Helios's stomach gurgled uselessly again. He wondered when it would learn it wasn't going to get anything anymore.
There would be no rescue. For the first ten hours or so, Helios had held a smidgeon of hope that somehow, someway, someone would come to rescue them. After all, Kair had seemed regretful of his decision to abandon them. Maybe, after a couple of hours, he would have changed his mind. Maybe, Helios hoped, they could mount a rescue attempt for them.
Then, as Helios fantasized as he finally drifted off to sleep, he would be okay. Then they would escape, and they'd get to eat food, and they'd be safe, and…
…
… the delusion of hope broke once he woke up again, in the same position as he was in before. There was no miraculous rescue coming for them. Though Kite was still somehow lucid, all these hours later, it didn't matter in the end.
After all, Helios couldn't even leave his spot. He had tried, of course, but if he moved even a half foot from where the Shadow Workers locked the slavery band on him, unending pain would flare across his skull. The band didn't work when Kite used his weird pressure thing, but since it locked him in place, Helios wasn't able to use the chance to escape.
Helios had tried reasoning with Kite, to get him to let them go so they could escape. Maybe, if Kite could shut down the bands while letting them move, there was hope for fleeing.
That went… well…
…
"Hey, Kite?" Helios had finally worked up the nerve to ask the question, and Kite had finally reactivated that shutdown-pressure thingy. "Can you listen to me?"
Kite's eye cracked open. The only reason Helios had known Kite was still alive and sane was that his chest still heaved and the power still went off. Already, Helios could see the shape of Kite's ribs through his fur. "... what?"
Helios gulped. This was his last chance, last hope. "When you use that strange power, don't freeze us."
Kite's eyes slowly narrowed, and Helios winced. He had to sell the idea better.
Okay, okay, how did he convince Slate to do what he wanted back in the Logain house? Helios thought for a second, then remembered that Slate had wanted to keep Helios safe - and that meant leaving the Temptress's search parties.
Kite, on the other hand, wanted…
"If - If you let us go," Helios said cautiously. "I'll free you from the machine. The effect won't work outside of this room, right? There's no way we can leave this room without you."
Kite was silent.
"So? How about it?" This had to work, this had to work. "You're integral to our escape - we need you." Please, please.
"... fool… "
A vice gripped Helios's heart. "What was that?"
"... no fool," Kite continued. "I'm… no fool."
"What?"
"You two… put me into this mess," Kite rasped. "That bastard friend of yours… he put me in here. You two… don't give a damn about me."
What did that have to do with anything? That was well over a day ago, and barely had anything to do with what was happening now! How dare he?!
Helios growled, forgetting his strategy. "This isn't about you!" he hissed. "Do you think I have the time to please your ego? You're already doomed - just look at yourself. I still have a chance at a future, but all you care about is yourself!"
Helios heaved, rage building in him. Kite - was he doing all this to spite them?
"I know your type, Prince. It's all for 'mutual benefit' until you don't need me anymore. We leave, and then what? You want me in here - the instant we leave Fylak and the bands stop working, there's no reason for you to need me. You'll throw me back into the radius of effect and watch with triumph before abandoning me - don't even think of giving me that false hope."
"This is all about you, is it?!" Helios roared, feeling indignant heat rumble beneath his skin. "You're the whole reason I'm here, you know! Take responsibility!"
"By what? Letting you go?" Kite let out a scratchy and demented giggle. "Even if that was possible, you two are the last people I'd willingly help. If I'm going to hell - and I will - then I'm taking you two with me."
"You idiot!" Helios roared.
"Idiot? You're the one that thinks I can even direct this. This affects everything equally - I only turn it on and off. I can't pick and choose its effects, prince."
Helios froze. "You… can't?"
"No - and even if I had the option, I wouldn't let you two free at all. Neither of you deserves it."
"You know what? I was going to let you out of Undeath once I could move, but forget it! You deserve everything you're getting!"
Kite just laughed in response, before the laughter morphed into a mewling whimper as his power shut off.
…
Looking back on it, Helios figured he could have been a bit more tactful halfway down the line. Helios knew he had to try to cater to what Kite wanted, but the idea completely left him in the middle of the conversation.
How dare Kite snub him?! Kite's spite had cost him any chance he had at escape! Why did Helios have to suck up to some lowlife murderer like him?
Helios shook his head clear of that thought. Kite was wrong, thinking Helios was self-centered and manipulative. Helios was doing what anyone in his situation would have.
Then again, his efforts didn't matter anyway. Kite's power was just like Kite himself - powerful, but in all the wrong ways and for all the wrong reasons. Helios didn't know if Kite was lying about his inability to aim its effects, but considering how Kite was their enemy, it didn't matter in the end.
Helios sighed, drawing tiny circles in the ground with his index claw. Hunger still gnawed at him, and because Helios couldn't do anything, he had to just sit there and tolerate it. Neither he nor Slate could do anything about their situation.
The only person that really could help was Kite since his power allowed him to deactivate the bands. But that couldn't help, in the end, because Helios just didn't have a stupidly useful ability like that!
The world just wasn't fair sometimes. Helios probably had the worst luck in the world - really, the only reason he had made it this far, even with Slate and Kite and everyone else trying to stop him, was because Helios's determination and budding talents managed to pull him through.
If he had a stupidly useful ability like that, he'd wield it to get them out. He'd wield it better than Kite ever could.
But Helios didn't have a powerful ability like that. In the end, Helios was just a weak, useless little prince.
Helios grimaced as Kite's power activated again. Kite's bones were straining the skin under his fur. His eyes no longer moved, and his breaths slowly grew irregular. Helios had to hand it to the guy - despite everything, he never gave up.
…
Never… gave up…
Would… would Dad have given up? This was an awful, unwinnable situation, so Dad surely would have accepted his fate with grace and… honor…
…
… dragons didn't roll over, show their bellies, and submit to a greater foe. Even the most insignificant Goomy would bear its goop at a legendary, fighting to the bitter end.
Dragnians didn't submit. They never had before, and they likely never would. Even Slate hadn't. He was angry and couldn't do anything, but Helios could still feel that streak of rebellion deep in Slate's heart.
Dad wouldn't give up. Dad would have found a way. Dad was strong - Dad was a true hero.
…
Helios was a true hero. Helios would figure out a way through all of this - he was the prince of Dragnis! Helios was no coward! Helios would never submit!
Helios desired freedom.
Helios stood up, invigorated. There was no chance of loss! Helios could do this! Helios could…
… how was he standing up?
The pressure was still going, forcing Slate to lie on the floor. Even now, Helios could feel it on top of him, pressing hard and trying to make him fall to his knees.
But he didn't obey. Helios was a Dragnian, Helios was a rebel, and somehow, Helios was pushing back against it.
Helios took a step forward - and then another, and another.
Something flickered to life in Kite's eyes. "... how?"
"I don't know," Helios declared, feeling strangely excited. "I don't know how, but I can."
Helios closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint the 'push-down' feeling. It made movement hard, strengthened gravity, and tried to chain him down. What was allowing him to fight was his spirit, of course.
… literally. His spirit was literally fighting against the pressure. Helios didn't know where his 'spirit' was, but some 'thing' inside him couldn't accept the submission, and that 'thing' protected him from the pressure!
Then Helios felt it - the spirit was winning, somehow. Or rather, the pressure was weakening.
Once again, the pressure stopped, as it always had. Kite was back in his eternal torment - but now, Helios was in a different spot.
Helios's eyes widened - the bands stopped them from moving, but it didn't specify where they had to be! Every time the bands activated, they were stuck in place, but if Helios could move when they were inactive, then they could change their position.
He wasn't helpless!
Helios cheered - but then, a terrible thought went through his mind. What if he was unable to repeat the feat? What if that tenuous grasp on his 'spirit' would never return?
What if that was the only time he could move?
Helios would be able to move again. Helios was stronger and better than that. Helios had a rebel's soul, Helios would fight.
Helios bit his lip. He'd have to test it out when Kite put the pressure on them again. Hopefully, Helios's spirit was strong enough to fight again.
The minutes ticked on by, and Helios's fear grew deeper and deeper. He was going to fail, going to fail, going to fail-
PRESSURE!
Helios collapsed, unable to fight back as Kite's power pushed him to the ground again. He couldn't fight, he was-
Helios was the crown prince of Dragnis! Helios would fight - there was no way Helios had any sort of inability to do so! Strength was his birthright! He would FIGHT!
Helios's spirit reawakened. Helios pushed himself back to his feet - he could fight. It wasn't a one-time thing, it was no fluke. Helios had a talent of his own, strong enough to give him the agency he needed to win.
Slowly, Helios waddled to Slate, who had been doing nothing but staring at Helios, transfixed.
"Helios, you're…"
"Moving, I know," Helios grinned. "Save your praise for later. We've got to get… out…"
Slowly, Kite's strength petered away, and the bands reactivated. With that, Helios's fear reawakened - Helios needed to deactivate the bands, which needed the pressure, and Helios couldn't emit that pressure.
