HERA

They needed another half day before the doctors deemed Hera fit to walk on her own. Wobbling with a crutch beneath one arm, she wandered the ship aimlessly, lost in the imaginings of prospective futures until some guards clad in strange, lightweight white and sky blue armor told her to stay put somewhere or get off the ship. Energized, sinister-looking rifles at their sides. It turned out her continued residency in the medic bay was a privilege, not a right.

Not once had Zeta awakened. His body had accumulated so much fatigue over the past few days that exploded like a pressurized can when the conflicts all ended. It turned out he wasn’t an alien with an incredible physique; he needed rest just like everyone else. Nevertheless, the fact that he was able to save the passing out for a later time was an impressive feat, likely the result of intense and inhumane conditioning. From Zeta’s own personal accounts of Greenwich Mountain, that analysis wasn’t too far off.

Seriously, what the hell happened up there? A question for another time, she supposed.

Hera spent an hour in her crippled state searching for the surface. She strained to climb the steps but remained determined to see the sun again, even if it was emitting its setting hue by now. The rusting, metallic smell of iron filled her nostrils as she reached the deck, which was now nearly vacant as the crew had all either turned in for the night or gone into the city to relax in the few surviving recreational areas. She imagined the brothel she pretended to work for was a full house tonight.

The reconstruction of Aspic remained at an awkward transitioning between containing the chaos and actual infrastructure repair. The smell of brimstone lingered even though all the fires were long extinguished, a pervasive sour sting of salt filled the air.

New frigates arrived this morning when the situation in Aspic became more apparent to the Technocracy. Massive Technocrat contraptions were offloaded from the ships and into the city. Already they were employed, with machines lifting floor-sized chunks of rubble into square dumpsters while others rolled over irreparable houses and buildings and others brought forth materials that would be used for replacement structures. They were loud, obnoxious behemoths that spout steam and churned cogs hidden within their frameworks. Somehow that made them pleasant. Maybe it was because that churning was working towards a good cause.

Hera imagined what the new skyline of Aspic would look like in a few months. The city was sure to be a different place, that fact was irreversible. But she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d still be around to see it by then?

Is it worth it to stay?

Regardless, the sight compelled Hera to stand at the ship’s bow. She released her armpit, and the crutch fell to the side. She admitted her injuries were far from grave condition and it was unnecessary. Besides, she wanted to lean against the railing.

Even though the ship itself was an iron frigate, the Technocracy still saw it fitting to arm each vessel with a figurehead. The brass outline of a man with flaming hair leaned against the underside of the pointed bow, one hand outstretched as if offering food to the famished. His face was hardened and grim, twisted as if he ate a sour berry. It may have been a dramatic interpretation, but she knew exactly who it depicted.

Magnus Ora. She knew her mistake. If Zeta started asking she’d politely tell a lie.

From his expression, it was no wonder the man was such a controversial figure. It was no question as to why Zeta hated him. Personally, Hera had no opinion, but she could empathize with both sides. However, Zeta needed to learn not to bring the subject up in every town they crossed. She needed to teach him.

They? Teach him? What the hell. Why had she already given up on Aspic?

Why was she planning for something that didn’t exist?

Bang! The moron was as silent as a cat. As if summoned by her thoughts, Zeta crept to her side and announced himself with a coughing fit.

He sick manner had yet to disappear, but there was a warm aura surrounding him, replacing the previous electric beckoning of paranoia and imminent death that he usually wore. Hera questioned nothing as they faced the worn city together. The sun lit the countryside as a suitable background, briefly washing away all the destruction of their picturesque view, a yellow dial dominating the horizon.

“You’re up early,” Zeta said meekly.

“You’re up late. It’s been over a day,” she replied.

“Guess I got lost in a dream.” A great sorrow sat upon his shoulders like the ghost of a burden. “I’m sorry.”

She raised an eyebrow, staring at the street where her home used to be, now a pile of splinters. “For this? This is far from your fault.”

“No. This is just a part of it. I’m the problem. I drag trouble with me.”

Hera gave him a light shove. It may have been a mistake as neither of them was in a condition to withstand a significant force. “Idiot. Now you realize that? Zeta, the path you laid out for yourself only leads one way, and this is the baggage you must bring. Didn’t you know that when you left that mountain? Greenwich?”

He sighed. “To tell the truth, I haven’t laid any path at all. Sir Kagan did. He offered his years to construct the ‘Servant of Humanity.’ I’d disgrace the dead if I turned away from what he wanted for me.”

