Rip 5/It's all going to be alright

BEGIN: ------- VII -------

"So let me get this straight. You went all the way into the Emernian Palace, with our only tradeship. Piloted by Dolek of all people."-The bartender eyes me closely.

"Yes, indeed."

"And then you flew off the ship, into an army of drones?"

I nodded.

"You ran over the drones, until you got to the rooftop, then you ran INTO the building, all the way to the very bottom?"

I nod, once more.

"In the process you ended up fighting against one of the Emernian enforcers, who was also a mix of man and automaton?"

"Actually."-Sarla interjects. "She was also a noble. They.. forcibly enhanced her, but even so she is still technically a noble."-at this point the bartender legitimately frowns.

"Well that is certainly troublesome. No drones followed you right?"-he now turns to Dolek.

Dolek shakes his head. "I checked every portion of the way. Nothing followed me. Besides I left the ship a bit further up than usual. I'll go pick it up later, but it should be safe, and untraceable. I only made to leave the area when nobody was around."

The bartender nods. "Well, given what miss Sarla says the nobles will certainly seek vengeance. It's a matter of political display in here. The new regime took all of their lands, but allowed them to keep those floating palaces."

Borram interjects: "They keep clinging onto that as some sort of symbol. They live higher than everyone so they still think they are higher than anyone. It's much like a self-important kid being locked up in the attic and left to think it's a reward. Of course, the nobles know this is their punishment, but they do their absolute best that the people don't.

They no longer have the power they used to, but... they will do anything they can to keep up the illusion that they are still just as powerful. Which is why they put everything in punishing even the slightest perceived offenses. And beating up one of their own is certain to be taken as a grand offense. You must understand, lady Lily... to allow you to stay here would mean to endanger all of Galamine, in the event that you can be traced back."

"Lady Lily...wait a sec..."-Sarla turns to Borram now. "What's with that language? Hmm... Hey, where are you from? What did you use to do before you got stuck here?"

"M-me?"-It seems the question took Borram by surprise? "I..."

"Railroad Knight. Got it."-Sarla frowned. "You folks really 'smell', I gotta give you that. Can tell one apart from the crowd miles away."

Borram frowns. "...I suppose that is right. And you would happen to have something against the Order of the Railroad Knights?"

"Me? A whole heap of somethings, but I have nothing with you in particular, so we're good."-Sarla leans forward just over the table. It seems that despite her words, whatever baggage she has isn't easy to get over. I didn't want for relationships to be strained already but... What can you do...

Borram however, is quite accepting. "I will agree that the less savory parts of my Order were stained by evil and brought great shame upon our name. There is no point in arguing over things that clearly happened."

Sarla just nods, and goes back to her seat. "Very well. B does not know about our relation to this place, or the fact that Lily saved your village. If your boy did everything as he says he did, you should be safe."

I get it. I get the problem.

This is where I stood up from my seat. "Thank you everyone, for providing me shelter last night. As Sarla says, this place should be as safe as it gets from association. I did not wish to use Dolek for transport, nor did I wish to bring any harm to this place. We will be taking our leave now of course."-I could not bring any more danger to these people. They were so kind...

"Nonsense!"-Dolek speaks up. "Miss Lily... We can't...no, I refuse to accept this. We can't drive her away like this!"

"...I am with the boy."-the bartender said. "We shall hide you here."

"Mhm."-Borram folds his arms, and then stands up from his seat. "I suppose I agree as well. Welcome to Galamine Alley. I do so hope you enjoy your stay."

"T-that...No, guys. Come on, it IS actually dangerous for us to be here!"-I protested. As much as I WOULD like to stay, I...couldn't...

"It is decided already."-Borram said. "You must understand, much like the nobles, any organization in Atharom needs to have a certain degree of solidarity and trustworthiness, as it interacts with others. If word got out that we threw one of those that many would regard as a hero, out to fend for herself? Well, it would be understandable to some in the know of what danger your presence poses. To plentiful others it would seem as the worst sort of betrayal, and we would lose quite a bit of standing, as credible partners in any form of association.