Kite's pressure periods were slowly reducing in length. Initially, it seemed like Kite's pressures were getting longer and stronger - maybe Kite was getting better or something? Either way, that 'improvement' had stagnated, and using the power was taking its toll on him.
Even if Kite didn't spite them by refusing to deactivate the bands, even if he wanted to help them… would he be able to? What were the chances that Kite would be able to push through and be able to help them?
And no matter what, it would be slow… and if anyone saw them leave, then…
Helios didn't need Kite! Helios was powerful, mighty, a prince! Helios would deactivate them himself!
Helios frowned. Could he?
The pressure had activated again, but Helios's spirit was strong, and it continued to maintain his strength. But that wasn't important - what was important was…
"Kite!" Helios shouted. "How are you activating this power?!"
The answer didn't come quickly, and for a few seconds, Helios was convinced that Kite would refuse to answer on principle.
Except, Kite didn't refuse. "... peace… and… calm…" he answered weakly. "The… wish… activates…"
Helios got the memo - and as the pressure deactivated, he realized how to go about this. "I need to want calm and peace," he said aloud, to let Slate know what he was thinking. "So, to use this…"
…
Peace. Calm… peace. Everything needed to be still, everything needed to be…
…
… oh, screw this!
Everything would bow to him! Nothing would move without his permission, nothing could change! All would be calm, all would be peaceful!
With a surge of strength, pressure came down in the room again - but it wasn't Kite's.
Helios stared as he pushed against the world. He could feel it - his spirit was spreading its power, stifling everything in the room.
That being said, Helios couldn't move - the pressure affected him too. But, if he could combine the new abilities, then…
… then he could escape. He wouldn't need Kite, he wouldn't need anyone!
He couldn't delay, though - he could feel the time limit on the pressure, and he knew that the sponsor would come knocking soon for him. He had to learn it now.
Helios would succeed, as was natural. Helios was too powerful and talented to fail.
Helios had to succeed.
He had no alternative.
"How much longer are they going to take?!" Rowan shouted, pacing around the room. "It's been two days already - Culus will be a gibbering wreck by the time we get to him!"
Dad shook his head. "Have faith in your friend, Rowan. You've seen his tenacity - even in the face of Undeath, he remained strong. Three days of Undeath won't break him."
Rowan rounded on him. "And what makes you think that?! Infinite and perpetual pain for three days! His brain will be reduced to nothing!"
Kapun bit his lip. Though he wanted to support Dad, Rowan's fear gnawed at him. It wasn't like Kapun knew how long a mind could last under that kind of torture.
"What's taking them so long?" Kapun asked instead. "It's noon, and Genevieve said that it would be ready by now. Why aren't they coming?"
Dad crossed his arms. "There could be one last issue with the ring that's preventing Ekib from undoing the last security measure. Genevieve only gave us Ekib's rough estimate for how long it would take to break it, after all."
"Are you sure 'Ekib' is up to it?" Kapun pressed. Having to wait for Key's premier craftsman to take care of the ring traps grated on him as well, and though Dad said that Ekib would work as fast as possible, Kapun still wished he would work on it more quickly.
"Ekib had managed master rings before - he knows what he's doing," Dad repeated. "He's not the only one we're waiting for, though."
Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Who else are we waiting for, then?"
"The mission's leader, of course."
Kapun blinked. "L-leader? Won't that be you, Dad?"
Dad shook his head. "No, I'll only be there as insurance. We won't be breaking down Fylak's walls with Flamethrowers spewing from our maws - this is a stealth mission, remember?"
"But why? You're so powerful and experienced - why can't you be the leader?" Kapun pressed.
Dad hummed. "Well… I'll be the vice-captain today. If Brylle is incapacitated or shows signs of being mentally unfit, I'm to take over."
"But why? What does this 'Brylle' have that you don't?!" Kapun continued.
Dad sighed. "It's not about ability, Kapun. Brylle is very well-connected, and this is a pivotal mission for her. A chance for her to prove herself, so to speak."
Rowan flexed his claws. "And we're humoring this self-promoting, nepotistic addlepate? Kite's life is at stake!"
"Rowan, Kapun, enough," Dad said (a little more harsh this time). "You haven't even met the poor girl. Spend some time with her before making sweeping judgments about her abilities and personality."
"The fact that she's this late means that she's unable!" Rowan spat. "I don't care how important she thinks she is, she needs to-"
*POP*
Not even a second passed after Rowan's rant before Genevieve teleported back into the bunker, carrying passengers. One was a stone-faced Larvitar, who immediately scanned their faces before looking straight at Dad. Another was a shiny Hattena, bouncing in place and looking around the bunker in wonder.
The Larvitar then stepped forward, looking over them judgmentally. "So, you are Rowan and Kapun, I presume?" Her voice was thickly coated in disdain, and Kapun couldn't help but frown.
"Yeah? What's it to you?" Rowan answered testily.
The Larvitar simply pursed her lips. "I hope your skills are worth more than your appearance."
Rowan's eyes burned. "Say that again, won't you?" he hissed.
Dad laid a hand on Rowan. "Easy, there. We're allies, not enemies." Dad turned to Genevieve. "Has everything been completed?"
Genevieve nodded, holding out the ring and a map. "It took a little longer than expected, but Ekib took down the ring's traps. I've also managed to sneak a map of Fylak for your use. Have you and the boys finished preparations, sir?" Genevieve asked.
"So far we have," Dad responded with a smile. "They've been preparing nonstop for the attempt. They've memorized the thirty-five codes of conduct and all emergency signaling measures."
And hadn't that been a real pain? Thirty pages of material to push through, and a lot of the signaling measures for quadrupeds required the use of eye signals. They were very much not built for Deino like himself.
"Kair, sir," the Larvitar interjected before Dad could get too far. "I believe that introductions are deemed necessary for a new team."
Dad smiled. "Right you are. Kapun, Rowan, go ahead and introduce yourselves!"
Rowan growled. "Fine. My name is Rowan. Don't be an ass, don't mention my height, and we'll do just fine."
The Larvitar just sniffed in response, but the shiny Hattena nodded enthusiastically. "Got it! Glad to meet you, Rowan!"
Rowan froze. "... glad to meet you too." Rowan's eyes slid over to Kapun, silently screaming for help.
He stepped forward. "My name is Kapun," he introduced. "If everything goes well, I'd like to get to know you guys better in the future. Though, I don't think we should waste too much time introducing ourselves."
The Larvitar nodded. "An excellent sentiment. My name is Brylle, and I will be your squad captain for the day. Follow my orders to the letter, don't mess up too badly, and you will be recommended for higher profile jobs in the future, possibly with the chance of a promotion." The voice sounded strangely practiced as if Brylle were reading off of a script.
Kapun opened his mouth to say something important (maybe "Why do you think we want a promotion?", or something like that), but before he could, the shiny Hattena hopped back into the conversation. "My name is Thilia! I like sweet fried dough topped with strawberry jam, puzzles, and recordings of Negisa's performances! I hope we get to be good friends in the future!"
Kapun looked at Rowan, who likewise shrugged at him in confusion. Thalia seemed, more or less, like your average girl - she liked sweets, was more or less mentally competent, and enjoyed the Illusurian superstar diva Negisa.
"Nice to meet you too, Thilia," Kapun said eventually, before putting a smile on his face. "I hope to get to know you better too."
Thilia bounced forward, shaking the puff on the top of her head with glee. "Thanks!"
Brylle coughed. "Excellent. Now, let's begin with a debriefing on the task at hand."
Kapun grimaced - all these procedures wasted precious time. He could feel Rowan's ire toward Brylle sharpen as she continued speaking. Luckily, though, Rowan kept his cool.
"The main objective of our mission today is the retrieval of a prisoner deep in Fylak, who will henceforth be referred to as Object Gamma-K."
"Object?!" So Rowan couldn't hold it for too long, then.
Brylle frowned. "Did I give you permission to speak or object, boy?"
Dad flashed an angry look at Rowan, but he continued. "Why are you calling Kite an 'object'?! He's a person, you know!"
Brylle's irritated frown deepened. "I thought someone as capable as you would understand that three-to-four days in Undeath would leave someone in a near-catatonic state, Zorua. I now see you are the type that needs additional clarification for these kinds of matters."
Rowan's eyes blazed fiercer but Kapun grabbed him and pushed him down. "Don't waste time," he whispered, hoping Rowan would listen to him.
The fire dimmed slightly, and Rowan sat back on his haunches. "There's no need," Rowan replied coldly. "Treat Kite with respect, Brylle, and speed things up."
"I don't need advice from you," Brylle replied acidly.
Genevieve rubbed her temples. "Kair, I thought you taught them the codes of conduct."
"I did." Kair glared at Rowan harder. Rowan simply glared back. "Captain Brylle, please continue, if you will."
