Queen's note: WORLD BUILDING! Also time for some to meet their new demigod 3 Also I'm pretty sure the Argenta will fluster just about every human at least once. Somehow, all sorts and kinds of flustering, just depends on the type. Onto the second story ark!
Garnets
Chapter Fifty Three:
The Second Ark
Laurel sighed softly in her spot, tucked away to the side of the hospital like space. Smiling to herself now, despite everything that has happened to her over the last year. It was far from heaven, where she found herself, so far from it as she was still very clearly in the mortal realm of reality. But… it might as well be heaven. Bless that strange (and tall!) Doctor that gave her something that numbed the pain of old joints that survived the invasion of hell on earth.
The older woman blew on the soft oatmeal that might as well be another kind of heaven. Eyes half lidded, just enjoying the simple, small meal, the taste of cinnamon mixed in, the familiar smell of it. She watched the oddly tall strangers moving to get Laurel's husband out of one of those same pods she had woken up in, and came out of just a few hours ago.
Laurel blinked as there was movement beside her. Sitting up in the chair she had been placed in. It made her feel young off and on as it had to be heavily padded for her to even fit in it. The older woman turned to the younger one on the bed to her left, setting the bowl of half finished oatmeal on the small table…the sitting stool that might as well be a table for her.
She grasped the other's hand now, before the younger, confused woman could start to flail. Laurel's voice was still a bit rough but better after her own rest after, well, waking up. "Easy, shuu… it's okay Rosetta. It's okay, you're… okay. We're alive. We're safe Rosy… can you see me?"
It took a few moments, as the once doctor was looking around the thankfully still dimmed corner of the medical area. She gasped and jerked, at first thinking she was restrained only to find her right hand was clasped in both of the once seamstress' hands. Rosetta staired as she finally realized why her left arm was not responding. It was not there any more, but it was not ragged or burned as she was expecting for some reason. Rosetta was not sure why she was expecting to see a charred stump, but it was in fact very neatly stitched and looked like there was a cybernetic part attached.
Installed?
Rosetta remembered seeing one of her fellow doctors getting a chance to see an operation to do something like this.
There were no bandages, or they were taken off? To let the wound breathe? It definitely looked clean and healthy. No ragged edges and very professionally done to integrate the cybernetic part. It pulsed a bit under the painkillers but there was no sharp pulsing of nerves like she had heard the newer implants started to do.
"They said he severed it above the line of the…nest. Gore nest. That's what that thing was called, that they tried to feed you too." Laurel spoke, as warm and gentle as she was in the cells of the cultists. If not more so, as Laurel seemed to have gained a few pounds, Rosetta realized as she looked up from the bed she was in.
Soft brown eyes looked down, Rosetta startled to realize it was a real bed she was on. Even if the mattress was more of a thick foam mat, and the blanket was oddly thick like a wool one but not. It was wonderful.
All at once, Rosetta gasped again as an image came back to her. Of a towering form that was covered in thick strings of gore as black and red blood ran off his body. Remembering seeing this giant lifting one of the bathtubs and throwing it as if tossing a stick at the 'nest' she had been staked to.
She clearly remembered when he came by her, almost stepping on Rossetta's leg while circling the nest and kicking it hard enough to see the warped, tainted flesh ripple and bruise. Seeing the radiating heat in visible waves as the giant stood still gripping a glowing blade for just a moment before a massive seeming fist lifted and a rolling punch into that glowing sphere. Rosetta remembered how it seemed like all that energy was somehow being pulled off and into the giant.
The woman was faintly aware of a voice, Laurel? Someone else? Rosetta was not really sure as she partly relived the last memories she had.
That unearthly snarling as the gore covered, giant's head snapping to her direction as the last living thing. Staring at it before moving in a distinctly predator-like prowl- that glowing blade sinking near her head. Seeing the massive hand press into her arm, then reaching for her head-
How the heat coming off him almost felt like she was burning-
Weight shifting onto her-
-burning knuckles pressed into her chest-
Cool energy jarred Rosetta out of her shock, the difference helping to pull her back into the present time with one last fragmented memory. Of being pulled out of the slimy, gelling mess of the nest of eating flesh and into the heat-
"It's alright," A strong, though accented female voice spoke in the global standard. "You are safe, little one, you are in the protection of the Night Sentinels now."
