Then, New Mexico-Arizona Desert

The expedition avoided getting too close to settlements, be they tent cities struggling to exist on the outskirts of towns and cities, or the paltry remnants of the latter two.

Getting shot at and fireballed the first few times they tried it had led Elliot to embrace caution. Information would’ve been good, but they didn’t need to trade for supplies and reaching their destination was the priority.

They had lost their first people somewhere near the New Mexico-Arizona border.

A monster resembling a giant elk or moose, minus a head, but somehow with antlers growing out of its shoulders, came out of the darkness and gored two guards while swallowing a third with the tri-split mouth on its broad, muscular chest.

Not even the Dread Paladin had been able to kill the thing.

Elliott had been only able to watch in dismay as the dark gray-armored young man was sent flying into the dark desert by the monster’s hoof.

He had been forced to throw everything he had at it.

His best fighters, the Furies, hadn’t fared much better.

Hayden had scorched its fur-covered body with electric chains. Jayde had punched a stone spike into one of its knees. Dayana had appeared on its back and slashed with abandon, creating wounds that bled profusely.

They had barely slowed the monster down before they had to scatter to avoid joining the Dread Paladin.

What had finally driven it away after what had felt like hours had been an innocuous-looking girl. Tall for her apparent age, slender, beautiful even though her face was scuffed up with dirt. He would find out later that the girl, Prim, was with the Furies, Hayden’s squire, which was ridiculous. He knew every person in the expedition. The girl didn’t belong, but he couldn’t get rid of her. Not when there was no place for her to go. Not when he couldn’t afford to anger the Furies.

Let them have their mascot.

Especially, since she appeared to be a talented, if low leveled, Mage.

Prim had dashed toward the stomping monster as it opened its chest-mouth wide to swallow another person whole. A pointed finger. Words screamed. A glowing red orb appeared and shot into the monster’s mouth, firing small sparks as it rotated the entire way.

The monster had turned and fled after that.

Elliot was left to wade through the casualty reports.

No one had gotten any sleep that night.

The Dread Paladin had staggered into camp with a dent that covered most of his chest plate.

It had been a welcome sight to Elliot but didn’t do anything to lift his spirits.

The final tally had been 10 dead and another 40 injured to varying degrees. This meant that he’d need to pull support personnel to fill out his combat squads. Some wouldn’t like it, but they had signed the contracts. That was why there was mandatory training time for everyone in the expedition.

“We’re still hundreds of miles away,” he murmured.

The next few weeks on the interstate was a nightmarish slog.

Monsters attacked at random hours throughout the day and night.

More injuries and death.

Ammunition ran low. The Gunsmiths and Reloaders had fallen behind.

“Find their weaknesses!” Hayden barked.

“My Skill needs more than one encounter to work properly. The more data points the more accurate I can be,” Ledge said.

His squad and the Furies were stationed to the south side of the fortified camp.

They were now under siege from what was possibly the largest coyote pack in known history. It seemed like there were hundreds of the snarling, yipping things attacking from each cardinal direction.

“At least they don’t appear to be mutated giants like before,” Ledge poked his head from behind the barricade to take a carefully aimed shot with his carbine. Had to conserve ammo. That had been the main theme in the countless meetings they’d been having in between getting attacked and picking up the pieces of said attack. He shot one in the head then had to fall back as one member of his squad stepped forward to spear the coyote trying to clamber over the barricade. “They seem to be normal coyotes, which is weird.”

“Normal? I was barely ten when the spires appeared and I’m pretty sure I never learned anything about packs running in the hundreds!” Hayden snarled as she whirled electrified chains around her. One coyote slipped through and clamped down on her armored leg. “Mistake!” she sent a pulse to the spot and stopped the animal’s heart. She didn’t like having to be judicious in the use of her power. It was a lot harder to be precise than to just let it flow. She had no choice. Time between attacks had dwindled precipitously over the last week. There was less time for the energy within her to recharge. There wasn’t anything in the middle of the desert to draw power from. The power lines she had tried had been all dead.

Another coyote got through and jumped on her back, bearing her to the ground. This time the electricity didn’t come when she called on it.

“Magic Missile punch!” Jayde leapt in and brained the coyote.

