Though many of the MT patrols have returned to their previous routes, the journey away from Kingsglaive HQ feels a lot more assured now that they're both properly armed. The fire at the power station continues to burn, so they keep to the rooftops, returning to the streets only when the light of the flames is no longer enough to illuminate their path.
Insomnia is vast, and though Aera had grown up in the Crown City, she's yet to learn every single street. So while she's forming as detailed of a mental map as she can, Aera finds herself following Nyx into unfamiliar neighbourhoods. Naturally, her guard rises—and it certainly doesn't help that the Glaive has been keeping more to himself than before.
Their pace slows as they approach a modest street of rowhouses. One portion has been destroyed by a fire, and fresh graffiti mars the facade of a couple of the homes. The windows are all darkened, and the only sounds Aera can hear are hers and Nyx's footsteps.
A hand continues to hover over one of the daggers she'd received from Nyx, but she's compliantly trailing just behind him as he descends a couple of steps into one of the lower apartments. She watches him pull a sparse set of keys from an inner pocket in his uniform to unlock the apartment door.
Wordlessly, he enters, and Aera pauses only for a moment before she follows.
It's a small home, the space feeling even more confined than Rangi's modest apartment. The furniture is mismatched, and the rest of the apartment is not without its own personality. There are some trinkets occupying the shelves, and books that look well-worn and likely filled with dog-eared pages. Her gaze drops to the framed photograph sitting on the table beside the armchair, and even in the dimness she can recognize Nyx in the photo. There's another man in the photo beside him, and a woman; they're all smiling.
Her attention shifts to Nyx, who's hovering over his desk by the opposite wall. Brows knot together as Aera scans over the pages that dominate that wall; newspaper clippings and photographs pinned to the plaster almost haphazardly. From her position, Aera can only read the bolded headlines: "The Attack on Galahd".
Pretty easy to put two and two together.
Nyx doesn't take much, removing only a single photograph from the wall and tucking it into his Kingsglaive jacket before turning to Aera. His eyes fall to the photograph behind her, the one with him and whom Aera assumes are two of his friends. Wordlessly, she steps away, giving him space to retrieve the photo from the frame.
For a moment, Aera's reminded of her parents' estate, of the way she wandered through the rooms like a spectre for days. And Aera remembers how hard difficult it had been to mourn on her own, with her only true friend Gods know where, tending to his own duties.
She casts a furtive glance at the Glaive, taking note of his stony expression, the way his jaw is tightened and his shoulders tensed. His hands shake as he slips the photo into his pocket, but his stature is all business when he turns to face her again.
Neither of them say anything as they leave. Nyx doesn't bother locking the door, and walks ahead without glancing back. Maintaining a respectful distance between them, Aera follows, keeping an eye on the Glaive's posture as they take to the darkened streets once more.
Nyx had been right to say that Rangi and Lyra were worried. Lyra, who's been amazingly composed in spite of the absolute destruction of her home, almost flung herself at Aera the moment she walked through the door.
"Lyra... Can't. Breathe." The teenager loosens her hold on Aera, stepping back and looking a smidge embarrassed.
"Sorry—I just—the explosion. And—" Her shoulders heave as she draws in a deep breath, and Lyra takes another second to regain her composure before speaking. "I was worried about what that explosion meant."
"And why it took you guys so long." Rangi steps away from the kitchen counter, his exasperation evident even though Aera can't make out his features in the darkness.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Aera can see Nyx falter, the movement missed by both Lyra and Rangi, whose attention are pinned only on her. "We had to create a diversion. It took a bit of work," she answers simply, skillfully sidestepping any mention of their detour.
Rangi's shaking his head as he holds out a hand to relieve Aera of her backpack, but his relief is evident. She places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and feels his sigh through her palm. "You guys don't need to worry about me," she reminds them, but Aera can see Lyra shaking her head as well.
"It's not like there's anyone else to worry about." It's said in a plain voice, but Aera can read the bitterness behind those words. Rangi pauses in the middle of pulling the batons out of her backpack, and she can feel his gaze shifting between her and Lyra before he sets the bag down.
