A crowd had gathered at the entrance of the chieftain's war tent. After limping their way back to the heart of the Caluso's city, Chung and the others finally stood before Karu and his generals. Still drenched in blood not entirely their own and reeking of fish guts, the outsiders were far from presentable to the average high-ranking official. The seven men and women who sat in a semi-circle of raised stone were not the average officials, however, and seemed quite impressed that the outsiders managed to survive a Trock attack and a swarm of sand piranhas. Naturally, it was only the chieftain who was unmoved by the outsiders' fight for their lives, and he simply regarded them with the same, unchanging scowl from when he first left them at the desert's mercy earlier that day.
"Aunty Nerin! Uncle Gerard!" Anduran cried as she pushed past the semicircle of Caluso's highest ranking warriors to throw herself into her relative's arms, "Edwin! I'm… I'm so happy you're all here! You're all here! I can't believe it!" The wind priestess cried as the family embraced.
Unable to relish in the family reunion, the two Hamelians had more pressing matters to worry about: Lu and Ciel. The little demoness had fallen unconscious shortly after she mended her vessel's wounds and hadn't stirred once as Chung carried her through the city. She was deathly pale, so much so that it unsettled the young king, having to carry a childish body in his arms. He had to stop several times during the walk to check if she was still breathing. Even as he laid her on the ground within the tent, her stillness brought him to rest a hand on her chest to check if her heart was beating.
Ciel was no better off. Whatever Lu did to her vessel clearly saved his life, but Chung was quick to notice the changes that took place in her loyal servant's body. His legs, shredded of its flesh moments prior, had stopped bleeding. Any visible tear through clumps of dried blood had smoothed out, mending and reconstructing itself within minutes of receiving the injury. However, what caught Chung's attention was the thin, pointed tail that had mysteriously sprouted out of Ciel's lower back.
As Zudrich laid him on the ground next to the demoness, both of the Hamelians noted that Ciel's ears had grown pointed, not quite as pronounced as an elf but short and stubby, like a demon's.
The two glanced at each other, concern evident on both of their faces before Karu stood, garnering their attention and prompting the other six members of this council to stand with him.
"The men and women standing before you are representatives of Caluso's Khudre," Nerin whispered to Chung.
"Khudre?"
"It's like… smaller tribes. Part of Caluso but their own tribe still. I… don't know the words to explain outside of my native tongue."
Gerard chimed in, "Think of them like state governors."
Chung scanned the leaders, noting Vegar, Karu's lieutenant, was not among the seven, instead standing behind them, to Karu's right. "So there are seven states?"
"Used to be more," Nerin nodded, "But that was before we went to war against Sanderians."
Karu spit at the mention of the merchant faction. Reminded of Caluso's hate for their desert neighbors, Chung wondered if his request for transport to Sander was even on the table. Though if it wasn't, why would the chieftain even bother granting him an audience? Unless…
"What business do Hamelians have in dealing with the traitor merchants?" one of the council members asked.
"You requested for transport to their capital. Why?" Another added.
Looking at each of the member's faces, Chung's eyes fell on Vegar standing behind Karu, his cold eyes staring unflinchingly at the young king. The assassin's words echoed in Chung's head:
"The Caluso has a need for outsiders such as yourself. Though I'll leave that up to you to make him see that."
Chung scanned each battle-hardened council member before him. They needed him? From what he had seen thus far, the Caluso hated outsiders and wanted nothing to do with them. They were a nation governed by physical might and bore witness to their chieftain single-handedly putting Chung and the others in their place without so much as breaking a sweat. There was no reason for the council to even lend him an ear, yet here they were doing so. Just what did Vegar expect Chung to do to change the chieftain's mind?
The young king cleared his throat, "Reconstruction. Hamel had driven the demon scourge from our lands. Though we survived, we are in dire need of outside intervention. We only have enough manpower to make it through the day and lack the resources to build infrastructure for basic necessities. I'm traveling to Sander to ask for their assistance."