Hayden pushed herself up and out from under the animal’s corpse. She whipped her chains in a wide arc, small sparks shocked the coyotes enough to keep them back for a moment.

“I’m running low.”

“Same. Down to the starter spells.”

“Get back here, you two!” Ledge called.

A line of shields and spears stepped from the barricade to help the two Furies get back to relative safety.

“Just give me a minute or two,” Hayden waved Ledge away.

“Fine… be that way. So grumpy,” he muttered.

“Where’s Prim?”

“Over there,” Jayde pointed to the opposite end of the barricades. “Don’t worry. Dayana’s got her back.”

Indeed, the dark-skinned Rogue was a flicker of movement as she kept a small area in front of the girl mage free of coyotes.

“She’ll be happier that she can stab and slash at stuff,” Jayde said.

As they took a moment to watch Prim conjured a small orb and sent it flying over the chaotic mass of coyotes. Small streaks of flame shot out as the orb spun through the air following Prim’s gestures. Dozens of animals had their fur set alight with magical flame that proved resistant to being rolled out in the dusty ground.

“We should’ve had her fighting from the beginning. She’s good,” Jayde said.

“You know that’s Kath’s spell? She must’ve taught Prim,” Hayden said. “Kath could do multiple orbs with different spells.”

“Prim’s leveling good. The last few weeks have been great for that,” Jayde said. “She’s going to hit 20 soon.”

“She’s catching up to you,” Hayden said.

“Technically, I should be the same level as Dayana. If you count the two classes I had. So, it’s not my true level considering the consolidation. Besides, I’ve been picking levels up. Way more than Dayana,” Jayde said.

“She’s almost 40,” Hayden pointed out.

“I bet I won’t be far behind after this whole mess,” Jayde said.

“Oh shit! They’re surging!” Ledge called out.

Hayden and Jayde exchanged a look before they rushed back to the front lines.

The sun dipped low on the horizon when as if called by a signal, all the remaining coyotes abandoned the attack and blended back into the desert dusk.

They left hundreds of bodies surrounding the camp.

The kill ratio was close to 40 coyotes for each one of his.

Elliot didn’t take comfort or satisfaction in this. There was no replacing their dwindling numbers.

“Yo,” Ledge walked into his tent without knocking.

“What?”

“It took hours of battle, but I learned something about the coyotes,” Ledge said.

“Too late for that. We killed hundreds. They won’t be back.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but you should hear me out. I’m actually trying this time,” Ledge said.

“I noticed. Doesn’t seem to fit your deal.”

“I might not care for myself, but I care for the others,” Ledge shrugged.

“Okay… what did you learn?”

“Coordination. That is, they were too coordinated. It was too precise. Gave me the impression of a hive mind,” Ledge held up a hand, “I know, that’s bugs, mammals don’t do hive minds and I poked into a few of the corpses and these coyotes appear to be normal.”

“Aside from the hive mind?”

“Well… yeah. I mean normal in that they seem to be just like you’d expect coyotes to be if there wasn’t the whole spirepocalypse thing,” Ledge said.

“So, what can I do with this info?”

“Dunno. You might be right, and they won’t bother us again. Or they could come back even angrier. I’d be pissed if someone cut off my arms,” Ledge said. “If this is a territorial thing, then we should probably get moving as quickly as possible. Then again, a hundreds-strong pack probably needs a whole lot of land to hunt.”

“If we’re lucky, they’ll stick around to eat their dead when we leave. Seems like a waste of meat if I was a coyote hive mind pack,” Elliott sighed. “I thought that headless moose thing was the worst thing we’d have to deal with.”

“Knocked the Dread Paladin of the top of the list?” Ledge raised a brow.

“Nope, still there. It’s just that the dread has become sort of constant and all-encompassing. At some point I stopped being able to tell the difference if I was terrified of him or the next monster attack.”

“Nah, he’s still worse. Monster just want to kill and/or eat you. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dread Paladin needs to sacrifice souls to his dark deity,” Ledge said.

Elliot’s eyes narrowed. Ledge was annoying, but insightful. “What makes you say that?”

“He’s a Paladin. Don’t they serve some kind of higher power? I’m pretty sure our guy isn’t running around doing Charlemagne’s bidding. It’s got to be the latter,” Ledge said.

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

“Might be getting close to cut-off time. Just a thought,” Ledge said as he backed out of the tent.

