Kathryne hadn't needed to tread carefully. Her storm gusts had been enough to freeze or reveal any enemies that dared come close. But then again, few enemies had plagued her path. She remained vigilant, however, wary that stronger foes might come her way.
And then she had come across the high priestess.
Regal in bearing, with golden hair and piercing blue eyes, the Basilica floated around her. Assassin crosses on either side tried attacking her, but to no avail. Raising her hands, Kathryne summoned a storm gust and froze the creatures, mid-attack.
Striding through the wintry blaze, she stopped in front of the priestess. "Kathryne Keyron, at your service," she said, kneeling downwards.
"Stop," the priestess said, extending an outstretched palm. "Please don't kneel to me. My name is Margaretha Sorin, and it is a pleasure. I only wish that we could have met under better circumstances."
Kathryne nodded curtly, though inwardly, she felt relieved. Glad that she was no longer alone in these somatology labs of darkness and melted metal, glad that she could have a companion, glad that she would not have to suffer the pain of existence as the only living being in a maze filled with mimicries of humanity. "As you wish, Sister Sorin," she replied, rising from the ground. "Have you met any others yet? And do you know how long we have been imprisoned here?"
"Please, just call me Retha," the priestess replied. "We are all equals in this prison of a laboratory." She shook her head sorrowfully, continuing with her reply. "I came here with four companions, and out of those I have met only one. Eremes," she called offhandedly. "You may show yourself. No need to continue lurking in the darkness."
"Show yourself? Why?" Kathryne creased her brow in suspicion, looking around warily.
"We weren't sure if you were friendly," the priestess explained. "Anyways, we have yet to meet any others, and though I hope otherwise, I fear that our third and fourth companions are likewise imprisoned somewhere within this laboratory. Did you come here with any others?"
Kathryne shook her head. "No. Though, from these ghostly figures I deduced that there must be six of us altogether. Your friends, were they by any chance a lord knight, a sniper, or a whitesmith?"
The priestess bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Yes. So Hunter Cecil and Knight Seyren must have been captured as well. What do you plan on doing, High Wizard Kathryne?"
"Like you said, no need for titles," Kathryne replied, eager to return the priestess's polite gesture. "Just call me Kathryne. I was hoping to find the others and try to discover a way out of this place. It appears as though there was a fire, so I'm not sure if any emergency procedures may have sealed us in. Though with our heightened powers, we may be able to force our way out of here."
"That sounds like a plan," a voice behind her startled her, and she whirled, finding herself far too close for comfort to an assassin – no, an assassin cross – with a grim countenance. Backing away quickly, she addressed him. "And by what name shall I have the pleasure of calling you by?"
"Call me Eremes," the blue-haired man replied. "Eremes Guile."
Recovering quickly – Kathryne had always prided herself on her ability to keep her composure and logic even in the most chaotic situations – Kathryne retrieved some enchanted deadly poison from her pocket. "I killed a few of you before we met," she mentioned offhandedly. "I wasn't sure what I would run into, but I had a feeling that these might come in handy. Want them?"
His face betrayed no emotion, or perhaps, Kathryne reflected, he had no emotions. Either way, he nodded his thanks and pocketed the poison.
"And Retha," she went on, "I have a blue gemstone that might come in handy. Perhaps you'd be able to warp us out of here?"
In contrast to her grim companion, Retha smiled warmly with gratitude. "Thank you, Kathryne. But I plan to save it until we have met with the others. Without my skill of teleportation, they have little hope of escaping this place on their own."
"So, these doppelgangers," Retha went on, "since we have been reclassed, they must be easier to kill than I thought they would be. Eremes, I do believe that you could probably handle all of the ones who are trying to kill us right now, even though you were running away from them before." The assassin crosses had unfrozen at this point, and were once again vainly trying to hit the Basilica.
He nodded grimly. "I'll take care of it."
Kathryne watched detachedly as he decimated all of their adversaries. "So then," she said casually, as though she had not just watched somebody kill their mirror images over and over and over again, "what next?"
Her face set into determined lines, Retha replied. "Now we find Cecil and Seyren and the whitesmith, whoever he may be. I have the one blue gemstone that you have given me, and with that, we shall warp out of this unholy place, and perhaps, find an answer to who or what decided to imprison us here. And once I do, I will seek retribution."
It was uncharacteristic for a priestess to be so vengeful, Kathryne thought, but she still nodded intently. "And I will be with you every step of the way."
A/N: Done with finals!