Nobody would agree to large trade deals with us. If aggression broke out, we would be a safe target to exploit, or worse, to exterminate. Do you understand now? Even if we did not want to shelter you, we must shelter you."-I...understand. Borram's smile is worrying. It means they would want to shelter me, even if this argument did not stand. Makes me think the whole argument too, is a bit of a trick to get me to feel better.

But I have nothing to refute it with. Resigned, I sat back down. "Fine, fine. If that's what you say..."

Sarla remained silent throughout this part. Does she already understand? I suppose she does, given that she must be used to the particulars of this land. I'm not...at least, not yet.

The trio leaves the table, and we are left on our own, once again. I immediately turned to Sarla. She had released those whips from before, and had them wrap around her torso, before loosening a little below the hips...like a dress, really.

"There are so many questions I have to ask you!"

Sarla just smiles, and lies back on the chair, putting her arms behind her head. They make a little metallic noise, which she seems to mind a little, but... her smile doesn't fade.

"Ask then. What do you want to know?"-it sounds almost inviting. Like an all-you-can-eat party. Well...should I indulge...?

"...What happened? How did you survive?"

"Your... thing...whatever you put in me, I guess. I didn't even know about it at first, but that one kept me alive, until some people found me. They put me in a train...and...well, that's how I made it to Atharom."

I see. "...And...and then what did you do? Where did you go?"

"...You wouldn't like it... It's..a place down...ground level. A club, well, it's not really a club, it mostly hosts fighting events."

'The Violet Thorn!"-Of course! Had she been there...prior? Maybe the people at the club told me and I forgot? The last few hours have been such a confusing blur, my memories might be a bit jumbled up. I'll have to review memory logs later.

"W-wait, Lily! How do you..."

'I went there. Duh! Not that bad, really... They wouldn't let me in at firs-"

"You went in through the front door?!"-why does she  seem so shocked? W-was that...the wrong way to do it? Did I do something horrible?!

"Y-I mean...yes, but...isn't that normal?"

Sarla just shakes her head and laughs. "How are you even alive at this point? Borak must have jumped in on the chance as hard as he could."

"Oh! Borak.... is that...uhh...the old guy in charge of the place? I think I scared him a little too much. I made him tell me where you were."

Sarla's expression now shifts to surprise. "Wasn't that place full of fighters? It was tournament night."

"Oh, yes, I think! They threw one out. And then an old man punched a hole through an automaton...and Borak made me fight the old man. If I won he'd tell me where you were, but... when I DID win, he went back on his word. The old man was nice though and he helped me out. So did the bartender. They were nice."

Sarla looks at me puzzled. Was it something I said? Do I have something on my face? Sarla? C'mon! Tell me!

"...You're amazing. That's...that's all."-She then shakes her head, and laughs loudly. "Sorry, sorry, it's just... the things you keep telling me, or the things you keep doing, they all seem so... Out of this world. I guess it's normal for you, huh? I'm...really, only a normal girl from the middle of the desert."

I've never thought about that. I guess I figured everything I did, or everything that happened was not too abnormal. A lot of people are given pause by the 'impossible', so that they just choose to ignore it. I guess that's smart. If you run into something impossible happening, the most likely outcome is not pleasant. Not everyone can do impossible things, and even being in the presence of an impossible event doesn't automatically capable of participating in it.

...I guess... it's normal for people to be scared or awe-struck. I know I have been, at least towards certain things. It's wore for the people who don't experience such things, I think... Never feeling a pure sense of awe must be incredibly unsatisfying. However Sarla doesn't seem like the type to go after satisfaction all that much... or am I reading her wrong?

"Hey, Sarla! Do you like doing things?"-...well that is silly. C'mon Lily! "...What I mean by that is, well...do you have any hobbies? Anything you like to do to pass the time? Any...uhh...you know..."

