sonder and Amaranthine."
All three of them groaned at that. They'd delay Warhawk all they wanted, but weren't gonna leave their friends in the wind.
"Fuck you even groanin' for, Lira?" Warhawk asked. "You ain't goin' on this mission."
Lira, quick to wake up when she needed to, shot a glare back at Warhawk.
"My best friend and my gir-," her eyes met Cait's, and she blushed. "My new friend are gonna be on that mission. I'm gonna be in that support room even if I have to pop parts of Bubb-Bill until he lets me."
"Fucked up thing to say," moaned Kennedy with a big stretch. She fixed Lira with a bright smile. "But I appreciate the sentiment, babe."
Lira grabbed her face, pulling her head close and kissing her forehead.
"Don't you worry. You run into anything weird out there, Metric is gonna be a phone call away." She smiled at Kennedy, then squished her cheeks back and forth until the goth slapped her hands away.
Cait checked her phone, hissing in breath when she saw they had indeed slept in. The clock read 10:17, and there were texts from Dawn, Breastman, and an unknown number that, based on the punctuation choices and vitriol, must have been Warhawk.
"Shit, guys, she's right." Cait reported. "We gotta get going. Warhawk, do we need our gear or-"
"Its fuckin' down there!" Warhawk cut her off. "Had to do somethin' while we waited on y'all asses. Get moving!"
Damn, she actually pronounced a G, she must be serious.
Not bothering to change, Cait patted Salad on the head before she jogged after Warhawk, the woman already starting to march out of the door. She led Cait and Kennedy to the backroom of the Coliseum, where team Warhawk and the rest of Cait's were lounging. Dreamboat sat on the center podium, picking at his fingernails.
"Get geared and pop a squat," Warhawk ordered. "I'll see y'all in the Dreamscape."
Cait decided to forgo pretending at modesty, stripping right there and pulling on her equipment, piled next to an empty seat. She was beginning to think Kennedy was wise for not really having a supersuit, as the girl just collected her things and strapped her equipment on over the clothes she'd slept in. She made sure her own stuff was snug, and climbed into the lounger. No sooner had she sat down than Dreamboat began to chant, his shitty little totem beginning to float and glow before washing Cait away, into the Dreamscape.
She awoke on the battlefield from yesterday, absent the mounds of Coonbeast corpses. The two teams, no longer rivals in this space, met in the middle of the field.
"We'll set off from here tomorrow," Warhawk began. "Obvious reasons, gonna be the easiest to track Ironhide from where we last saw him."
She sighed, "But, I ain't got too much hope we'll be able to walk straight to him. Bastard is just too crafty. We'll follow what we can, then check in with homesteads in the area."
A 3D map of the area shimmered into existence in front of her.
Damn, perks of doing briefings in Dreamspace, Cait thought.
A blue dot marked their position, and a yellow line traced along the banks of Saylorville lake, connecting a series of small white house icons.
"This is the path I expect we'll take, iff'n our nature inclined folks lose the trail." Warhawk continued, nodding to Wilds Witch and Bullrush. She went to continue, but noticed Breastman raising a tentacle, and gestured for him to go on.
PRETTY SURE WHATEVER I AM
IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PREDATOR
GUARANTEE
I CAN AT LEAST TRACK
THE FLESH AND BLOOD COONBEASTS
Warhawk bobbed her head thoughtfully, tapping at her chin.
"Huh, hadn't thought of that. Mind you, if you take the lead it'll be dangerous work. This sum'bitch killed Bloodhound while he was doing the same thing," she warned.
Breastman whipped out a number of the glowing rings from his bandoliers, pointing them this way and that in what were probably supposed to be military poses. They didn't really translate, what with his body plan.
"Heh, like your gusto, kid." Warhawk said as he returned the rings to his bandolier. "That does fuck up the formation I had planned, but not too bad."
She gestured back to the map before continuing, "Won't matter none today though, nothin' to track. Today's just about practicing moving in formation outside the 'Shell, and learnin' to keep your head up for threats."
The line on the map pulsed.
"We'll be followin' this track for that. I got Dreamboat to load these woods with AEGIS' estimate for a normal level of beasts in these parts, so the goal will be to complete this circuit with all of us intact," she explained.