The council was silent. They looked amongst themselves as one of the leaders chuckled and shrugged, causing another to smile and shake his head.
"Our airships will not assist in a lost cause," another council member responded.
"A… A lost cause?!" Zudrich interjected, feeling equally insulted as Chung was, "My king has pulled our people from the brink of ruin and has done everything he can to keep our kingdom together. We've made it this far with his guidance and are far from a lost cause!"
"It is not the Hamelians that are a lost cause," a council member replied, "It is your reason for coming to this desert."
"What do you mean?" Chung asked.
"You seek an audience with Sander's leaders. You don't appear to have an offering."
"An… offering?"
Several of the council members chuckled at the young king's confusion. "You're a leader visiting a foreign nation. It is a basic formality to present gifts from your lands."
"I… oh." Having never had to worry about the rules of diplomacy, a gift had completely slipped Chung's mind. Not that it would have mattered to begin with. Hamel had very little to offer in the form of gifts.
"You would need much more than trinkets," a council member said, "At least for an audience with Sander's elite."
"Carriages of wealth," another added.
"The finest spirits."
"Fabrics, as well."
Chung blinked, "All to convince them to help us?"
"Convince them?" another member scoffed, "You'd need more for a Sanderian to even consider your proposal. We speak only of gaining the pigs' attention. As you are, you will not be worth Dafarr's time."
The Hamelian couldn't tell if they were over-exaggerating or not. Regardless, their efforts to sway him didn't change his situation. "I still have to try…" Chung said, his voice low. "I didn't travel all this way to return to my kingdom empty-handed. Hamel needs the help of its neighbors."
"Then try," Karu said, finally, waving his hand dismissively, "Waste your time as you please with Sander. But you will not waste the Caluso's."
"I'm no longer talking about help from Sander. I've shifted my stance. I'd like to ask for help from you. From the Caluso."
The sudden proposal caught the entire council off-guard as all eyes shifted from one another before falling on their chieftain.
"Help? From us?" Karu grimaced at the idea.
"The Sander desert is vast. Dry. Unforgiving. I've learned from… a late friend of mine… about the history between you and the Sanderians. I'm well aware of the many reasons you hate them. Help rebuild Hamel, and the El Stone of Water would be open for your people to benefit from."
He could see the majority of the council grow wide-eyed at the offer. Suddenly, the officials were abuzz with whispers amongst one another.
"Chung…" Zudrich whispered, grabbing the king's attention, "You can't be serious… sharing the El Stone with another nation?"
"What else do we have to offer?" Chung whispered back, "Like they said, if we spoke to the Sander nobles, they'd probably expect more than we could ever offer. They're not taking us to Sander, either, so unless there was some magical way to teleport us there, our only option of travel is by foot. I need to make this deal work. If this doesn't convince them-"
"No," Karu stated, to the shock of the other council members, "Caluso relies on no one. It is what made us strong. It is what keeps us strong."
Although the rest of the Caluso surrounding him said nothing, there was clear unrest between the six and their leader. The majority obviously was interested in the offer, but not enough to speak up against Karu's stubbornness. He needed to give them more perspective… but how? They already saw Hamel as their lesser… Unless…
"You sound like a Hamelian," Chung replied, "That was the same mentality we had. It was that mentality that led to our downfall."
"Your people were not strong enough to fight off the demon threat-"
"The strong survive. Of course. That was our kingdom's mindset and our battle cry."
"As other nations fell to the demon invasion, we laughed at how pitiful they were to fall to such weak enemies. We were eager for the day the demons would reach our shores. But the enemy was cunning. The physical might we prided ourselves in counted for little. Any advantage we had was turned against us. By the time we realized we were no match against this new enemy, we all knew no one would aid us.