She gets up, and gives me her hand. "Do you know how to dance?"-she asks, and then smiles. The whips pull back just a little. A less long 'dress', it seems, although it's still modest.

I shook my head. Well,I guess I can just move around randomly, but I probably don't know how to dance in the way she means. Sarla still holds her hand out however. "Thought so. C'mon. I'll teach you."

A bit unsure, I took Sarla's hand anyway. She immediately pulled me in, and also put an arm around my waist. Left comfortable distance between us though. "Alright so..."

She begins to explain. This is nice. It's a nice feeling, being able to relax and do ordinary things. I haven't been able to in...actually, it's funny. I don't think I remember a time where I was able to do such things. When Sarla moves, I just move the way she does, and it seems to work. I am not stepping over her legs, so it's fine! Good job Lily!

It almost feels surreal. I am making the 'right' movements, but my body still feels like it's in a state of frenzy. Like I'm fighting Sarla rather than dancing with her. Like I have to watch out. My mind still hasn't relaxed in the slightest...I suppose that's what's causing my body to act up.

It is much unlike running in the sand. That was a pleasant, distant and brief memory. This is a pleasant memory too. I'm sure  it will be, once I get myself in order... I wonder if Sarla is always like that too? Her life must have been quite stressful.

"I'll have to teach you a few more things of course. Playing cards's next. A good way to pass the time, if you can't exactly move around much for whatever reason."-she breaks the silence.

Playing cards. Familiar terms, even if I never knew of any card games myself. Humph! I guess I'll have to learn then. Yes, yes. I only smiled, and continued to dance. Although I can tell it had been a while.

"Hey!"

"Hey-"

Both at once. That is...strange! But kinda funny, so I laughed. Sarla laughed as well, so I guess I hit that one on the spot. Lily:1 - Social Awkwardness: 0!

"So...you must be pretty exhausted?"-Sarla asks, and all I can do is blink.

"I...actually had sleep. It's probably you who..."-I looked aside. I had ignored that actually. I shouldn't have let her dance...she must be dead tired..

"Yeah, a bit. But I had fun in here at least. Maybe when I wake up we can do more things..."-She says, smiling faintly. "I..."-she yawns. "Could use some shut eye though, now that I think about it...even my head's feeling all weird. Sorry about that Lily.."-she yawns, once more.

"Alright, alright. To bed with you miss."-I pouted a little. Jokingly of course, as I guided her upstairs to the room. I let her use my bed. I could just lie down right next, if I really felt like it, although I was pumped up and ready to go for a few more hours! Sarla falls asleep, most likely immediately. She looks peaceful.

Perhaps I could ask Sarla about her past later too...maybe...

She must have quite a few stories to tell, after all. But that...well, typically it's not what you do when you just met someone. I guess I am a bit uncomfortable with my own past in that sense. The reason why I left the facility that 'made' me. The reason I wandered far away.

Or even...the reason I put myself to sleep, within that lonely chamber so, so long ago.

END: ~~~~~~~ VII ~~~~~~~

BEGIN: ------- A -------

"Sarlaaaa! Hello? Are you alright?"-Lily. That's her voice. Ah...I...I was asleep. Yeah... I woke up, looking at Lily. She was at the side of the bed, sat there, looking concerned.

"Yeah. I'm good."

"You seemed to be having a nightmare..."-she said. "You kept saying things in your sleep. I couldn't quite make out the words, but..."

"Hey...it's fine."-I got up. My arms! I couldn't feel my arms...y..es...I remembered, now. What happened a day ago. I lifted my hand and looked at it. I must have made some sort of expression, since Lily puts a hand in my back. "I am sorry...if only I had been..."

I shook my head. "Not your fault Lily. I just...don't get why."

"Well... They used Aether... which from what I'm gathering isn't too dense. It's like gas, right? Mixed in with the atmosphere?"

I nodded. Where is she going with this?