"Lyra…" But he struggles to find the right words to say, and Aera can't blame him.
They've all been doing a decent job of internalizing their pain, always circling the subject of loss without ever broaching it. It's been heartbreaking to watch someone so young tuck away all her emotions like that, and even more so to see that carefully arranged composure start to crack.
To her surprise, it's Nyx who breaks the tension. "We should probably all get some rest. Big day tomorrow, right?"
A quick glance at the clock in the kitchen confirms that it's already past midnight. The three of them have already established that the ideal time to attempt an escape would be early dawn, which means an even earlier start. "Yeah, it's jammy time." Aera gives Lyra a teasing nudge on her shoulder, and though there's still an air of solemnity hovering over the girl like a dark cloud, Lyra nods.
Rangi inspects each door and window, ensuring that they're properly locked and the curtains fully drawn. Lyra heads into the bathroom to change into her pyjamas—a small semblance of normality for which no one blames the teenager for clinging onto. Never mind the fact that the pyjamas she wears are something Aera's simply lifted from an abandoned store the night after the attack.
"Uh, the girls usually get the bed." Rangi has his hand behind his neck, looking a little uncertain as he looks from Aera to Nyx. "But you can take the couch."
The Glaive pauses in the middle of removing his jacket, shaking his head. "It's fine. I think I've had more than enough sleep." Draping the jacket and his armor over the back of a dining chair, Nyx motions to the couch. "You take it. I'll keep guard."
When Rangi looks ready to argue, Aera interrupts. "Just take the couch, Rangi." Though the words are clipped and brisk, her voice lacks bite. She hears him sigh, but Rangi throws his hands up as if in surrender, and drops onto the couch.
Aera throws her own jacket over the bed's footboard, and places the holstered daggers onto the bedside table by her head. "My watch's alarm is set for two hours before dawn," she tells them as she kicks off her boots. "We'll go over the plan, and try to leave around sunrise." No one protests the early start.
She waits until Lyra's emerged from the bathroom before climbing onto the bed. Her eyes remain on the ceiling long after the teenager's breathing has calmed, mentally running through the route again. This wouldn't be the first time Aera's had to make a covert escape—but it's the first she'd had to do it with three others, two of whom are non-combatants. Fingers close anxiously around the blanket, and she shuts her eyes in an attempt to calm her nerves.
...
When Aera wakes, she's none too surprised to see that the Glaive is still awake. Though it could simply be his training that enforces him to take "guard duty" seriously, she has to wonder if Nyx could sleep even if he'd attempted to. After all, it can't be easy waking to a world that's been turned on its head, as he had.
She's careful not to wake Lyra as she leaves the bed, silently trodding over into the bathroom to wash her face. The plumbing stopped working the day after the attack, but Rangi had the foresight to fill his tub with water before then. The water is cold as she splashes it against her face, but it washes away the sleep well enough.
Nyx is sitting by the dining table when she emerges from the bathroom, squinting at her maps. He glances up at her, nods in greeting, but resumes his quiet appraisal of the pages. More than just street maps, these sketches detail the underground passages—both the clandestine, and the ones borne of Insomnia's metro and sewer system. As far as Aera can confirm, they should be mostly accurate, drawn from her memory of other maps, and from her own ventures into the underground.
Quietly crossing the living room, Aera pauses for a moment by the kitchen to take count of the supplies they've gathered. Rangi owned some camping gear, but it was through scavenging that they were able to find the other necessary survival equipment. One of his hiking bags appears to be filled with their rationed food, sitting beside a smaller one that Aera assumes is filled with extra clothing and some blankets.
"You made all of these?" Nyx keeps his voice low, a crease between his brow as he looks up at her.
"I thought they might come in handy." Aera's already got a route in mind, but there's no guarantee that they won't run into any issues. It was impossible to verify which passage remained intact after the siege, or who else they may meet while underground. The maps, sketched onto whatever blank sheets of paper Rangi happened to have around his home, serve only as a brain dump, so Aera may at least visualize her plan.
The Glaive looks at her with something of a guarded expression "Niflheim's attack...that was only a few days ago, right?" She nods, head canting as she awaits his question. "How long have you been planning this escape?"
