Disclaimer: Honkai Impact doesn't belong to me, this is just a creative work just for the kicks and why not.
Enjoy!
He couldn't feel, he couldn't see anything.
"Listen only to the sound of my voice." The female voice was gentle.
"Let your mind relax. Let your thoughts drift. Let the bad memories fade. Let peace be upon you." The voice whispered as he continued floating…in his mind. He needed to keep…
"Surrender yourself to your dreams. Let them wash over you like the gentle waves of the bluest ocean. Let them envelop you. Comfort you." What was he thinking again?
"Imagine somewhere calm. Imagine somewhere safe. Imagine yourself in a frozen forest." Ah, yes, he was in the frozen forest.
"You're standing in a clearing. Trees around you so tall they touch the sky. Pure white snowflakes fall all around." But the voice, it sounded like Hestia's, although there was something new to it.
"You can feel them melt on your skin. You are not cold. It cannot overcome the warmth of your beating heart." No, it wasn't Hestia's voice. The voice was soft like velvet and it carried affection, so much love…for him.
"Can you hear it? You only have to listen. Can you hear it slowing?" It-it was from his sister…? #########
"You're slowing it. You are in control. Calm. At peace." N-No…##it####w-as### f#####r#####om…
###############################################################################################################
"YOU ARE IN THE FROZEN FOREST…"
################!
Adam shot open his eyes as he jumped up. In a swift motion, tendrils formed on his right arm forming a short blade as his left hand went to his back to draw a gun; only for it to stop when he noted that the gun wasn't on his back strap.
His muscles tensed in worry, trying to grasp the situation. His eyes darted from side to side. The sun shined in all its splendor in the sky. He noted that he was on a rooftop, a fence surrounded it. The access door to downstairs was blocked with boxes and chairs. At the distance, there were burning clouds rising.
"W-what happened? Where am I?" Adam questioned. He felt a sudden ache inside his head. "Shit!" Adam grunted grabbing it. He turned his arm back to normal. As he did that, the pain reduced, leaving a numb sensation. He massaged his head. It proved to be efficient as the aching numbness slowly faded.
"Good morning!" It was Kiana, followed by Mei, who was wearing a new uniform similar to her previous one destroyed; coming from behind the rooftop access. Kiana had a cup of instant noodles in her hands, it was releasing steam from its top; while Mei had a water bottle in her hands. At seeing the two, Adam relaxed his stance.
"It's midday, Kiana-chan." Corrected Mei.
"Oh right," Kiana nodded to her. "So, how are you feeling?" Mei got closer to Adam and offered him the bottle of water. Adam nodded in gratitude as he opened it and took it to his lips. He didn't feel particularly thirsty, but once he took a gulp he didn't stop until the bottle was empty.
The girls widened a bit their eyes at his action. "Thirsty, I guess?" Kiana asked rhetorically.
Adam crushed the empty bottle as he answered. "A little." He turned to see again their surroundings. "So, where are we?" He asked.
Kiana made a surprise expression. "You don't remember what happened?" Adam shook his head.
"Well, to summarize, you dragged Mei-senpai and me from those losers, ran across some buildings and then you collapsed. Just like that." Kiana grabbed a bite from her food. "Kind of rude to leave us to do all the work here." She commented between bites.
"Kiana-chan, eat with your mouth closed." Mei scolded her lightly. "Ok!" Kiana answered again with food in her mouth. Mei sighed in resignation.
"What do you mean with all the work?" he puzzled.
"While you were unconscious, Kiana-chan and I went downstairs and explored the upper apartments of the complex for rations. We found some before the-the zombies started to pile up in the hallways." Mei answered. She barely trembled a little at saying the current state of the people previously living in the apartment complex.
Kiana nodded while munching.
"So, how long I was unconscious?"
Kiana continued eating while Mei counted with her fingers while making a thinking expression. "I guess that it has been almost five hours since then."
Adam was relieved at hearing this. "Good. It would have been bad if I had been knocked out for the rest of the day." When Adam overused his powers during his travel with Siegfried, usually he will go wild and attack anything on his sight, followed by losing his conscience for one day to three days sleeping in a row. He was really glad that Siegfried dealt with him when it happened. He cringed a bit remembering the pain on his body and the mocking attitude from Siegfried.
"I see." She grabbed a snack bar from her skirt pocket and handed it to him. "Thanks." He opened the envelope and took a big bite. Taking note that she was clothed in a new set of attire, Adam stopped eating and put down the snack. "Mei, I, I, well," he sighed as the girls raised their brows in question.
"Sorry about your last uniform. You know, the grenade and the fire." He felt how his blood was coming to his cheeks despite his effort to suppress a faint blush. He wasn't the only one. Mei caught what he meant and blushed immediately, her face would have put a tomato in shame; Kiana chocked, dropping the soup container and its content all over the floor.
