Cor tried to sit up in the bed but Lunafreya reached out and pushed against his shoulder until he settled back against the pillows. She cast a cursory glance towards the small desk in the corner where Verstael and Dorcas were talking before turning her attention back to The Immortal. He groaned and shifted uncomfortably, following Lunafreya's gaze and making eye contact when she turned back.
"There is something wrong with that woman." He grumbled.
"What happened here?" She reiterated her previous question to him. He let out another groan, eyes flickering about for a moment before looking back to her.
"Shortly after the Prince and you all left two airships came and raised all kinds of hell. Your brother first said he was looking for you."
"Ravus!" she gasped, cautious to control her tone. Heat rose in her cheeks and fear sent her heart racing as she looked around the room, trying to swallow the sudden dry feeling in her throat down.
"He was trying to talk sense once the base was re-subdued." Cor offered, watching how the Oracle shifted her posture stiffened her shoulders. "But the ships were full of puppets. Gunned everyone down like we were nothing more than ants. Those of us that survived… wished we hadn't" His voice was hoarse and grew even more gravely. His eyes looked up to the desk in the corner, lips pressing together to a thin line as the muscles stood out against his neck. "I must get you out of here My Lady, before that… woman does things to you."
"Verstael would likely have her strapped to one of these beds should harm befall me by her hand." She argued, shaking her head. "But we must fly from here. All of you." Her attention shifted again, looking around at the beds around her. With her light coursing through their blood the once still and moaning figures were shifting in the beds and their moans were louder. One man began to cough, shifting himself up in the bed.
"Lie back down and rest!" Verstael snapped, causing Lunafreya to flinch. She felt a hand wrap around her wrist and gasped, managing not to yelp as she jerked her arm back hard, staring down at Cor and letting out a long breath, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her brow.
"I'm sorry I should not have reached as such." She apologized, dropping her hands and reaching out to cup one of his. "I will find a way to get you out of here."
"Old protector of the royal family, it's me who should be saving you."
"Either case, we need to be free of this place and of their custody."
"Lady Lunafreya." She flinched again, biting down on the tip of her tongue before turning and righting herself, hands folded neatly in her nap.
"Yes?" she asked. She looked past Verstael and saw Dorcas hunched over her desk, nausea rising as she thought of what may happen to those she had just healed. He gestured for her to stand and she did so obediently. He walked past her with another gesture, and she cast one final glance at Cor, who mouthed We'll get out of here at her before settling back against the bed and closing in eyes, whether to sleep or feign so and her eyes burned at the thought of leaving any of them to their fate.
"Is my brother here?" She blurted when she thought of her brother, her mouth acting faster than her brain.
"The High Commander has other duties to attend do, keeping a few sick prisoners in their beds is below his station."
"I understand." she nodded, jaw tightening as she clenched her teeth together and fingers knit tightly enough to flush her knuckles white. Her eyes flickered back up, hope daring to find its way into her heart. A chill ran through her like a winter breeze and she found her pounding heart starting to settle as she felt the comforting presence of the covenant she bore. Gentiana. "What are you to have me do for the remainder of this day?" she asked.
"Rest. I can see when you look tired. You get very pale and develop dark circles around your eyes. I want you rested for tomorrow." He explained. She winced and touched the skin below her left eye. The Magitek that had been guarding just outside the door started to follow them, Verstael mumbling and made a gesture towards the airship. Stale wind blew as the door to the airship hissed and the ramp started to descend. She tried to gauge how high the entrance was from the ground but a hard shove against her back jarred her thought process and she resumed following Verstael.
Inside the airship she let out a hard breath of air through her nose, stinging with the sharp smell of bleach, and tried to blink to adjust to the sudden relative darkness. They turned down the hallway with a thick red line painted on all four walls, and she tensed at the thought of being pushed into that small room again. The bleach smell grew stronger and she curled her nose, and tried to breathe through her mouth but the air itself felt like it was burning the inside of her mouth and brought a fresh sting to her eyes. Halfway down the hall there was a Magitek mopping the floor, another one scrubbing at the walls. The sight looked oddly primitive for Verstael, she would have expected some automated process that could scour everything in moments. They walked up to the fourth door and Lunafreya got a better look at the MagiTek that was scrubbing the wall. The cuffs of the uniform were spotted in a sickly yellow color. It dipped its hand into the bucket with an oddly jerky motion and resumed its work, and she took note of the odd dent in its head.
