The Soldiers of Fortune

As the train rolled through the skull-marked door, Robin gulped, feeling a new sense of nervousness. "Do we have to start with the door that's got a skull on it? Isn't that usually the final boss door?" she questioned.

"She has a point. Tis awfully dangerous for a first assignment," Coline agreed, wringing her hands.

"These guys are the Soldiers of Fortune. That skull chomping down on a gold coin is their insignia. They're rough-and-tumble types who take on any kind of work, especially the kind that involve illegally acquired army surplus armaments and vehicles," Betty explained, taking a drag from a cigarette. The look in her eyes was almost like admiration. "They operate off the grid and are mostly hired by governments who need someone to carry out dirty work off the books."

"Wouldn't the governments be the truly evil ones we ought to punish in that case?" Robin asked.

"I applaud you for thinking two steps ahead. We'll probably get around to some spanking the hard asses of some hard-ass government official types in time. For now, though, these folks are as dirty as they come. I recorded a huge karmic signature inside the base and it just stands to reason these types who kill for money rack up huge debts. Your job will be to work your way up through the ranks until you light a fire big enough to smoke out the big cheese-- surely the one with the biggest karma count of them all. Once you beat them, you'll be free to staff your casino with the former mercenaries."

"That's insane. Insanely cool! I'll bet tough gals like that would make great bouncers. People would think twice before cheating at games here!" Robin applauded, starry-eyed as ever when it came to the topic of her future casino.

"... S-Should we be worried about the possibility they'll simply shoot us?" Colline questioned. "Instead of playing Blackjack?"

"Psh, no. First off, they can't shoot you period, you're an angel." Betty laughed.

"Oh, tis true."

"And secondly, if they do open fire on Robbie-Baby, you and I will just protect her. Guardian angel's a pretty normal thing, right? Just use your angel power. It's not my usual routine, but I can do guardian devil too."

Robin's eyes widened as she leaned forward on the train a bit, getting between the two free-floating figures. "Does that mean I'm invincible? I can get away with anything?"

"God appreciates those who are meek and humble, Ms. Redd. In other words... do not push it," Colline responded with unusual severity. "We must keep our hearts purer than those karmic debtors we seek to teach a lesson."

The train slowly chugged along as the door closed behind Robin.