The floating image shifted to models of each of the Guardians present. They appeared in a line, then cordoned themselves off into 3 groups. Cait's was the largest, having her forming the rear of a triangle with Kennedy and Dawn, Fingerguns in the center. About 10 yards ahead, judging by the scale, Breastman led, followed closely by Bullrush, with Hotglue stuck to his back per usual. Finally, Warhawk's model flew up to circle above them, presumably providing early warning for anything that could be seen from a distance.
"This is gonna be our basic formation as we move," Warhawk instructed. "When we head out tomorrow, we'll be following BREAST MAN's lead, but for now, stick to the route, it should be uploaded to all of your comms."
Cait checked, seeing that her Maps app had automatically opened, displaying the route overlaying the area.
"I'll be overhead keepin' an eye on y'all, so Bullrush is in command of the ground team. Keep in contact on comms. Lead group, don't get too far ahead. Rear group, make damn sure you don't lose sight of 'em. Keep your heads on a swivel, it ain't our land out there."
The team saluted her with varying levels of sincerity, and she led them through the Tortoiseshell. It was a few yards thick where it met the ground, and Cait took a deep breath as she pushed into it, despite that no longer being necessary. The substance, some kind of hard light, felt like warm jelly as it enveloped her, and she was tempted to take a bite. Then she realized it wasn't like it was going to hurt her, and did. While it didn't hurt, it felt and tasted like licking a battery, and she didn't feel the need to try again. It was non-Newtonian, pressing back against her harder the quicker she tried to push through it, but if she kept her pace to an easy amble, the pressure was minimal. Less than a minute later, the whole team had pushed through.
"Remember, eyes up, focus tight." Warhawk nodded at them, then shot into the air. Her wings glinted bronze and red in the unfiltered sunlight as she soared. Cait had vertigo as she watched her climb, higher and higher, past the peak of the Tortoiseshell, higher than the sky had ever been for her. She knew, on an intellectual level, that the sky was blue. Until today though, even at its clearest the pulsing energy of the Tortoiseshell had always tinted it to at least a light teal. Now, in the heat of late August, all clouds burned away, she saw endless, flawless blue for the first time. Gently, Dawn tugged at her hand.
"I forget you who dwell in this place have often never seen the sky," she said with a soft smile. Cait shook off her awe and returned her smile, wide and bright.
"It's beautiful."
"Yes, it is," Dawn agreed, a twinkle in her big doe eyes as they too drifted upwards for a moment. Shaking herself, she again tugged at Cait's hand, pulling her forward. "Save your awe for the real thing, Cait. Remember, we are in but a dream."
Cait nodded, but kept the deer's hand for awhile longer, just to keep herself anchored to the ground. She fell into formation behind the ranged damage dealers. Once she tore her eyes from the sky, she found watching Kennedy's ass sway in her shorts was a great way to both pass the time, and keep heading in the right direction.
Every once in a while, Dawn would perk up, like one of her feral brethren who had just smelled a hunter. Each time, it set the ornaments in her antlers tinkling, alerting the group to a possible threat.
Thank god they aren't relying on me for early warning. Perception wouldn't be my strong suit even without that perfect, horribly distracting, vanilla dump truck in front of me.
Thus far, each incident had either been a false alarm, or a mundane predator that wanted nothing to do with the large, heavily armed, group. Cait tried her best not to let that make her complacent, but the fact was it was difficult not to. The woods they walked through were beautiful and warm, the years they'd had to reclaim this land being enough to make them gorgeous and thick, but not impenetrably primordial and imposing. It would have been easy to doze off, had she not been forced to keep walking.
Her mind was jarred back into sharp focus by alarmed hissing from ahead, followed by a bestial roar of fury. She took an instinctive step forward, but Fingerguns' hand on her chest stopped her.
"Hotglue, Warhawk, what's the status?" He asked, hand to his ear.
"Three Coonbeasts," replied Hotglue over the comm. "BREAST MAN took 'em out. Glad this dude's on our side."
"Alright folks," Warhawk cut in, "Forest is officially too thick for me to be early warning. Im droppin' to the canopy, should be quick response if we see more, and you can bet we will." After the attack, Cait was on alert, and Kennedy's ass went entirely unwatched, save for Cait making sure she kept the girl in her peripherals. Less than a hundred meters later, Dawn perked up, alerting Cait just before a branch snapped behind her. She spun, arm flashing gold as she unleashed an unaimed haymaker. It caught a leaping Coonbeast in the shoulder, pulping the joint and knocking it from the air. Another followed right behind it, too quick for Cait to get off another swing. Instead, she shifted her arm, locking the joint and catching the thing's throat in her grip. She heard Kennedy alerting Warhawk over the comms as she brought her other fist up and through the Coonbeast's abdomen.