"Well, dream force which is what I run on is similar. But even breathing in a little bit of dream force can be lethal. It's concentration is naturally very high. Aether is less 'dense' in that sense, so they need to use more equipment to properly relay it. Basically... A lot more stuff is needed to make Aether able to keep you alive, than it's needed to make Dream Force keep me alive."

That wasn't what I originally meant, but this information is actually good to have. "Hmm...I...I see... Thank you."

"It must feel weird. I guess...hmm, I guess they have done stuff to your head too...? Well..that can actually be helpful! I'll see what I can do so that it at least FEELS like you have your original body. But I cannot make any promises... and...umm... It's... It could be dangerous..."

Wait a second. Is she offering what I think she's offering?

'Lily...you..."

"It's nothing really. And as I said, could be quite dangerous. Please, consider it carefully. It'll take a few days for me to..."

I hugged her at once. I did not need to think about that, at least. "Thank you. You would... you would do this much for me, even..."

"Hey, it's...alright."-I think she gets what I meant. "...I know we didn't have the best start, but... well... We're here now, right? Honestly, it's been a while... That I could actually talk to someone like this.

But...ever since I awoke, I've made plenty of friends. I think I've made way more friends than enemies. You, the doctor, the people of the village, even the people from the caravan. The bartender, the champion, the people in this bar... It's honestly quite..."

I smiled. Hearing this girl talk about life like that is...honestly it makes me feel a bit better as well. Like I could enjoy it more than before. It is quite a pleasant feeling.

"Say...Sarla. What was up with Mister Borram? Why did you..."-aha. Of course. I knew I couldn't evade this for long.

I sat up, and looked at her. "Do you wish to hear a story?"

Lily only nods.

"It starts when I left home. I was in a train, full of similar people. Kids, going to one of the big cities. In my case, a place called Pipetown. It's a city with a small surface area, built on a system of very tall pipe-like buildings. Underground, there's a bunch of automata that keep mining Aether crystals, which are broken up into raw Aether that shoots up the pipes and projects a force field. This one keeps the city safe from aerial predators, and also keeps most of the tech working.

Anyway. When I was a kid it was my dream to become a Railroad Knight. Weird, I know. But...what I witnessed, on my way there changed my mind. The Railroad Knights you see, travel around railways, and into nearby inhabited areas where they offer their services as escorts. Quite helpful given how the wilds around here can be. Full of beasts, bandits and nasty natural phenomena, depending on where you live. Most people are nomads.

Very few villages are actually built. Galamine's one of those, and it counts as one of the biggest ones."-Galamine had actually been quite small. I suppose I get her point however. The people in the caravan had some scary stuff to tell.

"Anyway, we stopped by this village. First stop. A lot of us stopped there. Looked around...it seemed peaceful. Turns out, it was handled by a bunch of Railroad Knights. These people took charge of the village's transport. Which meant they could set the rates for escort to whatever they wanted.

As you can imagine these rates were pretty high. The Railroad Knight in charge of the place was a man known as Orlwn. Nasty piece of work. He rarely interacted with the people, had his goons do most of the work. Efficient. People blame based on faces, my father used to say. If they can see your face, they can blame you. The worst kind of person is the one you don't see that often.

I... was hit hard by this. When I saw the Railroad Knights abuse the people of the village, it was quite disheartening. I...wanted to stop them. I wanted to do something but I was just a kid. So I sat and waited. In one of the corners of the village where we were let to stay. Of course we were made to work. For food and shelter. Better conditions than the middle of the desert.

One day we hear about an uprising. A man had this kid, on the other side of the desert. Couldn't pay for her medicine. It happens quite often that people get separated here, but the Railroad Knights helped keep contacts, and sometimes send stuff even in far distances. This guy had been begging the knights in the village to let him...well, I guess let him transport stuff for free...