Brylle nodded. "Of course." Brylle then grabbed Genevieve's map and laid it on the ground, before circling a small area near the bottom. "Our first objective will be to guarantee our safe passage through the tunnels. Fylak's main security system is a Hatterene - through the aid of the ward matrix, she can detect the emotions of every single prisoner in this facility."
Kapun grimaced. That meant their emotions as well, didn't it?
"There are other mechanisms of detection, but those are for prisoners. During the day, the Hatterene is the only alert system for intruders. Additional measures are implemented during night time, which is why we only have a limited window to complete the mission."
"Ooh, ooh, this is my part, right?!" Thilia exclaimed, wiggling her puff.
Brylle frowned but nodded. "Thilia will act as our cloaking mechanism. Her skill, the use of Magic Bounce combined with empathic powers, can shield us from the Hatterene's senses. Kapun, you and Rowan will be acting as her sword and shield."
Kapun blinked. "Can you… repeat that?"
Brylle's gaze turned on him. "In case you don't understand, Kapun, that means that Rowan will keep the three of you invisible for the duration of the mission and that you will protect both in case a threat may come. If you have to act, you can consider the mission a failure, but not acting as a bodyguard when the time comes could compromise Key's main defense against Phosophor and the Temptress - our anonymity."
Kapun nodded. "Got it." Internally, though, he felt a little strange. That name again - Phosophor. Genevieve had mentioned it during their initial meeting, which made him think that Phosophor was one of Key's important enemies.
Likely, one of his important enemies.
Brylle handed him and Rowan a key-shaped pin with two buttons on its hilt, before withdrawing a similar one from her bag and pointing to one of the buttons. "Pressing this will alert us that the mission has been compromised. In the case that it has, we will immediately retrieve you and leave the facility. You cannot let yourself be captured - if it seems imminent that you will fall, press the other button to unleash a Chandelure spirit-flame on the area."
Kapun's blood went cold. "That would…"
"Give you a fate worse than death, yes. However, it is also a foolproof method of taking secrets to the grave, so it is our countermeasure." Brylle fixed both of them with a glare. "This mission is of higher importance than either of your lives and Key's sustained existence infinitely more so. If the time comes, you will press the button."
… Kapun wouldn't press the button, couldn't. But he wouldn't let Brylle know that either, so he just nodded.
Kapun must have made a poor expression, however, because Brylle's face lightened slightly. "I must repeat, the kill button is only as a last resort. The instant you three feel the mission is in jeopardy, press the signal button and we will rush to your aid. There is no need for you to end yourselves, certainly not at the drop of a hat."
That made him feel no better. Brylle, though, sought to continue. "Thilia has proven that she can hide emotions from view on a high scale, so, likely, you will only need to escort her there and hide her. Simply keep in mind your duty, obey my instructions, and you will probably live to see another day."
…
"Our secondary objective, once Thilia is in position at the ward matrix, is to rescue Gamma-K. Once Thilia signals that it's safe to come, Kair and I will enter and disable the internal security mechanisms protecting the Undeath room, unlock Kite and separate him from the Undeath machine, then examine his state. If he is alive and shows no signs of permanent insanity, we will extract him and leave the facility. Then, the three of you will exit as well."
Brylle looked at Genevieve. "How much longer will you be allowed to be off-duty, ma'am?"
Genevieve pursed her lips. "One hour," she explained. "We've already gotten a long way through my lunch break."
Brylle turned back to them. "One hour - that's the maximum possible mission length, as Genevieve will be our transportation in and out of Fylak. Does everyone understand their roles?"
Rowan grimaced but nodded, as did Kapun and Kair.
"Ooh, ooh, quick question!" Thilia asked.
Brylle winced. "Yes, Thilia?"
"What do I do when you rescue Kit- Gamma-K?"
Brylle furrowed her brow. "Clarify, Thilia?"
"Well, doesn't Gamma-K have emotions too? Won't Auntie feel him moving around when he's not supposed to?"
Brylle went very still. Kapun got the feeling that Brylle hadn't considered that angle yet. They all waited for a response, but none came.
"Well, we can factor that into the mission objectives," Dad answered after a few seconds. "Once we send you a signal - let's say, S6 - you can take off the cloaking on us. Everyone then escapes as quickly as possible, with cloaking for you three, leaving before they close the gate." Dad turned to Brylle. "Is there any problem with this, captain?"
Brylle was silent for a little while longer. Then… "It is… satisfactory," she said slowly. "If it's possible, Genevieve, can we disable the anti-teleportation matrix and have you teleport us out?"
"Send me signal S-4 and I'll do my best to come. I can make no guarantees, however - I need an alibi for the time."
"Excellent," Brylle replied. "Does that answer your question, Thilia?"
"Yup!"
"Then you three should leave," Brylle commanded. "In case Thilia forgets, remind her to send signal F-2. Understood?"
Kapun nodded. "Sure, that's fine."
Genevieve walked forward, and he, Rowan, and Thilia grabbed her.
"Kapun, please," Dad said, drawing his attention temporarily. "Stay safe."
*POP*
With that, Genevieve brought them to Fylak. Kapun looked past the gate in front of them and saw a large quarry, swirling into the ground like a screw.
Genevieve handed them another copy of the map, one with a room off to the side circled in red. "That's where the ward matrix for Fylak is located," she gestured to the circled room. "There's a simple pin-lock protecting the door, so Rowan will have to pick that. Again, make sure you aren't detected." She offered a smile. "Good luck, you three."
Genevieve teleported away, leaving them alone.
A little tingle of both fear and excitement crawled up Kapun's spine. Even though he'd have to do nothing in the best-case scenario, he knew that his actions now carried a lot of weight.
"Are you two ready?" he asked in a low voice, unable to keep the emotions out of it.
Rowan grimaced. "Fuck no," he answered, dropping to whisper. "But I don't think I really can be. Let's just get this over with, so we can get Kite back."
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Thilia cheered, before screwing up her eyes for a second. "Aaaaannnnddddd… there!" She exclaimed shortly, opening her eyes. "Now Auntie can't see us anymore! Let's go!"
"Right!" Kapun nodded, turning to Rowan. "You know what to do." Along with all the memorization, Rowan also practiced his illusions over the past few days. They could spread just a little bit farther, now, so Kapun knew that Rowan was more than up to the task.
"Oh, oh, before you hide us!" Thilia butted in, stopping Rowan's reply. "Can I ride you, Kapun?"
"... what?"
Thilia leaned over and gestured to her stubby legs. "I can't walk or run very quickly, and you look strong! Can I ride you so we get there more quickly?"
Kapun looked over at Rowan, who shrugged, before turning back to Thilia. "Uh… okay?"
"Great!" Thilia walked over and hopped onto his back. She wasn't heavy, but Kapun felt her weight nonetheless. "Wow, your fur is comfy!"
"... thanks?" Kapun replied, bemused. "Can we get going now, though?"
"Mmhm! Onwards!" Thilia patted Kapun's side. "To the matrix!"
Rowan sighed. "Alright, then." Rowan cloaked the three of them in an illusion. "Grab my tail, would you?" Rowan's tail tickled the air in front of him. Kapun let out a small groan (Rowan's tail tasted like ass) but gently bit it anyway.
Thankfully, the tail didn't smell as bad this time - Kapun had to thank the fact that both of them took extra care to bathe before the mission. Soon, Rowan tugged them forward, and the thought soon left Kapun's mind as he observed Fylak proper.
Large quantities of stone, gems and other valuable minerals were being dug out en masse by the prisoners. Among them, Kapun recognized that strange crystal at the base of Kite's tail, precious metals like gold and silver, and a plethora of evolutionary stones. Though, Kapun couldn't keep his eyes on the mining for long - the miners, unfortunately, had caught his attention.
Pokemon of all types and stripes were wearing the crystal ring that Kite had worn, the slavery band. It came in different colors - turquoise, lavender, yellow-green, an odd white one - but Kapun recognized them all as slavery bands.
Each prisoner wore it around their neck, or another appendage if the neck didn't work. It was always the cleanest, prettiest thing on the prisoner - their fur could be dirty, their scales patchy, their clothes full of holes, but the slavery band was always in pristine condition.
Kapun wondered exactly why they would keep the band, instead of breaking it - and then Kapun realized that if it was universal among the prisoners, then they may not have a choice in that regard.
The longer Kapun looked at it, the stranger his stomach felt. Kapun recognized a few of them from bounty posters he had seen long ago in Pinnaleis's police station, and he knew that most of the people here deserved to be punished. This, though, felt like a crime too, and the knowledge that Shadow Workers (definite bad guys) were in charge made him feel worse.
Then, halfway to the room with the matrix, Kapun saw her. A Cinccino, with a thick band underneath her furry scarf. She swung a pickaxe repeatedly at a wall, with much less finesse than the other prisoners. Her muscles weren't very well defined, and Kapun judged that she couldn't have been here for too long.
Other prisoner's eyes were simply sad, or lonely, or empty. But the Cinccino had none of that in her eyes. All she had was…
… grief. A Pokemon who had lost everything, who was allowed to keep nothing anymore.
