The Karma Moor, a Radi-Mon hunting ground outside Xing Hong

  The Bone Fiend lunged at Jabari's throat. He sidestepped, casual as a man avoiding puddles, and brought his Moonstone Cutlass down on its skull with a satisfying stab.

  "That's four." He checked his Nucleus Watch as the creature fell, Sankofa's heated blade vaporizing the black blood stain as Jabari pulled the cutlass out. The holographic display floated above his wrist:

  Name: Jabari Adomako

  Age: 26

  Race: Maridian

  PRIMAL statistics:

  Power:3

  Resilience:4

  Intellect:3

  Magnetism:4

  Agility:6

  Libido:3

  Occupation: Griot, Emerald Directorate certified

  His Agility of 6 was the reason he could make combat look this easy. Well, that and years of bar fights in Ndovu Zenith.

  The Karma Moor stretched red and desolate around him, scattered with Zephyrium crystals that caught Mars's distant sunlight. According to the bounty posting at Board #5 in Lion District, somewhere in this wasteland was a suspected Draug nest, with a Vuhk-stir. Over six thousand Atomic Dollars pay if he could destroy it and deny the Radi-Mons their reproductive machines.

  Rent was due in three days. Shazmeen at the Slumbering Mantis had been patient, but even her patience had limits.

  A familiar chittering made him sigh. "Of course there's more."

  Two Skuggrs scuttled from behind rusty rocks, their roach bodies gleaming with that subtle but noticeably disgusting secretion the ones in season always leaked. The dog heads growing from their thoraxes dripped green acid that hissed against stone.

  Jabari sheathed Sankofa back on his belt then drew Oya from his back—the Kinetic Crossbow's teal-bronze frame always felt reassuring in his hands.

  [+Weapon switched: Oya, Kinetic Crossbow, Maridian Rogue Variant]

  He said conversationally to the Radi-Mons, "I had a girlfriend who drooled less than you, and she was really into some weird stuff. I wonder what you're into?"

  The first Skuggr hissed and charged. Jabari's finger squeezed Oya's trigger, sending a magnetically accelerated bolt through its center mass.

  The creature tumbled, twitching.

  The second tried to flank him, but his Agility was literally double the creature's. He spun, boldly dropping Oya onto Martian soil to draw Sankofa in one fluid motion.

  [+Weapon switched: Sankofa, Moonstone Cutlass, Venus Tourist Variant]

  The cutlass sang as it cleared its sheath, the pearl-bronze blade made from Venus minerals bisecting the Skuggr before it could spit acid.

  "And that! Is why you don't interrupt a man's internal monologue," he told the corpse.

  Then he heard it—laughter. Female, unconcerned, coming from beyond a rocky outcropping ahead. Either someone was having a really good time, or a really bad one.

  Sheathing Sankofa and picking up Oya, Jabari crept forward, using every point of that Agility 6 to move silently. What he saw made him pause.

  Three bandits surrounded a woman near some kind of ruined Imperial shrine. She stood relaxed in a kimono, looking like a classy lady who more belonged in a teahouse, not the Martian wilderness. Short dark hair, pale skin, and a smile that suggested she knew a joke nobody else did.

  "Buddha's blessed balls, finally someone with three holes!" one bandit said, hungry eyes roaming her body.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "One for each of us!" another added.

  "Such enthusiasm!" The woman touched her chest in mock modesty, the gesture making her kimono shift to reveal a hint of cleavage. "Though you might want to pace yourselves. I can be quite...exhausting, ne?"

  Jabari recognized the technique—seduction as misdirection. His Magnetism 4 meant he knew the game even if he wasn't a master at it.

  "I heard them Proxima bitches can last ten hours in bed!" A bandit growled as he turned to his leader. "Boss, let's goooo!"

  The scarred leader gestured with his rifle. "Alright, breedable cutie. You're coming with us."

  "How boring." She tilted her head, and Jabari saw her hand drift toward something hidden in her kimono. "I was hoping for more foreplay."

  Three on one, and she's joking about foreplay? Jabari thought, eyes squinting. Either she's crazy or dangerous. Possibly both.

  He could walk away. This wasn't his problem. But...

  "Hey!" He stepped into view, Oya raised but casual, like he was ordering drinks. "Quick question: is this a private party, or can anyone join? Because I've got issues with the three-on-one ratio. Really throws off the whole dynamic, you know?"

  All four heads turned. The woman's eyes—irises too dark to be natural—swept over him with an intensity that made his skin prickle.

  "A Griot!" She clapped her hands together. "Oh, how delightful! Are you here to sing us battle songs?"

  "Lady, I charge extra for combat performance." He kept Oya steady but relaxed. "These three get the discount package, though: just violence, no music."

  The bandits exchanged glances. "Back off, Maridian!" the leader snarled. "This isn't your business."