“Wait, so your philosophy isn’t your own? This path wasn’t your choice? Are there other–” The questions flooded out before she stopped to analyze if they were worth asking.

He grinned. “All can be answered in time.”

She raised an eyebrow. “In time?”

Zeta leaned on the railing, resting his aching body and gazing to the torn city. “I’ll answer the first one. Yes and no. Sir Kagan laid the foundation, but the crops each of us grew were our own decision. ‘Life is a game of luck, but sometimes we have a degree of choice over the chances,’ he used to say. Granted, I personally believe Sir Kagan himself had the purest interpretation of the concept. Yes, he was the founder, but he was also right.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I’ll be blunt. Living on a mountain for twenty years, I underestimated everything. I have no idea how this world works, yet I want to heal it. I have to heal it, to honor Sir Kagan’s legacy. I would have failed had I not met you.”

Hera raised her nose. She took care to not let the pride swell in her head. “Well, I’m glad you understand that.”

“My sword is dull, and I hardly used it. It needs sharpening, but I’m not a blacksmith. Someone else has to fix it whenever it breaks, or when it needs correction. There are parts of reality that a mountain boy like me cannot comprehend. No amount of books or hearsay can trump experience. It’s a shame that experience in this career comes at the gamble of my life.

“I’d rather have an anchor. Someone who knows what they’re doing, and despite coming from a different background in another environment in a completely different city, I want their respect. I also want them to respect this world and all its flaws. I want them to respect humanity, my glorious master.”

Annoying. “Stop dancing around the topic and say it. You want me to help you. Not just here in Aspic, but… What? Do you want a sidekick?”

He didn’t pass her a glance. Reading his body language, which shied away and reddened, she assumed the answer was yes.

Hera scoffed. “That’s quite a serious proposal. Asking me to just uproot everything and chase some stranger who constantly has one foot in the grave. I’m astonished you dare to ask me that, Zeta. Just look at me right now,” she gestured to her bandages, “this is what I am after working with you.”

He sighed. “I expected you to say that. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

“I never refused, idiot.”

He went white with perplexion.

She laughed. Oh, how it felt good to do so sincerely. No mockery, no humiliation, no insanity, just laughter for laughter’s sake. Rejuvenating.

“I ran here years ago, and somewhere along the way, I forgot the soul of my stay here was the product of that escape. Aspic is nothing but a safe space for someone like me. I was cocooned here, but a lame butterfly emerged, with no care about anything or anyone except how much money she could make in the next week. Then the week after that, and after that, and you get the point. You might have ignited a fire, Zeta, but it’s not your fault that this city was made of timber.

“I don’t have a home to return to, both literally and figuratively. If I moved onto this ship this very second, it would be a seamless transition, for I have nothing but my soul and my body. What good are those if I let them rot away? I won’t help you, Zeta, I can do better.”

She raised her fingers to quotations and imitated his voice. “I’ll be a Servant of Humanity.”

Apparently, it was just what he wanted to hear. Zeta probably didn’t even realize that until his ears registered the words.

After almost fainting, Zeta relapsed with joy. “You’re serious?”

She smacked him on the head. Friendly. Gentle. “Of course I am! Honestly, it shouldn’t even be a question. If I let you leave her alone, you won’t survive crossing the sea.”

“That’s…reassuring?”

“Besides, you can’t refuse a debtor when they try to pay what they owe. The merchant’s golden rule and you definitely don’t want to get on the bad side of a businesswoman. I only feel the compulsion to see the world because of your boasting. The least I can do is ensure you don’t die by throwing yourself into the viper’s pit.”

He smiled. “I’m ashamed to have to admit it so early in my journey. When I arrived here several days ago, I imagined Aspic as the greatest city in the world. However, now, it seems so small. In a way, you’ve already paid that debt off, Hera. I’ve been saved from dangers that haven’t even been conceived.”

All she could do was shake her head. Zeta was right in admitting his naivety, yet he had no desire to cure it. The thought of the greater world fascinated him, and in a way it was…

Charming.

“There’s so much you don’t know, Zeta. Tell me, have you ever met one of the other races. The Vampires, Dwarves, or Giants? Have you seen a Demon breach Hell to enter our world? Do you know its history or its culture? I know you’re eager to see everything, but have you ever stopped to consider what it will all be for? Zeta, what do you want to do.”

“I want to go to the Selatin.” His answer was straightforward, recited. “That’s step one. I’ll figure out where to go from there.”