"W-What brought this up?!" Cried Mei in embarrassment while Kiana finally stopped her cough-fit.
"What the hell, Adam?!" Kiana blushed, not at the same level of Mei, but there was a big blush present on her face.
Seeing their reactions, Adam started to sweat. He tried to correct his mistake ASAP! "I-I just wanted to make it clear that what happened at the roof and what happened with your clothes wasn't on purpose!" Then he added. "S-Something I learned from Siegfried is that you have to make things clear with women when misunderstandings happen." It was true, but let's change 'misunderstandings' for the words 'ogling' and 'appreciating' when Siegfried's womanizer habits came to play while they were discussing details about their contracts with their employers.
"Really, what's up with all the beauties and the deals with the underworld?" Adam added mentally while seeing Mei trying to get a hold of herself.
Kiana's blush disappeared and her attitude changed. "So he is still a womanizer, huh?" Kiana said under her breath, but Adam and Mei heard the cold bitterness in her voice. Adam winced. He now remembered that Kiana was searching for him. Siegfried didn't mention much about the circumstances that led him to defect Schicksal, but there was always a bitterness and ire inside his eyes during the months of November, December, and February. Adam didn't ask Siegfried about it for respect, but he knew that Siegfried sacrificed many things while running away from Schicksal. It seemed that Siegfried was a delicate topic for Kiana.
"Sorry." He apologized. He decided to change the topic. "By the way, Kiana, do you know if Schicksal is going to deploy Valkyries soon?"
Kiana raised her brows in confusion along with Mei. "Schicksal? Adam, what are you talking about?" Kiana asked. His eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you don't know what Schicksal is?" Kiana shook her head. Mei kept staring Adam. "B-but you said that you were a Valkyrie in training?!" He raised his voice a little.
"Well, a Valkyrie is a person who fights against the Honkai to protect the people." She explained while crossing her arms under her bust. "The old man taught me that since I was a kid that we-the Kaslanas- fought to protect the innocent. Also, he didn't teach me all the gun-taka from the family." She added, "Does that make him a Valkyrie too?"
"More like a drunk pervert knight and did Siegfried teach her that?" He thought in confusion. During his journey, Adam heard first-hand that Siegfried didn't believe in idealism and babble about justice and sacrifice for the 'greater good'. 'Help when you can and do what you can', it could be summarized Siegfried's way of living to this phrase.
"Wait, he told you about the Valkyries but nothing about Schicksal?" Again, Kiana shook her head. "And here I thought that she was with them."
Adam leaned his head back and released a long resigned sigh. "We are truly on our own."
"{At least you are not alone.}/ {Alone with two beautiful girls…}" The voices inside his head commented.
"Shut up." He said above a whisper, yet Kiana heard him.
"Adam?"
"Nothing, just talking to myself." He said.
"{It isn't good. It could be interpreted as a sign of dementia.}" Commented the childish decided to ignore it.
"Hey," Adam and Kiana turned their heads to Mei. She still held a confused face. "Sorry, but would you can explain to me, what this is about Honkai, Valkyrie, and Schicksal?"
"Right," Adam remembered that the Honkai along with Schicksal were topics kept in secret. He started to recall the lessons imparted by Hestia during his recovery in Site Olympus. "In summary, the Honkai is a cyclical natural disaster phenomenon." He resumed eating the snack bar. He took a bite and swallowed before continuing. "It can come in the form of wars, diseases, climate disasters, comet impacts, and even the arrival of giant monsters." He took another bite. "Tell me, Mei, what happened during the 15 century that put in great danger Europe?" He continued chewing until he finished his meal.
Kiana raised a brow in surprise, but Mei knew right away the answer. "The Black Death." Her eyes widened. "But according to history, it was caused by the bad cleaning conditions and the mutation from a bacteria. It couldn't have been the- this Honkai." She disagreed. Adam nodded as he threw the wrap off. "In a way that's right, but how strange that it expanded so quickly despite the efforts to isolate it. The Black Death spread so speedily and almost simultaneously all over Europe. It didn't have a sole focus point like other diseases." He sighed.
"Also, Schicksal is not an organization that has been fighting the Honkai recently. It has been running for almost 500 years." The girls widened their eyes. "Schicksal has made sure that whatever is connected to the Honkai is kept under secret. The explosion in Berlin in 1952, the Siberian Disaster from 2000, attacks from strange Beasts; all of them are linked to the Honkai, and its main agents; the Herrschers." Mei gasped.
"And now, we are at the Third Impact," Adam noted their worry. "If it makes you feel better, actually we are very lucky that another Siberia hasn't happened." He gave a reassuring smile. It did little to soothe their preoccupation.