She took a wide stance, eyes scanning the brush wildly. Warhawk swooped down, alighting on a thick branch and opening fire to Cait's right. The bush she was shooting at yelped, and a bleeding Coonbeast slumped out of it. Wilds Witch glowed a soft green as she muttered under her breath, and the forest around them shook like an animal drying itself. More Coonbeasts were flushed out of the brush, quickly picked off by Fingerguns, Warhawk or Sonder, the latter having grown antlers and tossing rot blasts.
Cait felt an odd sensation as Kennedy's mind brushed against hers. That in itself should have been odd, but had become commonplace over the past week. This time though, she carried part of Dawn's emotions with her, forming a shaky bridge between her teammates. Cait looked at her to see the girl grimacing in focus as her muscles swelled slightly, the antlers shrinking a similar amount. She opened her eyes to see the concern on Cait's face.
"Better to try something new when it's not real, right?" she said with a pained smile, a bead of sweat slipping past her hairline. Cait gave her a tight smile and nodded, sending as much strength and reassurance as she could muster through the link, and feeling Dawn do the same. The burden on Kennedy looked like it eased somewhat, although her face remained flushed with effort.
"It's a good plan, Sonder." Cait encouraged. "These shitbirds are better at hiding than I would've believed, best they can't take your head off before anyone else can react."
Kennedy's eyes remained tight as she nodded her agreement.
The next mile went by without a hitch, and they found themselves at the edge of the forest, where it abutted farmland.
"Normally," came Warhawk's voice over the comm, "We'd do a check in with the residents on this farm, but Dreamboat can't simulate other sentients. We'll swing by the homestead anyway, then head on our way. Formation leaders, keep your eyes on me as you move through the corn, I'll be your north star."
The group headed into the tall stalks, quickly losing vision in front of them. As promised, Warhawk stayed in sight above them, and they moved towards her.
"How do these farmers stay alive?" Cait asked. "I mean, I get the crops, my old job was all about making stuff that could survive out here, but we've been out here maybe an hour and already come under attack."
"Heh," responded Fingerguns, a few steps ahead of Cait. "You'll see. Pretty much the same deal as the big cities, all depends on Altereds."
Time was tough to track in the corn, but eventually they reached a clearing surrounded by the stalks. In the middle was a mailbox that read GROVER.
"Not really sure what I'm supposed to see here, 'Guns." Cait said, cocking an eyebrow at the techno-cowboy. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Uh, yeah. Forgot that in the dreamscape ain't gonna be nothing to see."
Bullrush rescued him, explaining, "In this particular case, the head of this farm has lutumkinesis, which is a fancy way of saying they can move dirt. No idea if Dreamboat simulated this, but in the real world we'd be standing over a considerable warren. They don't keep a permanent entrance. Why invite trouble?"
Cait nodded, the explanation making perfect sense. If you couldn't hide behind the Tortoiseshell and a large force of Guardians, you'd have to make do.
"Dirt control has to be a hella nice power to have for farming too," she volunteered. "Wouldn't need to plow, could move the seeds where you wanted 'em…."
The conversation continued over comm as Warhawk led them through the next leg of their trek across the cornfield. Judging by their marker on Cait's map, they'd made about 1/10th of the full circuit.
"Why couldn't we take a tru-" she complained as they broke out of a patch of corn, but cut off as the question was answered before she could ask it. They were in a gap between fields, split by what had once been a road, but now more closely resembled an uneven cobblestone path, reclaimed as it was by nature.
"That's why," sniped Warhawk from above. Cait kept her mouth shut as they adjusted their path to follow the road. Their pace increased significantly, as while the former road was no longer fit for cars, it was much easier to traverse than cornfields or underbrush. They carried on for another two hours before Warhawk's voice broke the silence they'd fallen into.
"Wilds Witch, that nature magic of yours come with any kind of plant sense?"
"In a way, yes. Why?"
"Sense anything weird a quarter mile over, my direction?"
The click of Dawn's hooves on broken pavement halted as she closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment, they shot open.
