Hello, everyone. Welcome to Chapter 4 of this story. Hopefully you've all been well since the last update. I'll be picking things up where the last chapter left off, meaning Litchi's about to have a very, very big workload I'll be chronicling this chapter. Amongst other things *wink* So, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!
I do not own anything.
The Doctor and her Sunshine
Chapter 4-Down into the Darkness
Litchi braced herself for the absolute worst as Gawayne worked the lock to open the door. What would that look like, though?
She had a couple of ideas. A battlefield's worth of injured and infected, some potentially in the throes of dying. Maybe some already passed away by the time the door opened. Perhaps fewer, no more than ten or so. Those had been all Gawayne had been able to save. In between all that, people in various states of physical and perhaps mental pain. Amongst the former, she was fully expecting to find some people suffering from mutations. Everything she'd learned about what Camlann Court pointed to a low regard for human life, meaning anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their clutches was a potential lab rat to be experiment on then discarded. An invisible shudder ran through her recalling such experiences, however, Litchi braced herself for a face-to-face encounter with such horrors. Such "natural" abominations were quite common down here in the sewers. Wounds from such creatures were another possibility she considered; she had quite a lot of experience in treating those, as well.
With the illusion dispelled, she was able to watch the twenty-foot doors slid apart as Gawayne held up his hand, a magic circle materializing at his fingertips. From it the signal was transmitted to the doors, unlocking them and opening them. The tunnel shuddered with the metal grinding apart. Litchi theorized it wouldn't reach out to the farthest end of the tunnel, but anyone within a dozen meters would undoubtedly hear it, which made it all the more important they cleared out all the enemies beforehand. The opening was big enough a truck could drive through and still have a little room left over on either side. A truck…or a tank, or some other offensive vehicle, including a bioweapon, provided none of them blew the doors down.
"Hey, Gawayne's back!" A myriad of gasping followed, intermixed with a couple of cheers, as well.
For the past two weeks, Litchi had been the one everyone greeted, the one everyone knew. Gawayne had been the stranger everyone was curious about. Now, the roles were reversed. For a boost, they were back here in the sewers, a place she knew very well. Watching the crowd emerge to greet Gawayne, she vowed to use that knowledge to do some good, some real good.
Everyone was dressed in rags, practically hospital gowns. It saddened her to see them, especially those who couldn't have been any older than ten at most dressed in clothes clearly meant to last only as long as their bodies (and sanity) did. The dirt and grime on both their clothing and bodies spoke of the harsh experiences they'd gone through, and yet many of them had smiles on their faces. That was because of Gawayne, who was the epicenter of the some twenty-person crowd that rushed forward to meet them. Litchi was all but forgotten in the rush, which suited her just fine. After sweeping through the crowd, she looked out to the rest of the hideout. It was quite big, large enough to hold the dozens more individuals that Gawayne had rescued. Despite not rushing out to meet Gawayne, she saw many of them still rising to lay eyes on him. Murmurs raced through them, almost none of it negative. That was a relief to hear, as was seeing that Gawayne had managed to find quite a place to call a hideout.
Several tunnels led to large, wide-open chambers that were once in use, potentially for storage and construction. That was the reason for the massive space, stairs, and conveyer belts, all of which had fallen into disrepair as the sewers were abandoned. Litchi knew she was looking at one such storage facility, what with the ceiling situated over thirty feet above her with a set of conveyer belts and stairs that led up to blocked off doors. She imagined they'd been reinforced to keep unwanted visitors out, and the same went for the massive door she saw at the opposite end of the chamber. The whole place was big enough to fit a two-story building, and it was even sparsely cleaned up. Although the smell of waste was still present, it wasn't as overpowering as it normally would have been. As she looked around the rectangular chamber, she saw all the signs of it being lived in, by people, not monsters. That was a welcome sight to her. More promising were the dozens of people emerging to see what all the commotion was about.
A quick count led her to placing the number of people at around fifty or so. An impressive number, although Litchi had a hunch there were far, far, more people being held captive for Calman Court's experiments. Kagutsuchi had thousands of homeless and just as many who just barely sat above that, in addition to those ordinary citizens whose disappearances wouldn't be noticed. This chamber was big enough to accommodate them, although Litchi was still going off of what she was able to see with her own eyes. There were probably a few smaller rooms that'd been converted into bedrooms, and infirmaries. How big any of them were, she'd only know when she saw them for herself. Likewise, she'd only know the full extent of what she was dealing with when she performed a physical on each of the residents.
Many of them had finally taken notice of her. Hearing them, Litchi turned her focus back to the crowd in front of her. Their attention had shifted from Gawayne to her.
Shooting him a quick glance, she saw a little smile on his face. "Everyone, this is Litchi Faye Ling, she's doctor. A real doctor." Based on how he stressed the "real" part, she knew off the bat she was going to be dealing with people reluctant to let someone examine them. Looks of awe changed into concern at Gawayne's words. This didn't go unnoticed. "It's alright, you can trust her. She won't hurt you; I swear on my life you all can trust her." That calmness spread through them like a warm breeze down here in the depths. A few expressions of unease dissipated, replaced with curiosity, but a few remained clearly uneasy at the prospect of letting someone examine them. Especially a so-called doctor.
Litchi recognized that as her signal. Even if Gawayne vouched for her, she needed to speak for herself; she needed to show these people she was worthy of their trust. "I swear on my life, as well, I won't harm any of you." She bowed her head, an old show of respect that some of them might not recognize but she still hoped the act would translate well. "I can and will do my best to help you all. That includes treating you and getting you out of here." At that, she raised her head and looked at every person assembled in front of her. It'd been a while since she was the focus of such a large center of attention, but that didn't intimidate her. She looked back at each and every citizen staring at her, judging her words. Although she knew actions spoke louder, she needed them to give her that opportunity, first.
Maybe you need this just as much as them. A chance to flaunt your ego? A chance to prove you've still got some shred of a soul? Whispered the self-doubt that rested deep within her. Although she heard it, Litchi didn't react, not now when she had something more important to do.
One of the citizens, a man, a potential resident of Orient Town, stepped forward. He looked undernourished, his skin paler than normal and shadows beneath his eyes. Despite that, there was a flash of recognition in them as he looked upon her. His lips trembled as he spoke, "Y-You're…F-F-Faye Ling, a-a-as in…Dr. Faye Ling f-from…t-t-the clinic?" Litchi nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Yes, that's me. You have my word, I will do nothing to harm you, and I will get you all back to the surface." Her eyes flickered over to Gawayne, still smiling at her in a supportive way. It did more for her than she'd care to admit. "We will do our best." It finally seemed to be enough. Nods rolled across the immediate crowd. Looking back up at the railways, she saw similar looks of confidence, albeit some still seemed reluctant. Litchi could work with that. Such unease would hopefully fade after she proved the worth of her words. "Gawayne, do you have a place for me to examine these people?"
"He's got a few. Kid's been taking care of us since he sprung us." Another man from the crowd called.
Gawayne nodded and then preceded to lead her to that place, one of the infirmaries. The crowd didn't exactly disperse but instead moved with them. Litchi wasn't surprised, in her initial analysis, she noticed at least a quarter of them seemed to be in pain or possessed some physical deformity. As she walked, she shot an aside glance at Gawayne. Down here in the depths and surrounded by the sick and wounded, he stood out even more. His tall stature, his sword at his back, and his light blond hair and eyes full of life and purpose. Even with her words, he was the one these people trusted. She quietly wondered how they'd react to seeing him playing the role of assistant to her as he'd done before on the surface.
As she suspected, Gawayne had converted one of the auxiliary rooms into a sick bay, one he'd already been working in. She was relieved to see stored up boxes of medical supplies; Litchi knew Gawayne had probably stolen them from Camlann Court's facilities, and he'd put them to far better use than their original owners. He admitted to her he didn't know what was entirely in the boxes, he just raided the labs for what he thought was useful and figured he'd go from there. Litchi chuckled at the simplistic yet still somewhat accurate reasoning-he was certainly right that they'd be useful. Granted, Litchi did a quick scan of the materials and found a few things that were cause for concern. Amongst the supplies were several drugs that Litchi knew had been publicly banned for medical use, or rather, civilian usage. Physical enhancements, hallucinogens, brain stimulates, and various forms of anesthesia that weren't entirely safe to administer without proper oversight. Litchi made a mental note to save those for only cases where it was absolutely necessary.
No small number of her patients showed signs of the aftereffects of the drugs, amongst other things. Nerve damage, organ damage, bodily disorders that Litchi knew would require full treatment at hospitals on the surface, or at least back at her clinic. What was most disheartening were those suffering from seithr-related ailments, the most common being seithr-poisoning. It was something Litchi was quite used to seeing, but this time, she knew she was looking at cases where the poisoning was intentional. She felt her blood boil but repressed it, such anger wouldn't help her do her job, nor would it put her patients at ease.
Usually, she only had lines of patients after major events, such as accidents and gang fights, the latter of which she loathed. Regardless, she'd treated the gangsters that walked through her door.
She recognized a couple through the tattoos they bore. The tough guy bravado many tried to keep up was nowhere to be found as she treated them, finding signs of seithr-poisoning, drug overdose, and physical abuse. A few whispered they knew her from word of mouth; Litchi made small conversation with them as much as she did the other patients, asking them where they came from and how things were. She was grateful when they returned the sentiment, even when they talked about whatever crimes they'd committed before they'd been pulled off the streets to become human guinea pigs. Litchi kept her commentary on thieving, murder, and the occasional bouts of grand theft auto to herself, although not always. Stealing an airship then pawning it off to a rich collector was something she hadn't heard of in a while. She imagined once they were topside, they'd take an airship and leave town, assuming the authorities didn't get to them first. She didn't plan on getting involved with things at that point.
It was hard to tell who had it worse, the people who'd simply been snatched up and those that'd been targeted. For the latter group, Litchi noticed small and large details as to why they'd been taken underground. Genetics was a lottery, or at least, it mostly still was a lottery. Even with ground-breaking biological research, a person could still be born with a "lucky gene" that made them special in some way. Desirable was another term one could use, and it carried far darker connotations than one would think. Genes that made them resistant to seithr, or more receptive to it or other substances. There were people who'd been interested in exploring the ins and outs of this, people that Litchi would like to have a word with. Since that wouldn't be for a while, she talked with those who'd been targeted, asking them if they'd been to the hospital. Such places were the only ones where one could find a person's medical record or their family's, provided they had any to speak of. Only a handful confirmed her theory, but it was still enough for her to file it away as something to investigate later on.