Hera shivered. If the mention of Magnus Ora was Zeta’s taboo, then the Selatin Kingdom was Hera’s. At least she didn’t go berserk and try to cut his head off. “Maybe wait a while, okay?” she said in a sweet tone.

“Also, it is the role of a Servant of Humanity to play to his or her master's ultimate whims. It's impossible to please millions of people with the same act,” he pointed to the beach where Balder Rex died. “As proven, but that is why I must search to solve the conflicts that everyone cares about. Hera, what do you think Humanity unanimously desires.”

Not wanting to ponder deeply on such a broad yet complex question, she spat out the first thing to come to mind. “World Peace.” Ugh, what a boring answer.

Zeta nodded with a wry grin. “Precisely. Such a task is an insurmountable challenge, something that no single man can achieve. Nevertheless, I’ll dedicate my life toward that goal, it doesn’t matter what as long as it’s what my master wants. If Humanity wanted nothing but utter chaos, I’d show my support by behaving as Balder Rex did to Aspic.”

“Morality isn’t a factor?”

“No, but I think both of us should be glad that the world isn’t completely insane. Although that might be up for debate.”

“Do you have a plan for this pipe dream?”

“Yes,” he said. Zeta’s eyes went without blinking as he said the next words without hesitation. “I’m going to collect all the Magnum sigmas. Take them from the hands of the dangerous and put them to use for the good of humanity. Even if the only good thing about them is that they’re locked away.”

That was it. A dam broke. Suddenly Hera felt like she stepped on a landmine and the door shut behind her. There was no way Zeta could be genuine. The Servant of Humanity position seemed to have highly questionable intent.

“Zeta, that’s impossible! Please don’t tell me you actually plan to pursue that goal! People have spent whole lifetimes trying to accumulate the Divinity needed to wield a Magnum sigma. Hell, its the biggest reason there aren’t mass sigma hoarders these days. Everyone dreams of owning one, but two? Not even a fairy tale could make up something that ridiculous.”

She expected him to respond with hostility. Instead, his gaze was cold, yet not cruel. “Aren’t you forgetting something, Hera? The world is changing.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved a small yellow bead akin to the one Hera wore around her neck.

An Ora Charm.

She wanted to continue the argument, but the energy was lost. In fact, it had been converted to the opposition. It was ridiculous, impossible…

But who cared? Her house was destroyed. Aspic was crumbling, and she had nothing but her injuries, her sigmas, and the stranger beside her.

No, he wasn’t a stranger. He was Zeta, a Servant of Humanity. A model human being. A moral luxury of high dreams and bitter realities. Everything in that life was based on chance. However, if an element of luck is involved, there is an option to win.

So why not go for it? What did she have left to lose?

“Fine,” she said, “but I want some Magnums too if we find them.”

“When we find them.”

“Whatever.”

He started to laugh. The sun on the horizon was now a thin arch barely squirming above the countryside trees. Starlight replaced the sky, bright and gorgeous with beholding. When it wasn’t filled with monster and explosions, the dark of the night was beautiful.

“Maybe we can manage with a few other people,” Zeta said, his voice mellowing out with exhaustion. “Hera, I’m thankful that you’ll assist the cause, but are you sure you’re not leaving anything behind?”

“No. Nothing that I think I need to keep around. There’s Igel, but…we don’t need each other anymore, and I think he knows that as well. Technically he summoned this fleet, you know.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Igel needs Aspic more than I do. He’s a Servant of Humanity in his own right and probably the perfect fit to stay in this city. Unlike me, he was born here. I’ll part ways with him properly.”

“That’s excellent to hear.”

A wave of crewmen flooded out of the ships, receiving an evening’s bell to assist reconstruction efforts. Zeta and Hera paused in silence, resting their broken bodies on the ironclad ship. The mere existence of such a titanic behemoth was a frightening yet awesome prospect to what Hera might see in the wider world. She accused Zeta of knowing nothing about the Sigma World, and though at first, she refused to admit it…

She wanted to know more about that world too.

Complete Collapse - Devastation: Contact with any large structure, namely a statue, building, or machine, will cause the targeted structure to break down into its worn components and beyond repair. (9150).

(A) Apply suitable force like a push or pull to a part of the targeted structure. Applicable structures are classified as having a fixed foundation or a mass greater than 2000 kg. Must be abiotic. Works at best when applied to a support of some kind. (!) Bringing the house down on top of the user does not guarantee the user’s safety.