"Rest Lady Lunafreya." Verstael's voice startled her, and she cursed her fleeting attention span. She nodded, stepping into the room and held herself stiff to keep from stumbling. But no push on her back came and she entered the room untouched. The door hissed shut behind her with a dim beep of the lock engaging. She let her limbs slack and her face fell into her palms, biting down hard on her bottom lip, her fingers curling and gripping her loose hair. She tried to focus on her breathing, on the counting. In out. In out. Feel your heart. Just listen to your body. She tried to push outside thoughts away. Not to think about the cramped room, the smell of metal and bleach, the rattling humm of the air blowing through the vent above her.
Her head jerked up, eyes widening. She looked up, squinting at the vent. She rushed to the door, closing her eyes and pressing her ear against it. She couldn't hear anything through the thick metal door. She stepped away from it, wondering how long it had been since breakfast. They hadn't eaten lunch at the base and she was sure Verstael would insist on her being well fed to rest up as he instructed, to have her healthy for whatever horrors awaited her tomorrow. She returned to the center of the room, looking up at the vent and squinting. She could see it wasn't welded into the ceiling like the window was, likely for access cleaning. Another spark of hope.
"Gentiana?" she whispered under her breath. The words caused a mist before her mouth, and the chill that rolled down her arms caused her so spin around. The familiar ebony haired woman stood an arm's length away. The floor beneath her feet was coated in a layer of frost that crawled out to coat the end table and the door. The cold presence helped to calm her, and she could feel her heart slowing and the pounding in her ears quieted.
"The Lady feels trapped once more." She observed with a slight nod of her head. "She worries for her Chosen King." Prince a distant voice called, and she recalled cheeky grins at the gangly teenaged Noctis who tried to decalre his title at her with a puffed out chest. She blinked rapidly and the memory quickly faded. She could have nearly smelled the sylleblossums but the cold grew more intense snapping her fully from her reminiscing.
"To save our world I must flee from here." She answered. "I…" her voice caught when she could hear the hoarseness in her voice. Her face scrunched up and she let out a shuttered breath. "I wish to see him once more, to finish this quest. To live out our days together." When she forced her words out she recalled the tolls the covenants were asking of her. The memory of them brought an ache into her joints and fatigue begging her to give up and curl up into the bed to sleep. Her eyes suddenly felt heavy and even breathing felt like an exercise that set her heart racing yet again to work to pump blood like she had spent the morning running. Will I live out my days? Fear gripped her heart with the question.
"The Oracle will stand once more beside the Crystal's Chose." Gentiana assured.
"But how to I flee from here?" she asked, brow coming together and looking around the room. "The window is welded. The door is locked and guarded." she sighed, looking up to study the vent again. She squinted at it. The vent? How can I get my hands on a screwdriver? Perhaps in Verstael's lab or Dorca's horrid base? she pondered. "You have word of Noct?" she asked.
"Your King is among his friends."
"And Regis?" Lunafreya asked in a moment of paranoid fear, unsure of Gentiana was using her usual title for Noctis or if something had caused the title to ring true.
"He is still living." Gentiana answered. She nodded, sighing in relief at this answer.
"Will you bring him word that I am unharmed. And that Cor the Immortal is a captive of Niflheim?" she asked, stepping closer to Gentiana. The woman remained rigidly still, and nodded slowly at her.
"Your words shall find him." She promised.
"Thank you." She smiled, and felt a tightness in her chest. She squinted, feeling the damnable tears sting her cheeks. When she opened her eyes once more she saw she was alone once more. She tried to go back to her attempts to calm herself, and flinched hard when there was a hard knock on the door. She rubbed the heels of her hands hard against her eyes, dropping herself onto the bed before calling out to the door. "You may enter." She called, and winced at the remaining hoarseness in her voice. Nettmann entered, holding a tray of food.
"Your lunch." he explained, walking into her room. She got to her feet, watching him cross the limited space and set the try down on the corner table. "Long morning?" he asked, turning to her.
"Indeed it was." she nodded politely, arms folded neatly in front of her.
"You don't need to act like the perfect little Oracle around me Lunafreya." he suggested. "Might be easier to pass the time here when you have someone to talk to."
"I… Thank you." she answered after a slight pause. "Today though I am quite exhausted. Healing so many cases of advanced Blight leaves me exhausted. I assure you thought, I shall eat." she nodded towards the table. He smiled at her, walking the few paces to face her.
"Can I get you anything else?" he asked. Tea. She thought.
"No. Thank you." she answered.
"Ah. Well, I'll let you get some rest. But maybe we can have dinner together? The puppets don't make good company." He murmured to her, tilting his head at the doorway. "Not the most talkative bunch."
"It would be nice to have company." She nodded at him.
"See you tonight then. I'll let you rest." He smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment, causing a slight flinch from her.