"I see the Caluso following the same path. You may not see yourselves as anywhere near as vulnerable with the floating island you live on, but the world becomes a lot lonelier when you realize no one out there is willing to help. Think about it: I'm offering water! In abundance! Pure, clean drinking water, enough to fill an oasis a thousand times over. If we don't survive… if someone else, even the demons, claim Hamel as their own, you lose access to a resource that you'd only need to ask for. All I ask in exchange is infrastructure construction."
Chung couldn't tell if his promises moved the council members, but even the people spectating outside stirred with excitement. Though the vast majority were in clear favor of the offer, it was the learned few in Chung's party who looked on in confusion.
The king tried to subtly gesture with his hand at both of them, urging them to remain silent on the matter. His eyes then turned to Vegar, who quietly nodded in approval.
The chieftain, who had yet to express anything but a scowl since the beginning of Chung's little speech, seemed to only grow more unconvinced.
"You change your mind very easily. Your goal only moments ago was to travel to Sander for help. Now you come to us. Your loyalty… how easily is it bought?"
"You have my word that we will support each other. I promise you we will honor our end of the trade agreement."
"If I may," Vegar said, loud enough for the entire council to hear, "I can test his loyalty, if you'd allow it, chieftain. What better way than to pit him against our enemy?"
The suggestion brought another murmur amongst the council, only this time Karu appeared to like this idea.
"What…?" the king trailed off.
"You will do it, won't you?" Vegar asked the still-stunned king. "The armistice between us and the merchant pigs is only a surface-level cease-fire. Caluso cannot directly attack Sanderians without plunging the entire desert into war, and the Sanderians cannot attack us. But when you're as connected as the merchants, they essentially control the trade routes coming to and from the desert. They look to draw out this so-called peace while slowly choking us out of existence."
Karu slammed his fist on his armrest, "Cowards! All of them! They have forgotten the way of the warrior!"
Vegar continued, "We look to even the playing field. Sabotage from a rogue element, especially from an individual from a supposedly-dead-nation could easily work in our favor."
"You're… going to use us for your war with Sander?"
"In exchange for our cooperation? I think that's a fair trade," Vegar said, crossing his arms.
"With all due respect… I do not wish to be involved in any more fighting than I need to. I can't abandon my people, especially to fight another war."
"Then find your help somewhere else-" the chieftain began only to be interrupted by Vegar.
"Chieftain, if I may… I believe we are the ones in position to garner the king's favor. Water, Karu. As much as we can drink," Vegar insisted, turning to Chung once more, "We will not have you abandon your people. Agree to assist us, and we will send our people to Hamel first thing tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?!" Chung and Karu say in unison.
Vegar nods, smiling at the other council members, "What of the rest of you? Do you find our terms agreeable?"
The suddenness of the proposal did not sit well with some of the council members, but the prospect of unlimited access to water was more than enough for the rest.
"The Khudre of Bladed Shields have an abundance of mouths to feed. We can put those extra warriors to work if Hamel has the food to feed them," a female council member said.
"The Khudre of Thousand Spears are closest to the Hamel mountain range. We can direct our airships there to move supplies," another council member added.
"It appears the war council is just as eager for this exchange as our new Hamelian friend," Vegar smiled, turning to Karu, "And what do you say, Chieftain?"
After a moment of deliberation and with the urging of the council members in favor of the offer, Karu relented, "Do what you must. So long as we get our water."
Feeling his time has been wasted enough, the Chieftain rose from his seat to leave.
The rest followed and as the council exited the tent, the assassin moved to join the outsiders.
"Sorry for taking it that far," Vegar said, "The chieftain would've said no, otherwise. I know what you're thinking. Using you to fight our war is deplorable, I agree. But I assure you. That is not my intent."
Chung squinted at the assassin, "What angle are you playing?"
Vegar paused, considering his words before motioning them to follow. "Come, we'll discuss the details in my tent. I'll have accommodations prepared for you and your friends."