Kapun's breath hitched. He recognized this Pokemon, or at least, he knew who she was.
A female Cinccino would have a Minccino as their child. This Cinccino - Brush's mother - was someone Kapun had promised to rescue. She was someone innocent of any evildoing, of any serious crime, and didn't deserve to be here at all.
But… Kapun couldn't. Genevieve's words from a few days echoed in his mind - he didn't have the option to rescue Brush's mother, since doing so would jeopardize the mission and would only put blame on Brush again.
She - and her husband, who Kapun wouldn't be able to recognize anyway - couldn't return to an idyllic life in the countryside. Kapun couldn't help them in any way that mattered. The promise couldn't be kept.
… so why couldn't Kapun just get rid of this guilt, then?
Luckily, they kept on moving, and soon enough, the view of the other prisoners pushed the image out of his mind. It didn't make him any happier, but it managed to dull the edge of his guilt.
And then, they didn't need to walk anymore. They had finally arrived at the room with the matrix. Kapun gulped as Rowan came to a stop in front of the door.
The tail shifted around a little, and soon Kapun heard faint clicks coming from the door. A minute later, the handle turned around completely, and the door smoothly opened.
"We're in," Rowan whispered, before leading them in. Seconds later, the illusion covering them disappeared.
Thilia hopped off Kapun and walked onto the control panel. "Yep, yep! This is it!"
"Thilia, how much longer will it take for you to enter the matrix?" Kapun pressed. "We need to hurry this up as much as we can."
Thilia sat down. "You don't need to worry~. It won't take too long." Thilia closed her eyes. "Just a little longer… uh… yes!" Thilia's eyes glowed pink for a brief second. "Yup, I can feel everyone's emotions now!"
Kapun looked at Rowan. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the majority of emotions of Fylak were. Thilia's cheery attitude was a little unsettling, then.
"Can you feel Kite, then?" Rowan asked.
"Yep! He's aaaalllllllllll the way down in the pit, along with two other people." Thilia tilted her head. "Though… it's harder than I thought to feel the emotions. There's a lot of sadness, yeah, but there's… I think that's hope! Though, I don't know if those emotions are Kite's."
Kapun shared a small smile with Rowan. If the hopeful person was Kite, then it was likely he wasn't insane. If the hopeful person was hopeful, then they still had a chance to rescue him!
"But… why are there two other people?" Thilia asked them.
"Maybe they're guards?" Kapun ventured before a nasty thought occurred to him, one that instantly extinguished the flame of hope. "If they're guards, doesn't that mean that…"
Rowan pursed his lips. "Do you think they're Shadow Workers?" he asked Kapun. "Because if they are, then…"
Then Brylle would call off the mission. No, Brylle would call off the mission anyway, since more people would increase the chance that Key was found out.
"Okay, I've called for them!" Thilia announced, dragging the two of them out of their funk. "Genevieve should be bringing them here now.." A few seconds later. "I can feel them. Don't worry, they're hidden and digging straight to Kite now, so Auntie can't see them anymore."
Kapun had to stop Thilia from signaling Brylle that there could be a trap. "Hey, uh, Thilia?" he asked, trying to think of something to distract her. "Who is that Auntie you keep talking about?"
"Oh, are you talking about Auntie Brimu?" Thilia asked cheerily.
"Uh… yes? If that's the Auntie you're referring to. Who is she?"
Thilia hummed. "Well, I don't know much about her. Mom doesn't say that much about her, but I think she's really important to Mom since she's the whole reason Mom joined Key."
Rowan's eyes widened. "Say, Thilia - is your Aunt Brimu a Collared?"
Thilia shook her head. "Nope! She's a Shadow Worker!" At Rowan and Kapun's confused expression, she elaborated. "Auntie was captured by that Phosophor guy when Mom was just a kid. When Auntie returned, Mom realized that she was turned all evil and stuff. Then there was a battle, Key helped Mom recover, and she joined them!"
Kapun looked down. "And you're here too because…"
"Well, I want to help Mom!" Thilia answered. "Mom always looks so sad when she thinks about Auntie, and I don't want her to be sad anymore!"
Kapun blinked. "And you're risking your life for that?!"
"Well, what are you here for?"
"Kite, obviously!" Kapun then shook his head. "It's not the same. We're close friends with Kite, while your aunt is evil and actively working against you!"
"But in the end, we all want them to be saved, and we're ready to put our lives on the line," Thilia argued. "Saving Auntie will make Mom happy, and that'll make me happy!"
Kapun was tongue-tied. That logic felt wrong, but Kapun couldn't fault it nonetheless. "I suppose," he relented.
"Hey, do you two think I should tell Brylle and mister Kair about the other two people in the room with Kite?"
Kapun's eyes widened. "No!" he shouted.
Thilia looked at him, curious. "Well, why not?"
"Because - because they might call off the mission," Kapun said, looking at Rowan for assistance.
"Yep - and if we can't rescue Kite, we won't be happy," he continued.
Thilia frowned. "But shouldn't they know that Kite is leaving that room?"
"... what?"
Helios huffed, feeling weak but full of pride. He was near the point of collapse, but he couldn't help but feel happy.
Hours of practice later, Helios knew it was nowhere near as good as he initially wanted. He'd planned to be able to move freely when using that pressure-power, as if he wasn't using the power at all.
That… didn't happen. While fighting Kite's spirit over control of his body was relatively easy, fighting his own spirit was a much more difficult task. He had to wrestle with the opposite intentions of stopping all movement around him and moving regardless.
That wasn't to say it was impossible. Every time Helios used the power again, he could move his fingers just a little more, shuffle his feet a bit faster. And now, Helios could hold it in place for up to fifteen minutes at a time, if he were to guess.
Helios was stronger than Kite, then. Kite couldn't move, couldn't disobey the slavery band, but he could. He was stronger than Kite.
Of course, it didn't take Helios long to realize the power's cost. Every time he used it, his stomach's growls grew louder, and the flesh under his scales thinned more.
Stamina, flesh, Helios's very life itself. The power drew on that. That, along with the approaching arrival of the Temptress's 'sponsor', made him decide to stop his practice. He'd need to move if he didn't want to lose the opportunity.
And luckily, if Helios played his few cards right, he could escape!
Helios would escape!
Now, Helios could walk, touch and grab things, and even swing his tail around! That didn't mean he could fight like this, not at all, but he wasn't helpless!
For the last time, Helios breathed before activating the power. He was strong, he was king, and everything would stop when he stopped.
The tingle around the slavery band disappeared, and Helios walked forward.
"Slate… we can escape now," Helios announced.
He had done it - as expected, of course.
Slate grimaced. "Then come and get me, would you? I still can't move."
Helios winced. Even though he had been able to adapt, Slate hadn't been able to at all. It wasn't for a lack of trying either - at the same time that Helios had been practicing to move with his pressure, Slate had been trying to achieve the same feat. But Helios had managed to learn the ability - Slate hadn't.
"Sure thing," Helios said, before making his way over to Slate. He wasn't very fast - actually much slower than usual, but his speed was constant and true, and within a few seconds, he had traversed the distance between the two of them.
"So… uh…" Helios winced as he realized what he would have to do. "Looks like I have to carry you, then."
Slate's cheeks burned bright red. "My deepest apologies, Prince Helios."
Slate had referred to him correctly. Over the past few weeks, that pawn had been embarrassing him, going around and acting all willy-nilly. He had made Helios work harder than needed to excel.
Helios grit his teeth. "Just, uh… just call me Helios. You know, like usual."
Slate looked at him oddly. "But you've been mouthing things like 'I am the great prince" and 'Slate should obey my orders'."
Helios's eyes widened. Had he?
Well, Slate knew his place, at the very least. It was good for him to acknowledge Helios's utter superiority.
Slate frowned. "Can you please stop changing your mind, my prince?"
Changing his mind? "I didn't say anything," Helios shook his head.
"You just said something about 'acknowledging your utter superiority'," Slate insisted.
"Well, you heard wrong," Helios rebuffed. Helios didn't know exactly what was wrong with Slate, but he needed to get his ears checked. "Anyway, just get on my back already."
Slate frowned. "I can't move, Helios."
Naturally, Helios had to take care of everything. Slate needed to make himself more useful if he wanted to serve Helios.
For some reason, Slate started scowling when Helios went to pick him up. Helios couldn't help but wonder just what exactly got into him.
Once Slate was secure on his back - Slate was far too heavy for his liking - Helios started walking to the door to the chamber. When he and Slate were first 'escorted' down here, the Hatterene and Bisharp bringing them used some sort of biological scanner to let them in. Now, however, the door was visibly open.
There wasn't anything stopping them anymore. He put his hand on the door and pushed. Without a sound, it slid open.
Helios grew a large grin. Nothing could stop Helios anymore - he had succeeded where everyone else would fail. All of the Temptress's futile attempts to stop him would only serve to make her look frailer in the end.
Helios turned around to see Slate's face, and then the smile fell from his face. Instead of looking happy or excited, Slate just looked concerned and worried, all while looking directly at him.