"For a few days," she answers, unabashedly meeting his gaze. The only advantage she has over anyone else left in the ruins of Insomnia is that she's already had the resources. "Why don't you ask me what you really want to ask me, Nyx?"
He glances over at Rangi's still slumbering form, then Lyra, and the expression with which he regards Aera is perhaps more severe than she's seen on him yet. "You knew about the attack before everyone else did, didn't you?"
And just as before, Aera meets his gaze with no trouble. "No—not as a certain fact. I had my suspicions, though." After all, distrust is in her nature, and it seems neither she nor King Regis had been naive enough to believe the Empire's good will.
The answer doesn't quite seem to placate the Glaive, but he remains silent, returning his attention to the maps as Rangi stirs from the couch. Aera gives the man a wave as he stands, before leaving the dining table to wake Lyra. Dawn is approaching, and Aera needs to ensure that everyone is awake and alert before they make their leave.
They gather around the dining table—there's just enough space for all four of them. The only light they can afford to turn on is a small, dim camping lamp, placed in the centre of the table and shielded by their bodies. Though Rangi's only windows are narrow and barely noticeable from the outside, they can't risk being detected by the MTs.
"Any luck contacting your friends outside?" Aera's not surprised when Rangi shakes his head, expression looking grim.
"The cell towers were destroyed in the attack, I guess. There's no signal."
"We can try again after we've left, then." She places a reassuring hand on his arm, but Aera can tell that Rangi remains worried, nonetheless. Though likely that the attack had been confined to Insomnia, without any electricity or cell signal, it's impossible to know what the world outside may be like. While everyone maintains hope that the rest of Lucis is relatively unaffected, it seems they're all prepared for the worst.
Aera takes another moment to glance over the companions, gauging their expressions before moving onto the rest of the plan. "Alright, Arma Station is the one that's closest to us; we'll try that one, first." The entrance appeared intact the last time Aera had seen it, but she hadn't a chance to venture into the tunnels within.
"Our destination will be this tunnel, here." She reaches over to point out an 'x' marked into one of the other pages; a storm drain that leads outside the city walls. It's a far walk, especially through in the dark.
Lyra scans the maps, tracing a path from their starting point to the storm drain. "It could take us the entire day to get there."
"Assuming we don't run into any hiccups." With a heavy sigh, Rangi runs his fingers through his hair, looking already exhausted by the prospect of their escape. Aera gives his shoulder a nudge, and the look he returns is almost petulant, if not for the grimness shadowing his features.
"We'll be prepared for any delays—we've got almost a week's worth of rations packed up." Though her voice is slurred by sleep and her movements a little sluggish, it's clear that Lyra remains attentive. If her mind remains still on the grief she'd expressed the previous night, Lyra doesn't let it show.
"I'll lead, Nyx, you bring up the rear." The Kingsglaive nods, his focussed expression masking whatever distrust he may have developed overnight. "If things go sideways, do not engage." She's directing this to Rangi and Lyra, who don't look like they're about to disagree. "Those batons are a precaution, and hopefully you won't need to use them." The tension in her companions' expressions assure Aera that they're on the same page.
The room suddenly feels brighter, and indeed, when Aera glances at the window, a faint light falls through the curtains. Rangi must have noticed, too, because his shoulders grow more tense, and his expression more sombre.
"Everyone ready?" A nervous energy hums in the air as Aera glances at each of her companions, chest tightening as each of them realize this may be the last time they'll ever see Insomnia. "Alright," she says, just in case any of them decide to change their minds about leaving. "Let's go."
They're silent as they march through the metro tunnel, the path ahead dimly illuminated by the small lights they've clipped to their clothing. They've met no resistance thus far, though it's been a few hours since they left Rangi's apartment. Yet, the growing unease keeps Aera on guard, and she maintains one hand closed around the handle of one of her daggers.
She pauses in front of a closed door, shifting her light so that she may read the metal sign set into the wall beside it. Maintenance - Section F, it reads, and Aera casts a brief glance over to her companions.