"{Yet.}" He couldn't help but agree with the voice inside his head. He really didn't want another Siberia to occur.
The girls looked worried. Well, Kiana not too much, after all, she has fought against the Honkai beasts since her childhood, although it still worried her that they were in the epicenter of all this catastrophe. But for Mei, it was terrible. Horror started to grow inside her eyes as her body trembled. Adam and Kiana noted it.
"Then…i-it is okay for me to remain alive?" She shuddered in rising panic.
"From what I got across, there was one Herrscher who rebelled against the Will of the Honkai and decided to aid humanity." He added. "In fact, he founded an organization-"
"{You are revealing too much information.}" The voice growled in scolding. He was right. Adam would rather play it safe until they escaped from the city.
"Although, he prefers to stay in the shadows." He finished.
"But, what happens if I lose control again, and-and the Herrscher come out?!" Mei shouted.
"Simple, we kick her ass and bring you back!" Kiana shouted with conviction. Mei turned her sight to her.
"It doesn't matter if you are a Herrscher. Mei remains to be Mei!" Kiana uncrossed her arms and put her hands on Mei's shoulders. She was surprised at the gesture.
"So, have faith that everything is going to be alright." Kiana hugged her. "Don't worry, Mei. I and Adam are going to help you." Kiana kept hugging Mei until she calmed down. The two separated. Mei had a few tears on her eyes. She cleaned them with her hands.
"Thank you, Kiana-chan."
"No problem!" She beamed.
The two smiled at each other. The wind made their hair flutter softly. Adam raised a brow. This reminded him of a romantic scene from a movie he saw months ago. Feeling awkward, he decided to break it in the best way he could think.
"At the third date, you may kiss her, and at the fifth, well, I leave it to your imagination, Kiana," Adam smirked.
The two turned to him. "Adam-kun!" Mei blushed while glaring at him. Kiana didn't see the problem.
"Kun?" He thought at the suffix.
"Until the fifth?" Kiana added.
"KIANA!" She smirked despite Mei's protests. He held his laugh while Mei lectured Kiana about the proper steps to form a relationship. It was a strange scene given that the three were currently in a dead city with Honkai beasts and zombies moving around. He was used to banter with Siegfried in rudeness and dark humor. Occasionally one of the two will become the joke.
"I will never forget when he escaped from that nymphomaniac using a newspaper for boxers!" He smiled at the memory.
"…you only do those kinds of things until you are married." Mei finished lecturing Kiana. "It is in bad taste when you rush things in a relationship, Kiana."
"Two things; so, until the seventh date is third base and, do you say it from experience, Mei?" Adam challenged.
"ADAM-KUN!" Mei chided. Adam along with Kiana laughed at their heart's content.
"You two!" Mei fumed.
Adam tried to control his laugh. "Hahaha! Come on Mei, it is-shit!" Adam stopped as his head ached. He lowered his head with a hand on it. He felt cold washing over his face and chest. His breath started to accelerate and his skin turned deathly pale. He felt bile bubbling in his throat. Quickly, he turned around and leaned on the fence and threw his stomach contents.
BLEGH!
The girls looked worried at Adam. "Are you alright?" Mei asked. It would be a big problem if one of them suddenly got sick. She gasped in surprise when he turned back. Not only his face turned ghastly pale, different from the healthy whiteness he displayed before; but also the sclera in his eyes turned black and his irises and veins on in his face glowed in a sick crimson.
Wordlessly, Adam quickly moved his hand to his pants pockets and took out a tiny bottle with blue pills on it. He opened it and grabbed one pill. He closed the bottle, put it back on his pocked and swallowed the pill. He leaned on the railing and slid until he sat on the ground while he waited for the pill's effect to kick in. He tried to ignore the bitter tastes of the pill and bile. After almost a minute, his breath calmed down and the partial transformation on his face disappeared slowly.
"Shit," he cursed as he cleaned the sweat on his forehead. "This wasn't supposed to happen too soon." He lifted his eyes to see Kiana and Mei looking at him in bewilderment. He sighed, "Guess that I have to explain what just happened, don't I?" He asked rhetorically. The two girls nodded. Adam sighed again. "Long-short story, this gives me many perks like great strength, speed, stamina, abnormal healing and 'this'- he raised a hand and transformed it into a claw before turning it back into a human hand- it's pretty useful for combat and other things but the backlash is a total bitch." He grunted.
"So those gauntlets and the way you could heal, it's because of it?" Asked Mei. Adam nodded. "Then, how did you get them?" It was Kiana who asked this time. Adam looked a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't remember the details and circumstances accurately, but from what he recalled, his powers came from a very dangerous and messed up experiments. Not just messed up about human rights and stuff, but about things that had made his stomach churn when he thought about it.