Hearing this, Chung motioned for the others to follow. He took Lu in his arms once more and followed the assassin out of the war tent to the outer reaches of the capital city.
Vegar's tent was more like an observation post situated at the edge of the floating island looking far to the south west. It was simple at first glance, but upon further inspection of the furniture within, Chung noted how… barren it all looked, save for a telescope and a desk with a worn map sitting on top. It was as if the lieutenant hardly stayed in it to begin with.
"Your speech," Vegar began, "'The Strong Survive', huh? I always thought the Hamel's motto was something else… What was it, again?"
"For the good of the realm," Zudrich replied, "What you told them, Chung… our nation would never forsake another! You lied!"
"I know, Zuzu. That was the only way I could get Karu to see things my way."
"It worked," Vegar agreed, "Granted, it needed a bit more of a push on my part, but the end result was achieved. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your kingdom's saved."
"Assuming that I help you. What are you planning, lieutenant? I may have lied to your chieftain, but somehow I feel like you were doing the same."
"Yes, about that," Vegar said as Chung and the others settled into the meager bed rolls lining the edge of the tent, "War is such an ugly thing. Unlike the others, I am a warrior who likes to choose my battles rather than take the ones I'm given. The way I see it, the desert is going to rip itself to shreds one way or another if the Caluso and Sanderians cannot see eye to eye. If Sander achieves its goals and bleeds us out, the El Stone of Wind will fall into greedy, neglectful hands. If we make the first move and attack, we will be branded as oppressors by all of Elrios. Even if we win the war, the Caluso can not regain control of a desert and maintain good relations with the other kingdoms."
"So then what is it you want?" Chung asked, "Clearly it's a lose-lose situation for you no matter what."
"I want an end to this fighting with as little loss as possible. I want to reunify the desert."
"And… that's why I'm here," Chung said, noting the sound of foot traffic from the other end of the hall.
"So you've sided with the Caluso and are fighting Sander. That makes you the enemy," Eve concluded.
"Well… yes and no. I'm not siding with the Caluso. I mean I am, in the Chieftain's eyes. But as Vegar said: I'm really here to reunify the desert. I don't want this war to happen just as much as either side. So instead of helping one, I want to bring them both together. That way, I can help the Caluso fight off whatever demonic presence is transforming people into mindless, bloodthirsty zombies. Afterwards, Sander as a whole can focus on restoring peace and prosperity for the entire continent, my kingdom included."
Eve wasn't convinced. He had, after all, attempted more than once to sabotage the El Search Party's progress. Him being here was yet another reason not to trust him. Surely, he was looking to disrupt Sander operations while their attention was focused on the invasion. Still holding Chung at gunpoint, she pressed further.
"What do you hope to gain from stowing away on a Sanderian ship, then? If you aren't choosing a side like you claim, then why are you here?"
"As I've said when you captured me, I'm not exactly supposed to be here… I'm disobeying orders."
"Why?"
"A personal request from a friend of mine. I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I'm trying to sneak into the Caluso capital to retrieve something."
"And that is?"
Chung hesitated, contemplating his choice of words before answering, "I'll tell you if you let me out."
"No."
"Eve, please. I need you to let me out."
"You said you can break the lock yourself. Attempt your escape if you're so determined," Eve challenged, taking a step closer to the doorway.
"I won't."
"Why? You have your reason for being here. And I stand in your way. How else are you going to get out?"
"I won't because I refuse to fight you."
"Then, in the brig you'll stay."
More movement could be heard from the other end of the hallway. The murmur of the ship's crew echoed down the hall, drowning out the tense silence between the two as Eve awaited Chung's next move.
"I… read your letter," Chung said.
Eve said nothing. If anything, she only appeared more guarded at the mention of her letters to him.
"At least, the last one you sent me. I had no idea the corruption had progressed that far. Is there really no way to reverse it?"
"...Add," Eve muttered.
"Oh."
