Five or so minutes later the acrid smell of smoke makes its way into my nose through the open flyer door. My crossbow appears in my hands and I attach the wrist strap for only the second time since Vic gave me the weapon. I don’t like it because it interferes with my Shivs, the two hidden mini-crossbows that look like fancy bracelets which are almost always on my wrists. Most mistake them for jewelry, which is exactly as they are designed. And probably why they cost him more than most civilian vehicles.

The unnecessary “Approaching Target” sounds in my ear in what I now know is the pilot’s dwarven growl. I confirm a fully-loaded bolt cartridge, look the weapon over one last time, settle myself in a kneeling position, and begin a left to right sweep. Sam glances over at me, removes his hand projector from the holster on his side – I wonder why no storage device – and scans out the open door with me.

We can see the smoke I smelled pouring from a four-story brick building before I'm able to spot any targets. Sighting with my crossbow, I sweep the entryways, windows, roof, and walls and see not a twitching antenna nor flickering black flame.

“Do yer jobs and I won’t file a complaint against ya.” The dwarf says from behind us. He’s just sitting on his ass with what Vic would call a “shit-eating grin” on his face.

Sam snaps at him, “What the fuck do you think we’re doing, asshole?" Then says in a normal tone but loud enough to be heard over the wind, “At least we’re fucking working.”

“Shut yer trap an do yer job,” is the dwarf’s growled response.

I sigh and ask loudly, “And what is your job exactly? To watch other people take all the actual risk and participate in all the actual combat while you sit on your ass?”

“Sounds about right to me,” Sam says in an identical tone and volume.

“I be da boss. You be the shits dat does wha da boss say. That be it. Now work or I dump yer asses out da door.”

I let out another sigh and just shake my head continuing to search for potential targets. Our flyer swoops lower and I feel a dropping sensation in my middle as my fear gets the better of me for a moment. Breathing deeply, I try to forget we’re in the air and simply focus on my crossbow and the targets it will attack.

The flyer circles around the smoking building but I still cannot locate any of the “corrupted” ants as Jo called them. “Sam, do you see any targets? I have nothing.”

“No” is all he says but I hear the anger in his voice.

I take a chance and lift my hand from the crossbow and put it to my ear and speak softly enough that the dwarf cannot hear over the environmental sounds. “Sam, can you hear me? Just nod if you can.” He quickly glances over at me but returns to his search and nods once. “Look, Sam. I don’t know what I did to make you angry at me, but whatever it is I apologize. I want us both to get through this alive and intact and you want the same, I’m sure. I don’t trust these dwarves and I don’t think you do either. How about we watch out for each other?”

He doesn’t respond and just keeps up his search. I decide to throw out an idea he might be interested in. “I don’t know your financial situation. It’s none of my business." I see his body stiffen but I keep going. “All I know is that I can help. I’m willing to pay for any mana cores you burn in combat today and I’ll replace any equipment that becomes damaged or worn due to the operation. Whatever I did, I hope you accept my apologies and accept this gesture for what it is – an offer of mutual cooperation. I’m a good friend to have.”

I notice his body relaxes slowly as I'm speaking and when I finish he gives me another quick glance. I move my hand back to my crossbow and continue to survey the ground but look for his response occasionally. I receive nothing but I do have hope as he hasn’t declined either.

“Report, Bulvo,” sounds in my ear. I hear him shift, then his voice. “At da site. Nutin yet.”

Just as he finishes speaking I see the flash of movement to my right. I bring my crossbow over and scan the area I thought I saw the movement. Another flash and I quickly tap my ear and say, “Potential target spotted. Turn right twenty degrees.”

“What da fuck ya doin princess? Ya don giv da orders." However, as I hear his angry voice the flyer rotates slightly to the right and I scan the area of movement. I see a flicker of black flame in a building made mostly of infused tinted glass and steel. The flickering was a reflection of a flaming ant skittering by and disappearing into the alley.

“Target confirmed,” Sam calls strongly. “It went into an alley between that glass and stone building."

If Vic were here, he would probably just explode the whole alley and make the problem go away. ‘Maximum effect for minimal effort,’ he calls it.

I hear, “At least one a ya can do it right," from the dwarf behind me. Then he then speaks to the pilot, “Go lower and to da alley entrance.”

“What?” I yelp. “Are you nuts? They have ranged attacks!”

He kicks the bottom of my boot which is out behind my kneeling form and yells, “They be ants ya idiot princess. Fuckin spoiled coward. If ya ever di anythin fer yerself instead been babied by ya rich family en husband ya would na be scared o little ants."

Is that why he hates me? He thinks I'm some kind of spoiled rich elf? I look over at Sam and find him looking back at me.

“Prone to make less of a target?" I suggest to him.

He nods and we both shift our positions to be lying flat on the passenger area floor with our weapons pointed towards the approaching dark alleyway.

The shadow of the tall glass building darkens further the alleyway, already difficult to penetrate with normal vision. Vic’s special sight would certainly be handy here.

“I can’t see anything in there,” I say to Sam. “Too dark."

“Same,” he responds.

The gruff voice of Bulvo orders, “Shoot in there an see if ya shake anythin loose.”

I sigh and look at Sam. “Your projector would be more effective than my bolts for that."

His scrunched face tells me he is not pleased but he turns back and looks down the sights of the barrel of his single-hand mana projector. Squeezing the trigger he fires three red mana projectiles in different areas of the dark alleyway. They disappear out of sight but we hear them make contact with something. What we don’t hear is the clicking, chattering, or screeching of ants. I sweep the darkness with my crossbow waiting for a reaction but nothing has come of Sam’s random shots.

I then feel Bulvo kick the bottom of my shoe again as he says, “Yer turn princess. Try not ta fuck it up.”

“Stop kicking me, asshole,” I call back over my shoulder.

“Then do wha yer told, ya bitchy princess!” he yells back.

Taking aim down the alleyway, I lose five bolts in quick succession aiming inside for the four corners and one in the center. All four make contact with something but none causes a response from an ant.

I roll to my side and look back at the dwarf. “My name is Aria, call me that. Not princess, or elf, or bitch. Aria.”

“Er what?” the dwarf asks me with his hands on his hips. “Ya tell ya rich husband to hire thugs ta take it ta me? Dunna make me laugh. Now both a ya stop yappin and shoo again.”

I shake my head and turn back to the dark alley. Sam next to me fires six shots randomly around the alley and I fire again as well. Nothing happens.

“Lookin like ya led us astray, princess,” the dwarf mocks. “Ya are stupid as ya are cowardly."

I growl under my breath, “I wasn’t the only one who saw it.”

“Dunna blame da human. He be loud, but at least he brah a proper weapon.”

I take a few deep breaths and fire down the alley until my crossbow cartridge clicks empty. That helps me feel a little better and I begin to swap it out with a new one from my ring when I hear familiar clicking and scraping down the alley.

“Shit!” Sam exclaims as three small flaming black spines fly towards the flyer. Two make contact with the steel of the open doorway to the left but one flies over Sam and my heads. I hear a clink and squish behind us then feel a flare of heat and nothing. I finish the reload and, without looking backward, begin firing down the alleyway where I think the spikes came from.

Sam looks over his shoulder and he swears again. Then he turns back to the alley and lets fly with a continuous stream of red mana projectiles with one hand and the other to his ear.

I don’t risk turning away but call, “Target confirmed. We are under fire. Repeat, we are under fire."