He decided to partially lie. "I don't remember too much about it," he began. "One moment I was just running away from Honkai beasts, then the next, boom! Superpowers!" He motioned an explosion with his hands. Kiana looked at him skeptically. "That's it? You got them just like that?" She raised a brow. "I was hoping for, you know, something more, dramatic?" She looked a bit disappointed. By how she expressed herself, Adam knew that she didn't mean harm, just a bit let down that his backstory didn't play out like a manga. Still, it didn't make him feel good for what he said next, but it was necessary for the sake of his mission.
"So, bleeding and screaming my head off with a knight's lance in my stomach and its crushed core in my hand isn't dramatic? You hurt me, Kiana." He said sarcastically.
Mei gasped and covered her mouth with a hand at hearing this. Kiana panicked. "A-Adam! I-I didn't know. I-I." She was tripping to what to say. "I am sorry!" Kiana apologized quickly. Adam didn't like the sudden change of the conversation, but he couldn't allow loose ends about his origins.
"It's alright," he waved his hand in dismissal. "You didn't know and I should have said something else." Kiana and Mei slowly calmed, albeit they were uncomfortable. "It's something that I am not comfortable talking about." He decided to change from the topic. "By the way, going back to your initial panic Mei, as Kiana said, we will make sure that the Herrscher is kept at bay. That's a promise." He looked at Kiana. "Right, Kiana?"
"Yep!" Kiana agreed with him.
"But…" Mei began.
"Nope!" She chirped. "No matter what you say or what you did, we are here for you, Mei," Kiana affirmed her decision to help Mei, even if she was a Herrscher's host.
"Guys…" Mei was moved. To her, it has been a long time since someone showed genuine care for her aside from her father and her supposed 'friends'. She just met Kiana and Adam, but she was sure that they were true to their words.
"{Did you really mean it? Would, you assist her if she needs your help?}" The childish voice asked in curiosity.
"{Or are you going to help her by 'freeing' her from her fateful burden?}" The raspy voice asked with mockery concern. Adam didn't answer either of them. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the trio broke their attention towards the door that was being constantly knocked.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Their expressions turned serious. It was time to move. "Girls, what did you get from the apartments?" Adam asked. The girls moved behind the access roof to gather the things they found.
"Not much. Some canned food, a few bottles of water and these," Mei explained as she brought out a shotgun as Kiana put a baseball bat on her shoulder. Both carried bags on their shoulders. Adam was pretty sure the weapon was from someone from the previous residents.
"Do you know how to use it?" Mei nodded. "My father made me took a course about weapons, for personal defense." She explained. It appears that her father wanted her to be able to defend herself in any circumstance.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The door started to show dents. It was a question of seconds for them to tear apart the door.
"I can get us out of here," Adam said. "We will get down and from there we will continue making our way out of this city on feet." With his tendrils, the trio would have swung around the buildings to save time and energy, but with the previous fight, he could lose his focus and run rampant.
"I don't know this city, so you two will have to take the lead, ok?" The girls nodded. "I know this area. There is a train station not far from here." Mei said. Adam pondered for a moment about it. "What about electricity? If we go down there we are as good as dead in a closed space." Mei shook her head. "Don't worry. The electricity is still running and the train energy system was designed to keep running with solar energy in the case of a blackout." She explained.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! CRACK!
The door started to give in. Many gray hands started to break the door apart.
"An escape on a train it is!" Kiana shouted.
Quickly, Adam summoned his tendrils over his right arm, creating an oversized claw. He ignored the buzzing and pressure inside his head and screamed at the girls. "Hold onto me tight. This is going to be a hard descent!" In normal circumstances, the girls wouldn't have hugged a young man they just met, but being chased by a horde of undead in an infested city, well, it didn't leave too many options.
The girls hugged Adam tightly. Due to the adrenaline and the moment, Adam didn't register the warmth of their bodies or the soft objects against his chest. Well, just Adam.
"{T-this is awkward…}"/ "{The softest of pillows in the entire world!}"
"Not now!" He chastised. He put his free arm around them and jumped just in time when the door was broken and the zombies started to make their way towards them.
"AAAHHHH!" The girls screamed. Mei in fright because she has never done anything like this! For Kiana, she was frightened and excited, more of the latter one.
They started to descend fast due to the heaviness of three bodies. Quickly, maneuvering on the air, Adam used his oversized claw and drive it in the wall, tearing apart concrete and glass on their way down. Then, he moved tendrils under their legs, wrapping them in a protective shell. Once they struck the ground, they created a crater on the spot as a result. Due to the force-fall, there was a strong shockwave that blew zombies away and pushed some of the cars on the street.