"Sorry. I become a bit… jumpy when exhausted to this extent." She explained quickly. His smile flickered for only a moment, the light crinkle at the corner of his mouth returning quickly. She focused on the smooth skin around his eyes, and waited until the door shut behind him to roll her shoulder and rub it, disliking the phantom of his touch lingering on her skin. I will stand beside Noct once more. I will not be in this infernal machine. But Six was she exhausted. She knew she needed more than just sleep, and sat down at the small corner table.
She pulled the lid off the food, and was surprised that it looked and smelled appetizing. Some light stirring with a fork she could confirm that it was a vegetable curry and rice, a small bread roll and pat of butter, a purple citrus she couldn't recall the name of that she had only ever seen in western Niflheim, a bottle of water, and a mug of tea. She wrapped her hands around the small mug of tea, picking it up and enjoying the flowery smell steaming off of it. She took a sip, letting the warmth run down her throat and chase away the chill that still lingered. She forked a sauce coated pice of potato and put it in her mouth, wishing she could resent the meal but it was quite tasty. She took bites of curry with rice, idly moving the food around the plate. She poked the bread the roll, surprised that it was still warm. She picked it up and reached for the knife, idly reaching out to coat it in butter and spread it on the roll. But she set the roll down, then let out an airy laugh, staring at the knife. She studied the tip of it, spinning it in her hand, a second huff escaping her throat in an audible laugh. She jolted up from the chair, nearly knocking it back and strode to the small spot under the humming air vent.
She stared at the screws and realized that she could turn them with the butter knife if she could reach up there. She looked at the table, setting the knife down and tugging the table slightly and laughed again when it moved. It's not bolted down! It's not bolted down! She picked up her tray, striding over to the bed to set it down and then hastily moved the chair out of her way causing it to knock over. She grunted, dragging the table across the room. It squealed horribly against the metallic floor, a sound she could feel inside of her teeth, causing her to run her tongue over them with a wince, biting down on her tongue.
She got the table just off-center below the vent and grabbed the butter knife back from the tray on the bed then climbed atop the table, widening her legs to keep herself steady. She reached up with one arm, wishing she could brace herself against something. Holding the end of the knife she was able to wobble the tip up into the groove of the screw, biting down on her lip trying not to burst into laughter. turning her wrist. The screw remained stubborn for a moment before jerking out of position and she used both hands to rapidly twirl the knife until the first screw fell to the floor. She repeated the same with the remaining ones. Before the last screw fell she held her free hand up to keep the grate from falling on her.
She looked above her, the grate held in her hand and winced at the air blowing in her face. It smelled stale and metallic, dust blowing into the room causing her to cough into the crook of her elbow. She set the grate on the table and reached up to the lip of the vent but quickly realized she wasn't realistically going to pull herself up this way. She climbed down from the table to set the piece of metal onto the floor and picked up the overturned chair. It was heavier than she expected but she was able to get it onto the table, pushed into place with more grinding. She climbed onto the table and gave the chair a test wiggle before carefully climbing onto it. She hoised herself up, able to poke her head into the air vent.
Her heart immediately sank, and her stomach threatened to overturn the meal she had just finished. Her face flushed and she gripped the edge hard. The space was obscenely small, even a child wouldn't fit. It was filled on all four sides with a thick layer of dust and grime. She squinted, trying not to let her disappointment overwhelm her. Her breath hitched, which caused her to sneeze, which in turn forced her to retract out of the vent and cough into the crook of her arm again. Her head jerked up, looking through tear-blurred vision as the door to her room opened.
"Lady Lunafreya?" An incredulous voice asked. "What are you doing up there?" She blinked, and was able to match Nettmann's face to his voice. He walked into the room and looked up, reaching to grab her wrist and jerked her down from her perch on the table. She lost her balance but he pulled her up with the firm grip he had on her wrist, pulling her back up to her feet. "What were you doing."
"The air was blowing a bit cool, I was hoping inside the vent I would be able to adjust something." She answered.
"Liar." he snapped. She saw his body jerk and her cheek exploded in stinging pain. She squinted, licking the pain in her bottom lip and tasted blood. She looked back up at him but he struck her again this time causing her to stagger. She tried to back away, eyeing the doorway behind him. "Shut the door." he commanded when he saw her gaze behind him. "Where do you think you were even going to go from the air vent?" He asked her.
"I was-"
"Enough! Doctor Basithia is trying to end the blight and he needs you to do that! Are you this selfish?"
"I too wish to end the Blight!" She answered. Her vision felt odd and she reached a hand up to the burning half of her face and felt the swelling forming around her eye.
