Hello everyone and welcome back to HellFall!
Considering last week's chapter, I think it's best we get right into it. Enjoy!
With a deep sigh, I stood, attaching Risang to the back of my waist and walking towards her. I heaved her over my shoulder and left through the elevator, then out the front entrance.
The rain felt good against my face as I came outside. I looked up into the sky, feeling the water droplets run down my cheeks.
"Gazini?" I heard someone call. I turned, seeing Petunia covered in blood and more than a couple scars, standing several feet away from me. We held eye contact for a moment, then she started towards me, leaping between the piles of Heishi bodies littering the ground. "Is it really you?" She asked.
"It's me" I replied, taking a deep breath. Even talking was difficult.
When she arrived she wrapped me in as big a hug as she could manage. "I didn't realize how much I didn't miss the old you" She said with a smile.
"Yeah," I replied, "me too"
She looked to my shoulder, her smile fading, "Shit, is that-"
I nodded slowly.
She shivered, "I'm so sorry. Did you see it coming?"
Again, I nodded, ashamed to admit it.
"It was the only way, wasn't it?" She asked.
"The only way that I could see at the time" I replied.
She paused, deciding not to say anything for a bit. "Get in the helicopter," she said, looking to the one parked just a ways from the entrance, "I'll take you back to the base"
I sat down on the helicopter, deciding not to say anything. Regardless of whether or not I wanted to keep fighting, I simply wasn't capable.
We lifted into the air and started towards the base. We landed without much difficulty, Petunia managed to avoid the Nevermores that had suddenly appeared in the sky. I saw Grimm below us, but few Heishi. I was about to ask what happened, but realized that she wouldn't be able to hear me from the cockpit.
As we landed in front of the military base I saw a short figure approaching us through the rain.
Petunia started to lead me to the door of the base, seeing the lights off inside. I wondered if the door was closed.
As the figure drew closer I realized who it was. I'd seen her in one of the tournaments, she'd broken Guenianne's winning streak one year. Livie Sasha was her name. She was covered in blood and slouched when she walked. Her face was wild with something I couldn't quite describe, bloodlust if anything.
Petunia glanced back, seeing me watching her. "Dammit" She muttered, continuing to walk.
"What?" I asked.
"That's one of their minions." She replied, "Livie Sasha. To my knowledge she went against Guenianne Radiance when this first started"
"Seriously?" I asked, looking back at her. She looked dead tired, and I wasn't surprised. If she'd just defeated arguably the strongest huntress of all time, then she definitely looked the part.
Suddenly another figure appeared, this one slightly taller and wielding something long. The two started fighting. I had no idea who the new guy was.
"We need to get inside." Petunia said, pushing her hand against my back to rush me forward. The base doors were locked, although I struggled to understand why. It wouldn't stop anyone in this situation.
Petunia kicked down the door and we took the elevator down to the infirmary. Oddly enough, the doctors were still there.
"Got someone for us?" One of them asked.
"Have you seen what's happening?" Petunia asked as we approached.
The doctor shook his head, "No one's come to relieve us of our shift, so we've been stuck down here all day"
"Oh" she said.
"Why, what's happening?" He asked.
"Not much," she replied, "Can you take care of these two for me?"
"Certainly." He replied, guiding me to one bed. He called another doctor over to take Pyrrha and lay her down. When he saw the hole in her torso he looked over at Petunia, "Not much?" He asked.
"There's a war going on." She said, "And there's Grimm. So we're in kind of a predicament. Do you have anything to regenerate aura?" She was running low on breath, causing her to take more gasps between words.
"Well," he started.
Something broke through the ceiling suddenly, landing on one of the beds. It was Livie Sasha.
She landed on her feet and stared at Petunia through bloodied vision, a sneer curling her lip. She growled under her breath like a wild animal and pounced forward, knocking her to the ground.
Petunia threw her off, standing with Lacemeiyor drawn, ready to fight. Livie held two curved, sharpened bits of rock in her hands, although it was clear that both of them had taken significant damage and likely wouldn't last much longer.
She charged, and so did Petunia with what little energy she had left. She swung her spiked blade, casting dust of the fire element from its vial at the hilt along the blade. Their weapons collided, but Petunia's spikes stabbed into her hand, causing her to scream and fall to the ground.
The crazy eyed woman stood, spread her arms out, and screamed, getting ready to charge again. She started forward just as another figure fell through the hole in the ceiling. Something long appeared from the figure, followed by the sharp blast of a gun. A crevasse formed in Livie's head as she continued running. Her body ultimately lost its ability to control its movement and she tripped over her own feet, falling into the floor and sliding to Petunia's feet.
The figure stood. He was short, slightly taller than Livie, but shorter than Petunia. He had extremely pale skin and jet black hair that hung sweaty and wet across his forehead. He wore a white undershirt and a grey short-sleeved button-up unbuttoned on his shoulders. He wore skinny black jeans and white sneakers. He had a blood red bandana tied around his neck, which went really well with his equally red eyes.
He held a black and grey pump-action shotgun in one hand, the barrel smoking and a handle sticking out of the pump.
Two large revolvers hung at his hips, and a belt loop of bullets around his neck. To top it off, he had a pair of mirror shades hanging off the neck of his shirt.
We all just stared at him, doctors included. No one had the slightest idea what to do, the doctors especially.
"What the hell's going on?!" One doctor exclaimed.
"War" The man replied. He had a deep voice, like the generic cool guy in films.
"Where?!" The doctor demanded.
The man flicked his head upwards, "Up there" He replied.
The doctor sighed, "Why?" He asked.
The man shrugged, "I dunno" he replied.
Slowly Petunia turned back to the doctors, "Can you guys take care of them?" She asked.
After a brief moment of silence, they set to work.