"Whoa! That was exciting." Kiana crowed. Mei didn't share the sentiment. She looked confused and scared, trying to process what just happened. Adam felt dizzy. He retracted the tendrils. He started to feel a little better, but there was no time to rest. They staggered as they got up from the crater.
"Let's do that again!" Kiana cheered. Adam turned his head to see that they just fell from a twenty-story apartment. He deadpanned at Kiana. In her opinion, he looked funny with his transformation and poker face.
"How about 'no' anytime soon." He ignored her complaint as he drew Omen's handle. His transformation retracted.
"Drink." He ordered. The weapon obeyed and drank his blood. Adam felt the dizziness growing, but he pushed it back and with a jerk of his wrist, he drew the ominous red blade. Mei looked at it as she and Kiana prepared their weapons. Adam felt her stare.
"Something on your mind?" Adam startled Mei at being caught. She pondered for a moment before she answered. "Your weapon. I have a glimpse of it when I was… sleeping." Adam understood that she didn't feel comfortable about her slumber when the Herrscher was causing havoc.
"Oh. Well, this blade is called Omen and the other that you may have seen before is called Gungnir. I found them when I was traveling with Kiana's old man." Mei nodded at his response.
"Guys." Kiana caught their attention. They turned to her. She motioned with her head towards the zombies making their way towards them.
"Right. Mei, you will guide." He ordered. "Let's fight when it's needed. Better save energy and ammo for when we really need it." The girls agreed with him.
The dizziness started to disappear as the adrenaline started to run all over his system.
ARGH!
"Ready or not, here we go!" Screamed Adam as he along with the girls charged against the zombies.
Three hours later…
After a tiresome and long journey across the infested streets of the city, the three managed to make their way towards the train station. While difficult at first with the overwhelming number of zombies, they reached their way inside the train station. Kiana and he closed the entrance railings to not let more zombies inside the station. They proved to be pretty durable against the group of undead. The hallways proved to not be an issue. Most of them were lonely, with the occasional wanderer zombie stumbling. But once they reached the warehouse where the trains were stored, well, easy to say that Adam wasn't happy.
"Eat shit and die!" Screamed Adam pissed off as he chopped heads and bodies from zombies with Omen. Not far behind, Kiana bashed heads off with her bat and Mei shot when the zombies gathered in small groups to save ammo. A few minutes later, the trio managed to clean and block the entry of the warehouse.
"Damn it! We lost much time moving around and killing these bastards." Adam cursed as he stomped over the head of a still-moving zombie. The girls tried to not cringle at the brutal display. "Hey, Adam. I think you need to chill a little," chided Kiana at him.
Adam was about to retort in a sassy way until he remembered who he was. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "Shit. It's just," he clicked his tongue with a 'che'. "It just one thing after another that keeps happening since I arrived in this city." He massaged his forehead. "First, I overslept, losing time on my way to Soukai City; second, the entire place goes to hell due to a Honkai eruption; it turns out that is not caused by a Honkai Emperor class, but by a damn Herrscher, no offense, Mei." He quickly apologized. Mei shook her head. "It's okay," she didn't mind Adam's words.
He kept fussing. The girls allowed him to let off steam. "There is no backup and when we are so close to getting the hell out of this shithole, there is a horde of zombies walking around the train station and inside the damn warehouse!" He went silent, trying to regain his breath. Kiana looked at him with sympathy.
"Feeling better?" Asked Kiana. Adam stayed silent for another moment before answering.
"Yeah. Sorry about that." He apologized again. "It has been a really long day and my head is killing me." Kiana got close to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I get what you mean." Like him, she sighed in tiredness.
"Really?"
"Yes. I am really hungry and I will kill just for a moment to rest and eat something delicious!" She fumed. Adam couldn't help but smile at Kiana's childish attitude. He didn't blame her. It has been hours since he had a decent meal and puking the snack Mei gave him didn't help with his hungry.
"If it's alright with you, I could cook something to take your hunger away once we found somewhere safe," Mei said. In a blink, Kiana teleported in front of Mei and hugged her tightly. "Would you really do that, Mei-senpai?" Kiana asked chirpily. "Yes." She agreed. "Also, Kiana-chan, you are too strong," Mei added. Kiana didn't break the hug despite her words.
"It's that alright?" Adam inquired raising a brow. "It has been tiresome these last two days. We don't want to impose, Mei." Adam commented.
"No, in fact, I really enjoy cooking." She explained. "And more when is for fr-friends, real friends," Mei in melancholy thought. She used to cook for her 'old friends' before the scandal about her father came out. Despite the smiles and praise they gave her, she never felt a deep connection of friendship with those people back then. This idea was reinforced when things went downhill.
"It's the least I can do for you two after all the trouble I gave you." She smiled. "Plus, I have been told that my food is quite delicious." She added. Adam wasn't convinced with her offer, but refuting Mei would seem like an insult against her token of gratitude.