"Breathe Rosey," Laurel was saying from the other side, "Slowly, in… out... Easy, gentle… there you are. Do you see me?"
Rosetta nodded slowly, still unable to not think of being pulled out of the gore of the nest, or a well? Tube? Pool? That seemed to be stained with blood and into massive arms. She looked down, realizing she was grasping the hand spread over her whole chest it seemed like. Cool energy was crackling like silver over the hand, and her own hand.
All at once she realized it was so much easier to breathe that the woman sagged, staring up at… at…
A very tall woman?
Towering over both Laurel and herself that she had hunch to hold the human. This woman had the most beautiful copper, almost golden eyes that Rosetta had ever seen and it was almost hypnotizing. Short ashen brown hair cut short and seemed so strong with solid muscles of the right arm almost completely holding Rosetta on its own as the other hand was checking the heat beat.
"Oh… you're really pretty." Rosetta blurted out and then turned bright red as she realized that was out loud.
"She's very pretty." Laurel laughed softly, sighing in some relief as her younger friend seemed to have worked through what she was learning all of them had done. Something about being human and being mixed with these… Sentinel, or Argenta technology. Laurel herself had a similar reaction of reliving parts and a chunk of memory just before going into stasis. It also happened to the younger teens that Laurel used to take care of and the others she had been sitting with.
The doctor… healer? Asa had said that Laurel herself had a less intense reaction likely from some kind of gift 'The Slayer' had given her and her little grandchild.
Laurel looked to her right, finding both the black haired teen and said grandchild where still sound asleep. Cuddled up on that bed together, as what sounds Rosetta had made was not enough to wake them. Stasis and real sleep were two different things.
"Thank you," Healer Asa was saying, carefully shifting her hold on the now flustered human. Spreading a hand on her back and chest to pulse her wraith gift, concentrating for a moment. "It still feels like there's nothing of that Gore Nest in you, I have been keeping an eye on that since you came. But I wish for another scan on your new connection point."
"Connection point?" Rosetta asked, blinking as she stared at the big woman's left hand as there was a not so faint shine of… silver-white around those strong fingers. Turning as what was left of her own left arm was lightly tapped, Rosetta tensing as she expected pain.
It did not hurt at all.
"I put this in not too long ago," Asa explained, "Lord Valan said he would make you a new arm in time, after healing. So this needed to be installed to be sure the nerves would not die or stagnate."
"...make a new arm?" Rosetta asked as she was helped to be sitting up on the bed. She was not as skeletal as she thought she should have been. Definitely did not have any muscle mass like before being grabbed by the blood cult, while on the way to the feed store.
Make a new arm?
How were there even resources to do such a thing?
"Yes," The bigger woman shifted to stand back up, she had to be around an easy seven feet tall, if not a bit more. It was hard for Rosetta to tell, "From what I understand from the Atlan, Vega, that humans do not have as advanced prosthetics as the Argenta."
Asa shifted to pull up the surprisingly loose pants leg, showing a metallic ankle joint above her shoe. "Be we are very experienced with them. As the Night Sentinels and as the Argenta as a whole."
"I've never heard of those groups." Rosetta said, looking in complete fascination before the name 'Vega' belatedly kicked up a memory. "Wait… VEGA? Was that not the colony AI on mars? …are we on mars?"
What happened to Stamen? He only had a few months of supplies on his own in that store-
"I am the same AI from the UAC Mars Facility." A soft, but rich voice spoke from above. It was a professionally polite voice that was oddly reassuring as it (he?) continued to speak. "You are not on Mars, Dr. Rosetta. Though not on Earth's surface anymore. "
Rosetta turned, looking at the older Laurel for reassurance. Laurel was back to clasping the twitching right hand. "Take a breath, it's okay Rosy. Little Stamen is okay, they found him before us. That… not such a myth found him and came looking for you, and found us. Because Stamen asked him to find you."