Thing is, nobody was gonna do that. 'Oh, it's his kid's medicine, how cute.' They all assumed he was lying. Turns out he wasn't. The Knights bring in mail one day, with a letter that said his kid was dead. At that moment, this guy takes a nearby axe that they used for cutting up creatures they hunted and splits the knight's head in two. Then he rallies a bunch of other, equally displeased people and they go to attack Orlwn. Orlwn shows up... Disables them all in seconds, and has the guy flayed alive. The others, I heard, didn't have very nice fates.

Good thing though. The Railroad Knights came and got Orlwn. Got him tried and placed in prison."-I said. Of course, the story did not end there.

"Except by the time they did, we had already solved the problem ourselves. Every single villager just picked up everything they had and left the place.

Wandered off into the desert, while Orlwn was busy being a cartoon villain. Most did not make it. I saw quite a few of them get eaten, a few more got sick and died slow, painful deaths. Some more just died of starvation of dehydration, until we got to the nearest train. Then the train took us to a big city. Harvash. Nice place, compared to a lot of other spots.

I took the matter up with the Railroad Knight HQ there. Quite busy. They told me the issue had been handled. Then I asked them about... well... I wanted to ask them quite a few things, but they turned me away. They said that things were busy as it was, and they had no time to entertain my inquiries.

Sure enough. That is when I was convinced to stop pursuing the path of a Railroad Knight. There was no worth to it. I understand there are genuinely good and noble ones out there, but given the nature of their organization...it was not what I expected. I could not be part of that.

I had to spend a few years wandering. Didn't do me much good, I...guess I had to fill that hole my early dedication had left behind. Couldn't... couldn't...ah... it's nothing. I guess I just had nowhere to go."-I finished, looking at my hands now. Certainly it had been quite a bit since that time.

"What about your family?"-Lily asks. I...

"I cannot go back to them... I guess, when I left, I did so in rather decisive terms. There's no going back there Lily... At least not in this life."-I said, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

Lily for her part, didn't say much. She just moved into a hug, and rested her head over my shoulder quietly. That was probably the best thing to do there. Ah...yes... telling that story, brings to mind another. From earlier.

I remember it just as if it was today. it's rare but I think of it sometimes, before I go to sleep. Before my brain goes to sleep. I had woken up very early that morning. It was still almost night. We were supposed to go out and collect the mail. Some of us took mail duty. Jerin, Lessa, Ordek, Firra, Mirsa, Olad, Kelthes and me. involved going all the way to the outskirts of the village, then up a hill path. That's where the mail people dropped packages. It was a safe area and reasonably close to the village.

Some of us had a dream of being Knights. The Railroad Knights moved about the well-beaten pathways and protected people and goods. At least until they got into a train that took them to the bigger cities. Sometimes even the bigger cities weren't safe. That's what we were told. Smaller villages were less of a target. As long as you could find a place to settle it in. Ours was just under the hill. Near the very edge of Atharom's domain. Technically made us part of it.

I never found out what that hill was called. The maps changed rather frequently. I remember seeing at least three different maps over my life. Try as I might, I can no longer find my village. That morning was a bright one. The last one I ever saw my village. We picked up the main, and just as we turned around everything was in flames. The smoke was assaulting the base of the hill, like some beast.

I remember thinking it was a monster at first. Then I realized it. We all ran all the way down. Maybe some accident. Maybe we could help. Get to our parents. Of course, that was never going to happen. As soon as we made it down the hill we found people in the village. Some of them were just a few years older than us. That's when we saw things more clearly. The bodies. I still remember one of my neighbors being killed.

He was saying something, but I couldn't hear it. They stabbed him in the back. His family was lying next to him, already dead. I remember seeing a man... far back, and Ordek's sister, just a few years older than us. I didn't understand what he was doing at the time. Ordek vomited at the scene.

I heard more firing, and more people were being killed. We tried to run then. Instinct. We couldn't fight these people. Of course, we were already seen, so they surrounded us. We were about eight. Jerin and Lessa got killed immediately. I always knew Lessa had a crush on him. She wouldn't leave his side. Jerin was both the oldest and strongest of us. We all knew he was definitely becoming a Knight. Well, until that moment.