"If you say so, Mei. Well, at least we are getting good and free food." Mei was happy that Adam didn't try to deny her help anymore. Adam was about to say something else when some tall shelves in the warehouse and a rusty wagon were pushed aside. The three looked at the responsible.
"You got to be shitting me!" He cursed.
It was a white bulky figure walking on four extremities. The front ones were bigger than the hind legs.
It was a Chariot. A terrible enemy for the place they were in.
Immediately, Kiana drew her guns and with Mei, they proceed to shot it. Despite the power force of the bullets, the Chariot didn't flinch. The two stopped shooting.
"Our guns are not even scratching that thing." Mei hissed seeing the inefficiency of their weapons.
The chariot took advantage of the moment and launched against the three. They jumped back in time, avoiding being crushed by its bulged legs. Debris flew and a cloud of dust formed. The three tensed, waiting for its next move.
"I will jump on this bastard once he moves again!" Adam voiced. He prepared himself to jump on the Honkai beast until a new voice interrupted them.
"Target locked." The voice was female and stoic, almost as if a robot was speaking. The voice reminded Adam of the drones from Olympus Site. The Chariot turned to see the new guest.
"Deploying Project Bunny 19 C." A big futuristic robot appeared of nowhere as the dust started to settle down. It was nothing that they have ever seen before. And their raising astonishment, the person who spoke was a petite silver-haired girl in front of the robot. Her hair was tied in two curly tails hanging from the side of her head. Her expression was emotionless. Cold gray eyes matched her expression. She wore a brown short-coat, a soft green vest under it accompanied by a straight-striped themed blouse. Her legs were covered with a sort of armor. Despite the large robot levitating behind her, Adam couldn't help but think that she looked like a fine porcelain doll.
"Engaging." The girl raised her left arm and the robot mimicked the motion. The trio noted that its left arm was, a big canon that started to charge speedy with energy.
"Fire." Was the cold order the petite girl voiced. Not wasting any second, the robot proceeded with her order and shot. Given the medium distance between the Chariot and the mysterious girl, it didn't have the opportunity to avoid its imminent death. More dust and debris were lifted up, blocking their vision. Despite not seeing the aftermath, there was no doubt that the Chariot was no more. Once the dust settled, the girl turned her attention towards them.
"Wh-what the hell is that?!" Kiana cried in surprise while waving and pointing with her guns towards the robot.
"E-Eh?!" Mei had her eyes wide open in astonishment. She couldn't be blamed for not finding the right words to say. It was one thing after another happening in a short span of time. Adam was about to voice his opinion until the pressure inside his head worsened along with his ache.
"{Be on guard. This is too coincidental.}" The voice croaked on alert. The pressure dropped until it was a numb sensation. He would have ignored its advice in another time, but the seriousness in which it said it and the avoided close-death experiences he had when it was on alert, made him feel cautious about the new girl. And he agreed with it, the time was too coincidental.
"Seriously. What the hell just happened?!" Cried out Kiana again. The girl looked stoically at her. The futuristic robot kept floating behind her.
"The Bronya believes what just happened explains by itself." The girl, now identified as Bronya, declared in her monotone voice.
"Why are you talking like a calculator?" Kiana was puzzled. While Bronya maintained a cold expression, Adam saw a little twitch on her lips.
"Brainless organic form identified. The Bronya is sure that is pointless to try to explain something so simple." She said as a matter of fact.
"What did you call me, short iron board?!" Kiana fumed. "For your information, my name is Kiana!"
"Engaging against idiotka." The robot, Project Bunny 19 C, started to charge its canon as it pointed against Kiana. In response, Kiana aimed her guns to Bronya. Mei and Adam tensed, ready to jump into action to aid their companion.
"Shit!" Adam cursed mentally as the canon finished charging.
"Fire."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
UNIT LERAJE LOGGING IN
UNIT LERAJE LOGGED IN
UNIT LERAJE REPORTING NEW URGENT ACTIVITY IN RELATION TO HERMES.
SUBJECT HERMES MADE CONTACT WITH SUBJECT, THE THIRD RULER.
THE THIRD RULER HAS BEEN CONTAINED FOR THE MOMENT TROUGH THE DEEDS OF HERMES AND AID FROM SUBJECT, YOUNG KNIGHT.
THIRD RULER IN SLUMBER.
THIRD RULER'S HOST, PRIESTESS, FULLY CONSCIOUS.
HERMES, YOUNG KNIGHT AND PRIESTESS ARE NOW TRAVELLING TOGETHER INSIDE NAGAZORA; NOW KNOW AS; N-3 RED ZONE.
NOTE: YOUNG KNIGHT AND WANDERER KNIGHT SHARE KINSHIP. ODD GIVEN-
[REDACTED]
UNDERSTOOD.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION TOO IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS AND TO KEEP IN MAIN MEMORY.