"My king has always had a fondness for young ones." Asa chuckled, the sound with her smile made her face a little lighter.
"And you should know, he brought you back to the Keep Asa." A deep voice called from somewhere behind the tall woman, but coming closer.
Asa chuckled, glancing back as… something dwarfed her, "Of course Zanin, it's part of the reason I love my king so much."
The dark haired Argenta man smiled, knowing full well, and then huffed a soft greeting at the humans. Noting that the one that just woke up was bright red on her cheeks. Then he chuffed a sound at the older of the two, shifting the frail human he held. "I have your husband, grandmother, he'll be fine in a few hours."
"Thank you," Laurel spoke, taking a deep breath and just letting herself breathe. Looking around at those that were still sleeping around her, giving the closer teen a pat on the head. "It's good to have what's left of my family all back."
"Do humans produce that much color variation in a family unit?" Zanin asked in confusion, he set the human down and pulled a blanket over him. Then looked up, tilting his head.
"I… don't know?" Asa blinked, and looked up and over at Laurel actually giggled and Rosetta smiled.
"Very rarely genetically," Vega sounded amused.
"I used to have such a big family," Laurel said, looking over at her husband and then to her granddaughter. "Aster and little Iris there are all that's left of them. But the only good thing about that dreadful place…"
Laurel's eyes moved over the three sleeping teens and then smiled at Rosetta. "Well, I have a rainbow of grandchildren and children now."
"I see," Asa said with a nod of understanding, and then looked down. Giving Rosetta a smile again, "You can see your little one in a bit, after a scan and maybe something to eat. He's safe with our King and Lady Lily, and the other young humans."
"Lady Lily?" Rosetta asked, distracted by… Zanin as the big man walked to plop his mass into a well made and reinforced chair.
"She's the Slayer King's heir… what's the human word?" Zanin frowned a moment.
"Daughter," Asa carefully sounded the word out in English, then in standard. "Daughter, but this knowledge must not be spoken of so casually beyond the Fortress walls. More than just hell would be a danger to her. And us."
Asa leveled a look at the warrior until he lifted his hands in surrender to the healer. If they were responsible for any harm to the Slayer's heir, Asa had no doubt their souls would feed his strength. It would likely be deserved at that.
With a huff, satisfied that Zanin was reminded she offers her hands to the human woman. She looked to be nationally tanned under the stains from the gore nest. It shouldn't be too long for those stains to fade either. "Shall I take you to the scanner?"
"Yes," Rosetta said, glancing first at Laurel and then nodded. Feeling her cheeks go hot again as the taller woman stooped and almost as if no effort picked up the once doctor. Caring her back into the brighter section of medical. The woman looking back, surprised to see Zanin already back on his feet beside the older woman, moving the bed Rosetta had been on with the one Laurel's husband so they can be closer together.
That was oddly kind.
Rosetta was set on one of the larger tables to the left of the room. It lit up with a cool light, a couple of drones coming to life from the underside of the head of the bed to buzz around but to help scan this time instead of fetching tools or supplies. It was fascinating!
"How does it work?" Rosetta asked as Vega activated the antigravity in the surgical table under her. The woman yipped, stunted and then laughed.
"I will be happy to explain about the surgery tables in a few minutes." the AI said, oddly he seemed fond talking to Rosetta.
"After a scan," Asa said, making sure the human was in the right spot.
"It feels so strange…? Is that the scan or the antigravity?"
"A little of both."
Laurel chuckled as she leaned over the edge of the bed. Listening as her left hand ran through the damp, short hair of her husband. Staring at the familiar features she knew by heart, the same features that had slowly changed with her own over the decades. Laurel lifted his right hand and kissed the back of it, so very relieved that her husband was safe and with her. Then whispered as everyone was distracted or still asleep. "I think we're finally safe, Ash."
Reviews!
XFireStoneX: Thank you! hopefully you like the return of the small humans n.n