"Oh right, that covenant stuff with a special King?" He asked, tongue slathered with mockery. She was walking backwards until the table in the center of the small room separated her from Nettmann. Her heart was racing, throbbing in her face. A dampness had her reaching up to find more blood under her nose, rubbing her thumb over her slicked fingers.
"My first duty is to the people of Eos. I cannot purge the Blight from our star trapped in an airship being toted around! You must allow me to return, we are forming covenants, the Six are joining us, it is the only way!" She simplified, brows knit together as she pleaded for him to hear reason.
"Trapped? We provided clean clothes, hot meals, I even made sure you had your precious books!" His voice was low and gravely, tension flushing his face red and the muscles of his neck to stand out. He bent over, slamming both hands on the table to lean over, causing her to flinch. "You've always been spoiled. Especially whenever that mouthy Prince would come visit. You belong here. We can fix the Blight. Not fairy tales." He insisted.
"No." She stated simply, and forced herself to stand tall.
"I can see your hands trembling." He stated. She tried to make herself expressionless but felt the ache in her jaw betraying her, the tremor reaching from her fingertips to her shoulders. "Well come with me, we need to report this little escape attempt to Doctor Basithia." He hoised himself onto the table and hopped down at the other side, following Lunafreya's backstep to reach out and grab her by the shoulder, digging his fingertips deep into her skin until she flinched and took in a hiss of air. "Move." She nodded, stepping away from the wall. He gave her shoulder a tighter squeeze to shove her in the direction of the door, following her closely enough she could hear him breathing. He barked an order and the door opened.
Lunafreya looked up at the Magitek guarding her room, then glanced around for the others but the hallway was otherwise empty. She was shoved again with another bark of move! from behind her and was led through until she was in the hallway with the series of Vs on the floor. They stopped at the entrance to Verstael's office, Nettmann tapping in the code 173205080. The door hissed open and the Niflheim doctor jerked up from his desk, turning to stare at the door with a deep frown creasing the sides of his mouth and brow.
"Why are you interrupting my work?" he asked. There was a plate with a sandwich with a few bites taken out of it, the plate holding down a pile of papers while Verstael was busy overlooking the open notebook on his desk. Blue light reflected off his face from the computer monitor displaying a series of tables and pictures she couldn't quite make out from the doorway.
"Our beloved Oracle it seems thought she could escape through the air vents."
"The air vents? They're less than a square meter." Verstael mumbled. "Did she fall trying to climb up one?" he asked, gesturing at Lunafreya's face. She glanced down and saw that the blood from her nose was now soaking the front of her shirt, her mouth was filled with the metallic taste. She now noticed that she had no peripheral vision on her left, sure that the eye swelling shut was responsible for this and the partial blur.
"Just reminding her how to behave." he answered.
"Ah. Well then. Follow me." Verstael placed his hands on his knees and stood up with a grunt, dusting off the seat of his pants. He crossed the room, gesturing at a Magitek. Nettmann dug his fingertips into Lunafreya's already aching right shoulder to tug her backwards at the man's approach She squinted slightly to better make out Verstael's face, sure she saw a slight scowl. The door to his office opened and they exited it. They walked through the hall of the dashes with a red line above and below them until they were in the hall three lines. They stopped at the door, and Lunafreya furrowed her brows wondering if they were heading back to the base now that she'd eaten for further healing. She watched Verstael type in the nine-digit code and the door opened.
The sudden wind caused her to stagger back, looking out to the dim gray sky. Nettmann approached Verstael who was standing by the door and gesturing for him to come closer. He stood next to the man and looked down over the base, the pair of men standing in silence for a moment before Verstael's hand came up behind Nettmann, gripping his shoulder. He squeezed. Then pushed.
Nettmann vanished too quickly to scream. The wind covered whatever noise he made. Lunafreya staggered back until her back met the metallic wall. Verstael tapped a code into the door panel and the machine began to hum and hiss as the ramp retracted and the door closed. He curled his lip as he brushed his hands on his pants, heaving a heavy sigh.
"I lack the time for these… interruptions." He walked up to her, looking alternately at each eye, her nose. She sniffed, a thick wet sound and almost gagged as she swallowed the mouthful of blood. She licked her stinging lip which only made the burning worse. Having him so close to her forced her to control her breathing, suddenly self conscious of how terrible her breath must smell. "I'll have some stuff sent to your room." He drew back and looked up at one of the Magitek, "Take her to the bathroom to wash up then back to her room." he directed. Lunafreya couldn't tell if the jerky motion of the machine was a nod or not.
