The Isekai App

Winnies walk. They don't run; they're stiff and huge and their bodies demand a certain inflexibility to remain upright at all. Imagine seeing an elephant moving fast; it doesn't gallop or trot. It just walks quickly, because it's so huge and heavy. The elephant still charges and is hauling ass, but at no point would you confuse it for a greyhound or cheetah.

Elephants also have four knees. Molly had been altered by us, modded. She was like a huge greyhound now, lanky and with complex leg joints that allowed for absurd flexibility and speed.

She galloped. She was lithe and limber and it was impossible and glorious. Her body stretched far, far out, her long legs reaching, reaching, then bundling up beneath her, then reaching again, and I realized I was in trouble.

"Slow down! Slow down a little bit, good girl, we're not ready for you to be so awesome yet!"

ROGER

And she began cantering, which allowed me to breathe again, but was the roughest ride I'd ever experienced. Imagine speedbumps the size of houses and you get the idea. I rose, fell and thumped into Molly's hide over and over; catching air each time.

"Hey sound off!" I shouted into the phone.

"HELL YEAH!" Said Lir.

"We're in the Houseplants," Ruhk said. "All present. Mabruk just made it."

"We didn't lose anyone?"

"You wish!" Amalthea said. "I left my sub back there but this kicks a lot more ass. Question for Rebound: you set Molly up with antigravity Runes, can you control them?"

I was still bouncing around. "Urk…ouch, man…yeah! I can tune them from here, what do you have in mind?"

"When you say tune, can you toggle graviton filtering?"

"Yeah, that was the fourth video lesson…" I suddenly got it. "Ohhhh…water! Mabruk, you're the local expert, can the City withstand that?"

"Absolutely, whole place is one giant irrigation project. Go crazy!"

We watched Lux's show about it later. We saw the burning city against an orange sky, the skyscraper-sized trees wrapped in flames reflected in shallow water. Gardeners were out by the thousands, filling the sky like multicolored paper lanterns, suppressing the spread of flames with their various Magics.

Lux's voice: "We later learned that the flames were resistant to Magic or UFP effects. The Covenant had found a way to use Runes to block extinguishing spells, as well as intent of creation being nullified."

Our destination was made of towering round, fat trees that housed thousands of Gardeners. Tall glass walls had been constructed all around the city; Gardeners didn't like the wind but loved sunlight.

The delicate terraced fields and paddies around the bases of the huge trees were burning. Gardeners were zipping about, doing their best, but some deviltry was at work with the flames and the fight was going poorly.

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"The Covenant has just claimed responsibility for this attack," said Lux in voiceover. "Stand by…what? Who is this? Mateo!…what are you idiots doing now? WHAT? Okay focus to the West, guys…oh my god those lunatics…" And the camera drones rotated.

I don't know why the editors decided to leave that audio in, but it sure set the stage.

Cinéma vérité.

Lux did something to her voice, or perhaps she was already hooked in to a public broadcast network. Either way she blasted out to the thousands of Gardeners trying to stop the flames: "All personnel on fire control! Ascend as high as possible! Aid is arriving from Caravan! Go up, UP, quickly! Everyone, all right?"

The thousands of multicolored lights did as she asked. They rose like bubbles in soda, straight up or wiggling side to side, heading up, away from the flames. I later found that there were people on the ground, but they survived. Whew.

The West-facing drones caught video of a dark mass approaching. It was lit by Runes, glowing all colors. Moving with surreal speed. The glass windbreak walls clearly allowed the cameras to see its rapid advance.

And the curved mountain of water following it.

"Are you serious?" Lux shouted, her voice echoing through the city. "Everyone get as high up as you can!"

The huge thing charging the City of Trees was Molly. Her bark skin was suddenly blazing a surprising crimson, with what might have been flames coursing along its length. Her antlers were bigger now, and didn't have any branches: just single spikes to each side in long curves, forming a pincer the width of a football stadium. Her tiny eyes blazed like suns.

And behind her, following her: a wall of water almost as tall as Molly herself, far wider than she was, wider than the City. It was smooth, clear; no foam or mud or perplexed fish. It was a wave the height of a skyscraper.

The huge being wasn't stopping.

"Get clear of the–" said Lux

Molly's head and its two long, curved horns met the windbreak. It shattered instantly, becoming a cloud of glass. It slowed Molly not at all, not in the least. She charged into the city, down the fortunately broad spaces between building/trees. Through the flames. Past the astonished Lux and her drones.

And the river came with her. That wave burst into the city as fast as Molly had been running, a gigantic gleaming mass, dark and cold, reflecting flames and moonlight. It filled the City of Trees instantly. The flames blazed helplessly under the surface for a second or two, but whatever Magic trick had kept the Gardeners from killing the fire was nothing against millions of tons of water.

The cameras followed Molly for an instant, but then went back to the flames as they died. And they did die, snuffed out in a heartbeat. The wave kept going, following the giant Winnie on her course, leaving the City of Trees empty of water and flame.

"Most goddammit ridiculous thing I've ever seen…" muttered Lux, directing her drones to find Molly. But she was gone, along with her wave.

There was a moment of silence as everyone in the City of Trees assessed the state of things. Then a sound, rising and rising. Roaring.

Cheers.

"Caravan has…" Lux was trying to talk over the shouts. "Caravan has instantly killed the fire. This is…oh, those idiots are the luckiest damn…hold on, zoom west please…"

Lights in the night sky. The flying cars Adaobi and Piscator had been in front of before back on the Tourist Winnie. They were charging in at top speed; a crew of goofy arts-and-crafts projects straight from Burning Man but bringing aid: medicine, rescue crews and goodwill.

Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.