ERASING TOPIC
[DATA EXPLUNGED].
HERMES, YOUNG KNIGHT AND PRIESTESS ARE BEING PURSUED BY SUBJECT, GRAY WOLF.
GRAY WOLF HAS KEPT HER DISTANCE SINCE WITNESSING HERMES AND YOUNG KNIGHT FIGHTING THIRD RULER.
SUBJECT, ECHIDNA IS STIRRING.
LERAJE SUGGESTS ELIMINATION OF ECHIDNA BEFORE THE SUBJECT BECOMES A PROBLEM THAT INTERFERES WITH PRIMORDIAL OBJECTIVES.
[REDACTED]
VERY WELL.
ECHIDNA WILL NOT BE HARMED.
UNIT LERAJE WILL KEEP OBSERVING AND REPORTING NEW ACTIVITY ABOUT GRAY WOLF, HERMES AND HIS COMPANIONS UNTIL THEY ARE OUT OF N-3 RED ZONE.
GRAY WOLF SEEMS TO TAKE A HOSTILE STAND AGAINST YOUNG KNIGHT.
[REDACTED]
UNDERSTOOD.
UNIT LERAJE LOGGING OFF
UNIT LERAJE LOG11110 {1000101010} GGG
UNIT LERAJE LOGGED OFF
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kiana jumped back, just in time to avoid a deadly blast of energy. Mei and Adam imitated her.
"You!" Kiana growled. Despite that she was almost killed, Kiana wasn't heartless to kill a child. She aimed towards Bronya's legs and arms, at least to stop her for the moment. As the bullets traveled towards Bronya, Kiana braced for hisses, if not screams of pain.
CLANK!
"Of course it wouldn't be so easy," Kiana muttered. The bullets were blocked off by Project Bunny, who materialized a shield big enough to cover Bronya, bouncing harmlessly the bullets. Despite the bullets missed their target, Kiana was relieved that she didn't hurt an innocent kid.
"Idiotka efforts are wasteful," Bronya commented.
She took back her thought about the short girl being innocent. "You are really asking for it, midget!" Kiana hissed.
"The Bronya demands the stupid to be eliminated." Bronya raised her voice a little.
"I will not be killed by a stupid little girl with no boobs!
"Better no boobs than those waste of nutrients on your chest and not in your head."
"I am not an idiot!"
The two continued throwing insults at each other.
"Please stop!" Mei pleaded. "There is no need to fight!" Adam agreed with her. Besides, Adam noted more growls and moans started to come from one of the hallways. "Maybe those zombies were already here but in other rooms." Adam thought.
"Denied. Idiotka just insulted the Bronya's person. It shall not be left unpunished." Project Bunny started to charge its cannon again.
"You are asking for it, midget!" Kiana was ready to shoot her again. The growls started to sound closer.
"Girls," Mei also noted the coming growls. "We can discuss later. We need to leave before they come to get us!" She tried to calm the situation. But despite this, Kiana and Bronya were too stubborn to point who was at fault even in this situation.
"She must apologize first for calling me an idiot!"
"The Bronya wants the Idiotka on her knees begging for pardon."
"You!"
"Girls!" The growls and moans were getting closer and closer…
"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Adam lost his cool at the childish display when they were about to be overrun. His voice distorted as his power activated unconsciously. The red veins on his face and eyes shinned, mirroring his anger.
"Adam, what-?" he interrupted Kiana. "I don't care! Get you two your shit together!" He turned to Bronya. Behind her, Project Bunny raised its arm to Adam. He ignored it. There wasn't time to fight among them.
"Bronya. Is there a quick way out of here?!" Bronya looked at him like she was analyzing him. She was pondering if he wasn't hostile. He didn't have time for that.
"Bronya!" He called.
"Yes," Project Bunny lowered its canon. She started to explain. "The Bronya was moving across the city using the train system. The Bronya decided to stop in this station to search for supplies that may help during her escape from the city."
"Cool. You will have to deal with us for the time being." His face went back to normal along with his voice. A few zombies started to appear at the entrance of one of the hallways.
"Lead the way, Bronya." She gave a short nod. She turned around and started to levitate rapidly towards a hallway that was barely perceived due to being covered by a shelf.
"Fine! But she still had to apologize for calling me an idiot." Kiana grumped while jogging behind her.
"Later. For now, we need to get the hell out of here." He barked.
"Thanks," Mei said softly at him for his intervention and started to follow the other girls. Adam moved his head back for a moment to see the incoming group of zombies. Like her, Adam started to follow them.
"That could have turned awful."