"Everyone, group up! Warhawk, get out of there!" She commanded, summoning her staff.
To their credit, the team didn't question, pulling together with the tougher members forming a perimeter around the squishies, with Cait at the speartip. Bullrush gasped as Warhawk darted towards them, barely avoiding what looked like an entire cornfield shooting up to grab her. She spun, flying backwards as she opened fire on the monster. It chased her, resolving into a titanic worm made of twisted, oversized cornstalks. Its maw was filled with sharp, spinning, tooth shaped kernels, which would have been comical if the thing hadn't looked so fucking angry.
Wilds Witch made the first strike, the green surroundings placing her firmly in her element. Massive ropes of plant matter lashed up on either side of the monster at her command, arresting its movement. The thing gave a keening screech, and the spinning of its teeth intensified, then began to shoot out like a Gatling gun at Warhawk. The flying Guardian barely had time to get a wing in front of her, sharp kernels plinking off its armor as she began to fall like a rock.
"I'm gonna go piss that thing off!" Cait yelled, "Kennedy, break your link with me, focus on Dawn and shoot as much blight towards that fucker as you can!"
She pumped her arms, charging, fearing she'd actually have to catch Warhawk. Fortunately the Guardian was a flying ace, and turned her fall into a swooping recovery. Cait caught Bullrush's eye as she passed him, and he nodded at her, shrugging off the team's supply pack and joining the charge. He unsheathed a brutal looking axe, and his nostrils flared with steam as he picked up momentum.
Cait had underestimated the beast's size, and it grew like a distant mountain as she approached it. She saw blight beginning to fall, smoking patches appearing on the thing's enormous body. It continued to shriek, turning the torrent of teeth from its maw on the ranged fighters. Cait heard Dawn curse under her breath as she was forced to divert her attention from her restraints to forging a thick barrier in front of the team. A blinding, coruscating column of energy tore across the monster's long throat, leaving a smoldering path in its wake. Unfortunately, it also made it rear back hard enough to snap the verdant ropes Dawn had conjured. It fell to the ground, the earth shaking as it began a slithering charge.
"What do you think the chances of this thing having a heart are?" Cait asked Bullrush.
"Low, Amaranthine. Your first instinct in a fight shouldn't be to get eaten and improvise from there."
Fuck. Well, it had worked twice
"Let me hit it first, no reason for you to be the one that finds out this thing has acid blood," Cait suggested. Bullrush hmph'd approval, and an instant later, fists pulling her at insane speeds, Cait slammed into the bottom of the monster's maw. It shrieked and reared back as its mouth was torn open, the plant matter exploding into a thick green mush. It covered Cait, but a quick check showed her clothes were intact.
"Swing away, big guy!" She yelled, and Bullrush obliged, tearing chunks out of the beast's trunk with his axe. It began to try and fall on him, when another of the enormous blasts from BREAST MAN's rings stood it back up. The thing's shrieks were growing ragged, its maw damaged and more and more of its flesh blackened with rot or smoldering ash. It wasn't done yet though, and tendrils of its flesh began to unravel near the ground, whipping out at Cait and Bullrush. With a grin, Cait smacked away a vine that would have taken her arm off before she was Altered.
"Yo, B-man!" She yelled over comms, "This thing's buttin' in on your whole schtick! We gotta kill this thing before Gwyn finds out you aren't the only game in town!"
The hissed response was not happy, and was followed by twin columns of plasma, one digging into the burning ruin of a previous hit and causing the thing to wobble precariously.
Heh, still gets jealous, huh?
Cait and Bullrush had been rendered largely ineffective by the monster's vine assault, but with its advance stalled, the fight was all but over. Cait hadn't even noticed the thin beams of Fingerguns' own attacks, but over time they added up with Kennedy's blight and the occasional massive blast from BREAST MAN. Its shrieks grew weaker, its vines slower, and far too late, it turned tail to run. Cait and Bullrush gave chase, and over 15 minutes of laborious pounding reduced it to a thick green paste.
"Whew!" Cait gasped, pretending to be tired for Bullrush's sake. His own black fur was slick and slathered with white foam. "Just realized how much it fuckin' rocks to be able to go back to AEGIS after a brawl."
Bullrush chuffed out a laugh, and Warhawk called a break. The group circled up, grabbing water and rations. Bullrush bandaged a few light cuts, but his hide had been too tough for the vines to really wound him. Kennedy walked up behind Cait, nudging her with her shoulder and grinning up at her.