Amongst the stories she got, the ones about forced combat were particularly revolting. Fights against fellow test subjects, criminal thugs, and of course, monsters. Some simply modified while others had been gathered from the sewers. There was plenty crawling throughout the underground, especially Area 28.
Between tending to a poisoned arm, preventing it from undergoing complete necrosis, and her next patient, Litchi entertained a troubling thought. The image of a giant twisted cocoon hanging from the ceiling that pulsated like a heart entered her mind like some underworld creature emerging from the drainage pumping around her. Litchi remembered the heart being…dead so to speak the last time she'd went down to study it, but that'd been almost a month ago.
Things can always change fast. Was a month considered fast? Her scientific self answered yes, her eyes hidden behind the cold white of her glasses. Litchi's clear-eyed self stared back with sorrowful acceptance. Yes, I suppose I was just being foolish.
Her next patients were a pair of children, sisters. It broke her heart that Camlann Court had gone as far as to rope in even children as young as these two ten-year-olds into their experiments, but Litchi couldn't say she was surprised. Nor was she that one sister, red hair that'd lost a bit of its luster, held the hand of the other as she stepped forward, a constant cough originating from her lips.
"It's okay, Chie, you can trust her. I promise, she won't harm your sister." Based on his gentle tone and the way the girl's hardened gaze softened, she Gawayne knew them. More accurately, they trusted his word. After her nod, he looked to her with a serious frown. "There's something going on with her lungs, some kind of disease that's making it hard for her to breath. I've tried healing it, but I haven't been able to cure it completely." He avoided saying that he might have just been delaying the inevitable. Quite understandably, Litchi didn't want to say it either.
"We may have to perform a bronchoscopy."
"W-What's that?" The girl called Chie spoke.
"Basically, we're going to take a camera and stick it down your sister's throat." Naturally, the girls' eyes widened in pure horror at the thought. "Don't worry, either of you. It may feel uncomfortable, but it won't hurt her." Litchi long and hard into Chie's green eyes; she saw how protective she was of her younger sister, a trait she found truly admirable.
"She's right, Yukiko," Gawayne called, not to the redhead but the dark-haired girl. He reached forward and gently took her hand. "I'll be right here with you, and I promise, I won't let anything happen, okay?"
Litchi looked to her. "It's the best way diagnose what's wrong with you, but I won't do it unless you allow me, Yukiko."
She looked between the two of them, sporting the same green eyes as her sister did. There was another cough, but after it came a look of accumulated resolve. "O-Okay, D-D-Dr. Faye Ling."
"You can just call me Doctor Litchi, dear." She smiled. "Gawayne, do you have a bronchoscope?"
"I think so. Let me check." He moved fast, digging through the boxes with purpose. Thankfully, he didn't' recklessly throw everything aside. She'd had that problem with Linhua, as well as a couple of her short-term assistants. "Got it!" Finally, he came back with the long thin camera they were going to be using. "Uh, I'll clean it, first."
"That would be nice," Litchi quipped with a small smile. Briefly, she watched him hurry over to a facet that had running water. Remembering the smell wasn't quite as bad as it should have been for a sewer, Litchi wondered if Gawayne had done some work on the plumbing. She wouldn't have been surprised if he did-he was quite a handyman. Turing her focus back to the sisters, Litchi decided to get a bit more information about what she was working with. "Yukiko, have you always had this cough?" She shook her head, eyes downcast. "Do you…remember what was done to you while you were being held captive? Anything at all?"
"T-They cut her chest open." Chie's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was seething with hatred that didn't belong in a ten-year-old. "Th-Then they…they…they did something to her. I-It's hard for her to breath sometimes."
Were they trying to reconstruct her lungs? Enhance her breathing capacity? Potentially even… One of the effects seithr had on the human body had was it was near impossible for any living creature to breathe it in. Despite seithr not being able to be tasted or smelt, it could still enter the body just as odorless and tasteless substances could. No ordinary pair of lungs could tolerate the magic element in large quantities. Smaller quantities though, were considerable safer. Even as she heard Gawayne returning with the bronchoscope, she placed her hand against Yukiko's chest and listened for her breathing. Breathing problems were one of the many ailments she dealt with, so she immediately knew what she was hearing; taking the bronchoscope, she finally saw it. Lungs that pulsated with energy, lungs that actually glowed dark red with each passing second. While she couldn't see it with her naked eye, she was able to feel the pulsations of seithr. Yep, seithr-infusion. Hmm, I wonder if I could…yes, it's worth a shot. If nothing else, at least until we can get topside.
Carefully, she removed the bronchoscope from Yukiko. She coughed as a natural response to it, her sister right beside her. Gawayne leaned in close to her. "Her lungs, they've been…modified, somehow, haven't they?"
"Yes, I believe whoever did this to her was trying to make her lungs capable of breathing in seithr. That's why she's having trouble breathing. It's sick, but not unheard of." Creatures that'd adapted to the surface had lungs developed to breath in seithr without a problem. "I brough some of your herbs with me, they might be able to help." His joy was contained, and she had a feeling it was more for Yukiko, and Chie's sake, than for his own pride. "Can you look at the people next in line, Gawayne?"
"Got it. Okay, people, I'll be taking over the examinations for a little bit. Step right on up over here!" He certainly knew how to conduct people who'd placed their confidence in him.
He's good at this. She momentarily hummed. Her full focus came to mixing the herbs she'd brought, pulled from the subspace spell she'd recited with a chant. They came with the appropriate tools, as well. In seconds, she was grinding and mixing the seithr-rich plants that Gawayne had gathered from the surface, the environment Yukiko's body had been altered to thrive in. The mixture she created would be a taste of the new "home" her body was being driven toward.
Immediately, Yukiko's breathing eased as did her skin brighten. Just to be on the safe side, she placed her hand against her chest to check her breathing. Much easier now, and hopefully it would be for the next three, maybe four hours. She made a mental note to brew up another batch for when this serum's effects wore off.
I guess I can add another new prescription to the list. "How do you feel, Yukiko?"
"Better!" The pep wasn't just on her face but in her voice, as well. "Thank you, Dr. Litchi! Thank you, s-"
"THANK YOU!" She'd gotten handshakes, but this was her first hug. It caught her off-guard, but Litchi was quick to recover. That included returning Chie's bear hug with a gentle hug of her own. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated without end.
"You're welcome, Chie, and you, too, Yukiko. If you start having breathing problems, come to me, otherwise, I'll be seeing you again in about three hours. That's how long the medicine will last. I'll have more ready." The girls nodded, clenching each other with a halo of hope above their heads, a much better replacement than the cloud of despair that'd been hanging over them several minutes earlier. Litchi watched them go for a moment longer, then looked back at her next patient. She noticed him clenching his right arm wrapped tight in bandages.
"You know, you're pretty good at this. I…haven't had the best experiences with doctors. A lot of folks here haven't." He stated while taking his seat.
"I got that, and I don't blame any of you." At her behest, he raised his arm and allowed her to undo the bandages. What she got was an eyeful of scales, reptilian scales. The pulsation of seithr was there, but weak. "A splicing experiment."
"Yeah, that's…what I was a part of. They liked seeing what happened when they inserted foreign genes into us, even when we…turned into hulking monsters. Monsters that died in seconds. No matter how many of us-"
"You don't have to talk about it." Litchi soothed. It was slight, but she noticed how he seemed to realize. The memories weren't something he wanted to relive, and she had no intention of making him, or anyone else do so. Several minutes later, she gave him her diagnosis. "The good news is the mutations aren't too extreme. They can be reversed, but it'll take time, Until then, I can concoct some medication to repress them."
His answer was swift with wide and hopefully eyes. "I'll take that."
She told him to brace for the injection, that brought back a return of tensed up muscles. Seeing that, she was slow to make the injection; Litchi also braced herself for a violent reaction, a possibility she didn't entirely roll out. Doing so made her wonder what it could be like if these people were being treated at a full hospital. Would the staff be ready to handle a couple of cases of PTSD while treating them? Maybe she was softening them up so that wouldn't be the case.
For as many people as they saw, it seemed like the line never shrunk. It didn't bother her, though. Fortunately, the same went for Gawayne, although he'd already had experience in dealing with them. He was their savior, as well as their guardian. She couldn't help but feel like she was his assistant.
He's acting far more nobly than I ever did. While there was envy, it was the sort that left her more depressed than angry. And maybe there was a little something else there, too. Something that Litchi was glad Linhua nor any of her other associates were there to tease her about. Speaking of teasing, the session wasn't without some of that.
She had copper brown hair streaked with lighter strands that were undoubtedly a result of trauma. Despite that, her eyes had a brighter spark than most of the others, especially when they looked at Gawayne, and then back at her. Litchi found the girl couldn't meet her gaze without the blush on her cheeks growing.
"Your girlfriend's pretty cute, Gawayne." She called. Litchi looked between the two teenagers, her theory on there being some sort of relationship between them cemented.
For certain reasons, her eyes settled on Gawayne, and she eagerly awaited his response, not that she outwardly let it show.
To her amusement, and maybe some frustration, Gawayne remained perfectly cool while responding. "First off, yeah, she's pretty cute, but she's not my girlfriend. She's my…guess you could say she's my boss. Has been for the past two weeks."
"Riiight,"the brunette said. Litchi smiled at the friendly banter she was seeing. There was definitely a history between the two, one that she was admittedly curious about. It was just another reminder there was still a lot about her dashing assistant she didn't know. "So, you've been playing nurse's-"
"Doctor's-" he corrected without once looking at her,
"Ah, so, in other words you've been the nurse." The teenage girl corrected. A phantom smile came to her face. "Never thought a knight would do such a thing, especially a knight on a quest."
"Well, things happen. Besides, isn't a knight supposed to help people?" His cool demure was never lost, even as the girl shot back at him with her leering brown eyes. "Besides, considering we're you're sitting, seems like a good thing I did."
The girl shrugged, "You still could have busted me out on your raid. Or avenged me, that could have worked, too."
Now it was Gawayne's turn to shrug. "Sure, but I'll take our current position. Sure, it's not the best-"
"But it works." It was for just a fraction of a second, but she looked back at Litchi. With that deviation, the blush on her cheeks was revived. "I'll take getting chewed out by my parents over them shouting at my gravestone. God, I can't believe I just said that."
Although it was small, she saw how Gawayne's smile was teeming with relief, even as he kept an overall cool demeanor. "Look on the bright side, Lenie, no one was recording it, so it stays between us."