"{She didn't even protest,}" the hiss began. "{How noble of Bronya to save us in the right moment.}" It chuckled. "{It's too good to be the truth. And that thing following her, it's dangerous.}"
"Yeah, and having a crazy voice inside my head is normal." Adam thought back.
"{Suit yourself.}" It barked before going silent. Adam shook his head and continued running to reach the girls.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, inside a pub…
"Another beer, please."
"I don't know, pal. This is your sixth drink."
"Just give me another one and I will leave. I don't have a car if that's what you are worried about."
The pub where Siegfried was currently in was almost lonesome. There was a group of middle-aged men chatting at the deep of the pub.
The old barman sighed. "Alright, but this is the last one." He informed Siegfried, passing him his last bottle of beer for the day.
Siegfried caught the bottle. He didn't' drink right away, he just kept looking at the television that was airing a talent show. Years of experience made the barman understood that Siegfried wasn't really looking at the TV. He had a forlorn look on his face as he kept his eyes on the screen. The barman decided to not ask him, it wasn't his business and he wasn't in the mood to hear a drunk's pit story.
After Siegfried spoke with Richard and got what he needed, he went straight to a bar. As to why was so simple. He tried to forget the circumstance that led his old easy-going friend to a serious and bitter handicapped man. What better solution than to kill a few hundred neurons to keep his mind from wandering in the dark lane of memory.
[24 TV series phone ringtone]
His forlorn visage darkened as he heard his phone sounding.
He didn't pick up the call and continued drinking, ignoring the sound. The cellphone went silent, but it wasn't long before it sounded again. Siegfried ignored it.
"Aren't you going to answer?" The barman asked.
Siegfried shook his head and took another gulp of the bitter beer, this time bigger. His was bottle was half-empty when his cellphone sounded again.
"If you are not going to pick it, at least put your phone in mute." The barman frowned in annoyance. He went to set a couple of bottles at the end of the service bar. Siegfried gave a short chuckle. "If it were so easy…" he thought tiredly.
Siegfried set down the bottle on the panel and picked up the call.
"Took you long enough, Siegfried." Said a female voice.
Siegfried didn't mind her sarcastic tone. "Hello, Hestia. What I can do for you?"
The soft voice on the other end of the line sighed. "Siegfried, how it went?" Despite being an advance AI, cold software and numbers; her voice sounded concerned. Siegfried replied with a dry chuckle.
"As good as you could have expected, Hestia. It's was a stroke of luck that he even let me set a foot inside his house." He passed his left hand over his head. "His body and mood are a mess, Hestia. He really tries to keep a happy attitude around her daughter, but deep down, we know that his wife and kid are the only things that kept him from doing a stupidity."
"Did you mention the prosthesis?"
"He didn't even let me say that, Hestia. He commented that the tumors, inside his stumps, don't let him have them."
Hestia didn't say a word for long seconds. Siegfried continued drinking his beer.
"Did he gave you the data?" She asked. Siegfried nodded despite she couldn't see him. "Yeah. He gave me all the information for this little task of yours, Hestia. Also, he made pretty clear that he doesn't want to see me ever again. Much less to be around his family." He sounded tired, and it wasn't for the jetlag or the beer.
"For what it is worth, Siegfried, I-" He cut her off.
"No, Hestia," he tried to keep his temper in check. "Just. Don't." He inhaled deeply to calm himself. He rested his left arm on the panel as he leaned forward. If Hestia was offended for his interruption and tone he didn't care.
"Alright. Then I-!" Hestia suddenly went silent for long seconds.
Despite been drinking, Siegfried's sixth sense for trouble went off when she quieted like this. It couldn't be good.
"Hestia?" He asked.
"Siegfried," she began. "Whatever you are doing, left it." She sounded troubled. "I need you to go immediately to the docks. I am going to send you a map. There is something you need to retrieve. I am doing the arrangements necessary for you, so you can pick it up."
"Alright. Tell me where I am going." Her answer confused him.
"At seven kilometers to the east. You are going into the ocean."
"What? But-!" He croaked.
"Don't argue with me! Move it. ASAP!" she hanged up after she yelled.
Siegfried got up from his stool and left a couple of bills on the panel. He turned around and ran off to the door.
"Hey!" Siegfried turned back to the old barman. "What?!" Siegfried asked quickly. "I am in a hurry!"
"You are paying the double, pal." The barman pointed the bills with bigger value on the panel.
"Keep the change!" It was the last thing Siegfried said before he disappeared through the door. The old bartender just sighed and picked up the empty bottle.
"I wonder what made him run off like that." He picked them up. "Mmh?" He raised a brow when he noted a fine cape of ice on the panel.
"How strange."
Well, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, sorry for the delay.
Leave comments to improve the story.
Bye!
P. S.: Some may have noticed from where did I get the 'frozen forest' mantra.