Azura kept the sky car low and fast, zooming through the frozen wastelands between us and Meowlith Prime. Snow covered landscapes zipped before our eyes, too quickly for us to pick out any fine detail. We needed to escape any sensors from the Gellical Collective in orbit. The Corpos had lost the battle in a matter of days. Their small carriers and fighters were no match for the colossal power of an Ascension ship.

Yeti was there at the platform to see us off, waving a small handkerchief as we left, being his usual ass of a self. Echo, Uwu, Noodle, Ash, and myself all boarded the red air car and promptly departed without a moment to lose. Now, we all sat nervously shifting about the air car interior.

It would have reeked of sweat and musk if not for the expertly crafted interior air control system. I was thankful for crime. If Azura hadn’t stolen this car, who knows where the Meowtlaws would have been.

The city soon loomed into sight, growing ever bigger; the sites of war becoming ever clearer. Some fire raged here and there, giving off a faint orange glow. Half standing sky scrapers lingered as a reminder to their once great construction.

I took a deep breath. This was going to be terrible. Who knows what we would see in that city.

The intercom chimed up, “Alright, ja stakki yardies, we ‘bout to touch down. Get ya asses ready!”

We held on tight as our stomachs sunk into our bladder. The ship zipped up over the walls of the city and into the streets. Buildings with blown out windows, rubble piles, scorch marks and craters, the city was in its all-time worst state. I looked away to Uwu to take my mind off it. This is what civil wars, revolutions, and uprisings caused, but sometimes there was no other way to solve a problem.

Uwu held me tight, pulling me close. The sweet smell of his cologne covering up the slight musk of his fur brought a little peace of mind. I smiled, thinking how much I loved him. I looked up to see Ash smiling at me. I smiled back to be polite. I had no clue how to move that whole situation forward. It was a great time last night, but would I want it to continue? I hadn’t thought about it much. There wasn’t much time.

The ship lurched to a quick stop, and the doors flipped open. “This ya stop. Come back in won piece, ja hear?” Azura chuckled over the intercom.

We filed out, one after the other. Our feet stomped down into dust, snow laden streets. A cloud whipping up around us as Azura took off as fast as she had landed, disappearing in an instant.

The air smelled of decay and raw sewage. I winced and covered my mouth. I coughed a few times to clear my throat from all the air pollutants, “Which way, Captain?”

Uwu pointed to an empty, dark building with its doors blown off, “Let’s get inside and plan out a route.”

We stomped indoors, but the smell followed us everywhere we went. Dirt, trash, and snow littered everywhere. Nothing was safe from the destruction.

Echo’s raspy voice picked up, “I guess the cities heating isn’t active everywhere. Maybe damage from the fight?”

I shrugged as I looked out on patches of the city covered in ice and snow, and others just the way they were when we go to Meowlith Prime.

Uwu pulled up a hollow map of the city, kneeling for all of us to see. Echo took up point at the doorway, while I was keeping a watch of deeper in the building, the dark shadows playing tricks on my eyes.

My hand fell to my pistol. I was happy to have my skin-suit back. The heels were a welcome comfort for when I needed it. Extra mobility was always nice to have as a human. I flipped my hood up, the HUD system coming online after a bit of static jank. Walter did say it wasn’t tip-top shape. It scanned the darkness, nothing. I turned back to Uwu with a small sigh of relief.

He pointed around the map, “Ash, you’ve been through these streets. This here is the most direct path.” A line ran from our current location to the meeting spot by the metro station. “Is there anything obstructing us from this route?”

Ash bent down, examining the map. Her finger tapped against her mouth a few times, “Mmm.” She pointed to a cross street, “This place here is blocked off from a fallen building. Inside are a bunch of degenerates hold up and calling the place their new-found empire. We should stay clear of that and move this way.” Her finger traced out another route, slightly longer, “It is safer for us, and has lots of cover. It’s pretty much been looted out, so not many people go this way.”

Uwu nodded, “Perfect.” He closed the map, pulling his pistol to bear, “Alright team, arm up and let’s move out. Echo, take point. I’ll follow up rear. Noobies, stay with Vixie.”

I let out small groan. I didn’t want to play babysitter now, or ever.

“Keep your eyes up and stay to cover. No open areas. We might see some fucked up shit out here, but we must stay on mission. Bury everything until we all get back safe. Got it?” Uwu glanced around for conformation.

We all nodded, save for Ash, who saluted the Captain, “Aye, aye, sir!

Uwu glanced at me and shrugged, “Let’s get moving.”