Slate should be far more grateful for everything Helios had mercifully done for him. If not for his benevolence, Slate would still be languishing in this cell, waiting for the sponsor to come and take him away.
Slate bowed his head. "Sorry, my prince."
For some strange reason, Helios felt bad. He hadn't done anything, but Slate still looked at him like Helios had torn him a new one. Slate didn't do anything wrong, though - well, not now, anyway. The only one who deserved punishment was Kite.
Kite, in fact, had his tired eyes trained on them. Throughout Helios's training, he hadn't resumed the application of his pressure. Helios assumed that was because he no longer had the energy to spare for such a thing - he was far thinner than Helios was.
Of course, Helios didn't mind being so gracious. Offering sinners his bountiful aid, even if it was far more than they deserved. Though, the oafish Kite had yet to show his thanks.
Then Kite finally spoke, after hours of silence. "Helios… if you're going to leave, then just do that. You don't need to stand there and insult me."
Helios frowned. "Insult you? What are you talking about?" Was the idea of Helios and Slate leaving that annoying for him? Did Kite spite them that much?
Somehow, Kite had the energy to roll his eyes. "You called me a sinner and an oaf. If those aren't insults, I don't know what is."
Sinner? Oaf? Kite was those things, of course. Helios, though, hadn't said them at all or even thought them.
Slate tapped Helios's shoulders. "My prince, we should be leaving soon. We don't want to be caught."
Helios nodded. "Right, right." He turned back to the open door. They didn't have the time to think about Kite - he was no longer important.
After all, Kite was just an insignificant gnat now. One that had never deserved Helios's valued attention in the first place.
"Hey, Helios." Helios stopped as his foot was halfway out the door. "For the last few hours… thanks."
Helios turned around, confused. "Thanks for what?"
Kite offered a rueful smile. "While you were hardly the best cellmate, your pressure was a lifeline for my sanity. Even if you only think of me as an insignificant gnat… well, your actions spoke louder than your words."
Helios gulped. "Yeah, well… you're welcome." It wasn't his problem if Kite thought better of him, even if Helios hadn't been practicing and using the skill for his sake.
Plus, it was only natural that someone he deigned to deem intelligent saw his talent, skill, and generosity. Helios knew the proper praise would come eventually.
"Praise?" Slate muttered. "He's just kissing up to you so you'd free him, simpering for a chance to escape his rightful fate. Just go already."
Helios blinked. Flattery? Slate thought that was flattery?
How ridiculous. Slate needed to stop being so jealous and be more like him.
Slate growled. "Let's just go already!"
But something rooted Helios's feet. Though he knew that Slate was probably right, that Kite was trying to get in his good graces, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that Kite's words were more than that.
…
Oh, to hell with it. Whatever Kite's thoughts were, they didn't matter. Helios had to leave. Kite would only be a distraction, a burden, and a deadweight if Helios were to bring him. That, and no matter how honeyed his words, at the end of the day, Kite was still a murderer and a thief. That meant he deserved it… Undeath…
…
"Helios, what you are feeling right now is what I hope you will feel for the rest of your life when thinking about this kind of punishment."
…
"He will recover in time, but he will never forget this day. Neither should you. Never delight in the suffering of others, not even if they deserve every iota of it. Never forget this day, Helios."
…
Helios grimaced - and then turned around.
"P… prince? Helios?" Slate asked with uncertainty as Helios dropped him on the ground. "What are you doing?"
"Either the stupidest mistake of my life or what my Dad would have done. Maybe both," Helios replied acerbically. He then walked up to a surprised Kite and flicked him on the nose. "This is my charity, by the way. I don't think Undeath is a good punishment for anyone."
Helios then threw a messy punch at the machine, causing metal and crystal to rupture beneath his fist. Next to him, Slate's mouth fell wide open.
Then he punched the machine again, and again, and again. With each punch, it splintered a bit more, until it was just a mess of metallic fragments and crystal shards. With one final push, Helios ruptured the last shackle binding Kite to the machine.
"P-prince?!" Slate finally found his voice. "You can't be serious! After all the travel, after all the struggle, after everything that we've sacrificed to get here, you're going to let him go?! Because of Kite's half-minute of brown-nosing?" There was a betrayed note in Slate's voice.
Slate had yet to learn his place. Always questioning Helios's decisions, as though he had anything worthwhile to contribute. He should be like the servant he was trained to be, instead of this impudent traitor.
Helios shook his head, ignoring Slate's new betrayed look. "It's not because of the flattery, Slate. You've been here with me, and you've seen the merciless cruelty of Undeath. My father wouldn't have stood for me to abandon someone to this cruel fate, even if they're a criminal."
"But he's dangerous!"
Helios flexed his claws, before looking at the exhausted, slumped Kite on the ground. "Right now, he's not. Right now, he's at our mercy. Right now, he knows that if he wants to escape, he needs our cooperation."
Kite bit his lip. "... yes," he finally agreed. "I… please set me free, Prince Helios."
Helios could see Kite's pride splintering at having to address him like that. Of course, that only served to show how arrogant the criminal was - intelligent or not, nobody was above him, and if he forgot, all the more embarrassment he must suffer.
Kite then ground his teeth a little more. "Anyway, if we're leaving, can we already get going?"
Helios frowned. Impatient, wasn't he? Still, Helios nodded, before hooking Kite's welded-together paws on Slate's dorsal fin, before hauling both of them on his back.
"Time to get out of here," Helios mumbled, feeling the weight of both of them on his back. Their combined loads, along with his painful starvation, left him light-headed, but he managed to pull himself together and stumble to the door.
"My prince, if this criminal is too much for you, I suggest-" Before Slate could get off that suggestion, Helios shot him another glare, promptly shutting him up. Helios had made his decision, and he was going to succeed in it.
With that sentiment in mind, Helios finally exited the chamber they had been stuck in for so long. If he remembered correctly, the Hatterene and Bisharp had taken them out of the laboratory, before bringing them into an adjoining shaft. Then, they had been walked down, all the way to here.
Helios didn't remember the route - but then, did he need to remember? As long as they went up, they'd find their way out of Fylak sooner or later. They just needed to avoid the prisoner and guards' sights until they managed to escape.
…
"Helios… Helios?!" Slate shouted in his ear.
Helios blinked, his mind in a haze. "Wh… what?"
"You haven't moved for three minutes!" Slate shouted.
Helios looked around - he hadn't. Crap, he needed to - no!
"I've exhausted the power," Helios cursed, before slumping down. "I need to recharge the power."
"How long will it take?" Kite pressed.
Helios shot him a dirty look. "I don't know! Sometimes it's five minutes, other times it's fifteen! As long as we can hold out for a while, I'll be able to recharge."
"Hold out for a while? Really?"
… that wasn't Slate or Kite. Both were looking over his shoulder with terror written all over their faces. Helios looked back and then froze as well.
The Hatterene and Bisharp that had captured them were right there. Both were staring at him with a smug look.
"H-How?" Helios stuttered, unable to comprehend how they were so easily found out.
The Hatterene walked forward and caressed Helios's chin with her braids. "My dear, dear prince - I had an idea that you were planning an escape attempt from… three hours ago? Is that when you gained that glimmer of hope?"
Helios's mind swam. "H-how?!" he repeated.
Then Kite cursed. "Psychic empathy!"
"We were aware the machine was functioning incorrectly, but as the pain always returned, it wasn't an urgent matter to us," the Hatterene continued. "The hope you emanated, my prince, was slightly concerning, though, and the increasingly irregular functioning of the bands even more so. In thirty minutes, we would have checked up on you, ten minutes before the arrival of our illustrious subsidizer, had you not then decided to leave the chamber with our most ill-tempered guest."
Helios shivered. "So I… I never had a chance?"
The braids curled around Helios's chest. "Never," she confirmed. "And since we've received permission from our sponsor to non-fatally injure you, well…"
*CRACK*
Helios let out a soundless scream as the Hatterene cracked his ribs and collapsed in pain. The Hatterene gripped Helios again, before throwing him against a wall.
"Barbaric, I know, but our sponsor did wish to speak to you, so irreparable psychological damage is off-limits." Through his pain-glazed eyes, he saw the Hatterene turn to the Bisharp. "Have they inspected the Undeath machine? Is it still usable?"
"I'm afraid not, Brimu," the Bisharp shook his head. "I've already checked in on it. The machine has been irreparably damaged and is permanently unusable. Notably, each cuff has been individually destroyed."
The Hatterene hummed. "Well, if they went out of their way to destroy the cuffs, then the way they turned off the bands can't be used to stop old-fashioned shackles. Xion will borrow Baize's Magnemite and have them fashion new ones promptly."
… they… they had lost. The Shadow Workers had found out a work-around to the pressure-power, the sponsor was going to be here in less than an hour, and none of them could fight anymore. He was too hungry, too weak, and too injured to battle, and even if he was able, Helios knew that the crystalline cage around his neck would stop him the instant he lifted a finger in rebellion.