They were both silent once more. Chung slumped back into a sitting position, dropping his head as he recounted the letter word for word.
"I'm so sorry. If I had known, I would have-"
"Don't finish that sentence, Chung," Eve shook her head, "It was hard enough coming to grips with the fact you weren't there when I needed you. I don't need you taunting me with ideas of what could have been."
The young man could only look up at the Nasod, eyes filled with regret as he searched hers for any sign of forgiveness. She broke eye contact, instead focusing on some indistinct object on the other side of the doorframe.
"How much time do you have left?"
"At the rate my systems are being corrupted, I have less than a month before my life support systems will be compromised. Other critical systems are projected to fail at earlier stages, which may complicate and lead to an earlier termination, but the longest possible life expectancy is just under a month."
"You say it so casually."
"I've come to accept the reality of my situation."
"Well, I haven't."
"There's nothing that can be done."
"There is! At least… between us."
"Us?" Eve blinked, "I told you already. What we had a year ago is over."
"I understand that, Eve," Chung sighed and dropped his head, "I understand that you want nothing to do with me. I should've been there for you. I shouldn't have kicked you and the others out. I was angry and felt so betrayed that I just needed space. I never meant to ignore you. I just… didn't want to speak with anyone outside of my kingdom. I made a mistake dragging you into my own conflict, and I deserved being hated for it."
The silence hung over them longer this time. Chung, afraid to look up at Eve, simply waited for something… anything that Eve had been wanting to say. Finally, she spoke.
"I… never said I hated you," Eve said softly.
Blinking, Chung looked up. Eve crossed her arms, turning her head away as if ashamed of her admission.
"Well… if that's true, then maybe we can change what we've become. We've gone through so much together. We've watched each other's backs. We've made it further helping each other than we could ever dream. And now, look at us. Is this really how you want us to remember each other when the month passes?"
A visible pout formed on her lips. Slowly, she shook her head.
"I want to extend an olive branch. No more fighting between us. Just let me out, and I'll disappear from your life."
Eve blinked at the suggestion, "So, this is all just a ploy to help you escape?"
"They're going to kill me," Chung stated, "I'm the Phantom, after all. When you bring me back to Sander, do you think they're going to just let me rot in jail? Since the El Search Party captured the Phantom, you'd probably be given front row seats to my execution."
"I… haven't considered that…" Eve trailed off.
"Then, set me free. Do this, and you'll never hear from me again. I promise."
An alarm blared. After several seconds of ear-grating noise, the captain of the Sandtilus's voice came on, calling for general quarters. No sooner had the alarm sounded did the muffled sound of airship guns thundered through the ship's hull.
"We're here," Chung gawped, looking at the yellow flashing lights before turning back to Eve, "You have to let me go."
"Chung… I can't."
"If I stay, they're going to execute me. I don't want the last moments of us to end like this. Let me go, Eve, and I'll be out of your life. For good."
Eve hesitated, clearly conflicted by the matter. She stared at the lock, then at the revolver in her hand. Another thundering echo chipped the paint off the metal walls. She looked up at Chung, and he stared back, his bright, puppy-paw eyes begging her to reconsider.
She raised the revolver once more, pointing it not at the young man but at the lock, shooting a hole into it and causing the metal gate to clang open.
"Eve?" Chung gasped.
"Go," the Nasod ordered, stepping aside. She took it further and held both revolvers out for him to take. She turned away from him. "Go… and never speak to me again!"
Even Eve looked surprised by her own words.
The young man nodded, holstering his weapons as he slipped past her. Withholding the urge to whisper a thank you, he threw on the hood of his ragged cloak before taking off down the hallway. The Nasod watched him as he paused at the corner, peeking both ways before disappearing from view.
Eve leaned against the wall, staring up at the spinning yellow light as she hoped she wasn't making a terrible mistake.
"Never speak to you again?" Moby asked.