She reached out and took Gawayne's hand, and he immediately squeezed it. Her eyes watered as she finally smiled. "You're still such a dork, but I'm glad that hasn't changed about you, Gawayne." He placed his other hand atop of hers, and he kept it there throughout the rest of the girl, Lenie's physical examination. More of what she'd seen in the dozens before her: physical exhaustion, steroidal aftereffects, and a touch of seithr poisoning, but comparatively light to the point it was already fading by the time she got a look at her. Most noteworthy was her broken leg, which Gawayne had already seen to himself. She had to walk with a crutch, but Litchi was confident that wouldn't be any longer than a week or two thanks to their combined efforts.
Lenie stole one quick look at her, causing her blush to once again flare up, then she hustled out of sight as quickly as she could. She didn't look back.
Amused, she turned to her left. The way Gawayne smiled at her was proof he hadn't missed a thing, "Old friend," he stated. "I'll tell you later, if you're interested."
"Oh, I am, but first, the last round of patients." She'd started keeping a log, or rather, she'd completed the log for their patients. Another carry over from their time above. It was actually amazing how little things had changed, not that she was complaining.
I did come down here to find him, and here he is. Litchi mused. And…I got to keep doing what I vowed to do, what I chose to do. Her eyes drifted back to Gawayne, utterly focused on tending to a new patient. For the second time she'd descended into Area 28 to find a man, and so far, this time was going far better than the last time. Now, she only had to hope she would be leaving with him, and the dozens of people they'd taken under their care.
The total number of people in Gawayne's care came out to 72 people of various ages. Before she'd arrived, there'd originally been 84 people, but 12 had died from their injuries…or before they could reach the hideout. For a lone teenager with only his sword and skills, the fact that he'd managed to save so many people in the first place was nothing short of miraculous, but Litchi saw how the loss of those 14 lost lives weighed on him.
She had no idea when they'd started their "shift" or when it ended, but Litchi knew one thing for certain, she was feeling just a tiny bit hungry. A common joke she'd heard amongst those in the medical profession was if you still had an appetite after potentially hours of staring at horrific and downright disgusting wounds, X-rays, and whatnot, you had the spine to stay in. Surgeries were said to be the real taste, and Litchi had performed a few of those. Six pairs had been exhausted; she'd have gone through more, but that was all Gawayne had on him. He had a few pairs of his own, two, to be precise. She'd like to think they did pretty well between the two of them, but if they had to go through that again, they were going to have a bit of a problem. A potentially bigger one since they exhausted a good chunk of the stolen medical supplies Gawayne had procured during his initial raids on the underground lab these people were being held in.
On the bright side, they could get more…assuming they were able to sneak past the buffed-up security and avoid leading them back to the hideout.
Those made for some nice things to discuss over canned rations for lunch (or was it dinner) in a slightly crapped break room. Almost ten steps across, but room enough for a small table and two chairs. Oh, and a sword and bō staff.
"Hey, Litchi, I'm-"
"Gawayne," she cut off with an air of authority in her voice. He immediately went quiet and gave her the relatively small floor. "As a doctor, I have no regrets about what I just spent the last three hours doing. Nor do I regret coming down here and shifting through the wastes to find you." What are you speaking as for that? His boss? His friend? Admirer? Such impulsive thoughts were squashed and kicked into the drainage.
His eyes held a twinkle in them. "Thanks, I…I appreciate it, Litchi."
She smiled. "You're welcome. Now then, what's the plan for moving these people back up to the surface?"
He rested his cheek against his right knuckle as he fell forward into a slump. "Well, I kind of thought about blasting a hole through the ceiling, but then I realized I had no idea how to move over fifty people through it all on my own. Doing it one at a time sure as hell wouldn't work."
"It was impressive that you managed to move that many people underground in the first place, although the vastness of the sewers has worked to your advantage." She knew firsthand that the underground of Kagutsuchi was practically a subterranean city onto itself. Its denizens, however, were the type to be avoided at almost all cost. Such a large group of people moving through their home would have attracted attention, but a swift rebuttal would send many monsters scurrying. Gawayne had likely done that, as had Camlann Court, although Litchi suspected they had other means of keeping the monsters at bay. "Could you blast your way to the surface, Gawayne?"
"Yeah, I did it once in the city of Nozuchi." His smile was crooked, which was somewhat amusing from where she was seeing. "Hehehe, I…got in some trouble for the property damage, but it was for a good cause."
"Oh, I'm sure, Gawayne." Litchi teased. They shared a short laugh before the seriousness of their conversation reasserted itself. "Blasting your way to the surface could work if it was just a few people, I could carry them myself, but with this many, what we need is a proper exit. Speaking of which, it must lead back to the city and not the land beneath the city. If you blasted a hole open in the wrong direction, you could let in a flood of seithr."
"I thought about that. For me, it'd be like getting water hosed, but for the rest of those people, it'd be a death sentence. Some of them might have gained the ability to absorb seithr, but that'd be too much to test them with."
"Gawayne, do you have a map?" She simply asked.
"Yeah, I think so. I've mapped out a few places." In practically no time at all he was at the end of the room where a table sat with a few papers lying on top. When he returned and handed them over, Litchi quickly began looking through them, her eyes analyzing every detail of the maps, including the areas that'd been marked by Gawayne's hand. "Wow," She heard him whisper.
Litchi didn't look up from the map. What she saw was overlaid with the mental maps she'd held onto even months after her last expedition to these accursed tunnels. "We're here, about two miles from this drainage line that'll that us up to the lower levels of the city. Not really a pleasant part of town, especially for moving such a large group, but we'll be topside again." With the two of them at the forefront, Litchi was confident no one would mess with them. Not unless they were feeling suicidal. Although she'd mapped them a way out her eyes drifted over. Her finger moved to a location roughly a mile and a half west of their current location. "This used to be a pumping station, making it big enough to serve as a laboratory."
"They've made it bigger." His response was short and clipped. Litchi decided against asking for any elaboration. "They've been searching this whole area since my last raid." He made a broad circle that included their hideout and escape route. "They know I'm done here, and I've made off with a couple of their test subjects. There are…there are still hundreds more being held in that laboratory of theirs. In cells…and cages."
Yet again, Litchi didn't ask for an elaboration. What she did do was read the mood of the normally bright and courteous teenager she'd become quite smitten with. There wasn't a trace of that person to be found. Instead, what she found was a ghost, a reflection of a past she'd tried hard to leave behind. Now, it'd caught up to her; it was almost poetic how it came after hours of her continued on the path she'd decided on after settling the past. That was hammered into her every second of watching Gawayne's silent and sullen form huddled in front of her. His cheek no longer rested on his hand, his entire face hung low as he stared at the table with ever-tightening fists on either side of him. A growing voice from an unknown part of her subconscious told her this was wrong, that he shouldn't look like this. Not the Gawayne she'd come to know. Right before her eyes, the sun had been blocked out by dark clouds. They were clouds whose origins she knew.
Everything about him drudged up old memories. Despite the dim light of the room, they shined with perfect clarity. She'd rather they didn't, but Litchi couldn't help but reexamine them. As she did, she acutely examined the boy in front of her. He could be overlaid with her past self and there wouldn't be one bit of difference, inside or out. That just made the pain in her heart all the stronger, turning it into a drill that bore so deeply into her heart the blood could outdo her dress. Numbness crept through her, locking her shaken body into place, and that included her eyes-all they could do was keep staring at Gawayne being crushed by the same guilt and despair that'd befallen her. She had to strain to hear his next breath, a sigh of resignation, as he lifted his head up allowing her to fully see his face. He was solemn yet determined, rather admirable given his young age, yet Litchi fully believed someone like him shouldn't have had such an expression.
Her right hand shot across the table, grabbing his left in a tightened hold. "No, Gawayne. Absolutely not." The suddenness, as well as tightness, of her grip and the low intensity of her voice struck him like lightning. For a moment, his eyes were no longer filled with sorrowful resignation but instead with pure shock. His mouth opened to gather air, words that'd been formed in his mind about to be verbalized, but Litchi wasn't having it. "You are not doing this alone." She cut.
The moment of shock passed, but the reflection held. "I can cause a hell of a ruckus on one end, then you lead the people here back up to the surface. I'm sure you'll be plenty intimidating enough to-"
"Gawayne," Litchi declared a second time. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "No. I am not allowing you to charge into this alone."
"I can handle myself." He responded. His eyes had gone from being clouded over to a wall of bricks.
Luckily, Litchi had broken plenty of those in her lifetime. "No, Gawayne. We're going to find another way."
"We need to get these people out of here." He pushed back.
"Yes, we will, and both of us will guide them out. The two of us. Together. Afterward, we will treat them, even if I must strongarm my way into the general hospitals. And you will be right there with me, Gawayne."
"I'm better off down here, taking on the source of the problem. It's my-"
Her temper finally snapped. "Gawayne!"
"It's my fault these people are down here! It's my fault they've been experimented on!" And so did his. Litchi was quietly taken back; this was the first time she'd seen him angry. The fire had returned to his eyes, but it was darker now, tinged with feelings that hadn't ignited in her presence. Regardless, Litchi didn't back down from the sight of it. "My brother ordered this! My brother! He used our family money to do this! Our resources! He's been doing this all over the world for the last year and I've always been one step behind in stopping him! He's hurt hundreds of people and been responsible for killing more! He's not going to stop, even if he has to destroy this whole city and everyone in it! I have to-"
"No, you don't! You don't have to do this alone because it isn't just your problem!" Litchi fired back.
"I don't want anyone else to get involved in this! It's bad enough you had to hide away Linhua to protect her, and now you're here and-"
"Would you stop treating me like I'm some delicate flower you have to protect! Gawayne Neeson, I am more than capable of taking care of myself!" Maybe this part was inevitable. Gawayne was a knight through and through, and she knew ye knights of old were known for their chivalrous defense of others-especially ladies. While charming and appreciated, especially compared to the lecher behavior of those she knew, Litchi had a line.
While Gawayne got the hint, he still had that wall up. It'd been cracked, but it hadn't fallen. "I'm not saying you can't defend yourself, Litchi. It's just…you don't have to get involved in this. You shouldn't have to." She spied it out of the corner of her eye, but Litchi saw it. Gawayne's knuckles had tightened so much they were practically turning white. It might have been a recent development, or they might have been there longer. His right hand trembled as he struggled to contain a rush of emotions surging through him, emotions that Litchi was all too familiar with. "Mordred is my brother…he's my responsibility."