Nyx nods, dropping into a defensive stance in front of the door as her fingers curl around the handle. In spite of whatever distrust he may have expressed prior to their departure, it's been easy for them to settle into such a routine with every corner they turned and each doorway they entered.
She pulls the door open, and beyond the light creaking of the hinges, they're met with silence. Nyx moves carefully as he enters, his kukris readied. There's a pause, a short, tense moment of stillness before Aera sees the Glaive motion for the rest of them to follow.
The door shuts behind them, and Aera returns to her position in the lead. They're only a few feet down the first corridor when something seems to scuttle away in the distance—something decidedly larger than a rat. Her new daggers leave their holsters, and her pace slows as they approach the corner up ahead.
Something scrambles across the hallway just as Aera turns, and she shares a brief look with Nyx before pushing forward. Without the Wall to protect Insomnia from both the Empire and the daemons, it's perhaps no wonder that the latter had decided to move into the city's dark underbelly.
There's a sound like the earth breaking, and she can see their silhouettes forming in the smoke and shadows ahead. "Lyra, Rangi, stay close to the walls," she orders, before running up ahead to meet the Goblins before they can get too close to her companions. Nyx joins her in the fray, his movements swift and deliberate as he cuts away at the Goblins.
One of the daemons attempt to grab at her, and Aera twists out of its grasp, drawing her blade across its face. Its wail is unearthly and horrible, but it hardly bothers Aera enough to distract her. She strikes again, plunging the dagger into the thing's abdomen before meeting the hungry hands of another Goblin with her other dagger.
It's not an ideal battleground; far too dark and claustrophobic. But the narrow corridor ensures that Aera can keep an eye on Rangi and Lyra even as she cuts down the daemons. And between her and the Glaive, the fight ends quickly, with neither of them worse for wear.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" He's hardly out of breath, sliding the daggers back into their respective sheaths.
"I had an interesting childhood," she tosses back, moving to check on the rest of their group. It's clearly not the answer Nyx wants, but Aera's unconcerned for the moment.
Rangi has Lyra between his back and the wall, his baton held in his hands as his gaze sweeps for more monsters. When none appear, he noticeably relaxes, stepping away from Lyra. "Good work," he says, running his fingers through his hair again. Aera wonders if this little fight might have added a few years to his age—she's loathe to think of how he may react to anything worse.
"Do you need a potion?" To her credit, Lyra hardly looks bothered, though Aera can tell she's holding back from rushing Aera to make sure that she was unharmed.
"I'm fine. Nyx?" Throwing a glance over her shoulder, Aera quickly looks the Glaive over for any injuries beyond what he'd woken up with in Rangi's apartment. He shakes his head, but he appears otherwise distracted, brows furrowed as his gaze remains pinned on something further up ahead. Frowning, she approaches him, practically holding her breath when he motions to the hallway up ahead.
She peers around the corner, feeling her stomach churn at the sight that greets her. Her gaze drops first to the backpacks left on the dusty floor, torn open and its contents strewn across the hallway. And a little further away lie the bodies, a dark pool of their blood marking the ground beneath them. Aera hears a sharp gasp behind her, and moves to shield Lyra from the carnage—though she's clearly a little too late.
The Goblins were hardly a challenge at all, but Aera must remember that Insomnia's citizens have not seen combat, and were untouched by the war raged around their city. If she or Nyx had not accompanied Lyra and Rangi—could this have been their fate as well.
"...We should keep moving." Rangi's voice is hoarse, and he has a protective arm around Lyra, trying to steer her away from the bodies. Aera nods solemnly, glancing at Nyx for a moment before continuing.
The scent of decay grows stronger as they approach, but Aera resolves to simply hold her breath. She maintains an impassive expression, ignoring the cadavers for Lyra's sake more than her own. They push through into the next room, located at the end of the corridor; it's a control room of sorts, though the switches and monitors are dark, and the chairs empty.
It would have been a good place to take a break, if not for the corpses that lay only a few meters down the hall from them. No one seems too intent on staying, either, so Aera wordlessly continues on, letting Nyx take point as she opens the next door. It's a relief when nothing comes at them, but the unease has already settled into their bones, and accompanies them throughout the remainder of the journey.