"He strictly stated he is to leave us alone henceforth," Remy replied, "If he honors his word, then the question of whether he is our enemy or not is irrelevant."
"But, is he really not going to talk to us?"
"It's what our mistress wishes, right?"
Both drones turned to their queen. She didn't answer, but her companions' questions left a heavy weight in her chest. It felt good to tell Chung off like that. At least at first… but he didn't even say goodbye when he left…
As she stood there ruminating on her decision, a voice echoed in her head, startling her as the voice of a female cleared her throat.
"Eve?"
"Rose?!" the Nasod stammered, realizing all too late that she still had the communication jack in her ear port.
"The, uh, higher ups are calling for the vanguard to ready up for deployment. They want me to order you to join the final wave of the Sandtilus's drop sequence, so um… you should probably head to the main deck now."
"Rose… about what you've been hearing…" Eve began, but found herself unable to come up with a believable explanation as to what the Valkyrie had been listening to the entire time.
"We'll talk about it later. Just report to the main deck."
The scorching, mid-day sun greeted Eve as she stepped out from the lower deck, nearly blinding her and almost causing her to run into the crowd of soldiers who were filing in line before their commanding officers.
The muffled echoes of cannon fire were now deafening as a volley of shells sailed overhead past the Sandtilus.
The Nasod traced their trajectory and was forced to stand on her tip-toes to see over the crowd of people in front of her.
There, in the distance, was a floating capital city of the Caluso tribe. Its bright white and green banners almost seemed to glitter with the heatwave rising from the sands far below.
Another volley of cannon fire from Sanderian dreadnaughts were unleashed, and Eve watched in awe as the shells curved around and away from the intended target. Again and again, the fleet of ships fired their cannons, and yet not a single round seemed to find its target. The trailing smoke left behind from each shell perfectly outlined the barrier of wind that protected the city. Despite this, the fleet continued to fire as the Sandtilus drew closer.
"No retaliation?" a soldier whispered to another.
"We've caught them unprepared. I doubt they're even ready to fight back," the second soldier whispered back.
"About time you joined us," A voice said, pulling Eve from the spectacle to see Elsword making his way to her. "We missed you at the briefing."
"I was occupied making last minute adjustments to my arsenal," Eve said, "Rose told me I'm bringing up the rear. Was there anything else?"
"Cause havoc. Kill every last bastard who stands in your way," the redhead shrugged.
"Uh, no. We have a job to do," Elesis said, standing behind her brother, "Our orders are to seize the southwestern pylon."
"Pylon?" Eve tilted her head.
"The city's got six of them," Elesis explained, "Each helps power the barrier protecting the enemy. Take one out, and the barrier weakens. They reckon at least three need to be taken down before the barrier becomes too weak to repel our cannon fire."
"Secure the pylon. Understood."
Elsword spat, "Job? Our job is to kill the enemy."
"We follow our orders, Elsword. I'm going to make sure you stick to the plan," Elesis growled.
"Right. You can make sure as much as you want. Just don't get in my way," the lord knight grunted.
"Deviating from the plan raises the chance of casualties," Eve stated.
"Duh. That's the point."
"Eve's talking about us, you doofus! The people that you're supposed to be fighting alongside?"
"If you can't keep up with me, then I'll leave you behind," Elsword said, simply.
"I won't be following you," the Nasod stated flatly.
Elsword glowered at her, "Eve. Those bastards murdered Thironin. Don't you want to even the score?"
Eve stared back, challenging his gaze. "If Aisha could see what you've become…"
"Don't you dare say her name!" Elsword yelled, "Unlike you, I actually cared for her and my friends! I'm fighting this war because they killed Aisha's family! If you're not here for that then what are you doing here?"
Eve didn't answer. Her real reason was to stop the Phantom from hurting her friends, but seeing as that plan was all but a wash…
"Shouldn't you be… back in the city fixing your code or whatever?" Elsword continued, "That's all you ever cared about!"