Helios couldn't give up, he was too strong for that! He'd figure out a way to beat these lowly drones and make them submit to his will.
He would! He would do it! He would-
"Hope?" The Hatterene murmured, sounding impressed. "And faith? At this point, you're more arrogant than you are anything else." She turned to the Bisharp. "Amputate his servant's arm, would you? We need to make a point."
Helios's eyes widened. "No!"
*SHLICK*
The limb flopped the ground, rolling a little before it stopped. Helios, Slate, and Kite all stared at the fallen limb, almost as if they were wondering exactly how a Gible arm got on the floor.
Then blood started pouring from Slate's wound. The instant it did, Slate passed out.
The Hatterene was saying something else, but Helios couldn't hear it over the pounding of his head. This… no… this…
… Helios couldn't accept this.
The Hatterene sighed. "Do I have to cut off another arm, or do-"
Helios couldn't accept this. Helios wouldn't accept this. These malcontents, these barbaric monsters, would suffer the full extent of Helios's wrath.
The Hatterene had finally decided. "Kiriku, the other arm - and if he still resists, take the servant's life."
Helios saw white.
And then, everything changed.
…
Power. Helios was power. Such a fundamental truth to the world could only be ignored by those truly lost in their delusions.
Helios walked forward and blocked the Bisharp's dull blade with a single claw.
"Your blade cannot cut me."
He grabbed the arm and twisted, popping it and dislocating the Bisharp's shoulder. Then, as Helios's infinite wisdom declared was right and just, he punched a hole in the heretic Bisharp's stomach.
"Your defenses cannot stop me."
Helios turned to the Hatterene. He stepped forward. The witch, ignorant of her place, knew not the majesty of whom she had dared cross. Though she attempted to attack with psychic powers, Helios felt naught but a tickle on his divine scales.
"Your powers cannot hurt me."
Helios walked up to the Hatterene, before engulfing her in a storm of draconic flame. She shrieked but remained standing - less of a gnat than the Bisharp, then.
Regardless, nothing would change the truth that…
"No matter what you try or do, you will always be less than me. You cannot beat me."
…
All of a sudden, Helios's vision cleared - and with it, his hunger exponentiated, his headache worsened, and his hope vanished.
He slowly turned to Kite.
"Good luck."
With that, he fainted.
Helios could not have chosen a worse time to pass out. This whole 'escape' had been a cavalcade of luck - good and bad.
A day after his Undeath had started, Culus had come to accept that help wasn't coming, and decided to nurture the last shred of pride he had by remaining sane until death. That meant using the calming power, even when it started hurting.
When Helios had come, asking for an alliance, Culus couldn't believe his audacity. Helios - the one Slate followed like a dog, a Pokemon that did nothing but get in his way - offering a partnership?
What a joke. The offer was too good to be true and had obvious points where betrayal would be both advantageous and easy. Culus had said as much to his face, and true enough, the prince's uglier colors resurfaced quickly enough.
After that, the only change that Kite had been aware of was his fracturing mental state and the continued loss of stamina. He had been approaching the event horizon of his demise and knew that he was only delaying the inevitable - and it turned out that nurturing the tiny shred of pride grew much harder over time.
And then, something distracted him from the thought of death. Something he honestly hadn't expected.
Helios had moved, which was impossible considering both the bands and the calming power. Immediately, Culus had new fragments of hope to work with - if the idiot prince could move through his calming power, he could probably move through it too! It would take time and effort, but if Culus could stall out his death long enough to break free…
… and then, Helios had activated the calming power, and he was once again forced to reexamine his plans.
For starters, the collar cut off his access to the calming power. It was more than a little aggravating, but apparently, someone else shutting down the power was enough for the collar to decide that 'critical resources shouldn't be allocated' to resuming the calming power.
If Culus was in a better position, he would agree with the collar - after all, the power was now probably drawing on the dregs of his life force and taking from his essential body mass. But since Culus had long since accepted death before insanity, this was less than ideal.
So, without the ability to practice any power, Culus could only watch the idiot, braggadocious prince slowly grow more adept with the power that Culus had previously thought unique to him.
And then, Helios's proof of concept appeared. A single step while wielding his power. Then two - and then relatively free movement.
And then, Culus knew he'd fucked up.
Maybe if he played along with Helios's bullshit - maybe - he would have been able to secure something resembling an ally, no matter how false the premise or how weak the partnership lying underneath. Maybe, if he had played along, he would have had a chance of Helios possibly showing mercy and letting him live.
But he didn't. Culus had snubbed Helios's offer and was left with nothing when Helios had something.
Culus defaulted to the old plan. Nurse that tiny shred of pride, and let it grow a little. Culus would not beg - Culus never begged. Helios could leave with his lackey, fate on their side as usual, but Culus would not cozy up to them on false hope, not to be snubbed in turn.
However, Culus knew when credit was due. Since the collar would probably - hopefully - let him use his pressure power again when Helios left, Helios had bought him a few more hours of sanity. Since his sanity was all that he had left, Culus felt indebted enough to give proper thanks. And even though Helios was likely the reason he was in the mess, he didn't wish this sort of predicament on anyone - not even Helios.
Surprisingly, Helios accepted it with a modicum of grace, or at least humility (well, until he mumbled something about Kite recognizing genius when he saw it or something dumb like that). Culus could respect that much more than Slate's insinuations of flattery.
And then, Helios once again did something Culus hadn't expected.
He saved him. Culus hadn't asked, hadn't begged, hadn't bargained or pled. Helios broke the machine, hooked him around Slate, and carried both of them out of the Undeath room.
Culus suddenly found it much, much harder to hate the Charmander, even with all of his flaws.
The burgeoning hope didn't last, though. It never did.
That Hatterene - Brimu - returned when Helios was out of power, next to Kiriku the Bisharp. The fact that their escape was never in the cards was, paradoxically, both surprising and not surprising at all.
After Slate's arm was cut off (let's see how he liked unfair treatment), Culus had decided to give up hope one last time.
Then Helios lit up in a flash of light, turned white, and promptly killed Kiriku.
Again - what the fuck?
Not that he was complaining, of course - though, Slate stood to lose another limb or two, so Helios could have delayed it a little.
And thus, at the moment - Helios was about to end Brimu (who suffered damage from a draconic attack despite type-advantage) before the strange white coloration disappeared. Then, a single "Good luck" before fainting.
"Thanks," Culus muttered. Not like it was going to help - the collar still refused him access to his abilities, and even if it did, it's not like it would help in this scenario.
Brimu, of course, recovered her composure quickly. "I must say, I didn't expect such a turn of events." She turned to Kiriku's melting corpse. "He was a useful partner, at least."
… melting?
Culus watched, a little horrified, as the color of Kiriku's cadaver turned jet-black, before slowly losing its form. Half a minute later, his corpse was nothing but a puddle of inky ooze, leaving only a blinking double-terminated crystal the size of Culus's old paw left.
"Wh… what the…" Culus whispered.
Brimu walked forward through the ooze before grabbing the crystal. "Insurance. Though we Shadow Workers are always capable, we aren't invincible - certainly, not strong enough for additional measures not to be necessary. Bodies tell tales, after all."
She then tapped the crystal's faces with lightning speed, stopping the crystal's blinking. "Now, it won't blow up on us either. You can thank me later "
His blood went cold. The blinking was a detonation timer, wasn't it?
"Since you're familiar with bombs, I can tell you that its yield is around ten tons of TNT," Brimu answered an unasked question. "Thirty seconds. Maybe, if you could run at full speed, you'd escape the blast radius. Though, since Fylak would collapse with the detonation of my crystal, you probably wouldn't survive at all. Assuming, of course, that you live."
"... fuck."
Then, yet again, something came out left-field. Kair, of all people, broke through a nearby wall, along with a female Larvitar Culus had never met before.
Then, before he or Brimu could react, Kair flew forward and slammed Brimu in the gut with a giant Thunder Punch. Brimu rolled backward before flipping to her feet and throwing a Moonblast at Kair, which was thrown back at her with an Iron Tail.
Brimu rolled out of the way of the reflected attack before her eyes glowed. Before she could pull anything off, though, Kair leaned back and fired off a giant Hyper Beam, blinding Culus again.
After his vision returned, he saw Brimu out-cold on the ground, skin blistering and burning. Kair fell onto one knee, gasping.
"Need… need more practice on that one," he wheezed out. "Still not back in shape…"
"K-Kair?!" Culus finally found a word in his mouth. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Kair didn't respond- rather, the Larvitar answered in his stead. "Rescuing you, after all."
Culus turned to the new figure. "Rescuing… me?" He repeated, not entirely sure he heard correctly.
The Larvitar nodded. "You have two loyal friends, you know. Rowan and Kapun demanded I treat you with respect during the mission debriefing."
An odd warmth trickled into his heart. "They… they pushed for a rescue?"