She reined in her own feelings, causing the anger that'd flashed before to recede. That wasn't what was needed now. "Gawayne," her voice was softer. "I understand that, but-"
"I know he's down here. I listened in on some of the guards' conversations. He's overseeing the experiments himself…and meeting with other anti-government forces. It's an outright rebellion against NOL, one he's half-behind and half-riding for his own goals." At least he kept looking her in the eye as he explained things. That allowed her to further see how seriously he was taking this.
Litchi felt a lump forming in her throat. Discontent with the government was entirely normal, even the changes ushered in by the far more humane and moral Homura. She remembered Gawayne mentioning how his brother's own discontent was partially in response to the more compassionate stance the new Imperator. "Is that what else is fueling this? You feel as if you have to stop a potential insurrection all on your own?"
He stared at her with a misery-laced frown. That look alone told her that Gawayne had considered the possibility. "If Mordred could, he'd kill Imperator Homura and put himself on the throne. If not, he'd be happy to be the power behind the throne. He…he…he uses people. It's something he's always been good at, but as we got older…that darkness inside of him…it got worse. Even though he showed he still cared, I always saw that…that willingness to use and manipulate people. Some of it was just because he didn't trust a lot of people, so he kept them at arm's length, but at some point, I realized there was more to it. He just enjoyed having power over others." Litchi watched him hang his head as the pressure from the past momentarily overwhelmed him. While she didn't know the entirety of what he'd gone through, she still found parts she could empathize with. Most soberingly, she knew the joys a sociopath derived from hurting people. "It's something I knew was wrong, and so did our dad, but…he accepted it. He once told me it just came with the territory. The best thing to hope for was Mordred would learn moderation, and maybe not completely lose his humanity."
As a doctor, Litchi would say what she just heard was the equivalent of hoping a cough or fever would just go away on their own. Without sounding too cliché, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Selfishness and even a degree of sociopathy were common amongst the upper class, but from the sounds of it, even the head of the Neeson Family recognized something darker in his oldest son like Gawayne did. The fact they were sitting here having this discussion was proof he should have acted; Gawayne was feeling the same, as she could plainly see on his face.
"Did you ever think he would…take things this far growing up?"
"No, but I knew he was…when he became head of the family, it…wasn't going to be pretty. Sure, he'd lead the family like our father did, but I knew he was going to bring a lot…a lot of shit onto the Neeson family name." His head fell in another sigh, albeit one more of frustration than anything. "Even if other elite families have their shady business, I just…never felt right with how far Mordred would take things. Sometimes I wonder if I should have challenged him for leadership of the family."
"No one else could have challenged him? Didn't you say you…had another brother, Agravaine?" If she was going to help him, Litchi realized she was going to have to dive deeper into the Neeson family drama. Then again, she'd had a feeling if she remained associated with Gawayne, she was going to want to-or have to-hear the full story eventually.
"No. Not him or Gaheris, Gareth, or-"
"Children from your father's…" She stopped herself, and promptly kicked herself for treading on a topic that might have been a bit too personal, even for their current conversation.
Gawayne's expression shifted. It was halfway between amusement and disappointment. "Yeah, his kids from his affairs. Truth is, I…not counting Mordred, I had five other siblings." The amusement completely vanished from his face with his next statement. "Mordred killed them all, leaving it just the two of us." Litchi's eyes widened significantly. "Came close to killing me, too, making him numero uno." The statement was punctuated with a hollow laugh that made Litchi's frown deepen. She was a second from instinctively moving her hand to his cheek when he spoke again. There was no anger in his voice, merely a hollowness that came with acceptance, and bittersweet reflection. "It's not like all of them were competitors to the position of head of the family or even wanted to be the next leader."
"He didn't want to take any chances…or that's what I would propose, if he just cared about being leader of the Neeson Family." The unpleasant thought of Mordred simply killing his half-siblings because he could rapidly clawed its way to the forefront to the top of her list of possibilities.
"Maybe, but in the end, I was always the one closest to Mordred when it came to fighting ability. If anyone could challenge him in a duel, it would always be me."
"But you never wanted to be head of the family, did you? Would the rest of the family have approved it?"
He took a minute to consider both questions, although Litchi was fairly certain if Gawayne and his father had seen the darkness in Mordred, so too had others. On top of that, she knew there was a limit to how much criminal association nobles would allow themselves to court. "Some people would have preferred me, granted that was probably because it'd be easier to sneak stuff beneath my nose when I wasn't looking. It's not like I went out of my way to avoid learning what I had to in order to potentially lead the family, it's just…I didn't have the drive for it. Not like Mordred did. Looking back, I'm starting to think it wasn't so much leading the family as just having power. Not that any of it matters. I didn't step up and say anything, I didn't stop him, I couldn't stop him before, and people have died because of it." After those moments of vulnerability, the brick wall went back up, seemingly harder than ever. "This may sound selfish-"
"It is, and yet…" Her rebuttal trailed off thanks to the swirl of emotions within her. It took a deep breath for her to bring that whirlpool under control. "Like I said, I know what you're going through. Believe me, I do. You feel like all of this is your fault and you have to be the one to fix it. You already failed once, and…you can't fail again." The memories wiped at her like angry hornets, but she pushed onward. She reached out with her left hand, wrapping it tight around his right as she'd done with his other hand. "You won't stop, I understand that…and I won't ask you to, but you are not doing this alone. I know this is a family matter, but this business with your brother doesn't just involve you anymore. It involves me, too, Gawayne. Do you know why? Because I care about you, and there is no way in hell that I am going to sit by and let you do this alone. I am not going to let you go off and kill yourself as some form of atonement." She drove that last bit as deeply into him as possible with her gaze.
"Litchi, I never-"
"I want you to promise me you won't continue on this mission thinking dying is going to atone for your failure. You do that by stopping your brother and keeping on your current path." Don't end up like me, Gawayne. Don't let that light inside of you fade. It's…it's too bright and too beautiful to fall into the darkness. Rather or not she'd be able to do that, there was only one way for her to find out. Likewise, if she wanted to make sure she didn't lose him entirely…the best place for her to be was right beside him. Come what may.
The wall crumbled, bit by bit right in front of her. Beyond it was a shimmering light that grew by the second. With it came the return of Gawayne's smile, smaller than normal, but its radiance was still appreciated. "…Alright, I…guess that makes us partners, huh, Litchi?"
"Yes," she smiled. "Yes, it does, and I don't want you running off somewhere without telling me first."
"…You'll still come after me if I do, won't you?" he questioned with that little smile. She knew he wasn't just joking.
At least he's being honest about the possibility. First, she sighed, then she smiled back. "Then I will look high and low for you, and when I find you, I will make you regret it, Gawayne." Her smile broadened while she leaned forward. "Are we clear, my knight?" Heat rushed through her cheeks, intensified by Gawayne's reaction: wide eyes than a hearty laugh that filled up the room. It made whatever regret or embarrassment she might have felt at the impulsive choice of words evaporate.
"Okay, I guess there's no going back, then." His smile lit up the room as it had up top. She'd seen a lot of patients whose entire moods changed once she delivered good news, any good news. As incredible as it was, she saw that change in Gawayne, that relief, that joy. It made her want to talk more with him, to dive deeper into the inner workings of this boy whose life she just fully entangled herself with. "Sooo," he stretched out the syllable to clear the air between them. She wasn't the only one who realized how…charged the air between them had become thanks to her words. "Guess we can get back to how exactly we're going to move 72 people through two miles of sewers. Knowing Mordred, he's probably got eyes on that exit, and the others."
If I could contact anyone on the surface, things would be much easier. Wait a second! "Gawayne, do you think you could steal a phone or any other communication device? That is if you don't have one down here?"
"I could, but I learned every phone is password locked, although I've been thinking of beating it out of anyone I can get a hold of."
"Or I could take a crack at breaking the password lock myself. I'll admit, I'm a bit rusty, but I can take a shot at it."
Gawayne raised an eyebrow at her "Really? You've got computer science under your belt?"
She flashed him a proud smirk. "I have my abilities in the field, albeit even I have my limits. Anyways, I should be able to crack the lock, and if I can, I know some people who I can call for help. Particularly some who'd be very interested in Camlann's activities." Gawayne nodded, affirming his compliance with the idea. Looking back at the map, she withdrew her right hand to point to the laboratory that served as the Camlann syndicate's base. "However, there's still the matter of all those people being held captive. You said they were in the hundreds."
"I…I think Mordred would sooner kill them than leave them behind, just as a last act of spite." Peering at him, Litchi pondered if the spite would be directed toward NOL or at Gawayne. "Either kill them or move them." The latter would be a lot of hassle, particularly for a group they might just be willing to write off provided their experiments haven't yielded fruit. She reexamined the map, now more focused on the hideout. It had to have an exit that led back up to the surface. Alternatively, they could have built one, but that still would have required an ideal place for a surface entrance. Vacant and abandoned buildings came to mind, of which there were many in the lower levels. How could they figure out which one could be the top entrance, if there was one?
Seconds turned into minutes with neither of them saying a word, just staring at the map, multiple maps, trying to create some semblance of a plan. Preferable one with as little loss of life on their end as possible. When their eyes met, they were each reminded it was possible someone was going to have to act as a decoy to draw attention. They were going to need some kind of distraction to give themselves enough time to escape. If it ended up being one of them, they'd have to be prepared to not only fight off the syndicate forces but the sewer monsters that might be drawn by the commotion. Litchi knew some were scavengers that'd wait until after the fighting was over to feast on the remains, but the more aggressive ones would be willing to throw themselves into battle. More so if they sensed large quantities of seithr they could devour.
For once, I actually wish Bang was here. He's equal parts loud as thunder and stealthy as a shadow, at least when he needs to be. Not to mention he'd be sufficient to hold the line or lead the people out. The image of the boisterous ninja brought a brief smile to her face before it flattened at the gravity of the situation. "Gawayne," she offered. "We…may just have to save the raid on the main laboratory for another time. It might be better we just save who we currently can."
His face tightened, but there was no immediate response. His aqua marine eyes met hers; Litchi realized Gawayne had considered it, but he didn't want to leave the people still held captive in the lab behind. She understood his reluctance, but they had to be serious about what they could do.
What I could do is walk in and knock out everyone in the room, assuming I could get in. It was a fanciful idea, albeit a bit of a brutish one. While she didn't know all the guards stationed in and within the facility, she was confident she could take them. She'd fought much tougher opponents than some criminals and likely hired muscle. As for the prospect of Mordred Neeson himself, that would be a gamble. It'd be a lie if she denied the desire to meet him face-to-face, and maybe hit him in the face. Normally, she didn't get such violent urges over someone she'd never seen, only heard of through word of mouth. Then again, what she heard hadn't been pretty and she'd seen the cost of Mordred's ambitions.