"That's not true-" Eve began.
"It is! It's why you came to Sander in the first place, right? You don't care about us. You never did. You only care about yourself!"
"Elsword," Elesis reached for him, but he swatted her hand away.
"It's harsh, but it's true. It's why you left us, isn't it? You don't want to be in the El Search Party, don't you? You don't want to be around us anymore, isn't that right?"
The Nasod didn't answer, prompting the redhead to press for an answer.
"Do you consider yourself part of the El Search Party?"
Elsword wasn't completely wrong. It was true that she had wanted to distance herself from the group for some time, but it wasn't because she didn't care for them…
"I… I don't know."
Elsword smiled, leaning closer to the Nasod's face, "Then, consider this my way of helping you reach a decision. I don't want you in our group. Not if you're unwilling to fight for your friends like the rest of us are."
"That's enough, Elsword!" his sister scolded. She grabbed him by the shoulder only for him to shrug her off and turn to leave on his own accord.
"I've said what I wanted."
Elesis looked from her brother and to Eve before moving to catch up with her brother, leaving the Nasod on her own.
Despite the heavy cannonfire in the background, it was his heavy boot falls fading in the distance that echoed the loudest in Eve's head. Eve clutched at her chest, feeling as if the knight had physically ripped her heart out.
She didn't have long to dwell on his words, however, for as soon as he left, another alarm blared. "Incoming fire! Incoming fire! Brace for impact!"
Shortly after the alarm sounded, a large ballista bolt shot past the Sandtilus, narrowly missing its target.
A nearby troop carrier hovering not too far above them was not so lucky. The massive arrow struck the hull, punching straight through it and sending several of the ship's passengers overboard. Despite the damage, the ship stabilized, continuing its advance with the others in the vanguard.
The Sandtilus began taking evasive maneuvers, moving with the other carriers closer to their positions as ballista bolts filled the airspace.
The gunships changed rounds. The ineffective artillery shells that once whirled harmlessly off course were now exploding at the wind barrier's limit, blanketing the city in a thick cloud of smoke. All defensive fire ceased, giving the ships ample time to close the distance.
Upon reaching the edge of the wind barrier, all artillery shelling ceased as a new gunship took center stage. Far back, well out of reach from any ballista bolt, the ship's bow opened, revealing a terrifyingly familiar weapon that brought terrible memories back to Eve's mind.
The Earth Breaker cannon. The first and only time Eve had seen such a weapon used was on the Black Crow against Demon Lieutenant Avalanche. Nothing aside from a deep crater was left in its wake.
"Prepare for drop! Prepare for drop!" the announcement repeated throughout the Sandtilus. Shortly after, the sky seemed to darken as a bright yellow light streaked through the air. Unaffected by the barrier, the stream of plasma plowed straight through the smoke, hitting the capital city underneath.
The gunship carrying the Earth Breaker began to lose altitude. Having lost half of its ship from simply firing the weapon, it could no longer stay airborne and was forced to make an emergency landing.
As for the destruction the weapon caused to its intended target: the smoke cleared, revealing a quarter of the city's disk-like shape had simply vanished. The edges of the impact zone was nothing but a molten, burning slab of floating dirt.
"The barrier's down! Standby for green light!" the drop coordinator shouted to the vanguard.
The Sandtilus, as well as the other troop carriers advanced, pushing past the expected limit of the barrier's range before the Caluso could resume its defenses.
"Go! Go! Go!" the coordinator shouted. With a push of the button, the downward-facing tubes launched the first wave of the vanguard. Traveling beyond terminal velocity, each soldier braced themselves as projected nets rapidly slowed their descent. Their landing was smooth, smooth enough to immediately move in as the Caluso defenders scrambled to meet them. "Section two, make ready!"
The next wave of vanguard loaded up into the tubes and were swiftly launched to support the initial wave. Elsword and Elesis's section were next, and they slid into their chutes.
