Chapter 6

The vast expanse of the Wasteland was mind-wrenching in its emptiness. Having been raised in the highly contained floating city, Denisovich found herself suffering a sharp case of discomfort, bordering on agoraphobia.
“Not your first time,” she muttered, a weak reassurance. Despite having no clear destination in mind, she was at least clear on a direction. As long as she headed east and didn't turn south at all, the temperature would continue to be survivable. No one ventured too deep into the midlands, parts of the country that had been desert even before the bombs fell. There were rumors of nomadic tribes led by enlightened or crazy medicine men but she paid them little attention. It was simply impossible for human or vampire life to sustain itself in the blistering heat of the south.
Keeping both blades loosely sheathed while gloves, hood, Breather and goggles were tightly fastened, she set out into the shimmering brightness.

~~
Cassus Nestor did not usually mind being a serf. While the generous may have attributed this to some kind of indomitable spirit, the truth that Cassus himself well knew: he was simply too simple-minded to be overly bothered. He was up here, the zombies were down there and that was all that mattered. If he had to line up once a month to have a significant amount of his blood emptied into sterile sub-zero temperature containers, well...small price.
Being unambitious, with perhaps a touch of dimwit to accommodate such, Cassus was not particularly suitable for any kind of skilled labor. He was, as the LiqNit technicians liked to refer to him, a Drainer. There to feed on. Most of the time, he found himself charged with sweeping the streets or cleaning the hoods of ventilation shafts...jobs formerly handled by robots before much of the Old Tech was lost. Now, the only automatons were the KingKillers, which made up the Adjudicator's gendarme and gave Cassus the creepies.
The disadvantage of being a lowly Drainer was that it was easy for the Higher Ups to shove undesirable jobs on you, which was what landed Cassus in his current position standing outside a plain black building adorned with a single red flag emblazoned with a black sun. There was no lock on the gate; one would need to be suicidal or crazy to come here uninvited. He fingered the tassel on the end of his delivery, the one he'd been promised guaranteed his safety. The Adjudicator's seal was only good if he lived long enough to present it.
Cassus Nestor sucked in several breaths, intended to be calming but sounding more like a Squee giving birth (assuming they did).
“Come on, Nestor. Man up. Just a messenger. Who knows, maybe they'll be pleased and reward you.” Though this was a tantalizing promise, Cassus twinged, knowing Atreans were better known for their capriciousness than their generosity.
It took several muscle cramping tugs before he was able to pull the door open wide enough for him to squeeze through. The room was lined with huge windows, leaving no need for artificial lighting. At the end of this intimidating foyer, a door obscured another room, but did little to stifle the sounds of combat emanating from it.
Reminding himself once again that this was the barracks of the Sapphire City's elite security force, Cassus scurried down to the door, ignoring his pounding heart. His entrance was less than graceful, but thankfully, everyone seemed too busy to even notice.
“Everyone” here referring to the two vampires making scrap of several large robots. The bots were not androids, bearing closer resemblance to insects and they were huge, with 2 to 8 legs, some armed with spinning blades and razor sharp claws. They climbed the pillars and across the low ceiling, moving with great dexterity. Cassus found himself entranced by their non-humanoid movements, yet even more by the two figures in the center, feet firmly planted on the red mat which covered the floor.
He saw the female first. Her hair was a bright blonde, the color of the sun before ash covered and distorted its light. Cut to her neck in the back, save a long braid in the middle, and chopped bangs in the front, her hair seemed to have no practical purpose. A short braid hung in front of her left ear, which whipped around as she moved. She wore tightly fitting shorts and a cropped shirt which permitted full mobility and showcased a body of toned muscle structure. She moved with a viper's grace and lethality, leaping over this bot's pincers to grab a metal bar to shove through that bot's computer brain. At times, Cassus found himself incapable of fully following her actions; they were too quick and complicated.
The other figure was equally impressive in his abilities to dispatch enemies. A huge man, naked to the waist, with a thick ponytail of dark red hair which hung down his back like a mane. He moved impossibly fast for a man of his frame, the taught muscles turning him into a torpedo. Metallic limbs flew across the room, heads collapsed inward and never an opposing blow was landed.
Cassus Nestor's brain was trying to tell him to close his mouth but he wasn't inclined to listen. These were the Titans, warriors of legend. Even now, a nasty scar, healed but angry looking, crossed diagonally down the man's chest, a testament to his battle with House Thyestes' monster Enforcer, Vesuvius. Rhynharken Kristallnacht alone could boast surviving such an encounter.
Finally, his mind reconnected with the rest of him and Cassus made his presence known.
“Your pardon, lords...” he began, afraid his meek voice would not carry over the sounds of fighting. These concerns were quickly dispelled when the girl, her body shining with perspiration commanded “Off!” forcing all the robotic terrors to power down. Both Atreans turned to stare at the human, but it was the leonine Rhynharken who spoke first, his great torso rumbling as he laughed.
“There are no “lords” here, boy. So don't be so formal.”
Forgetting himself and his fear, Cassus questioned the two as they walked towards him, no longer even breathing heavily.
“Buit you are pure bloods. And you're here. I don't understand.”
The female—Heydrich--stared at him balefully, but Rhynharken laughed again.
“If you think the only dichotomy here is between neophytes and pures, you've got no more sense than a NIL.”
Emboldened by the warrior's easy demeanor, the laughter which danced in his feline gold eyes, Cassus continued.
“I've never seen anyone fight like you.” This time Heydrich answered, shrugging her shapely shoulders in resignation.
“Have to entertain ourselves somehow. Tavian hasn't had needs of our services for decades.”
“I've heard stories but I never-”
“What do you want, human?” Heydrich cut him off sharply, yanking him back to the cold reality that he was alone with the most dangerous beings in the Sapphire City.
“Leave the lad be, Hey, he looks fit to piss.”
Heydrich spun away in disgust, her blonde tail whipping over her shoulder.
“I-I bring a message from the Adjudicator,” Cassus stammered. Heydrich snorted.
“If this is about that incident in Konstanin's Tavern, I do not believe the changing atmospheric conditions is proper excuse for piss poor ale.”
Cassus held out the tasseled cylinder. Rhynarken broke the seal, unwinding the parchment. A feral smile broke open his face.
“Heydrich Veronika, come and see. The little man has brought us good news.” His sister read over his shoulder, her entire demeanor changing. She moved with seductive grace and power of a lynx as she sauntered around Cassus, trailing a finger across his shoulders.
“And would the brave messenger like a reward now?” she whispered enticingly in his ear. His mind flashed to all the other rumors he knew. Drawing in a steady breath, Cassus Nestor performed what was likely to be the bravest act of his life.
“Lady, grateful as I am, I understand that the majority of those you reward find themselves dead for the exertion.”
Heydrich laughed, the sound like hot metal.
“Human hearts are so fragile,” was the only explanation she offered. The bemused looking Rhynharken jerked his head towards the door. On shaky legs, Cassus moved away from the sparring room. At the door, the commander handed him a LiqNit cylinder, murmuring,
“A drink on us, lad.”
Cassus nodded and dashed off, ready to be anywhere else. Rhynharken closed the door after he was gone and when he looked back, his sister was already dressed in a fitted body suit. The two smiled.
“Gather the kids, sister. Tomorrow we go hunting.”