Gawayne caught her attention with a squinting of the eyes as well as a quick glance her way. Litchi caught it and promptly stared back at him, urging him to utter whatever idea he just had. Even if it turned out to be untenable it could still give them something to work with. "One thing I learned from Maurice is stealthy folks like him have a way to not just hide themselves but hide their presence. I heard once…way, way back, people in the east could do that. Specifically ninjas." He looked at her with a cocked brow. "You're not a ninja, and I don't want to make assumptions."
"I appreciate that, but more importantly, Gawayne, I think you might be onto something. I know what you're talking about. Presence concealment, hiding all traces of one's existence, even from the sixth sense. While I'm no expert, I can do that, at least for a little bit."
A gleam ignited in his eyes. "Can you hold it while running?"
"Yes, I've done so a few times."
Light manifested between his two palms, physically illuminating the room brighter than anything had before. "I can bend light to replicate invisibility. One of the smarter tricks I learned regarding my Ars Magus." The image of a young, potentially child-age Gawayne came to her mind. Litchi smiled at the mayhem he wrecked with the power to turn invisible. "I can apply it to another person like an enchantment, but it can only last for about four minutes."
"If possible, I can supply it with my own energy. And keep my pace." The pieces of his plan came together. While he could physically erase himself, Gawayne couldn't erase his sense of presence, which could still be detected by adept individuals. She could, thus she'd be far more suitable for an infiltration run. That meant Gawayne would be the distraction. That said, they'd still need a way to communicate with one another. "The syndicate forces down here have coms, right?" His nod moved the plan further along the path of finalization. "Alright, so that's a phone and some coms, both of which I'll be able to hack. We just need some guards."
"I know the patrol routes of a few of them. Not to mention they'll investigate anything out of the ordinary." There was a short pause that piqued her interest. "If they sense a buildup of heat, they'll know it's me. The smart thing they'll do is call for backup, but I've taken down a couple of guards before they could get the chance. I'll do that again."
When she saw the camouflage he'd employed to hide the door to this hideout Litchi knew then Gawayne hadn't just been brute forcing his way down here. Everything would have collapsed before she'd worked up the nerve to go find him.
While they spent the next minutes going over the plan, a thought came to Litchi. With all the talk about her infiltrating the lab, there was one hurdle she'd potentially be running into. "Gawayne, I…want to know what Mordred looks like. Do you have a picture of him?"
As she suspected, his mood shifted. It was slight but a change none the less. His body tensed and his mouth tightened into a straight line. She could almost sense the rising tide within him. An urge to tell her not to engage him? To run if it came to that? To do her best to defeat him, maybe even kill him? None of those answers were verified, nor did she get any answer as he reached into his back pockets and pulled something out. His wallet had to have some protections to survive what he'd been through down here in the depths. More so given the contents, such as the photo he withdrew and handed to her.
Litchi silently drunk in the details of the photograph of Gawayne's older brother, and the man whom he'd spent the last year hunting. She immediately saw the resemblance between the two in their facial symmetry and hair, although there were differences. Modred's hair was a lighter shade than Gawayne's darker curls, and instead of blue his eyes were honey brown. Given the way he was smiling into the camera, she could see how people could be swayed by him. He was handsome and projected a subtle charm that could certainly pull people in. However, she knew it was false.
She handed the photo back to Gawayne. "I'll let you know if I run into him."
"I'd appreciate it." His voice was quiet, betraying none of the intense emotions she knew he was feeling. "Litchi, if you meet him…just do whatever you have to do to stay alive or keep anyone else alive." If she was looking for permission, there it was. There was no joy to be felt in it, only a hollow acceptance. Still, her mind wandered off to the scenario of Gawayne returning home having not been the one to kill his brother. "He uses lightning to fight, and he's pretty good at it. Not just throwing lightning bolts at you or electrified his blades, but using electromagnetism to control any metal in the area. Mordred can also use it to interfere with your nerve system, and-"
"The electrical signals the brain sends to the rest of the body to move. Yes, I've heard of some electricity-users being able to do that." It does align with his love of controlling people. I'll have to be careful of that.
"There's…one more important thing you should know about Mordred if you run into him." He looked away from her to his sword lying against the wall behind him. Litchi glanced at it as well. She'd seen it in action the night they'd met, when it was aglow with fire that burned like the sun's rays.
"He's got one, too, right? An Armagus?"
"Yeah, King's Honor: Clarent. It wasn't originally meant for battle, but when the Black Beast showed up, it was modified for actual combat. Since then, it was passed down through my family, just like Galatine and other swords. It'd normally go to the head of the family." His eyes grew darker. "It was Mordred's anyway."
New, impulsive words forced their way through her lips. "And what about your sword, Galatine? Who would inherit it?"
A phantom smile came to his face. "Usually knights sworn to fight for the family on the frontlines, but there have been a few family heads that wielded Galatine and Clarent. Mordred would joke he'd be one of those guys, but…" Another story, but one she wouldn't be hearing now. "When the time came, I took up Galatine and we've been together ever since that day three years ago."
She giggled at the affectionate way he spoke of the sword. Three years may not have seemed long, but it was long enough for him to have become attached to the weapon. More so considering it's likely been his constant companion throughout his quest. "Does Clarent have any special properties I need to b weary of?"
"No, but I wouldn't put it past Mordred to have had it modified in some way since our last battle. By sheathing it in lightning, he can cut through anything, buildings, people, Ars Magus, and anything else he wants, provided it isn't tough enough to stop him." His eyes did a quick swerve back to the wall, except instead of his sword it was her staff he was looking at.
Litchi laughed, "Trust me, my Mantenbō can handle it. It's taken blows from much tougher weapons and opponents, including the Archenemy Weapons."
"Hah, in that case, I won't need to worry about having to buy you a new staff!"
"Gawayne, you can buy me many things, but a new staff is not one of them. Mantenbō is special to me, just as special as Galatine is to you." When he gave her an apologetic smile, she smiled back in earnest sincerity. "But I do appreciate the offer. I'll tell you about Mantenbō one day, and hopefully you'll be willing to tell me about how you came to wield Galatine. I'd like to hear the full story, Gawayne."
Shades of pink colored his cheeks. "I'd be happy to tell it to you. One day in the future. Hopefully near future."
It went unspoken between them that her wish meant their futures would remain intertwined. Gawayne was clearly happy about it, and Litchi knew she was, too. Very happy.
Be here. Stay with me. Don't leave me, please. Her heart fluttered at the thoughts. She kept those responses hidden behind her continued smile-at least she didn't let a sense of desperation sink into her expression. Normally, she'd have questioned this yearning to keep him close by, but Litchi had already accepted it, it's why she came down here in the first place. What she was still on the fence was the intensity of it. Surely she wasn't-
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Coming!" As with the back, all it took was practically three short steps for Gawayne to reach the front door and open it. Litchi was able to make out the dirtied face of one of the rescued citizens. Her nose wrinkled at the foul odor he carried with him; the stains on his face and clothes were the source, and she guessed them to be the reason for his urgent knocking. "What happened?" Gawayne quickly arrived at the same conclusion.
"P-Pipe burst, a-a-all the sewage is just gushing out and-"
"I got it, just take me there and I'll handle it!" He briefly looked back at her, then ran off. She heard his footsteps against the metallic floor. She didn't give the echo a chance to fade before jumping out of her seat and following after them.
When you ventured into the sewers, especially the sewers of Kagutsuchi, you had to brace yourself for certain things. Chief among them, entire rivers of waste that seemingly stretched onward into infinity. Sometimes, even on a supposedly clear path, the waste could emerge from a busted pipe-there were literally thousands that were continuously eaten away by time. If one was fast enough, they could avoid them and maybe outrun the foul flood that would follow. Litchi had never stuck around long for when those floods occurred. Finally, she did, and for the first time, she got to see someone attempt to plug one up.
Watching someone perform maintenance shouldn't have had any inkling of pleasure for her, but watching Gawayne stomach sprays of garbage-laced water and sludge to seal up the broken pimping was oddly fun to watch. It helped that she stayed out of the "dump zone" and thus avoided getting a so much as a smidgen of sludge on her. Although she'd braced for such a thing, she didn't mind putting it off for just a little while longer.
Gawayne was showering before they set out to swipe the coms from the guards. As much of a shower as they could find in this place. Litchi blocked out the thoughts of him doing such, but the recesses of her mind couldn't help but fiddle with the image of his naked body being assailed by water, cleansing the gunk from his hardened body. The last time she'd seen him shirtless was weeks ago when she treated his comparatively minor wounds. She'd never entertained how she might come to see such a sight again but watching him put his handyman skills to use once more caused her to do so. And this time, the thought brought a heat to her cheeks that was undeniable. It was a good thing Gawayne was more focused on his work than in looking at her; she got to look at him all she wanted.
Gawayne had long accepted his mission to the bowls of Kagutsuchi wasn't going to be simple. His journey to the city had gone far off whatever railings he originally intended. Darkness, death, and grime were what he'd been expecting to find, and he found them. What he hadn't expected was for someone to come along and find him.
Litchi Faye Ling coming to look forward him wasn't on the list of unexpected things he thought he would encounter. His hope that she'd accept his absence, and Maurice's protection, had been dashed, but he honestly couldn't say he was sad or angry. He was happy that she'd chosen to follow him, and happy that she'd made it clear she was going to help him out, even if a part of him was still reluctant to involve her in his family drama. Enough people had gotten hurt because he hadn't been able to put Mordred down, but Litchi had proven herself different than most people. She was different than almost every woman he'd ever met.
When she pushed back on her getting involved her eyes blazed a fire he hadn't seen in a while. It reminded him of his aunt Morgane, the strongest woman he'd ever known. In-between accepting her aid, he quietly wondered what would happen if they ever met.
"Maybe…one day she can visit Oogetsu."
Falling for a girl wasn't part of his mission, but it was something he'd been cautioned about. It wasn't like he'd brushed off the possibility, but it wasn't something he'd put a great deal of thought into. Hunting down Mordred had been the constant and most persistent thought in his head, even with occasional deviations. Even if those deviations helped him hold onto his sanity, his mind always drifted back to his mission. His mission which he was prepared to give his life for. He hadn't told Litchi one of Maurice's duties besides being his eyes and ears was to transport Mordred and his body back to Oogetsu if both of them fell-if he ended up having to make the ultimate sacrifice to take him down.
But maybe she'd already thought of that.
