Ancient Hunter

I came to a decision rash or not I had to do it. I pressed my Seven Double ‘M’ into Joyce’s surprised hands.

“Take this, go and find your team. I’ll deal with this.” I was really out my depth here but I had to do something. “I do have another!” I lied. I only had a combat knife.

“Gwen?” Joyce protested.

“Go and for the Mother’s sake stay safe.” I don’t why I kept invoking the Mother of All that was Valkyrie, which I wasn’t. I turned to the Marine. “Go with Professor Neilson that’s an order and take these two with you.”

The Marine snapped a salute. “Yes ma’am!”

I headed out a run before Joyce could raise any objections. I didn’t look back drawing my combat knife. I was half way to where I heard the scream when I halted and blinked. “What am I doing?” I questioned my choice. I might have killed one Orsini with a knife that was because I had the element of surprise. I highly doubted that would happen here. I glanced around looking for something better to use as a weapon. There I spotted it the hilt of a sword or what I thought of as one poking out of the ruins of a house. Instinctively I rushed over bypassing a skeleton its hand reaching out almost pointing to the sword. A sword was one of the weapons I could weld without any problem. It was using the staff where I sucked so badly. I had my hands around the hilt before I could process what I was doing. The hilt was long enough for me to grip with both hands. There was no guard unusual for a Valkyrie blade. I gripped it and pulled it out of the wreckage. It was long and wrapped in a rotted leather scabbard, which fell apart as I picked it up. Bright metal shone underneath I knew what I was holding a Valkyrie Guardian Sword.

I heard a scream again realising time was running out I’d delayed here too long. In the space between two ruins I found the woman. She was on the floor her clothes in disarray. An Orsini in that gruesome combat armour they wore loomed over her. He had his gauntleted fist entangled in her hair. Images of Alicia and Monica’s torture at the hands of the Orsini flashed into my mind. I charged without making a sound I had the element of surprise. Which lasted about a second before I engaged. He dropped his hold of the woman and turned to face me. In his other ungauntleted hand he was holding a pipe. It swung up and towards me I instinctively ducked as something whizzed through the space I had occupied moments ago. I rolled to my feet and lashed out with the sword it blade shearing off the wrist with the pipe, Despite the years on neglect the sword was razor sharp. As I carried through with the blow I angled the blade in a ‘C’ shape striking at the throat the only place not covered by armour. The blade slid off the toughened material of the neck section. There was a choking sound as the Orsini stumbled back. With his gauntleted hand on his neck he brought his severed wrist to his neck blood spraying out of the near fatal wound. The Blood splashed over the Orsini’s visor. I took this moment to renew my attack. With deft steps I got behind the Orsini and struck out with all my strength. The blade cut through the neck, separating head from body.

Slowly the body toppled over while I stared at it sick to my stomach. There was no way I could have done that? I stared doubting myself. I turned to face the young woman she had fainted. I dropped the sword and hurried over to her. She looked familiar. Then I remembered her as the screamer from Joyce’s dig site.

“Sheila?” I said and gently shook her.

She opened her eyes and stared into mine her face ashen, her eyes blood shot.

“Are you ok?”

“You saved me!” she uttered and burst into tears.

I held her close like my mother used to do. Tears stained the front of my coat.

“We have to get to Professor Neilson,” I said unentangling myself from her.

“Sorry, Sheila stammered. “I shouldn’t be as scared as this but I can’t help it.”

“It’s alright to be scared. “ I should be in the same boat as Sheila but I kept heading into danger and not away from it. Blame it on my Valkyrie blood but I couldn’t help but save anyone I can. Then when I thought about it that last incident was extreme to the max. Almost as if I wasn’t Gwen but somebody dark and dangerous. I had killed without a thought and that scared me the most what was I turning into. The logical part of my mind told me not to dwell on it. It was right of course, I had to get Sheila to safety.

Sheila leaned on me as I guided her through the ruins. One hand gripped her while the other had a white-knuckle grip on the sword blood congealing on the blade. In the distance I could hear gunfire. I had to ask the question.

“What were you doing out here?”

“I got lost I was supposed to bring some of the diggers coffee.”

I remembered the last time I’d encountered her she was carrying cups and coffee. I suppose it would be easy to get lost in these ruins. Then she hadn’t been Valkyrie trained. Thirika and the others had taught me to spot tells in the terrain. A Shuttle roared overhead Confed markings on its hull. It must have spotted us as it circled and came back hovering about four metres off the ground. The door slid open and I let go of Sheila reading myself with the sword.

“When I say run, run and don’t look back,” told her.

It could be an Orsini trick they had the habit of using captured equipment on its original owners. Everyone had heard the tales of Anoxi where a Confed ground force division was pinned down and almost destroyed by weapons meant for them.

Over a dozen combat armoured Confeds leapt out of the door. Hitting the ground with a bone-crunching thud. These weren’t you run of the mill Confeds. Not with that height and shape. I was dealing with Valkyrie. One with Sergeant stripes on her pauldron closed in while her squad fanned out taking up defensive positions. Typical of the Confeds she had no nametag on her armour.

“Sergeant do you have a Medtech with you?” I asked anxiously. “She was attacked by an Orsini.”

“Yes Poi,” the sergeant answered. She sounded familiar. She gestured to a Valkyrie with a red teardrop in her pauldron. “Solvor see to it.”

The named Valkyrie hurried over to Sheila who cringed as she approached.

“It will be ok,” I assured Sheila. I turned to the Valkyrie sergeant hoping I wouldn’t get this wrong. “Sergeant Hollen?”

She saluted me. “You remembered me Poi.” She seemed pleased about that.

“Of course, I need a favour.” I needed to clean the blood of this sword. If Thirika was here she’d be demanding I do that.

“Yes ma’am,” Hollen said without hesitation.

“You’re not going to question the favour?” I was surprised by her instant co-operation. Then I shouldn’t have she was Valkyrie after all.

“No ma’am.”

“I need to clean the blood off this blade.”

She handed me a canteen I poured it over the blade managing to clean off most of the congealed blood.

“What happened?” Hollen asked indicating my blade.

“I was escorting Professor Neilson through the ruins when I heard Sheila scream. Since the professor had others with her I went to investigate.” Now that I said it, it was a foolhardy move.

“Armed with a sword?” Hollen sounded impressed.

I glanced at the sword seeing for the first time the silvery glint of the blade. It was the same sheen as my bracelet. I began to suspect that there was some extraordinary about this sword.

“Armed with that?” One of Hollen’s squad exclaimed.

“Armed with a combat knife. I found the sword in a collapsed building the hilt was sticking out. I attacked the Orsini.” A dumb move charging a projectile weapon armed Orsini. I was starting to realise the stupidity I had involved myself in the red mist had clouded my judgement. I shivered at the thought that was stupid on my part. “He shot at me and missed so I killed him.” I felt my stomach churn at that.

“You did what you had to Poi.” Hollen addressed Solvor. “Solvor what the status of your patient?”

“Cuts and bruises, a cracked rib nothing time in a Stitcher won’t cure.”

I was a little surprised that Sheila hadn’t collapsed in pain. She had leaned on me now I knew why. My thought was to get her to safety before any other consideration. Solvor went back to Sheila. She picked her up I heard Sheila squawk in protest.

“We’re ready here,” Solvor announced.

“Move out!” Hollen bawled.

We headed out.