She looked back at the sealed door, eyes flickering to either side. She shifted her weight, tilting her head and eyeing Verstael from the corner of her vision as he started to stalk up the hall. She felt a firm push in the middle of her upper back and moved, stumbling before she found her footing and kept pace with her now two escorts.
Two blood soaked face cloths were drying in a basin on the bed's end table as well as two spent chemically activated ice packs. The two tablets of pain killer were still sitting in the small bottle given to her, as well as the untouched cup of water. The blood stained uniform shirt was foled neatly on the floor and she had a fresh one one, just as large as the first. She was holding a third ice pack wrapped in a pillow case against her face, with a pile more at the end of her bed. She was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling, glouring at the uncovered vent in her ceiling. She tried to shake the image out of her head of Nettmann simply vanishing.
As the shock wore off, and the fact that that man was finally dead struck her, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. She felt relieved that he would never haunt the halls around her again. Fearful that Verstael could kill a man in cold blood. She remembered the Blight-afflicted hunters of the base, and his objectivity. A fresh wave of throbbing was returning to her face as the cold pack wore off, and she again felt relief that she would never fear this again. Anger that she never stood up for herself. Never spoke up. Never struck him back. And again the relief. Then guilt. Had she never climbed that table in some stupid dizzy dream of escaping through an air vent as if life was some movie, then he never would have struck her and subsequently been ruthlessly executed. Could he so easily murder my brother should he cross him?
She thought now of her brother. He walked such a tightrope. His hatred for her beloved Noctis firmly rooted from that awful day fire rained down and they lost their mother. Left behind by the Lucians whose hands were forced by circumstance. What she wouldn't do to be able to sit and talk with him. Why had she never told her brother about what Nettmann had done to her? Perhaps if Ravus had beat the man senseless he never would have dared lift a finger to her again. And a strong pang of loneliness began to overwhelm the rest of her battling emotions.
She groaned, turning up onto her side and stared at the door, placing the cold pack in the basin. She licked her lip, quickly becoming a habit due to the annoying stinging in it, the split finally scabbing over as she poked it with her tongue like a child with a loose tooth. The room felt too quiet, in spite of the humming air and the buzzing lights. She found this desire for companionship odd. She was so adjusted to spending so many weeks alone, why was two days so difficult? She was used to guards outside her door, carted from place to place to heal or perform other stately duties.
Guards. She knit her brows and sat up. When returned to her room she was brought by only one MagiTek. Her eyes dropped as she thought and got to her feet. She walked to the door, pounding hard on it. She grimaced, shaking her hand.
"Hello? I… Excuse me but I must use the facilities." she called through it. There was only a short pause before the door opened and she saw the sole machine. She was led to the room where she showered and entered. She went to the bathroom, and spent several minutes splashing water at her face and trying to scrub dried blood off her fingernails, rubbing her thumb roughly under her nose to try and clean her skin. She gripped the edge of the sink, sighing and rolling her shoulders. Her whole body ached, the throbbing in her face even worse than the initial blow. She could see in the mirror her left eye was swollen shut. Bruising covered the entirely of her eye, her nose, half her cheek. She touched the tender tissue and withdrew her fingers with a wince, her skin felt like a bad sunburn. She righted herself, working up the courage to return to her room.
Once back, her lone escort resumed his post outside her door and her brain started to swarm with ideas. She sat down on the edge of the bed, debating the pain killers but again decided against it. Just one. She confirmed, glancing at the door. She moved her table back to the corner to give herself a small amount of clear space in the center, and held out her left hand. Her trident appeared with blue sparks. She delved deep within her, pleading for help. Her hand grew cold, the metal of the trident almost painful to grip. Delicate ice crystals formed along the shaft, starting at her fist. She nodded, letting go of the trident and letting it vanish. She sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. How can I get out of here if we're hovering in the sky? She pondered.
She debated waiting until they landed. But they were on the ground only so she could be pulled to the base. If she escaped while on the ground they could catch her almost immediately. She drummed her fingers against the outside of her thigh. She glanced at her bed, reaching down to tug at the material of the bedding. She walked over to the window and looked out, frowning when she realized they must be ten meters in the air. The bed sheets would never form a makeshift rope long enough. She sat down on the bed, reaching for one of the unbroken ice packs. She squeezed it between the heels of her hands, wrapping it in the pillowcase and pressed against her face to cover the bridge of her nose and her throbbing eye.
