Chapter 31:

4:40 pm.

"FUCK!"

Chika ducks and rolls under the stream of water coming for her. The laser of a stream cuts the building on the opposite side like cheese. It starts to tilt, and slowly bends, ominously shadowing over the Oracle.

"—!?"

Chika makes a mad dash forward, forcing her tired, and only leg to carry her unbalanced weight. Her knee and thigh cry out with each leap. Her breathing is as rough as it could be, sweat pouring from her pores.

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM! *

The building smashes down onto the ground, debris flying all around, raining down on the ruined street. Puffs of dust erupts, forming a small fog over the battle between former workmates.

"Ch—!"

The fairy, not allowing her to take even a second to rest, fires another set of fireballs at the green-haired Oracle. Chika 'looks' at the fairy's eyes.

"…!" the fairy draws breath the moment her eyes laid 'hers', losing its concentration for a bit, disengaging the fireballs from homing in on their target.

*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

"Now—!"

Chika takes this opportunity to run towards the next alley again. The fairy regains her focus and points her palm at the one-legged human. Glass shards from the toppled building quickly rises and points their sharpened edges towards the hopping Oracle.

*SHING!* *SHING!* *SHING!* *SHING!*

"Kh!"

*CHNG!* *CHNG!* *CHNG!* *CHNG!*

Chika narrowly avoids the shards of glass, shattering the moment they hit the concrete walls of the building and sidewalk. Without waiting for another strike to come, Chika puts power on her tired leg and leaps through the alley.

The fairy levels with the alley. She raises her hand once more—...

*PING!*

"—!"

A stray, insignificant bullet hits the fairy's barrier. The fairy turns and looks at the source of the bullet. There, 5 blocks away, on the roof, she sees 2 men sprawled onto the floor. She raises her hand, and a car suddenly drives itself towards the 2 men.

*BAM!*

5:05 pm.

"Stop here… let's get out of here before their birds show up"

Compa hoists IF's arm on her shoulder as they quickly get out of the beaten-up MRAP. They quickly hide underneath the leaves and branches of the tall trees that surround them. Hoping to not get spotted by the AWACS that's high above in the sky.

"Nurse, let me carry Commander"

"Mhm…" The Driver hoists his Commander up his shoulders. He can feel how light yet firm his Commander is. A sign of conviction crystallized in the body of a small girl.

They keep a low profile, moving through thickets after thickets. No doubt that what they're doing is pointless when a thermal camera is pointed at them. However, they continue to march on, guided only by their determination to move forward.

"…Commander?"

"Mhm?"

"…We're at the river…"

"…Mgh..."

IF wakes herself up. Through groggy eyes she looks around; the forest is thick, and the bushes are green. Fresh water flows downstream from the mountain up ahead. She looks around some more, unable to find the marker she's been wanting to find.

"A little bit up ahead… Let's steer clear of being observed…" IF ordered, unable to hide the tiredness in her voice.

"Roger. Nurse, do you have anything for an infection?" the Combatant suddenly asked the nurse.

"Why?"

"This part of the forest has some nasty plants. Our legs are vulnerable, and plus, it's getting dark already"

"We're higher than sea level. The sun goes down here a tad faster" the Driver added.

"We don't have any lights do we?"

"No. And either way, they're gonna see us"

"Damn… it's better than being eaten alive in the forest though"

"Then okay, we'll need to make a torch then"

"What if the whole forest gets burned down?" Compa asked.

"Then we better start running… Nurse, your shirt, do you have an extra? And is it 100% cotton?"

"Ah. Mhm, it is. Let me get another for you"

Compa rummages through her small bag and pulls out an extra sweater top; clean and pristine. Without hesitation the Combatant gets a large stick from the ground, before grabbing the sweater and ripping it into strands. He wraps one end of the stick with a string of cotton, and then pulls out a lighter.

"You have another one?" the Combatant asked.

"Yeah" the Driver pulls one out of his pocket.

The Driver breaks his lighter and pours the lighter fuel onto the cotton end of the stick. He sticks that end out to the Combatant, who then flicks his own lighter. Slowly, and quickly, the flame spreads around the cotton end, forming a controlled blaze of orange.

"This is enough to see. I'll take point"

6:10 pm.

"What are we doing here?" Mina asked.

They entered the abandoned Planeptunian hospital. A place where almost every doctor in Lowee recommended when it came to receiving almost miraculous healthcare. An almost 0% death rate where even cancer has a losing chance. Due to its high rate of success, the hospital prides itself on its exorbitant fees. However, before The Shot Heard Around the World, this hospital became government owned. But its staff and training were the same.

"Just looking around, Mina" she answered behind her.

The hospital right now is in a mess. Papers scattered everywhere. Doors and shelves open. It doesn't take much to deduce that this hospital was looted from start-to-end 15-fold. Most likely IF's forces looted this place for their medical supplies. Either that or scattering Planeptunian citizens have cleared this entire hospital.

"Is there something you need to see here?" Mina asked.

"There was… a friend that wanted the same thing as you three" she started explaining as she walks ahead.

"Coming from you, I didn't think you'd make friends"

"I say friend, but we didn't know of each other's existence before the war happened" she waves their relationship off as they climb the staircase.

"And? How'd you meet your 'friend'?"

"Common interest. I found out that someone was pushing up my plans, and through pulling some strings, we met"

"You saying this friend of yours was the reason why they appeared more than your count?"

"Maybe…"

"Sounds like a genius"

"Indeed"

Upon arriving at the eigth floor, they quickly turn to the right. Twilight begins to settle as the hallway is now being lit by the emergency lights. Like an ominous warning signal, it shines a bit brighter. She walks forward, ignoring the signs, one foot over the other. Mina follows close behind, not even a hint of nervousness on her.

They stopped in front of a patient's room. The room number is 813; room 13 of floor 8. The name on the placard is a name Mina never heard before.

"A patient?" Mina asked.

"Just a red herring"

And without hesitation, she turned the doorknob and swung open the door.

"This is—!"

"Ho, ho, truly a genius"

8:01 pm.

"…And the princess is awake"

A man in a suit walks in. Kei looks at the man with all the rage in her eyes she can muster, but the man barely cares as he pulls out a cigarette. After lighting it up, he set his back on the wall on the right and inhales the nicotine.

"What do you people want?" Kei asked as she looked at his profile from head to toe. He didn't have anything on him to tell the time.

"…We're just hired to keep you here. Don't worry about it, Missy" Missy? Does that mean that they didn't care about her position? That would mean that she made countermeasures in case she got away from the Basilicom.

"Say, how much did your client pay you?"

"Going to negotiate with me, miss? My client predicted that, and told me that she paid me triple your bank accounts worth"

"Tr—!" Judging by how nonchalant his answer is, whether it's true or not, he's not budging.

"Alright then, what does your client want from me?" For a fact, Kei knows at least she's being kept alive.

"Dunno"

"…" of course, he wouldn't know. And even if he did, would he even tell her?

"But I'll tell you one thing, Princess"

"What?"

"If you stay put, we promise to not to harm you. It's part of our contract to keep you, in the words of my client, pristine"

"Sounds like your client is a piece of work"

"Indeed"

The man in the suit went quiet as he enjoyed his cigarette. Kei went quiet as well. Her hands and feet are bound tight. And her many ways to get out of something like this isn't where it is. They're thorough enough to check every nook and cranny out of her.

However, very few people know that she's prepared like that. The small blades hidden around her person; she can't feel them. She can only deduce that someone very close to her, someone rich enough, and has access to their financial records would be able to pay her captors three times her net worth.

"…Tch!"

And for Kei there's only one person that could be their client.

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