Elsewhere in the camp Prim dodged through the bustle with the supplies she had managed to pry from the quartermaster by playing on the old man’s kindness.

She passed by the medical tent where healers and medics did what they could for the injured. She heard the sing-song voice of the creepy pastor as the man prayed loudly to a golden angel to heal the suffering. Everyone agreed that the always-smiling man was weird, but his magic worked. Not to mention that the Golden Eagles took their contracts seriously. They wouldn’t jettison someone mid-expedition for being a weirdo. The Dread Paladin was an exception.

The Furies gathered around the fire in front of their tent.

Exhausted, but exhilarated they traded jovial barbs as they ate their MRE.

“They didn’t have marshmallows. Just crackers and chocolate,” Prim staggered into the fire light and deposited her meager haul from the harried quartermaster before plopping down in the folding chair they had set out for her.

“These are saltines,” Dayana waved the box in Prim’s face.

“And this is dark chocolate,” Jayde waved the package Prim’s face.

“It was all they had,” Prim said.

“These ingredients do not make smores,” Jayde sighed.

“It’s better for you,” Hayden said.

“Hey, I had a question,” Prim ventured. When no one said anything, she continued. “How come no one else calls me ‘Swanchild’, like Ledge? I thought it was, like a thing. Everyone gets nicknames, like you’re ‘Sparky’ or something,” she gestured to Hayden.

“Cause Ledge is lame. He tried to get it started, but since it was him no one went for it. He’s basically the only one that calls people those stupid names he gives them,” Hayden snorted.

“I’ve been worried about it for weeks…” Prim said.

“You’ll learn,” Hayden said.

“Speaking of learning. Did you hit 20, Prim?” Dayana said.

“Not yet, but I think I’m close,” Prim said.

“Just keep exploring your magic. That’s how mage-types get most of their leveling. It’s not just shooting fireballs at monsters all day. That helps, but you need to actually deepen the understanding of what you’re doing,” Jayde said.

“I know. That’s what Kath used to say,” Prim’s head and shoulders slumped like she wanted to shrink into herself and hide.

“Head up, back straight,” Hayden cleared her throat. “I mean… Kath was right, and I think she’d have been proud to see how good you’re doing out here with us. Low leveled but standing shoulder to shoulder and fighting monsters.”

“You think so?” Prim’s sad, soft voice held a tinge of hope.

“Absolutely… with that said, I want to offer you a spot on our team. Provisionally…” Hayden said.

“Yeah, you don’t have to say yes or anything. We’ve still got your back,” Jayde said.

“We’re not going to give up your cooking for anything!” Dayana teased.

“The whole keeping you safe has kinda gone out the window, hasn’t it? I figure that your personal safety rises along with your levels and experience,” Hayden said.

Prim looked deep in thought for what seemed like a long time before he brought her head up. Tears ran down to the beautiful smile as she nodded.

“Oh, thank god,” Jayde said. “That was getting awkward.”

The Furies embraced their new provisional member and immediately got down to tactics discussion.

Now, Nevada

Lake Mead was nice to look at as the convoy blazed over the Hoover Dam without slowing. Too many people’s danger senses had pinged as soon as they had gotten close to risk lingering within reach of the water.

“I remember seeing pictures of this thing down practically to the bottom,” Ledge gestured at the water. “Is someone maintaining this? Someone has to be, right?”

The rest of the people in the van, including his own squad and the Furies ignored the man.

Prim felt bad so she spoke. “How can you tell?”

“Well, back in the old days there was a drought. Like I said, the water was super low. They were, like, feet within having to shut down the power plant. No more electricity for a lot of people. One good thing about the spirepocalypse. Nature is healing,” he intoned.

The older people in the van chuckled despite themselves.

“Sure, only took billions dead, but whatever,” Hayden said. “And you didn’t answer her question.”

“How should I know, I’m not a damologist? The dam’s not falling apart after a decade of no maintenance. Probably an encounter challenge or a spawn zone more likely,” Ledge sighed. “Here we are Year 12 P.S. and we’ve still got monuments to our once great country,” he snorted.

“P.S.?” Prim frowned.

“Post Spires,” Ledge smiled. “A new age needs a new calendar.”

“Hell no!” Dayana said. “It’s 2031… or is it ‘32?”