She thought again about a nighttime escape, getting away while the airship is in the sky and no one is likely to look for her for hours to come. She remembered the fight between Ravus and Noctis, and the shields she put around them. They had hammered the shields but couldn't break through. She looked down at her palm, wondering if she could simply cast a shield around herself. Then shook her head, letting out a frustrated grunt. From this height I'll still kill myself that way doesn't matter if I'm in a sheild if I hit the ground at those speeds. THen her brow knit together. She looked up, at the various dust particles floating around the air. She held out her hand, and a small bubble appeared around the dust particles. She dropped the shield and tried to rapidly bring one up around another particle. Vanish. Repeat. She let out an excited chuckle, getting to her feet. She wondered if one could break her fall.
She climbed atop the table, focusing on some dust on the floor and brought up a shield. She dove off the table to tackle the shield. She impacted it with a hard grunt, and it vanished, causing her to hit the floor. She was able to bring an arm before her quickly enough to keep from landing face-first, but the metal floor hurt nonetheless. She got onto her hands and knees, panting away the discomfort before getting herself to stand up again. Okay okay. You can land on a shield and you can cast them rapidly. Hopefully rapidly enough not to die. She thought. She wondered if she should take another practice dive but figured this wasn't something practicing in a small room would help. She couldn't stay with the empire again. She couldn't be Verstael's tool. Or worse, be returned to Caligo. I will no longer be a prisoner. She sat on her bed, passing the hours by shielding dust particles. She eventually started to feel fatigued, the pain getting to her after the last ice pack was expended. She settled for lying in bed reading a book, not finishing the one she had started previously hearing Nettmann's voice ringing in her head that he had specifically picked it out for her.
Dinner was delivered to her room, and it helped to re-orient herself to the time. On her tray was two more pain killers, and in the MagiTek's other hand was another pillowcase full of ice packs. She ate her meal, wanting to build up whatever strength she could by finishing every bite. She put the two new pills with the others, staring at it for a minute before shoving them in her pocket. She broke an ice pack, pressing it to her eye and sat on the bed again with the hatch to her window open to wait until nightfall, trying to read her book, having to re-read more paragraphs as the night progressed. Once the daylight faded she was left with only the buzzing red lights and decided it was time to move.
She got up, crossed the room to look out the window once more. She stared through the bars for several moments before she decided she would never be able to gauge the exact distance to the ground. She tossed the last ice pack onto the bed, pat her pocket to check for the bottle with four pain killers, and took deep breaths. Her heart was racing, chest heaving as her breathing tried to catch up to hear pulse. She started counting the seconds in, the seconds out. She crossed the small room and rapped on the door,
"I must use the restroom." She called through. The door slid open, she called her trident and gripping it with bolds hands thrust up, two of the three prongs piercing under the MagiTek's jaw. She met almost immediate resistance but pushed, earning sparks and sharp electrical jolt on both her arms. She dropped her trident and it vanished in the same blue sparks that made it appear. Both her arms felt numb with a burning tingle throughout her fingers. Her heart was racing ever faster, wide eyes staring at the jerking machine that sparked for a few more seconds before the red illumination in its eyes faded and it clattered to the ground. She winced at the sound, panting and staring at the crumpled machine.
She got herself to her feet, trembling in her whole body. Go. Go. She took a staggered step, then another, but was able to get her shaking legs to break into a sprint. One thick red line was painted on the wall, and several meters further down she turned left turned sharply, studying the paint patterns. She squinted down, fearful she would run into MagiTek doing their jobs. She glanced over her shoulder, recalling how loudly the one she destroyed sounded. Dashes surrounded by red lines she remarked to herself as she turned again. She ran down the hall and made another turn into the hallway when she recognized the pattern of three red lines.
She looked back over her shoulder again, then ahead. She tried to listen for the sounds of boots on the metallic floor. Of heavy breathing from someone chasing her. But all she heard was her own ragged breaths, her racing heart pounding in her ears and the left side of her face. The numbness in her hands was starting to turn into an intense burning ache. Please. Please don't interrupt my light. She pleaded. She felt a new sting and brought one hand in front of her face, and let out a hard breath when she saw the ice crystals crawling over her skin. She nearly stumbled over her feet when she reached the panel on the wall. She looked to either side again, brows knit that they were still empty and let out a silent laugh. She braced herself against the wall with one arm, the other tapping at the keypad,
"One-seventy-three, two-oh-five, oh-eight-oh," she recited as she typed the corresponding numbers. The door hissed and opened with a groan. She stepped back as the wind almost threw her off balance. She squinted against the breeze, letting the ramp extend to get her just that much closer to the ground. She looked behind her again, breath catching and stepped onto the ramp. She fell to her hands and knees, the ramp shuddering and rocking without the stable ground beneath it. She crawled on her hands and knees to the edge and looked down. The fall was ten meters, and she hoped that her shields would break her fall. She took in one long breath, letting it out slowly. She reached out with her left hand, and a small sphere appeared. She let it vanish and tried to survey the ground below to no avail.