Looking into Litchi's bespectacled eyes as she argued for her involvement in his quest was when he realized she wasn't just a smart, beautiful, and kind woman, but one who'd been through something incredibly painful. He'd seen it in her eyes-she'd been in his situation before.
Gawayne wondered how it'd happened. Who had been involved. A part of him deeply wanted to know, but it wasn't the time or the place. It wouldn't be until they were back on the surface. Until all of their "patients" had been discharged and truly given their freedom back. Until they wouldn't have to fear being snatched off the streets to serve as fuel for his brother's ambitions.
He stared hard at the ear coms and phones they'd stolen off a group of guards, feeling excitement and even gratitude at how much closer they brought him to doing that.
Apparently, he'd been staring too hard at them. "You're not going to spontaneously incinerate them, are you?"
Chuckling, he turned to his right. Ever since coming down into the sewers, he'd been covered in every form of shit imaginable. Even after numerous showers, including a more recent one, he could have sworn some of the odor still stuck to him while he'd washed everything off. In sharp contrast, Litchi looked and smelled absolutely clean. Even the scent of blood she'd gained from treating over fifty people in rapid succession had long since faded. He couldn't even spot a smidgen of grime on her borderline heel-length hair. "If I did destroy them, we could always get some new ones."
"True, but I don't feel like drawing this out any longer than we must. I get the feeling you're pretty eager yourself, Gawayne." She countered while holding onto that playful tone.
"Got me there." His laugh dissipated with a heavy sigh as he stepped back from the table with the devices. In his younger days, he would have accidentally set fire to them, and the table itself. He wondered if Litchi would have scolded him as much as his parents would have. His heart ached at the unintentional memory. "You said you've got people on the outside, so…give them a call. Let them know we're about to cause a hell of a ruckus beneath the city."
She stepped forward and took one of the phones. Not only had she disabled the lock on it, but the tracker software as well. Although she said she wasn't a tech genius, she was genius enough to make their phones untraceable and usable. A few quick taps and a call was made; they were specially made to get reception even as far down in the depths as they were. While he listened closely, not drifting into his own thoughts, his brow rose when he heard a name that he hadn't expected to hear from Litchi's lips.
Kagura? As in Kagura Mutsuki? THE Kagura Mutsuki? How do they know each other? A hundred thoughts ran though his head, but the biggest one was if, somehow, someway, he could meet the Black Knight himself. His head spun, dread and anticipation falling off like the outer layer of an apple. He'd only ever seen pictures of Kagura Mutsuki, but judging by the tone Litchi was speaking in, she'd met him in person. And they knew each other. Another name came up that drew his attention-Jin Kisaragi. Okay, she knows some people. Some really big, famous people. People who you'd totally love to meet. And maybe get an autograph from. Okay, better keep that part to yourself. Definitely keep that to yourself.
Despite tampering down his fanboyish thoughts, Gawayne still felt like he couldn't wipe the shock off his face. He was proven right several minutes later when Litchi ended the call and looked back at him. Her wily giggles were proof enough he'd been gaping like a fish, and still was.
"Yes, I know Kagura Mutsuki, and Jin Kisaragi, albeit not on a personal level. Truth be told, I'm closer to the former than the latter, for whatever that's worth." She explained.
"Considering you just called him up like an old friend asking for a favor and got NOL's best to be our cavalry, I' d it's worth a hell of a lot, Litchi."
Her smile fell a little as she looked back at the phone. "I doubt Kagura will be coming, but he's on standby in case this goes incredibly bad. What we will be getting is the city's best armed forces along with a detachment from either the 3rd or 4th Magic Divisions. All that said, it'll take some time for them to assemble and get down here. Particularly the exit." There was a sharpness in her gaze as she looked up at him. There was no argument to be had between them, they weren't waiting for reinforcements; Gawayne wondered if that came up during the call. "Someone's going to have to guide them to the exit and meet up with Library forces. Gawayne, there's probably going to be another unit that goes for the lab."
His own eyes darkened as he remembered the last time Mordred had seemingly been cornered. "He'll blow it up, and everyone in it. He'll have a way out, but everyone else, especially enemies…" The memory of fire and rubble and blood made his skin bristle.
"Then I'll have to act fast, then."
He still didn't feel comfortable about this, but it was the best plan they could come up with to save as many people as they could. Failure was a possibility they'd both acknowledged. Failure to save anyone. Including themselves.
It was the exact sort of scenario that Mordred, and Agravaine, had cautioned him about. Told him to avoid if he could help it, and if he found himself in such a mess, think carefully. Use his head instead of his heart. Gawayne honestly didn't know how closely he was adhering to their advice, but he wanted to believe he was trying. At least he had help from someone much smarter than him. If she ran into Mordred, he knew he'd point that out, to Litchi. He wouldn't have felt ashamed or angered if she wound up agreeing with him.
Looking back at the map, he put his hand at the gates of the laboratory. "I can blast open a path that'll take you to the tunnel that'll lead to the way out. Sol Radius." He dragged his finger from the lab to the tunnel they'd designated as their escape route. "A blast of solar energy that'll burn a hole through everything in its path. The ground may be a little hot afterward, but hopefully that won't be too much of a problem." I hope. While he'd walked through fire, other people could have some trouble, particularly people who probably hadn't walked in days. Still, it'd be a straight path instead of a series of winding tunnels to navigate.
Litchi followed the line he made with his finger. "That would be greatly beneficial, but I'd have to signal you when you could do it, otherwise we might be caught in the crossfire."
"Then it's a good thing you picked up a couple of these." He tapped one of the earpiece coms. "So, I'll draw their attention as much as I can. Heh, that'll be easy. By now practically everyone in Camlann Court knows me, and more than a couple of them want to kill me. They'll get a nice bonus if they do." Normal people wouldn't have laughed at such a thing, but Gawayne did. It wasn't even entirely for Litchi's benefit. In a twisted way, the fact his brother had put a seven-figure bonus up for eliminating him was something of a badge of honor.
She took his remark in stride, although Litchi's brow furrowed in contemplation for a split second. "Honestly, I'm not surprised in the slightest." Her expression turned into a softer smile that made his heart flutter behind his shirt and battle-scarred chest. "Just don't get too fired up out there, okay?" Grinning, he shot her a thumbs-up making her laugh.
"Do you want to call Maurice and get in touch with Linhua?" he asked.
"What? Maurice?"
"Yeah, I've got his number memorized. He knows that, so he knows if anyone calls him, I'm one of the possibilities." All it took was a few seconds for her to think it over. Just as she was about to hand the phone over, she stopped. "What is it?"
"Linhua wants to see you, too, Gawayne. She's been missing you." He'd thought of the energetic little girl that saw Litchi as equal parts her big sister and her surrogate mother. It made his heart shrivel in longing as he missed her, too. He honestly missed talking to her about his hometown and childhood, as well as teaching her how to play football, a hobby that'd begun to be passed onto the other neighborhood kids. "She still wants to have a football game with you. Her and the other kids." He couldn't help but blink in shock, wondering if she'd somehow read his mind. She merely smiled, "They miss you, too, ya' know. Mr. Knight, Gawayne the Knight, and Mr. Sunbeam." His nervous yet highly amused laugh rippled through the small room. "I for one think it's a cute nickname."
"Just please tell me you don't like it the best." He pleaded.
All she did was laugh and then shoot him one of those impossibly sexy stares that made men go weak at the knees. Gawayne kept his legs strong, but he had a feeling that would only last so long with the way Litchi was smiling at him. His heart was beginning to race as he recognized the mood in the room shifting. They weren't discussing battle plans anymore-they were back to a topic neither of them had openly spoken of. A topic they'd been somewhat trying to avoid. That'd become suddenly a lot harder in this cramped room with plans to separate in the next several minutes. Hopefully separate temporarily.
"The kids have been wondering where you've been…as have the parents. You're one of the few good influences on them in town." She continued.
He was mostly mum on that. Orient Town may have had its seedier parts, but it wasn't quite as bad some of the other places he'd been. That said, he could still easily imagine kids falling off the wrong path with all the thugs and criminals running around. He'd met a few of those kids.
"A good influence like you…it's…one reason why they'd appreciate having you back." Hearing that made his heart skip a beat. He narrowed his focus on her, and Litchi responded. While she didn't avert her gaze, she still seemed to retreat into herself. "I'd…certainly appreciate having you around to act as a role model for Linhua. As well as keeping her out of trouble. Taokaka, too."
Another smile and a short chuckle, but when his heart resumed its intensified beating, its hollow drumbeat echoed through his body. His gaze intensified. Say that you want me around, please. Self-restraint made it so he'd never verbalize the words. It might be too much for her, and him. Litchi could still probably see the wish on his face, or sense it radiating off him. Although she'd said as such before when she affirmed her place beside him, he wanted to actually hear the words from her lips, I want you around. "I…I do like hanging around them, it's never dull, that's for sure." The words put up a buffer while satisfying her, and maybe him.
Litchi's smile was only up for a second. When it fell her right hand rose. Gawayne wouldn't call the touch of her hand against his cheek comparable to lightning or fire. He would call it the touch of a flower; ironically, such a thing set his whole body ablaze in a way not even his Ars Magus could accomplish. There'd only been one woman before whose touch was like this. Although the memory nipped at him, he didn't lose himself in it, he lost himself in the deep pink color of her eyes. It was a deeper trance than any he'd ever been in.
His left hand twitched at the urge to lift it up and drop it over hers. To feel the warmth of her skin deeper than he had before was an urge that almost overwhelmed him. Despite catching it at the last second, he still found himself wrestling with the urge.
Why? He asked himself. Why are you stopping yourself? Don't you want?
He didn't just want to touch her hand-he wanted to hug her. He'd wanted to hug her when he first saw her a day and a half ago when she found him in the sewers. He wanted to hug her when he stepped out of the shower after fixing the pipes. Gawayne knew Litchi had been waiting for him outside the hallway. He stood beneath the warm enough water and reached out with his sixth sense. Finding her there had been…exciting was one word to describe it. Not that he wasn't already trying to wash off the stink, but the knowledge she was there made him try as much as he could with what little soap he had on hand. In light of the fact her face didn't screw up when he came out dressed in jeans a t-shirt, he believed he'd succeeded. The way she looked at him wasn't something he could get out of his head. He'd seen that smitten blush on the faces of plenty of girls, but it looked best on Litchi.
Somewhere amidst that reminiscing he found the resolve to act.
It wasn't a hug as his innermost self desired but something still affectionate enough. His left hand continued its original rise to reach hers. Once there, he tenderly clasped his hand around hers and softly pushed it out, so their interlocked hands sat between them. Surprise colored Litchi's face, interrupting whatever she might have been about to say.