The rest of us ran through. Up the hill. Once we got to the other side, maybe the mail people would still be close. They could hear us. Or see us, hopefully.

It wasn't easily making it up. Ordek fell down, and cracked his head. I think the scene from before got to him. Firra got shot in the back. She was a really quiet girl. There aren't many things I remember about her. Near the end of it, the remaining four got to the top. That's where we realized we had no hope in the first place. Mirsa got shot in the shoulder. Olad turned to get her, but he couldn't pull her up so he slipped and fell. They were brother and sister. I guess... they died together. Me and Kelthes made it over the hill... and that's where we met one of the assailants.

He pointed his weapon at us. He looked awfully strained. "Go."-was all he said. At this point the other people couldn't see us. We rolled down the hill. If only it was the end. At the other side, the assailants had killed all of the mail people. They turned to us. One of them grabbed me and...

That's when I heard a deafening sound. Kelthes took a gun, and fired at the head of one of them. That one went down. Kelthes panicked and crawled back, but they got to him. I bit the guy that grabbed me, and ran to get Kelthes. That's when one of them swung at me. His eyes were covered in blood, from the guy Kelthes killed. He wasn't seeing anything. I got knocked back. I heard more guns firing...

Then I...I don't know. I think one of them dropped something, and fire begun to spread. Everything was burning... Not just on that side, but this side too. The flames were close. I could feel it...ah...

For a moment my eyes opened up. I saw a figure, standing in the fire. A man. Tall. He...had some sort of...beast...at his side. Like a snake. silvery. It flew all over the place. Killed the assailants. Ran them through like they were nothing. The flames were blown out a little too, but by that point... I was so close to fainting.

My last memory of that night, was seeing...hearing...someone...a child. I saw a figure run towards the man with the strange beast. Then everything went black.

I woke up later. The fire was already put out... I felt hungry. In pain. My head hurt. I got up and begun to walk away, back towards the way the mail people came from. I looked at the corpses. Some of the mail people I remembered...

Kelthes! ...Kelthes wasn't there. So that must have been him, that's what I thought. But now that I remember, maybe he was just buried under the corpses.

I thought about getting up, checking the village. My family was there. But there is no way they made it out. I took some time...to see if there was anything to do around the area. I... I could go up the hill. But what if the attackers were still there? I wasn't sure what to do.

For the first time in my life, I was so torn. And both decisions were meaningless. I think that's what made it worse. Deep down I knew everyone was gone, and I wouldn't survive anyway. It took a few minutes, for that realization to set in. But that made it easier.

If I had to die, I'd rather it was close to my family and friends. I begun the climb. I don't know how long it took, maybe an hour, maybe two, three... I think I wasn't really there. Something was driving me forward, but I wasn't sure that something was me. I climbed on.

I made it to the top of the hill, and had my fears confirmed. Everything was ash. Bodies everywhere. The stench reached me soon. The bushy hills were all aflame. Everyone, everything...gone...

That is when I collapsed for a second time. This once, I thought I was never going to wake up....

...

I did, of course. In that train. Nobody told me anything. I asked, I kept asking but...nobody could say anything... Isn't that odd? How an entire village can just disappear like that?

Later I learned there were others. Survivors from similarly attacked villages. They all describe the same story. Men in uniform, killing everyone. Setting fire to houses. But nobody else seemed to acknowledge it. Just as if these villages were eaten up by the desert itself.

Sometimes I wonder... what really happened that night?

END: ~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~

BEGIN: -------  B  -------

The elevator takes me downstairs. How will this go, I wonder? I have never considered taking leadership upon myself before. Why? Well, the reasoning for it is quite simple, even a bit selfish now that I think about it. The leadership has their own burdens. I have begun to feel some of them myself as I organize various matters for them. To be up there must be quite stressful.