They only have two more incidents since the first—more Goblins, likely having crept in from the area surrounding Insomnia. As malevolent as they are, they're certainly preferable to the wilder creatures that inhabit the world outside, and easily dispatched. It seems the Empire didn't think MTs would be needed in the underground, where they might have expected daemons to dominate and pick off any survivors who dared to enter.
Yet the encounters, coupled with far too many collapsed tunnels, runs their journey well into the night. They stop only at Aera's insistence that continuing without rest will only leave them more vulnerable should something worse than Goblins appear. The room in which they settle is cramped and smells of musk, but the door is secure and their combined lights seem to ward away anything too curious. Aera positions herself by the door, absently twirling one kukri between her hands as she listens for the noises outside.
She can't tell if Lyra or Rangi were able to sleep much at all, and she has doubts that Nyx afforded himself much more than a light nap. They all seem to wake the moment Aera stands to stretch, and their journey continues in silence.
The route takes them through metro tunnels to service tunnels, and even the sewers. "There's a reason I told you guys to wear waterproof shoes," Aera murmurs, trying not to step too deep into the murky waters.
"You should have told us to bring gas masks, too," comes Rangi's disgruntled retort, muffled by the arm he's pressed over his mouth and nose.
"I don't think they would have helped against smells, anyway." Lyra makes a gagging noise; apparently the air tastes as bad as it smells.
Nyx responds with a snort, and clearly regrets it when he starts choking on the putrid air as well.
To her credit, Aera doesn't laugh at any of them, though her lips are curved into the barest semblance of a smirk. "We're almost through." And indeed, they should be reaching another conduit soon, one that will eventually take them to the storm drain. Eventually, the odour of waste fades, leaving only musk and dust. They've travelled well into a second evening by the time Aera leads them to the storm drain.
The silence and tension breaks at the sight of the night sky ahead of them, marred by an iron gate. The air is brisk, but it's quiet, and nothing stirs but the wind. Lyra breaks away from Rangi, her boots splashing along the floor of the tunnel as she hurries towards the drain's exit. Her voice is quiet, but it carries down the tunnel just the same: "we made it."
Those words seem to break the spell over Rangi, who visibly relaxes as he joins Lyra by the gate. The vast, empty land around Insomnia greets them, and Aera knows if they are to look a little further, they'll find the ocean below. The sight is as beautiful as it is bittersweet; a victory that's not without its losses.
"So, what now?"
Her brows furrow as she turns to look at Nyx, regarding her with the same, careful expression he held back in Rangi's apartment. "It's too dangerous to continue out there while it's nighttime." With the king's Wall dissipated, Aera has no doubt that daemons are already taking the opportunity to creep closer to the city, as the Goblins had. "We can rest here, and move out in the morning."
"That's not what I meant." To his credit, Nyx keeps his voice low, glancing over at Lyra and Rangi, who are already setting up a campsite of sorts by the gate and are paying them no mind. "After we leave; what's after that?"
She knows that Nyx is clever enough to realize that she's not without a plan, and she herself is perceptive enough to know that it's not just their escape plan he wants to know. "There will likely be a blockade further down the road that leads into the city, but there's a footbridge beneath the road. It was used for maintenance, but its entrance can be difficult to find, so I don't expect there to be any patrols there. And after that," she looks over to the others, "we'll head to Hammerhead. It's the nearest outpost, and hopefully we'll have cell signal by then. We'll see who we can contact for help...and we'll go from there."
The Glaive maintains his guarded expression, lips pressed into a thin line as he watches her. It's as though he's trying to unravel any lies, sifting through the pieces and hoping something will align. Aera can't fault him for his distrust, for what little she's telling him. And prima facie, it would appear there's little harm in revealing what she's been tasked to do. Yet, Aera tends to err on the side of caution, and it's served her well for so long.
And besides, secrecy is sort of her trade.
"We should eat," she finally says, when Nyx doesn't say anything at all. He only nods, allowing his expression to settle into something more amicable as he approaches the others. Her head cants as she watches him.
She entertains the possibilities of what might occur is she does tell him everything. Really, though, Aera's not even sure he'd believe her, if she does.