“I think it’s October or November, 2031,” one of the others, a grizzled-looking bear of a woman said in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

“Jennie…” Prim had made it an effort to remember names, “it’s October 28. I saw Ledge’s calendar this morning when I was helping him pack his tent.” She wondered whether the information that Ledge had crossed out 2031 and replaced it with 12. “Wait… shouldn’t it be Year 11… if it’s only 2031?”

“Spires appeared in 2019,” Ledge nodded sagely.

“Thought it was early 2020,” Jennie said.

“Maybe they showed up at different times depending on the area,” Prim ventured.

They all looked at each other for a long moment.

“I’m pretty sure…”

“Nah… or maybe… hmm…”

“Christmas sucked that year…”

“… then that means spires were pre-holidays…”

“My family was poor, so they always sucked…”

The argument continued as they drove through the smaller cities on the way to Las Vegas.

They approached the city from the southeast.

Identical homes in identical tracts as far as they could see. All partially reclaimed by the desert. So much sand and dirt on everything, sometimes piling up in tall dunes against the freeway’s sound walls.

“Didn’t take long for the desert to reclaim it. That’s why it was dumb of them to try to build cities here,” Ledge said.

“You can’t fight nature,” Dayana said. “You can try, but it’ll win eventually.”

Mutated animals appeared sporadically, but they drove fast and dissuaded sustained attacks by shooting and blasting.

“You can fight monsters and mutants,” Jayde said as she pulled her upper body back inside the van. She had lunged out the window to punch a charging mutant road runner in the side of its two-beaked head.

In the lead truck, Elliot scanned the map looking for a good spot to set up camp. “This is going to be a pain. There’s so much stuff in this city that are probably already spawn zones. We might have to set up outside the city,” he murmured, “should we try to clear and claim a spot inside to use as a safe-ish base instead?” There were plenty of motels and smaller hotels off the strip, where all the best looting would be found. He had already seen several. “Take us past the airport and up the freeway,” he instructed the driver, “we can do a drive-by and see what the strip looks like.”

The strip was a strange sight. Completely devoid of life. No monsters as they had seen in the rest of the city. Just sand dunes and weather-eaten vehicles rusting in the sunny, but cool air.

The resort casinos stood as they did when this place had held life. Drunk and vapid, but life, nonetheless.

Elliot thought hard. “Okay, go all the way past and come back, but get off the freeway. I want you to take us directly onto the strip,” he told the driver. “Your danger sense hit when I ordered that?” he turned to the scout seated in the back of the cab.

“Same as it has been this whole drive… like 3 or 4.”

“Alright, signal the convoy. We’re going to drive through. North to south. Keep an eye out for potential base camps. I’m looking for small hotels, motels, hell, a big grocery store will do,” Elliot said.

The oddness continued.

They weren’t attacked by any monster or mutant animals on the silent and nerve-wracking drive through the Vegas Strip.

“Why are there so many buildings? And why are they so big and so close together?” Prim said. “That one can fit everyone back home,” she gazed in awe at a huge hotel with a strangely familiar statue nearby, “wait— I thought that was in New York.”

“A reminder of America’s decadent past. Sin City, this place was once called,” Ledge intoned. “People from around the world came to indulge in all the vices known to man. I remember—”

“Shut up!” Hayden said. “It’s a copy, Prim and yeah, there was a lot more people back then.”

“Okay, let me tell the story,” Ledge patted Hayden on the head, “you were but a child back then, how could you understand—”

“I’ve been to this place. I was like ten. Stayed at Treasure Island, saw a Cirque du Soleil show, ate buffets, played in arcades with my family,” a shadow fell across Hayden’s face, “anyways. It was loud and there were too many drunk and annoying adults, so I don’t think I really enjoyed it much.”

Ledge leaned closer to Prim and whispered. “Cirque du Soleil is like an artsy-fartsy circus acrobatics show. Pretty cool.”

“From the looks of all the hotels, you’ll probably get to see the light show if you’re allowed out here at night. The Bellagio’s fountain show was pretty fun. My husband took me for our last anniversary… before things went to shit,” Jennie said.

The convoy slowed to a halt.

“Alright, people, eyes on every angle including the sky,” Ledge called out as they exploded out of the van and took their positions.