She reached out again and a sphere appeared and she took in a deep breath, thinking of the rest she could get once she was finished. The hot meal she could share with friends, fresh coffee, and warm arms welcoming her home. Her chest ached when she thought of Noctis and forced her mind back on track. She let herself slide off of the ramp onto the first shield. She hit the rounded surface and grunted, sliding off of it and threw out another shield while she tried to reorient herself with the direction of down. She hit it with another grunt. Another shield, another confusing roll. Then a third. A forth. She threw her arm out for a fifth, utterly dizzy, and impacted it on her side. She tried to throw out another one, and when she tried to throw a seventh she couldn't find anything to anchor it to and the rushing ground met her instead.
White hot pain flared in her left arm and her left side. Her old injury instantly flared back to life. She tried to gasp for breath, and tried to gather her scattered foggy thoughts into coherence. She curled in on herself, bringing her arm close to her and hissed with the fresh hot pain movement caused. The air had been forced from her lungs and took several agonizing seconds to find its way back in. She rolled onto her knees. holding herself up with her right arm, panting to try and catch her breath much to the protest of her ribs. She whimpered, squinting and trying to collect herself. She looked up, the airship still hovering overhead. Get up get up get up. she tried to urge herself. But pain was overwhelming her senses. She tested shifting her weight to her knees, her legs trembling and her joints protested with electric jolts.
She managed to sit back, groaning and biting down on her lip, agitating the tender scab. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cracked bottle. She used her teeth to pull it open, shaking it until a pair of pills landed on her tongue and she swallowed them and shoved the broken container back in her pocket. She sank onto her back, eyes staring up at the sky. The airship didn't move. There were no alarms coming from it. No flashing lights. She wondered if her absence was noticed yet. If the broken MagiTek had been found. How long do I have? she wondered. She laid there, panting for breath trying to convince her body to move, to push the pain to the back of her mind. How much time she wasted she wasn't able to tell. But she was able to get herself onto her feet.
She looked at the base, at the uniform buildings. Cor. Her brow came together, pulling on the swollen tissues of her face making her wince. She shifted her stance, her mind racing, trying to think of a plan. The room with Cor and the others wouldn't be guarded by just one machine. There would be Dorcas to contend with. She would alert Verstael, he would land.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. She turned, unable to avoid the thought that she might stumble across Nettmann's corpse. She shut her eyes, trying to urge herself to move. "I'm so sorry." She repeated in a rasp. She stumbled the first several steps but found her balance. She found a way to breathe to minimize the pain in her chest, and she hugged her injured arm against her to prevent jostling. She stopped when she had run a half kilometer from the base, knitting her brows and looking around her. She could hear hissing and grunting, fear once again gripping her heart. She struggled to see in the darkness, but could make out the lumbering form of an iron giant stalking around a few meters away from the road with three bombs around it. It seemed the bombs were aware of her presence, hissing from the distance. She called her trident, frozen where she stood eyeing the troop of daemons. But as several seconds passed they made no move to approach her. She started stepping down the road and the bombs hissed, but remained close to their iron giant who seemed to be doing everything it could to avoid her.
"What?" she whispered, then whimpered and winced with a sharp jolt in her ribs echoed by her arm. She regretted not chewing the pills to make them kick in faster but was just grateful she had the foresight to stuff them in her pocket. The pain in her face was less intense with this new pain, and by the Six did she just want to curl onto the grass and let the blackness claim her. She moved on, looking at the troop of daemons. They seemed to follow her, but maintained a distance. She looked to her left and saw another group doing the same. Her hand felt cold and she saw the ice building all along her trident. She used the heavy weapon as a walking stick, feeling reassured by the ice on its surface.
The ice was cold, but didn't burn her skin. She wasn't sure why the daemons avoided her, and a thought struck her. She had never been harassed by a daemon, unless in the presence of others. Were they more afraid of her light than they were attracted to her blood? Did the parasite poisoning her world understand on some level the danger she posed to it? You are meant to save this star. Get back to Noctis. She urged herself on, spurred by this newfound confidence. She staggered, forcing her feet forward. She sang to herself, songs her mother would once sing to her as a child. She walked. For how many kilometers she didn't know. But soon lights appeared in the distance. As she arrived at them, she was tailed by four groups of daemons who were hissing and pacing restlessly with her slow pace.