"Mistress!" Remy cried, "Incoming fire!"
In came the greenlight, and the tubes launched their passengers once more. Almost at the same time, a ballista bolt struck the Sandtilus's side, destroying half of the deployment tubes and taking the coordinator out with it. The entire ship rocked from the impact, listing dangerously to its side and causing Eve to lose her footing and slide to the opposite railing. She could hear the panicked cries of the crew as the circuitry for the retrofitted tubes caused a small explosion. Several crewmen could be heard reporting a fire somewhere below deck.
"Eve," Rose radioed, "Have you landed yet?"
"No," Eve reported through gritted teeth. She nearly lost her balance as another ballista struck the ship. "The Sanditlus is under attack."
"I can see that from here. Command has a slight change of plan for you. They need those ballista emplacements taken care of. Will you be able to do it?"
"I've never… fought the Caluso before," Eve gasped, clutching to the railing as the ship steadied itself once more, "Anything I should know beforehand?"
"The Caluso are nothing to scoff at. I'd be careful when fighting them. Keep your distance. They'll beat anyone in hand to hand combat. And I mean anyone."
"Understood." Finally able to find firm footing, Eve made her way to the rapid deployment tube.
She was almost at the machine when she spotted Chung crawling out from the lower deck. With his cannon slung over his shoulder, he was busy inspecting the deployment tubes, gauging if he would even fit in one with his weapon on hand.
Chung paused, sensing he was being watched. He turned with a revolver drawn, only to find himself staring face-to-face with Eve once more.
Realizing who it was, they both stared at each other for a moment. Eve expected him to speak. No… she wanted him to say something. Anything. After the things Elsword had shouted at her, she just wanted Chung to reassure her in some way that she was acting for the benefit of her friends… or what was left of them at this point.
The Hamelian remained silent.
Slowly he turned away, keeping well on his promise to avoid her completely as he fiddled with the controls for the chute.
Blinking, Eve stood there, watching him work as he did little to regard her.
He was so close… yet he felt so far away.
Even though this was what she had asked for, Eve hadn't anticipated how lonely she would feel seeing him leave her.
Just like everyone else.
This was for the best, though. At least she and Chung wouldn't be mad at each other. At least their last moments together wouldn't end on a sour note. This was what both of them wanted. Right?
So why…?
Why was she running to him?
Why couldn't she just let him go?
She was almost there. With an outstretched hand, she reached for him just as he turned to look at her one last time.
But fate had a different plan.
A bolt tore through the ship's deck, narrowly missing the two as it flew right between them.
Time seemed to slow as she watched the railing separate itself from the ship, taking Chung with it. Instinctively, they reached for each other, but it was too little too late.
He looked up at her, the distance between them growing with each passing moment.
Before she even realized what she was doing, Eve jumped after him.
Bladed wings materialized on her back. Without a word, her drones were behind her, pushing their queen faster and faster through the air until she collided with the Hamelian, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she tried to slow his descent.
He was heavy, so heavy with his cannon that her arms felt like they were going to rip out of their sockets. But she couldn't let go. She refused to.
With her eyes closed, she prayed to the El Lady that her wings would be strong enough to do something. The wind was a deafening whistle around her as she steadied their trajectory. Unsure of where they were going, an inevitable and violent crash followed, sending the two tumbling through dirt and debris.
The dust settled. And as Eve slowly came to, she looked up to see that Chung was alive. Although a little more than bruised from the crash landing, he was in one piece and more shocked and confused than anything else.
Her Full Generate Mode deactivated, and the wings on her back dematerialized into flecks of data as she held his gaze. He had several questions for her. She could see it in his eyes.
Eve hoped the way she held him and buried her face against his chest would at least answer some of them.
A/N: Editing credit goes to mirai-akina. Please support her work as I could not have finished this chapter without her stellar suggestions! Thanks for reading everyone!