"It doesn't look like we'll be leading the people out of here together, but we will see each other again on the surface. So, does that count for something?"
Hearing her passionate plea being denied didn't hurt as much as it could have, no doubt because the principle remained the same. "Yes, it does. And when we do, you're coming back to the clinic for a checkup because I have no idea what you might have caught running around down here."
"I'm still kicking, and I feel fine." It was the only response he could give, complete with a cheesy grin.
"Uh-huh, I've heard that before from countless people. Then I'm looking at them hold up on my clinical bed or mourning their passing. Gawayne, I have no intention of experiencing either of those with you." While largely humorous he detected the whiff of seriousness in her voice and saw it in her eyes. "We'll meet again topside, and when all is said and done, we'll-" Her eyes widened behind her glasses as she stopped herself.
Gawayne immediately knew what she was about to say. "Home. I'll…I'll take you home and then see everyone, again. Let them know I'm alright."
"Yes, exactly." Credit had to be given for her recovery. His eyes remained on hers and hers on his even as they squeezed each other's hands. A firmer confirmation of the promise they'd just made. A promise Gawayne knew she'd fight to keep as much as he would.
Their hands remained interlocked for a moment longer, longer than what might have been standard between allies.
We're not just allies, not after all this. And…neither of us just want to be that.
"Ready to go tell everyone? I don't imagine anyone's going to feel comfortable going forward without either of us there to shepherd them." Finally, she let go of his hand, moving the conversation back to its more serious roots.
His left hand remained raised, but fire danced in it. "Lenie's recovered enough she can keep this fire going. Not to mention a couple others have some middling to sufficient skill in self-defense. What'll be important is getting them all to move together and making sure no one gets left behind."
"Then tell them to do so, Gawayne." She cut off in a matter-of-fact tone. "You've done an excellent job of leading these people. Gawayne, you give them hope, and this," Both her hands rested beneath his left hand; the fire in his palm seemed to burn brighter, further illuminating the small room. "May not be the same as having you physically there with them, but they'll know you're there. They'll know you're fighting to protect them. Just make it back alive so they can properly thank you, Gawayne."
"I'm fine with them just making it out alive, and you, too." Even after he extinguished the flames her eyes still had that enchanting glow to them. "Let's get everyone assembled. The sooner everyone knows, the quicker they can start getting ready. NOL's probably scrambling to get its forces together, so no point in dragging our feet on our end." Or giving Mordred more time than needed to plan a counterattack. Gawayne knew in his gut one was coming. The absence of the guards they'd slain would be noticed, and when it was, his brother was going to realize he was making a play to end this.
It was him and a mysterious, gorgeous, combat-capable doctor against the lightning. He'd say their odds were pretty good.
-O-
Growing up, Gawayne hadn't shied away from public speaking, but it wasn't something he set out to do. Those around him said the moments, his best moments, seemed to find him. It was almost always a compliment, but Gawayne always felt like some were subtly telling him to seek those moments out. Put himself at the forefront of audiences and crowds. His father had been one of the many who'd been subtle about it, and one of the few who weren't so subtle about it.
Well, father, what would you think of this crowd? It wouldn't be what his father expected, nor his grandfather, or great-grandfather. A son of House Neeson down in the sewers, speaking to an assembly of kidnapped citizens of all ages, rescued from the clutches of the clan scion. All of them, nervous and scared as they looked up at him, asking him if he was finally going to lead them out of the sewers and back up into the light of Kagutsuchi City. He was, and he would.
They had just enough space on a central platform people didn't have to be crowded together, but he noticed how many were standing close together with others. Family, friends, and newly made acquaintances-bonds formed from the shared trauma they'd all been through. It was heartening to see, but Gawayne still felt deep sorrow and burning anger looking out over the crowd. None of these people deserved to be down here, to have been poked, prided, and spliced up like guinea pigs. Neither were they people to be ruled over as he knew Mordred would have alternatively decided was their fate. That wasn't for anyone to decide except for them. All Gawayne could do was clear the way for them to have that choice again.
He was acutely aware of Litchi standing to his left, as stalwart as he was. That was a confidence booster, but he had no intention of messing this up.
"Everyone, we're moving out to the surface! Or rather, you all are! Dr. Litchi and I are going to cover your escape, as well as rescue the other captives in the lab!" The pause that came allowed him to gauge the reactions. As he expected, there was shock, hope, and no small amount of fear, mostly from those realizing what he was about to say next. "We've mapped out a route for you to take to the surface."
"You're not leading us there! Why?"
"But what if we get attacked on the way up?"
The dissent was practically instantaneous. As soon as one voice spoke out a dozen others followed it, all voicing the same thing with equal outrage and fear. Gawayne held his hands up in a physical attempt to quiet the uproar. "Hey! Hey! You won't be unprotected! We're not going to leave you unprotected!" It took several minutes of him shouting that out before the crowd quieted down, although the unease remained. "We won't be leaving any of you unprotected. Even though I'll be covering you from behind and drawing the syndicate's attention, I won't leave you unguarded." Closing his eyes, he focused and manifested four flames fireballs around him. They levitated above him where their size grew for all to see. Once they reached their peak size of two meters across, he opened his eyes and saw the crowd had gone from uneasy to awestruck. "These are called Sol Sentinels, familiars I can create and that can operate somewhat on their own. They'll protect you on the way to the exit, where you'll hopefully run into a detachment of security forces we called down." He turned to Litchi, giving her the opportunity to take over.
She took it without hesitation. "A few minutes ago, we called NOL and managed to arrange for a rescue force. They're scrambling as we speak, but it's for the best you hurry out to meet them."
"B-But why can't you two just stay here with us until then! Why do you have to go?" Someone shouted.
It was a question Gawayne had been prepared for. "Because there's still people trapped in the lab. You all know this." There were several grimaces on the citizens' faces, some likely recalling their escape from his previous raid. Rather than despair, he spied hope in the expressions of some. "We can't leave those people behind." He finished. There was little to no dissent on account of everyone being able to read his expression. This wasn't something he was going to budge on. Looking over, he saw Litchi's resolve had similarly remained unshaken.
"I'm going to sneak into the lab and free the rest of the prisoners. Gawayne, in addition to covering our escape, will blast a hole through the sewers that'll allow my group to link up with yours, as well as potentially clear the way for you." Litchi's eyes scoured over the crowd, drinking in the size of the assembly. "This group is going to get bigger, but please, look out for one another. We are all making it out of here. Every last man, woman, and child, but it's going to take a united effort from each and every person. Someone stumbles, you catch them. Someone can't make the trip, you help them along." Another pause, perhaps the final one. There was resolution in the eyes of some, but doubt in many. Either that they could find it in them to do such a thing, or someone else would do the same for them. "I know that's not an easy thing to do, especially given the circumstances, but please. Think about the person beside you, they don't deserve to be down here anymore than you do. It's not an either-or situation. You can both get out of here You can both…all of you can get out of here, just…if someone needs a little help doing that, do it." His hand had gone through various periods of tightening and untightening throughout his speech. It was probably noticed by a handful in the crowd, those closest to his podium. He knew it wasn't exactly a confidence booster. It'd surely be seen as a sign of doubt in his abilities rather than what it really was.
"I'll be assigning you all a guide, and guardian, of my own. Everyone, this is Lao Jiu." Shocked, he looked back at Litchi, and the hairclip that was really a cute little panda bear. In all the time he'd known her, he hadn't sensed a thing from Lao Jiu, no magical element, no mana, not even a life force, until she revealed him to her. Whereas his shock had been somewhat muted, that clearly wasn't the case for the audience. Litchi had used an Ars Magus to project a close-up view of him for all to see. The reactions to a cute, diminutive was all exactly what one would expect. Regardless, Litchi wasn't deterred. "He may not look it, but he has some abilities of his own, such as putting up a barrier that can protect against heightened levels of seithr as well as guard against attacks. He's memorized the way and will act as another guide taking you all toward the exit."
"In addition to all that, a few will take point with weapons we ripped from the guards. Anything gets in your way, leave it to those that are armed in anyway." His gaze shifted to the front of the crowd, where Lenie and a handful of others were. Nodding, he offered his hand and helped her up while the others ascended on their own. He and Litchi went from being alone to joined by a group of seven. All with serious faces. "They know the route and will further guide you. Follow their lead. No one wonders off on their own. If you get separated from the main group, try to retrace your steps as much as possible, then follow the sound of footsteps. Enough people are moving down here it should make enough noise to cause an echo. Most importantly, stay away from any explosions." There was an inward grimace at their lack of a proper plan in case anyone got separated. Part of him and Litchi serving as distractions was so all the focus would be on them instead of the people trying to escape.
You can go after them and piss me the hell off, or…you can finally stop me for good, Mordred. While he had a hunch which his brother would choose, he didn't take anything as a certainty. All he could do was play the cars he'd been dealt and go from there. Whatever countermove he made, Gawayne would just respond as he always had.
A quick glance back to his left side, where Litchi was, coincidentally, looking back at him. To him, her determination was nothing short of beautiful, and uplifting.
We'll counter whatever move you make.
Gawayne had once heard when you wanted to make a strong impression on someone, you knocked loudly. Sometimes, as loud as you possibly could.
"Bring the goddamn door down."
Eight fireballs, all two-thirds his size, launched simultaneously in a single direction. They collided against the barrier blocking the door, burning through it in seconds, then the conflagration tore into the door itself. It spread to the rest of the tunnel, as well, filling it with bright orange and yellow, the likes of which it'd likely never seen before. Everything burned. Or almost everything.
Cautiously, he looked back behind him where Litchi stood, shielding her eyes against the inferno. Her calm demeanor remained unbroken. Acknowledging that, he turned back toward the door, or what remained of it. Long before the fire or the explosive echo faded, he knew all there was going to be was a giant, gaping hole big enough to squeeze a truck through. It was certainly an attention-grabbing knock.
But it was nothing compared to what came next.
Gripping Galatine, he ran toward the still cackling inferno, the sword practically roaring to life like an awakened beast. The previous set of guards he'd taken down using his hands, but now he was finally using his weapon of choice. Flames raced along the blade's edge, intensifying the faint orange glow that'd been simmering like embers. In seconds, he was wielding a sword of roaring fire, still surrounded by the flames of his previous attack. He launched that fire in a sweeping horizontal slash that covered all that lay in front of him. The first attack was followed up with several more, some launched to either side of him. His ears rang with the sound of explosions once more but joined by the shocked screams of those inside the facility, as well as those caught in the path of his attack. If they were lucky, they died fast.
