Free Mercenary Road by Hideyuki Kikuchi Page B

to bring me back to town?”
    “We can’t do that, missy,” Strider replied, giving her a strangely gentle pat on the shoulder. “See, our job is to rescue everyone who’s escaped the soldiers’ clutches. We can’t put that on hold just for little old you.”
    “But I’m one of the people who escaped from them! Take me back to town, already!”
    “Sorry, but you’ll have to go back alone.”
    “That’s crazy! What am I supposed to do if I run into those creeps?”
    “Don’t worry. Pretty boy there and the two of us got rid of them all.”
    “No way am I going back all alone. If they were to catch me again . . .”
    An intense fear drained the blood from the girl’s face.
    “Then come with us.”
    “What?”
    “It’s not like you have another option. You’re one of the people we’re supposed to rescue. I’ll take real good care of you.”
    “Who in their right mind would want you to—”
    “Let’s go,” Stanza said to her. They were the first words the woman had spoken since reaching the bunker.
    “But I—”
    Irene was confused. She had no confidence in the chances of returning safely on her own. But if she went on, they’d be diving right into the thick of the supernatural troops. Still, she’d probably be better off with these three than by herself. As the girl’s eyes honed in on D, they seemed to melt away in rapture again.
    D said, “Go back alone.”
    “Excuse me?” Strider exclaimed stupidly.
    Stanza merely gave D a look of suspicion. “Why?”
    “She’ll just be in the way,” D replied, getting right to the point.
    “But this girl’s one of the people we’re supposed to rescue!” Strider said.
    “That’s right.” Stanza agreed. “Our reward covers her, too. I’m not about to let it go to waste.”
    “We’ve already rescued her. There are no soldiers behind us. She could make her way back with her eyes closed.”
    “No, not on your life!” Irene said, backing away. Circling around behind one of the cylindrical pillars, she continued shaking her head.
    “If you run into the enemy on your way back, just chalk it up to bad luck.”
    As D pelted her with one heartless remark after another, Irene could only stare dumbfounded at his lips. This man was about to abandon her, yet she couldn’t hate him. The young man’s beauty was such that it undermined her emotions with confounding ease.
    “My mind is made up. I’m going with you.”
    “Yeah, you should do that,” Strider said with a nod.
    “Make her go,” said D.
    “We’re all supposed to be on the same team,” Stanza interjected. “So that makes it two votes against your one. Majority rule.”
    Silence flowed by.
    “Do as you like,” D said in a resigned tone. He had two “partners,” and more baggage. In all truth, it probably didn’t matter either way. “But you two are responsible for looking after her.”
    “Understood,” Stanza said before turning to face the girl. “You don’t have any weapons, do you?”
    Not even waiting for Irene to shake her head in reply, she pulled an old-fashioned gunpowder revolver from one of her coat’s inner pockets and put it into the girl’s pale hand.
    “Just pull the trigger and you can get off six shots. It’s got a pretty good kick to it, so take aim well. For a beginner, about fifteen feet’s a good range. Let them get close before you fire. Don’t be scared—got it?”
    Nodding, Irene tucked the weapon through the belt on her slacks. Perhaps she was at peace with the weapon, because her movements were calm.
    “Let’s get a move on,” Strider said, getting to his feet.
    D was already headed toward the door.
    Just then, heaven and earth shook. Cracks shot through the concrete-reinforced ceiling and walls, and pieces of them started to rain down.
    “Wh—what the hell is going on?” Strider stammered, batting away falling concrete with the tip of his longsword’s sheath.
    “Bombing, I take it,” said Stanza. Her eyes were turned up toward the