  "See, that's where you're wrong." Jabari's smile was all teeth. "I've got a quota to fill—ten Radi-Mon kills for a bounty. And you three? You look close enough to count."

  "We're human, you fuck!"

  "Are you though? I mean, the smell alone makes me wonder."

  The woman laughed—bright as wind chimes. "Oh, I like him! Tell me, Mister Griot, do you take requests?"

  "Depends on the tip." Jabari replied with a confident grin.

  "I'll give you a good tip: blink!"

  Purple fire erupted from behind the bandits. The middle one didn't even have time to turn back around—the flames caught him square in the spine, and he screamed, clawing at fire that seemed to burn from the inside out.

  From her attire's long sleeve, the woman had pulled out a Spirit Lantern—ornate hexagonal black metal and glass that glowed with violet inner light. The artifact floated beside her head as she made a gesture with her free hand.

  "Shit! It's one of them Worm Witches!" The bandit leader spun toward her, but she was already moving.

  "Rakta Unmāda!" She intoned as the Lantern's glow turned crimson.

  The scarred leader's eyes filled with red rage. He turned and shot his burning companion point-blank, ending the screaming. Then he dropped his rifle, drawing a knife and rushed the third bandit.

  "Buddha forgive me!" The third bandit backpedaled, firing his makeshift rifle wildly.

  Jabari watched from his crouch, Oya forgotten. "So... you didn't actually need help."

  "Of course not." She danced past the frenzied leader with liquid grace, producing a ceremonial dagger that slid between his ribs like it belonged there. "But wasn't it sweet of you to offer?"

  The leader collapsed, the red fading from his eyes along with his life. The third bandit turned to run. "Please, please, Buddha! I must repent—I will repent—"

  "Mā?ikya Su?upti!" The Worm Witch's left hand shot out, pointing at the man as her Spirit Lantern glowed violet once more.

  The runner crashed face-first into the dirt, unconscious before he hit the ground.

  "There!" She flicked blood from her dagger, its amethyst edges glinting. "One left alive to spread the tale. Nothing builds reputation like a survivor's testimony, ne?"

  Jabari stood slowly, holstering Oya. "You know, where I come from, we usually introduce ourselves before the murder."

  "How dreadfully conventional." She smiled, showing pristine white teeth that seemed just slightly too sharp. "Natsukawa Fuuka. And you are?"

  "Jabari Adomako. Currently wondering if I should run." He said, noting her choice to give surname before first name—a signature Imperial habit.

  "From little old me?" She pressed a hand to her chest again, and this time he noticed how calculated the gesture was—designed to draw eyes. "I promise I only murder ugly people. Those uglier than me, that is."

  Her Nucleus Watch showed her stats when she flashed it in front of him, a two-headed oriental dragon carved into its Amethyst dial shimmering.

  "In that case, you'd need to obliterate the whole universe." He commented.

  "Flatterer. I bet you say that to all the girls who murder people in front of you."

  "Actually, you're my first."

  "Then I'll have to make it memorable." She glided closer, and Jabari found himself not backing away. "Tell me, Jabari-san, what brings a Directorate Griot to Mars? The music scene can't be that good."

  "Rent money." He kept it simple. Only his closest friends would know the truth. "Mars pays better for bounty work. All the Zephyrium mining attracts Radi-Mons like flies to shit."

  "How refreshingly honest! Though I suspect there's more to it." She circled him slowly, appraising. "Ex-military Griots don't usually abandon Earth just for better pay."

  "And Proxima mystics don't usually murder bandits in the Martian wilderness. You're far away from home."

  Her smile brightened. "Would you believe I'm on a sacred mission to help defeat Skarn and save humanity?"

  "No."

  "How about seeking ancient Martian artifacts to unlock the secrets of the universe?"

  "Even less."

  "Fine. I'm here because Mars is where interesting things happen." She stopped circling, facing him directly. "Skarn's Fenris Horde is expanding. The city's full of desperate people making desperate choices. And desperate people..." She touched his arm lightly. "...are so much more fun than comfortable ones."

  Jabari studied her face, trying to read what was performance and what was real. "That's the first true thing you've said."

  "Is it, though?" Her smile turned mysterious. "Maybe I really am here to fight Skarn. Stranger things have happened."

  He chuckled. "Right. All by yourself."

  "Who says I'm alone?" She gestured toward the rocky outcropping, smoothly changing subjects. "Speaking of interesting things. That supposed nest, with all the rumored Draugs and Vuhk-stir in there. Care to join me? I promise to share the bounty."

  "And if I say no?"

  "Then you miss out on a fascinating afternoon with a beautiful woman who definitely isn't planning to murder you." She paused. "Probably."

  Against his better judgment, Jabari laughed. "Why not? But if you try to sacrifice me to some dark god, I'm billing you for the performance."

  "Deal!"