"Good job taking charge like that," she said, her link opening in Cait's mind and pulsing with praise. "When Warhawk went down, I mean. Could've been ugly, easy."
Cait grinned back, raising a suggestive eyebrow.
"Like it when I take charge, huh?" She asked, earning a roll of Kennedy's citrine eyes and a punch in the ribs. A blush in her cheeks betrayed her though, there was no way she could've known Cait for an entire week and not known exactly what she'd do with that opening.
"Just… keep it up, Amaranthine." Kennedy tapped her on the chest with a black fingernail, then turned her back to Cait, dropping to the ground and resting her head against the tall woman's muscular thigh. She let out a contented sigh, taking a sip from the canteen Hotglue had passed out.
Did I just get…. Wallzoned? Cait wondered. Still, she knew casual physical contact meant a hell of a lot from Kennedy, so she sipped at her own canteen and pondered if she actually needed to anymore.
After 15 minutes, Warhawk called another march, and the team set out. There was more excitement, but nothing on the scale of the Kornwyrm, as they'd named it. In fact, the team had hit their stride in exploration, and quickly dealt with the few Altered Beasts that dared to strike before they finished their circuit. Cait walked back through the Tortoiseshell, and found herself blinking awake back in the Dreamroom.
Warhawk stretched, and rose off the lounger. Instead of vitriol, she gave a wide genuine smile to the rest of the team.
"Well god-damn!" she exclaimed. "Y'all killed that exercise! No notes for that scenario. Quick thinkin' on the Kornwyrm, Cait. Dawn, holy shit, it's like we got a nature goddess on our side out there. Kenn, wise to try out a dual link here rather than in the field. How'd that feel for you?"
Kennedy winced, waggling her hand back and forth.
"Didn't feel great," she admitted. "I could hold it in a fight, I think. Would have to start beforehand though, it's pretty rough until Cait and Dawn lock in support."
Warhawk nodded, "Right, well if we have the drop on somethin' try it out, otherwise, best judgement on who you link with. Swan made me promise she'd get you to herself tonight, but we got an hour or two before she'll expect you. I want you to try linkin' up with 'Guns, see what you can do with his powers. I had Lira set up some variable durability targets in one of the multipurpose rooms. Rest of y'all, dismissed, but remember we set out early tomorrow, be at the Ready Station 7 a.m."
Cait raised her hand.
"Fuckin' what Cait, this ain't an elementary school."
"Uh, just wondering about supplies?" Cait asked, sheepishly lowering her hand.
"Oh, right, actually a good question. Bullrush will carry absolute essentials, but Samsara will port anythin' necessary for multiple days of travel out to us. Goddamn is it nice to have a teleporter. Any other questions?" Warhawk asked, notably not apologizing for being a dick.
"Yeah, one!" interjected Kennedy, learning from Cait that politeness was not appreciated with Warhawk. "Why isn't Freeflow coming? Hasn't dealing with Ironhide so far pretty much been on him?"
Warhawk sighed, brushing her short brown hair back and running her fingers back down her face.
" 'Des Moines' mightiest hero'," she said using air quotes, "Is on mission up north. Left right after y'alls session yesterday morning Cait. You'd have to ask your mom for more details, Kenn, they don't tell me shit. With that, I actually don't care if there's any more questions, 'Guns, Sonder, get to work, rest of y'all fuck off in any way you so please."
Cait looked to Kennedy, who shrugged and headed towards Fingerguns, waving goodbye to her team. Dawn and Breastman made their excuses, both going to spend their nights with a special someone before heading into guaranteed danger. Cait was left tapping her toes in the gym, deciding that for her, closest she had to a special someone was Lira. She checked her comm, and smiled when she saw the bouncy redhead had the same idea.
L: Hey sexy:) Swan got you last night, but youre mine now. Im takin' your ass out on the town, be at your room at 7 so i can make sure you're presentable.
C: Really? You're gonna try and dom me after I spent a night with Swan?
L: Bad dog, horrible sub.
Cait smiled, dismissing her phone and heading back towards her room. She still had an hour or two before Lira arrived for Extreme Makeover: Dickgirl Edition, and it sounded like she was feeling bratty. Might as well get some frustration built up in Dark Souls 7 to have something to let out on her.