Gawayne was able to see through the flames. A massive open-air space that was burning at the seams. Smoke and burnt flesh filled his nose, familiar odors that he hadn't been in a hurry to reunite with, yet accepted as an inevitability. The scientists and guards knew it was an inevitability that he would return, as well, but that hadn't left them prepared for how he would do so. Admittedly, Gawayne would have opted for something a little more stealthy if it'd just been him. Those dying around him would have probably preferred it that way.
Alarms blared over the flames, an unnecessary alert that the lab, the base, had been breached. Gawayne lifted Galatine up causing the circular ornament within the guard to flash. The solar flare traveled up the blade, turning it into a blazing beacon of light that stretched several feet above his head. Without hesitation, he swung it in every direction, launching greater arcs of fire and light that crashed into everything around him. There were screams that were immediately silenced, commands that were cut off, and threats of pain that would never be delivered upon. Everything around him was bathed in fiery orange.
Any second, they'll activate the sprinklers. Won't put the fire out completely, but hey, it'll make things easier for us. "Moving out." No one heard his whisper into the com link fastened in his left ear, no one save for the person on the other end.
"Understood. I…wasn't expecting you to cause this much of a ruckus, though." He smirked at the surprise in her voice. "Just be careful."
"Got it." His feet took him to his left, crashing through walls and machinery. Despite his fast pace Gawayne watched who and want came into his sight. If someone in a lab coat scrambled back, he didn't attack. If they charged him, they were fair game. All the while, the alarm continued to blare from all sides. Frantic calls for security came through the intercom; he was pretty sure one of his slashes destroyed one such intercom. "That's right, you bastards, I've come back just like you knew I would!" His voice rolled across the flaming devastation he'd wrecked. Above his head the sprinklers finally sprung to life, but their paltry payload wasn't anywhere near enough to douse the flames rolling off of him or Galatine. Likewise, they wouldn't be enough to quench the fires outside raging in the main hall. Fortunately for the syndicate, he was ready to move things outside, but not before he dealt another blow to the facility.
Both his hands wrapped around Galatine's handle as the blade gained another burning bright extension. His circular slash sending out a scorching wave that further destroyed the wing of the facility he'd crashed into. Gawayne knew the cell block was another two floors down; they'd definitely heard him announce his return.
With his business concluded, Gawayne cut his way back out into the sewers.
If there was one thing worse than sewage, it was burning sewage. It was something he accepted, partially on account of the fact it was his own doing. At least he wasn't alone in suffering the stench, although Gawayne would have reasoned his pursuers had other things on their mind. He could faintly hear their shouting behind them, frantic calls for backup as they knew they couldn't possibly take him on by themselves. Absolutely nothing about Litchi, who had no doubt sunken in by now and was walking around unseen thanks to their combined efforts. Sensing his cloaking enchantment was still active, he reached out and felt around for his Sol Sentinels. They too were up and moving at a consistent pace.
So far so good. A surge of optimism began to form within him only to be drastically slimmed down into no more than a little spurt. The first stage of their plan was the easy part. They were now in the second stage, the part where just about anything could go wrong. Gawayne tried not to focus on that too much, he was better off minding his surroundings as he needed to be in position.
The map of the tunnel network surrounding the lab had been engrained in his head. Memorization was a skill he'd learned at a young age-mor like it'd been drilled into his head, really. Names, places, formulas, history, and anything else a high-class heir like himself would have needed to succeed. And all that was before he'd given had his first day of school. Speaking of which, he felt a familiar whiff of joy as he remembered running like this-running from enraged teachers and classmates. The twinge of nostalgia eased his steadily beating heart.
His feet slid to a stop, his boots pushing dirt and grime aside as he twisted his body around. Galatine was raised with the tip pointing forward. The sun-like guard blazed with light that filled up the tunnel that continued to grow by the second. Gawayne felt the sword's power calling out to him, beckoning to the strength that slumbered within him. When the two connected, Gawayne truly felt fire rushing through his veins. He kept his sword level as he heard the frantic screams of his pursuers. There were arguments to attack while his attack was charging and calls for a retreat. Attacks came flying at him from the former, but the flames emitted from Galatine twisted and served to intercept them. Those same flames burned away every trace of waste around him leaving him in the center of a swirling aura of fire.
"Sol Radius!" Gawayne thrusted Galatine forward, releasing all the power that'd been built up within the weapon. However, instead of pure fire, it was light, burning bright light that shot forth utterly consuming everything in front of him. There was a slight pushback but his body remained perfectly upright, as did his right arm as he kept his sword extended, and thus the all-consuming light beam shooting forward. Mentally, he stared at the map of the sewer tunnels, triangulating his current position as well as where his Sol Radius was hitting. He was right on point.
"Gawayne!" Shouted Litchi's voice in his left ear.
"Please tell me you're out of the blast zone!"
"I am, although I can feel the heat even from inside the facility!"
"Find the prison-"
Stopping his attack was one thing, stopping it while still leaving a charge in his sword required just a little bit more work. Galatine still glowed bright orange when the Sol Radius was canceled, Gawayne spun around with the sword, bringing it up just in time to parry the attack that aimed at decapitating him. In the split-second window between the parry and the next exchange Gawayne looked back at his attacker. Calm recognition took hold of his face as he launched his counterattack.
KLANG!
"See you've picked up s new outfit since last we met, Sullivan." Gawayne calmly swiped.
He smiled as their faces were mere inches apart with their respective swords interlocked between them. "I'm glad you like it, Gawayne. We went through a lot of trouble to strike a balance between efficient and stylish." Neeson Family armor, armor that glowed with eerie red light from the Tron-lines that ran along the chest and arms. He didn't know what kind of features it had but he knew it was dangerous and was probably going to take a wee bit more strength than normal to cut through.
Gawayne looked forward to trying, which he immediately tried to do when they broke apart. Sullivan didn't give him that chance, narrowly avoiding his attacks. His calmness melted into a slight sneer as he swung Galatine in a heavy horizontal swing. While Sullivan blocked it, he grunted in clear display that the act took some effort. Gawayne kept his eyes on him on him while mentally commanding Galatine to ignite; it did, triggering an explosion that would have sent Sullivan flying across the dried-up floor if his armor hadn't glowed bright red. Gawayne sensed the discrepancy in the air, in himself, and switched to pure physical strength. Grunting, Sullivan pushed back. Not only did the glow of his armor increase he gained a helmet, as well. The green visor reflected Gawayne's slightly irritated sneer.
"A fancy piece of headgear isn't going to stop me from knocking your teeth out. And this armor isn't going to stop me from laying your ass out on the ground." He shouted pushing even harder.
Red light flared from the up from the armor as the blade itself pulsated with energy. Sparks flew as it and Galatine temporarily broke apart only to meet again in a rapid serious of clashes, the metallic ring filling the scorched and deserted tunnel. Gawayne and Sullivan traded positions along the ground, the waste that once went past their ankles having been burnt away by the former's prior attack. The massive hole it'd burnt in the sewers that stretched on seemingly into infinity was quickly and quietly forgotten.
KLANG!
Gawayne grinned as dust fell to his shoulder from the ceiling above his head. "Guess that suit is more than just a fashion statement. And I guess it was still in the trial stage during my last visit."
"That it was, but you came by just in time for us to give it its first real test. You, and your little lady friend, Dr. Faye-Ling." Gawayne's silence caused the older man to whistle in amusement. "Heh, for a fire spitter, you always did know how to keep a cool head. A shame you didn't have enough brains in there, too."
His hold on Galatine tightened simultaneously to the flames on its edge reigniting. The glow illuminated his face as the smile he had a moment ago fell.
"You sure you want to get her involved in this? It is a private affair, Gawayne." Sullivan remarked while eyeing him through his visor.
He would have snarled at the obvious bait if he hadn't remembered the talk down Litchi had given him. "You and Mordred kidnapped people from her town, she was going to get involved either way."
"Is that what you think?"
"It's what I know, Sullivan. Just like I know she's more than tough enough to take on any of your traitorous sons of bitches."
"Hmm, even Mordred?"
His self-control held enough that Galatine didn't react, nor did he. It got another chuckle out of his opponent. "Tell me where he is."
"Come on, Gawayne, you know I-"
He raised his sword just in time to block his attack, but this time Gawayne put more force into his attack. Strained grunts sounded behind the knightly visor, the rest of the suit glowed red as it rooted power into the arms to hold him and Galatine off. Gawayne summoned forth power from within on his end. Power born from the rage he felt toward the man in front of him. Rage and a sense of duty that'd been hammered into him since he was a kid. Muscles tightened within him, hardened by the fire burning hot in his chest and surging through his limbs into his sword. With its blazing shine, he pressed down, intent on cutting one of the people he once looked up to up.
Between rage and duty, it was hard for Gawayne to tell which was stronger. Listening to the sound of Galatine slowly but surely eating through his opponent's sword, he realized it didn't matter.
Part Two of Litchi and Gawayne's maybe-sorta-magnificent journey through the sewers of Kagutsuchi. That said, it's not like they did much sewer crawling as Litchi did while searching for Arakune. Sewers tend to crop up a lot in stories, don't they, particularly those with some horrible monster lurking around somewhere. Lucky for Litchi, there was no monster, or one she had a personal connection to.
The title and theme for this chapter came to me after finishing up the last one. As the title indicates, the focus this time was on confronting some inner demons, mostly for Litchi and Gawayne, whose past I ended up putting a bulk of the focus on. After three chapters I figured it was time to start diving more into his backstory. It's the family drama that'd be the arcade story in a proper game, which is one half of this story. I'll admit it's actually a bit nice since while Blazblue has some crazy massive lore, it's enjoyable writing a smaller self-contained story that still gives nods to the greater universe.
Those of you familiar with Arthurian mythology shouldn't be surprised kin slaying is a major topic in this story. It is one of the things Mordred is infamous for; I actually did want him to show up this chapter, but I ran out of time leaving his appearance for the next one. Next chapter will also see some familiar faces show up as well.
Sol Radius is Latin for "Sun Beam" or "Sun Ray." It fires the solar energy accumulated in Galatine as a laser beam that punches through anything in front of it depending on the power it's gathered. If you've seen Gawain's first fight with Nero from Fate/Extra Last Encore, you can picture it pretty well. In a game, it'd be one of those moves that hits across the screen and its chargeable.
Next chapter's going to be pretty heavy on the action with some revelations as things move back up to the surface. It's been roughly two days since Litchi went into the sewers and a lot can change in that time. So, until then, readers!
