Chapter Seventy-Six – The Big Players

Chapter Seventy-Six – The Big Players

“Younger Samurai, and by that, we mean those who turned into Samurai recently (it has nothing to do with age!) are generally pretty well protected by the older ones.

But they can’t stop us from shipping them!”

–Deceased anonymous forum user, 2030

***

There were so many flying models out ahead that they were practically a cloud of living flesh, swarming out towards us like grasping vines.

“Damn,” I said.

“I’m going to need a bigger flamethrower,” Gomorrah said.

I nodded, ready to agree with her, when a large flamethrower appeared right next to Gomorrah at just the right height for her to grab onto its twin handles and angle its nozzle up.

It was nearly all-black, except for white detailing within and it was festooned in crosses and skulls and small statuettes across its entire surface.

“Did… did you put extra points into making it all… gaudy?” I asked.

“Don’t you have more important things to focus on?” she asked.

“Not right at this very second, no,” I said. I gestured to the swarm approaching us. “We’ve got like a minute before we’re pecked apart. I’m not going to spend it moping.”

Gomorrah sighed. “You are so unserious.”

“That’s not a word, I’m sure,” I said.

“You know what I meant,” she snapped. “And yes. I did spend an extra point to decorate my flamethrower. So what?”

“Nothing, nothing. I mean, it’s not my kind of thing, but it looks really pious or whatever. I’m sure Jesus will appreciate you burning things to death more if your flamethrower has the symbol of the thing that killed him on it.”

“Shut up, Cat,” she said. “At least I’m not slowly turning into some sort of heathen animal person. You’re one fur coat away from being a god-damned furry, you know that, right?”

I slapped a hand over my chest. “That stings, little G.”

She paused. “How long have you been waiting to call me that?”

“A bit,” I said. I wanted to rib her some more, but time was running short. I wiggled my shoulders and Myalis must have caught on because my new guns deployed from over my shoulder. Dumbass the First installed itself nearby, its plasma rifle twisting around and aiming at the sky. “Ready?” I asked as I adjusted my footing and brought Whisper up. I couldn’t even remember what kind of ammo I’d used in it last, but I was sure it wasn’t pleasant for anything it hit.

Gomorrah shifted her robes with one hand and let her leg poke out of them so that she could place her foot on the railing and hold her new flamethrower up towards the sky.

I snorted. “Trying to distract them with a bit of thigh?” I asked. She did have nice legs. “It’s working for me.”

“Shush you,” she said. “And yes, I’m ready.”

“Whenever you want to start,” I said.

We were still rolling along, the mobile base rumbling beneath as it slowly navigated around wrecked cars and abandoned trucks at a speed that most mobility scooters could outpace. There was going to be no outrunning the swarm.

The base’s main gun turned around and aimed up, as did the machine guns sticking out of its sides. “Myalis, get ready to spend a lot of points on stuff to clear the air,” I said. A big enough bomb might be able to do it, I figured. It wouldn’t be pretty, but if it worked then it was worth it.

Certainly.

The Model Ones flocked closer. I really wished they’d make more noise than the flap of their wings, it felt as if there were some sound-effects missing as the swarm scattered, then started to swoop down towards us.