Hayden made sure that Prim was at her back.

A runner dashed up to Ledge. “Captain says to keep watch. The scouts found something,” the young man said.

“What?” Ledge kept one eye trained down the sight of his carbine pointed toward a dark window into a chapel of all things.

“They had a strange feeling. That’s all I heard.”

“Always what I like to hear,” Ledge murmured. If he wasn’t so concerned getting as many of his people through this whole expedition as possible then he would’ve rather enjoyed the threat of constant death. As it was, he was being pulled in two directions. Too much effort for his sort of man.

Now, Las Vegas

Cooper Church.

The Dread Paladin.

The latter was clad in his dark gray plate and chain. Shield in one hand and a long, black blade in the other.

Ever since they had driven into the city, he had a sensation that something was off. No. That wasn’t right. He thought about it and realized that the feeling had started miles outside Las Vegas.

He still felt and fed off the dread the convoy had been generating.

Except, he was shocked to realize, that he himself was now creating it.

Was he afraid?

It seemed that he was.

But of what?

He considered summoning his steed for the comfort of her presence, but the sun was still out, and she didn’t enjoy the light. No, he couldn’t do that merely to ease his worry. The gifts weren’t meant to be used frivolously.

“Uh… everything okay?” Elliot shied away as the Dread Paladin turned his glowing eyes on the skittish Captain.

“What did you want from me… again?” the Dread Paladin rasped.

“That motel,” Elliot pointed to the other side of the street, “scouts thought there was something weird about it. I want you to check it out.”

The Dread Paladin grunted and stalked toward the motel.

He hit a wall as he transitioned from the street to the parking lot.

A scowl beneath the helm.

He tried to walk forward.

Again, he was rebuffed.

He simply couldn’t cross the threshold from sidewalk to motel parking lot.

He finally noticed the notification from the spires beeping in his eyes and ears.

He took a moment to read and listen.

“I want to challenge the claim,” he said.

“You are not powerful enough.”

Unexpected and unwelcome.

He felt the pit in his gut grow heavier. He had forgotten what it was like.

He trudged back to Elliot.

“Someone else has already claimed it,” he rasped.

Elliot blinked like a dumb fish. He signaled and several men and women flanked him as he rushed to the motel and found himself similarly barred. “Who the hell is Cal Cruces?”

“Someone to be wary off. Even I’m not strong enough to even challenge the claim. Maybe if the entire convoy were to do it.”

Elliot shook his head. “No. This guy sounds like someone we don’t want to fight,” he eyed the Dread Paladin, “if even you— no, better not to make unnecessary enemies just as we’re about to get into the meat of our expedition.”

“You’d risk this unknown enemy going unchallenged. What if he’s laid claim to other places? What if he won’t let you loot his treasures?”

“This isn’t pirate times. I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff to go around. Stores restock every day, right? I’m sure we can make a deal. He’d probably appreciate some help clearing these places. If you haven’t noticed most of the places we’ve passed are spawn zones.”

“The powerful seldom like to share. He’d more likely lay claim to everything he can. There’d be no reason not to if we don’t pose a threat. Neither man nor monster…”

The mask slipped bit.

Elliot seemed to stand taller in his presence. “This is the most you’ve ever spoken to me or anyone,” his eyes narrowed. The man found somewhat of a spine, as meager as it was.

The Dread Paladin drew on a gift of his Vow.

Shadows roiled.

Elliot and the others shied away.

Dominance reasserted the Dread Paladin stomped back toward the truck bed he had all to himself.

“I think I made him mad,” Elliot said to the others’ agreements. “Good. He’ll be ready to help us claim a spot. Maybe farther south.” The motel claimed by the unknown man, presumably a man, was only a short distance away from the Strip. He wanted to be away from both.

“Not too far south, though. There’s, like, a lion sanctuary down there,” one of his scouts said.

“No, no,” Elliot agreed. “Giant mutant lions aren’t something I want to face until we’re ready. Maybe if we’re lucky, this guy already took care of them,” he gestured at the motel.

Despite the great distance between them, Cooper heard every word they said. The Dread Paladin made a vow to see these lions after he did what he had to in order to secure a base for these people. They had made an excellent source of what he needed to fulfill the Vow and that deserved some consideration.

They had more for him to reap.