The Larvitar grimaced. "Save it for later." She turned back to Kair. "Kair, signal Thilia to come down and perform a mind-wipe."
Kair nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He pulled out a key and started pressing buttons on it.
The Larvitar turned back to Culus. "Let's keep this short for now. My name is Brylle, and if you want to live, you will obey my orders. Understood?"
"I-"
"Understood?"
Culus growled. "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
Culus's opinion of Brylle dropped quickly. "Yes, ma'am."
"Excellent. Now, a thirty-second summary of what happened after you were captured."
"What?"
"Twenty-eight seconds."
Culus narrowed his eyes but chose to cooperate regardless. "I was interrogated, or so they said, they welded my prosthetics together, they put commands on my band to stop me from doing anything, even talki- wait, I can speak?!"
Brylle held up a master ring. "Your friends stole this from Regilia. I deactivated all commands on you the instant I entered Fylak's wards. Continue, and no questions."
Culus pulsed with weak electricity to confirm that yes, the collar no longer activated. Of course, with welded prosthetics, he couldn't do much regardless, but it was a start. "Helios and Slate were then captured and brought in next to me for some sponsor, I maintained sanity by unknown means, Helios freed us with unknown means, the Hatterene found us, a Bisharp cut off Slate's arm, Helios killed the Bisharp with unknown means, the Bisharp turned into this goop, the Hatterene took an explosive crystal, then you showed up."
Brylle was left gobsmacked. "I…"
Culus turned to Kair. "That was thirty seconds, was it?"
Kair turned to him and nodded. "More or less." Kair then flew over to Brimu's smoking body, rummaged around inside her cloak, and pulled out the crystal. "Is this the crystal?"
Culus nodded. "Yes - and be careful, it can destroy Fylak. Oh, and don't kill Brimu - every Shadow Worker has one, I think."
Kair nodded and dropped the crystal into a bag.
"Wait, wait, what?!" Brylle stared at Culus. "All of that happened?!"
"Yes, keep up," Culus answered, testy. "Anyway, how are we going to get out of here?"
Brylle was silent for a few more seconds, then turned back to Kair. "Did you get a return message from Thilia?"
"Aye," Kair answered, nodding. "She says she can't come down, though - she's actively keeping more Shadow Workers from teleporting in."
Brylle froze. "What? Why are there…"
"An unknown message came from this room - I think Brimu called for reinforcements before I knocked her out. That, or the crystal is sending out a distress signal."
"Probably not, it's supposed to explode," Culus rebuffed.
"Then Brimu," Kair agreed.
"Wait, wait, reinforcements?" Brylle asked, sounding faint of voice. "Does - does that mean that Key's existence is revealed?" Key?
Kair shook his head. "Not entirely. The mission is still salvageable, Brylle. Don't lose your head."
"I… right, right," Brylle nodded. "Okay… Kair, take Brimu up to the matrix and have Thilia remove her memories. I'll get Culus to the surface and will message you when I'm there."
"Right." Kair saluted. "Best of luck." With that, he took Brimu and flew her away.
Brylle turned back to Culus. "Climb on my back. We're leaving."
Culus turned back to Helios and Slate's unconscious forms. Already, Slate had lost a lot of blood. "And leave them here?"
"Yes - unfortunate casualties," Brimu answered coldly.
Culus had an idea Brylle would change her mind soon enough, given how much she knew about Shadow Workers and that she seemed to want to stop them as much as anyone else did. "So, you don't mind the fact that they're wanted by the sponsor?"
"Yes, I don't- sponsor?" Brylle seemed to catch on to that last bit.
"Sponsor. The person who gives the Temptress a lot of money. Investor, subsidizer, etc.?" Culus rolled his eyes. "The whole reason they're here is that the sponsor wanted to make Helios a Shadow Worker. Hands in high places and all."
Brylle looked at the two unconscious Dragnians, eyes furrowed. "I… that's dangerous…" she admitted.
Culus decided to fully return the favor Helios had lent him. "Also, that unknown power I mentioned? Well, I can use it to create things - the Shadow Workers and Regilia probably know about this if they interrogated me - and Helios can become powerful for a short while. Oh, and we can both exert this weird pressure that can stop slavery bands, lock down movement, and stop the tides."
Brylle blinked. "Are you… joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Culus asked, before shooting off another question. "More importantly, do you want the Temptress to know about or have access to that kind of power?"
Brylle said nothing for a few seconds, before hitting some buttons on her key-shaped device.
"What are you doing?"
"Signalling them to send down Kapun and Rowan. Kair can take care of Thilia, so we'll need both of them to get these two out of here."
Culus grinned.
Brylle then withdrew a long strip of cloth from her bag before tying it around Slate's stump in a tourniquet. "I have some Sitrus and Oran berries in my bag. Eat them and recover as much energy as you can. Also, a few Mental Herbs - I figured you'd be in worse psychological shape, but take them regardless."
Culus didn't need to be told twice, and though he didn't have any forepaws to use as tools, he still found a way to gobble up all of the Oran and Sitrus berries in record time.
Immediately, he felt a strong boost in energy. After ingesting the Mental Herbs as well, Culus felt his focus drastically sharpen - colors that had muted without his knowing returned, along with his sense of taste, a lot of his sense of hunger, and other miscellaneous mental faculties.
"Hey, Brylle?" Culus asked, now feeling much more comfortable and at ease with the Larvitar with all the pain gone and his mind rejuvenated. "Who are you? Oh, and who's Thilia? What's Key? Why have you come to rescue me? How did you-"
Brylle finished up the tourniquet and turned back to him. "My name is Brylle, leader of the mission to come to rescue you. Thilia, a Hattena, is another member of the squad. You'll meet her later. Everything else will have to come later - for now, know that we know what a Collar is and the trouble you've been forced to go through, and know that for the most part, we're on your side."
Before Culus could reply, there was a burst of movement near them, and two familiar faces burst onto the scene.
"Culus!""Kite!"
Culus grew a large grin on his face as his friends - because that's who they were, no questions asked - bounded into the room. Rowan had both a concerned but happy countenance, while Kapun was mostly happy.
Rowan immediately rushed to his side. "Are you hurt?" he pressed. "Do you feel okay? Can you-"
"Rowan, enough chatter!" Brylle barked, earning Rowan's visible ire. "Kapun, grab the prince and his bodyguard. Rowan, flank, guard, and cloak if needed! We leave through the hole!" She pointed to the tunnel she and Kair entered from.
Rowan turned on Brylle. "Do you mind?" he hissed. "Culus just went through Undeath. I have to make sure he's okay!"
Culus shook his head. "Rowan, I'm touched." Rowan turned back to him. "I'm nowhere near 'okay' since I can't move or do much, but Brylle's Berries and Herbs helped me recover enough that I won't be too much of a burden."
Rowan bit his lip. "Fine. But I'm taking you!"
"No, you are not," Brylle half-screeched. "I just told you to flank, guard, and cloak if needed. That is what you are good at! You are not large enough to handle-"
Culus grabbed Rowan's tail before he lunged at Brylle. "Not the time!" he mumbled while trying to keep his friend under control.
Eventually, Rowan stopped pushing against Culus, before throwing a dirty look at him. "Are you siding with her?"
Culus shook his head. "No, not really. Honestly, I trust you more than I trust her." Rowan's frown didn't disappear, and Brylle's frown deepened. "But I can say this much - she knows what she's talking about and can adapt relatively quickly."
He wasn't confident about that, but she could belt out smart orders quickly, and that was what was important.
"But she's an asshole!"
"So are you! So am I! So's Kapun!"
"Hey!" Kapun interjected, looking insulted.
"It's true and you know it!" Culus shot at him, before turning back to Rowan. "Look, feel free to mouth off at her or attack her all you want when we're out of this den of fucking misery! I want to get out of this hellhole as fast as possible, and if that means working with someone who has that 'Thilia' and Kair's approval, then I'll do it without complaint!"
Rowan grimaced and turned away. "Ugh, fine!" Rowan covered himself in an illusion. "I'll follow you guys," his voice came out. "Brylle, you'd better not fuck this up!"
"I don't plan on doing so," Brylle answered acidly. Then Brylle's key lit up before another signal came through. "Hold on, let me get this."
A half-minute passed while Brylle listened to the message. As she did, however, her face paled at an incredible rate.
"B-Brylle?" Kapun asked uncertainly.
Instead of answering, Brylle ran over to the hole that she and Kair popped out of before punching the wall at lightning speed. Rocks quickly fell through the hole, blocking the entrance. Above them, Culus heard some things collapse.
"Brylle, what gives?!" Rowan shouted, reappearing instantly. "I thought that was how we were going to leave."
Brylle turned on Rowan. "And the fact that Shadow Workers were halfway down that tunnel already?!"
They froze. "Shadow Workers?" Culus asked. "I thought 'Thilia' was keeping them out."