We trekked through the war struck city, keeping our eyes out for any crazies trying to take potshots at us. Our fears were warranted as random gunfire echoed distantly around the city.

I leaned into Ash, “What’s with those empire guys? You think they would join forces instead of sitting on their own team.”

Ash shrugged, jumping at the sound of a distant gunshot. “Just a bunch of losers we stay away from. Some of the guys I traded with said they have red skirts and red mohawks, worshiping some ancient Earth civilization. They’re a bunch of freaks if you ask me.”

“Interesting…” I stopped and took up position behind some rubble, pulling Ash along with me. Noodle dipped behind us.

Echo had his hand up, his ear twitching about. He pointed around the corner before jogging back to us. “Some sort of commotion up ahead. Doesn’t sound lethal, doesn’t sound good either.”

Uwu nodded, “Let’s check it out.”

A savory smell crept into the air, blocking out the awful stench of decay. We crept up to the corner of the street, glancing around. There was a small crowd gathered around a man standing on a pile of rubble, shouting into the street. A small fire was next to him with some sort of spit set up, roasting meat.

I could barely hear him when a Gelly ship zoomed by overhead, drowning out all sound. We reflexively ducked. Echo covered his ears, wincing.

“Is there any other way around?” Uwu gazed at Ash, hoping for a positive answer.

Ash gave an uneasy smirk, “Not unless we want to backtrack a mile.”

My heart sank into my stomach. This damn city was a pain in the ass. Just one thing after the other.

Uwu grabbed his cloak out of his pack, “Cover up. It doesn’t look dangerous. We need to just pass by. Don’t draw any attention to ourselves. We are just lost and trying to find refuge.”

We covered up with our cloaks. I didn’t like the sound of this, but there was no other way. We stalked out into the street, keeping a good distance away from the crowd. My hand sat on my pistol, the other keeping my cloak closed shut.

I could see several humans in the crowd, with a load of Anthros. All of them looked dirty and exhausted. The only people out in the city now were the crazy, the unlucky, or both.

The savory smell was getting stronger now. Smoke drifted and the fire sizzled.

Echo piped up, turning back to us, “This guy’s a loon. Let’s get through here asap.”

I wasn’t sure what Echo was talking about until we got closer to the crowd, then it hit me. The man was shaved head with fresh cuts along his head in the same manner the Gellys did. Fresh scabs covered his head and arms as he flung them about, shouting to the crowd.

“If you seek redemption, now is the time to give up your body and soul to the Gellical Collective and the One True God! If you find yourself an Anthromorph, it is time to kneel and subjugate to the will of our God, praying for forgiveness and mercy for your wicked souls!”

A small group of similarly disfigured people, both Human and Anthro, stood around the fire with makeshift weapons in hand, guarding the food roasting.

I winced at the words spoken by the Sermon. I’ve heard shit like this my whole life. It was venomous as a child, and it was just as wicked now. I wanted nothing more to shut his guy up. My hand twitched on my pistol. I looked around my comrades, and I could see it on their faces too.

Just keep our heads down and keep out of trouble.

The mob of people began to chant and whisper amongst themselves. The Sermon pulled a knife from his robes; red crust was clinging to the blade.

“Mark yourself for salvation. Ascend into the heavens! Who shall be the first among you? Hmm, mark yourself and eat your stomach full!” He looked around the crowd. People shifted nervously, licking their lips, whispering amongst themselves.

My eyes glared at him.

He scanned over to me and our eyes met.

Fuck.

“You there! Pledge your loyalty!” He held the knife outward and the crowd turned to us. Their desperate gaze was making me uneasy. I’ve seen that look before. They looked hungry, starving.

My eyes scanned the crowd, landing on the fire through a gap in the mob. Roasting on the fire was some meat. Not just any meat, but the legs and arms of people, sizzling away.

My eyes shot back to the Sermon. I was uneasy. The moment of silence lasted forever. I glanced back at Uwu.

“Just keep walking.” He pushed me on.

“Look there! The unbelievers! Blasphemers! Full of sustenance and supplies! They ignore the One True God! They do not deserve what should be yours, granted by GOD!” His knife tip pointed right at us now. “Bring us the unbelievers, and you shall feast in God’s great glory! God has granted us this feast, you only need but to obey!”

The guards at the fire began pushing through the crowd, urging them to join in. Some of the mob stepped forward; their bodies emaciated from starvation.

This wasn’t good.

I whipped off my cloak and pulled my pistol up at the Sermon. I lined up the shot and fired before they could close the gap.

Boom.

All hell broke loose.