"Help!" she called out, grunting and gasping with the pain of effort. "Please!" She tried to muster the strength and will power to call out again. With rest so close in sight she tried to pick up the pace, but the ache in her leg grew too much. She slowed, limping. Her trident vanished from her hand and the hissing grew louder. She stumbled towards the lights, now hearing voices. She fell to her hands and knees, crying out for help once more.
"There's someone out here! Come on!" a voice called. She laughed, someone was coming to help. She could send them back to get Cor. The others. They could get her to Noctis. People ran out from the base, the sound of a generator grew louder and bright floodlights illuminated everything around her. The daemons that followed her squealed and hissed. The intense boom of gunshots filled the night, setting her ears ringing almost immediately. She saw flares fired off, exploding into bright colors causing the creatures to contract and scream. Arms wrapped around her, incoherent shouting interspersed with the sounds of gunfire, flares, the generator.
She was rushed back to the small base, shouting all around her. Pain took over her body with every jostle, every bump. She thought she heard the person holding her try and reassure her. They entered a small building, abruptly cutting down the volume of noise outside. More startled shouts replaced the quiet, and she grunted as she was set down on a low cot. It creaked with her weight, and she let out a relieved breath at being placed on a still surface.
"L-lady Lunafreya?!" a woman asked incredulously.
"Yes…" Lunafreya answered.
"Shit what happened to you? We need to get help!" said woman answered.
"The only medic in the region was murdered by the fuckin' Nifs! The closest person is hours away!" the man who carried her argued.
"There has to be at least someone with basic medical knowledge!"
"I just need rest." she countered, not wanting them to fuss over her. The mention of the medic made her nauseous as guilt gripped her heart. She couldn't ask them for help. Surely Niflheim would be looking for her.
"You need help." the woman immediately argued. "I'll take her north, we have a base up there with better medical supplies and pretty sure Dana is a nurse."
"I'll go with you there's those freaky daemons out." a third voice came in.
"They were avoiding her, it was weird." The man who carried her explained.
"Should we wait until morning? We don't stand a chance." The woman asked
"Look at her man, she needs help." the third voice argued. "Besides, we got those daemon-repelling lights installed. If we haul ass its' only a half-hour trip. Is that okay with you My Lady?"
"I wish not to be a burden, I merely need rest."
"Please, let us help you. My name is Jacob, this is Felicity, that's Randall." She was too exhausted to argue. She wanted to just sleep. Just sleep. "Me and Randall will take you north. I have to pick you up. Randall, go get the car started." Jacob ordered.
"Right." Randall answered. She was picked up, pain flaring in her body and she tried to control her breathing but it came in shuddered gasps and whines. She was rushed to a pickup truck, Felicity following behind them. The woman laid out a sleeping bag on the back of the truck, and Jacob laid her down onto it.
"I'm sorry the ride is gonna suck but we need to get you help." Jacob said. She was laid down on the sleeping bag, and the truck rocked a bit. "Felicity, hold the fort, and cover our backs." He asked. The truck rocked as Jacob jumped down, then rocked again as he climbed into the passenger seat of the pickup. They pulled back and onto the road, turning away from the base in a fury of lights and gunfire.
The sound died away as they pulled away from the base, and only the pain in her ribs and arm kept Lunafreya from succumbing to sleep. Her whole body ached with fatigue. She stared up at the stars, wondering to herself how clear the sky was tonight. Over the wind of the truck riding up the road she could make out the two men talking to each other through the broken window separating the bed from the cabin.
"So Dana knows a Nif?" Randall asked.
"Yeah."
"You sure about this man? I mean, it's the Oracle…"
"Did you see how big the bounty was on her? That could buy us food for a year! We've been living off canned food for a week, all the shit growing around us is black and dead. How much longer you think we can survive off a fistful of gil a week?" Jacob asked. "We'll talk to Dana. She can get in touch with whatever Nif she knows. Even splitting the reward money three ways we'll be set!"
No! No! she tried to scream, but the breath alone caused her to turn in on herself and cough, her good hand pressing hard against her ribs to protect herself from the pain, lost in a fight of coughing and overwhelming pain.
"The Nifs probably have better medicine than we do anyway… she always sounded okay on the radio and in pictures." Randall sounded hesitant. Don't send me back! I didn't go through all this just to go back! Please! Tears burned her eyes, her heart racing. Please.
So I have been peppering with hints for how this chapter goes. The callback to Nettmann, constantly mentioning the paint patterns and door codes. I'm just curious if any of that actually worked? Did you like the reinclusion of Nettmann and how he met his end (ie neither Luna nor Noct get a hand in any form of revenge)