Brylle shook her head. "She was keeping them from teleporting in! She can't stop them from doing what we did! They're teleporting to the outside of the matrix and are making their way in!" Brylle bit her lip. "Thilia and Kair are marshaling Fylak's defenses, but, well, Brimu was the main alerting system. We can't play defense either." Brylle then took a deep breath. "Oh, and for some reason, Thilia can't wipe Brimu's memories. Shadow Worker perks, I imagine."
"Fuck," Rowan eloquently exclaimed, with perfect word choice for the situation.
"So, what do we do?" Kapun asked her.
"I… we… all the gates outside are already blocked, and it's only a matter of time before they retake the ward matrix, so we'll be found out eventually…" Culus could see subtle signs of a panic attack. "I… I'm open to suggestions," she said eventually.
Kapun and Rowan looked at each other, concerned. They probably hadn't figured something out. Culus, though, had.
"Do you want my suggestion?" Culus asked after it was clear no one else was offering.
"I'm all ears," Brylle nodded.
"We use the oldy-but-goody - a distraction, the biggest one imaginable," Culus declared. "In other words, a jailbreak."
Brylle's mouth went wide open. "A… a… jailbreak?!" she asked uncomprehendingly
"If you know where the ward matrix is, you probably know where they keep their master rings, right?"
Brylle slowly nodded. "Yes, halfway across the complex. Why do you…" Her eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"
Culus turned to Rowan and Kapun. "You two in?"
Rowan's foxy grin spoke volumes.
Kapun eagerly nodded. "Absolutely!"
Brylle looked at them all in shock. "But, but I… I…"
"Brylle, do you have a better suggestion?" Culus asked, before continuing his argument. "Frankly, the only thing that's wrong with it is that some people could die in a stampede - well, that, and criminals being let loose. Are either of those worse than the Shadow Workers getting to us?"
"... please, any other suggestions?" Brylle begged.
Kapun put on a pensive look for a second. "Well, could you get Thilia to lower the anti-teleportation field? Or even break the matrix itself?"
Brylle shook her head. "Anything higher than what Thilia's already doing needs special clearance, rather than just access to the system. And considering how the only thing special about the matrix room is its command over the matrix, well, it's not centralized enough to destroy like that."
So the defenses were better than Culus thought. "Well, we could fight through hordes of Shadow Workers many times stronger than we are."
"... fine, we'll fight numbers with numbers," Brylle acquiesced with a sigh, before punching a signal through her key. "Just wondering - could you possibly use that weird creation power you talked about?"
"No chance - I'm nowhere near recovered enough." Culus's grin dipped. "For that matter, I haven't slept in… well, I don't even know if they allowed me to sleep in Reporting Mode. The last time I can confirm I slept was before Slate kidnapped me. The Mental Herb can only do so much, too."
"Right, right," Brylle sighed. "This is such a nightmare…" A signal came back. "Kair agrees and will meet us there, along with Thilia." Brylle hooked Culus around her. "You know your orders, let's go!"
There was no more protest, no more waiting - just motion. Brylle, Kapun, and Rowan ran as fast as possible, crossing several curious prisoners as they did so. Nothing stopped them, though, and they made it to the room quickly enough. Brylle punched a hole into the side of the room, and then they were in.
The room was full of boxes of rings. There were tons of little trays everywhere, each with a tiny master ring in it engraved with the name of a prisoner.
"Now what?" Brylle said once they were in. "How do you plan on causing a jailbreak? Even if we can activate all of the rings in time, we can't send messages through them. They don't work like that, after all."
"They're based on psychic power, right?" It was an educated guess, based on the fact that thoughts set and activate commands.
"Yes, but as I said, they can't be used for telepathy! The bands only act as receivers of commands, of semi-abstract ideas! The only thing they can 'put out' is pain!"
Culus shook his head. "Frankly, Brylle, you're nowhere near creative enough for this kind of maneuver, no offense." Brylle narrowed her eyes. "By the way, where are Kair and 'Thilia'?"
"Wow~" A female voice went off, and Culus turned to see a jolly Hattena walk up to him. "Are you Kite?"
Culus grimaced. "Yes, but I prefer the name Culus." He then sighed. "Though, if you want to call me Kite, well, you can do whatever you want." The name wasn't going away anytime soon, as much as Culus disliked it.
"Okay, Culus!" Despite himself, Culus smiled. "Nice to meet you! So, what are we doing?"
Culus led Thilia to the rings. "There are two things I want to do. First, can you connect all the rings for me?"
"Connect them?" Thilia asked, peering at the rings.
"Yeah, connect them so that when I send a command through one, it'll echo through them all."
Thilia nodded eagerly. "Yep! It'll take a lot of concentration, but I can get the job done."
Culus smiled again. "Great! Now, before we continue, a small question - what kind of pain can the slavery bands create?"
Brylle and Kapun looked at him oddly at that. Thilia answered nonetheless. "I think all kinds of pain. There's burning pain, and heart pain - you know, when you lose something important or you say goodbye to an old friend - and I heard that you can use drowning pain, too!"
Culus nodded. "Good, good! Now, does that include sound pain?"
A beat.
"Probably?"
"Kite, you can't be serious!" Brylle exclaimed, looking at him like he was insane. "What are the odds that it'll work?"
Culus looked at Brylle with curiosity. "Well, we'll never know if we don't try. Though, for that matter, hand me my master ring, would you?"
Brylle looked at him warily. "... why?"
"I'm going to use myself as a test subject. I'm only one with a slavery band who's conscious, so I'm the only one that can be tested on."
Now everyone looked at him like he was insane, even Thilia.
"Hey, I don't like it either, but we don't have the time for something better. We need to get this right the first time, too, and make sure it's at a pain level where it doesn't hurt them for too long."
Brylle frowned but eventually handed him the master ring. "Be careful," she warned him.
"Of course." With that, Culus thought hard about the command.
'If Culus were to take a breath in the next second, project the sound of Culus's worst enemies into his head saying 'Culus is a free Shinx!' exactly one time'
A second passed. He breathed;
cUluS iS AFreE sHInX
Culus collapsed to the ground, almost mewling. Sounds of Kenki, the Zoroark, and a few others that he had never remembered just instinctively dreaded.
Memories from his past life, then.
"Culus! Culus, are you okay?!" Rowan was immediately by his side, lifting him to his feet.
"I'm… I'm fine," Culus said eventually. "And it worked. But for their sake, I'll keep it short. After all, the slavery band isn't kind no matter what it's used for."
"It worked?" Brylle spun on Thilia. "Why hasn't anyone done this before?"
Thilia looked confused at the question. "Why would anyone do this?"
Culus chuckled. "She's right, you know. It's psychologically debilitating, after all. It's pain."
The slavery band, even when used for a good purpose, was meant to hurt. Trying to put the sound of Kapun and Rowan didn't work, but doing the worst enemies again (this time using 'band-wearer' instead of his direct name) caused another painful and clear message to come through.
"Ugh…" Culus shook his head after the next round of experimentation. "Okay, I know what I need to say." He looked at Thilia. "Are you ready?"
Thilia nodded. "Touch me when you're ready and I'll connect you."
Culus took a deep breath, figured out his lines, then butted Thilia in the head. She giggled a little, then made the connection.
'If the band-wearer were to take any number of breaths in the next 15 seconds, project the sound of their worst enemies into their head saying 'I control your band now. You are free, but might not be for long. Run.' exactly three times, then erase all commands'
Culus then dropped to the floor as it affected him too. Of course, that was only proof that it worked. Now, to see if it caused a jailbreak.
"Thilia, any emotional changes near us?"
"Nothing yet… nothing yet… nothing…" Her eyes snapped open with glee. "Happiness! There's happiness everywhere I can feel!"
Instantly, Kair grabbed them all. "Hang on tight!" he commanded, before flying out of the ring room.
…
Chaos. Absolute chaos. It hadn't taken long for a prisoner to listen to the broadcast, get a bit of hope, dare to trigger the band, then escape as fast as possible when it didn't.
The fact that someone had tried soon spread like wildfire, and now everyone was bulldozing their way through Fylak. It was the prison's first-ever jailbreak, and it was not equipped to handle it in the slightest.
Of course, Culus only saw a few instants of it as Kair flew them out. Some Shadow Workers (Culus assumed, you couldn't tell them at a glance after all) tried to stop them - numbers beat numbers, though, and soon all of the Shadow Workers simply stepped to the side as the prisoners attempted to find their freedom.
As they flew away, Brylle looked at him appraisingly. "I have to admit, Kite," she said at last. "You're neither the monster nor the hero I was expecting."
"I live to surprise," Culus chose to reply in return.
"... right. Anyway, Kair, I've messaged some coordinates to Genevieve, and she'll come to pick us up." Brylle turned back to them all. "So, team, I have one last thing to say."
She then took a deep breath.
"Mission clear!"
Sorry this took so long. The chapter itself was done about a month ago, but my beta (who I consider strictly necessary for this fic) was/is busy and didn't have a lot of spare time to go over. He managed to finish it last night, though, so I could finally post it!
If you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to fav, follow, and/or review! I really enjoy reading them!
Toodles!