I do not pity them however. Nor do I envy them. It gives me the perfect spot to exist in, and so far I have done that without concern. Of course, the higher ups do not tolerate failure. They are strange beings... Ugh. Well... If there is a choice between rebellion or running away, then I suppose...

   Rebellion, of course.

Yes. Accepting punishment would be rather pointless. I haven't spoken to the people upstairs in a while. Of course, the point is making it upstairs with a strong  enough bargaining chip.

   The core.

Which is a very risky move, but one I have to make anyway. I stood up, and swept my hand over my body. Letting the Aether flow into it, a barely-visible blade forms as an extension of my hand, and cuts apart the petals. They shatter into sharp pieces, much like glass, and then fall into the floor.

This is where I hear the sound of footsteps coming from right ahead. The elevator door is open, and the enforcement troops are coming right in. Typically I am the one to lead them. This once, they've put Anton in charge. A nice fellow, former Railroad Knight of some renown. I think he still holds onto the principles of Knighthood.

"Lady Beatrix."-I can already feel the fact he doesn't want to have to do this, from his voice. "We will need you to come with us."

I shook my head. "It's alright. I understand."-This is why I made sure to keep one of the petal fragments disguised behind my hand. "I assume I am 'doomed' as they say. Do you mind if I make a little resistance?"-I put my hands behind my back and winked a little.

Anton looks conflicted. I can understand the source of his confusion. In one hand, he definitely doesn't want to take me in. I'd much rather not put that in his conscience too. But on the other, the people upstairs are cruel and they do their utmost to punish any form of disobedience.

They don't really *need* me or Anton, so we are easily disposable if we mess up. They simply need to have a defensive force that is obedient. Nobody is going to attack them because the real 'force' that the Nobles project is their reputation. I glanced upwards. Anton does much the same, while gesturing for the guards to show some caution.

That's when I leaned forward and swung with my hand. The one that had the petal piece in it, and injected my Aether into it. The effect was spectacular. The petal shard ignites and flares forward into a large arc of flame, shoving everyone of the soldiers back and into the ground. Their protective equipment was meant to keep them safe as well as able to contain me without causing much damage. I have caused considerable harm to their defensive frames, so I doubt they'll want to get up soon.

I'd rather not fight Anton head on, that would be difficult to go through. I looked at them to make sure all the enforcement troops were alright, and then upwards again. The camera was gone, so that also gives them all an excuse not to follow me, which I certainly hope they'll accept. I tipped an imaginary hat to Anton as I stepped over the fallen troops, and I got a nod in return. Perfect. I made sure to take his key-card for elevator access while I was at it.

  But should I really let them be? They might be a threat later...

Perhaps...hmm... They certainly could prove dangerous later on... and coming back to finish the job would be easy. They would not expect it, of course... At least that's what my family would think. Not me. I am not somebody who just throws people away.

To the elevator I go. I had it move down, to the bottom of the building. The people upstairs were likely surprised, but it's possible that for the first few moments they assumed I had escaped to the bottom and Anton's squad was following me down there. Viable. At least until someone would inevitably realize that there wasn't any elevator going down prior to this point.

And this is where they jam the elevator. A bit bothersome, but breaking the front glass isn't all that difficult, leaping out and sliding down the walls. I reached the bottom level, and using the blade-hand trick from before, bust open the doors. Those fools upstairs are going to pull the elevator u-

That's when the elevator drops right down on me. I narrowly avoided getting crushed by it's weight, as I rolled onto the floor of the bottom level, where the core was. The (in theory) most well defended part of the facility both inside and outside. Someone up there caught my game, which means they are going to send reinforcements down here. I need to be faster.

The automaton defenses are easy to go through. They lack any creativity, and they have not yet been updated to deal with my presence. I suppose that's why they dropped the elevator too. Hiding around corners, slashing up a drone here and there and after a few minutes I made it to the end. My permissions were likely invalidated before I got here, so that I couldn't access parts of the facility easy, but nobody upstairs would imagine...

  That I'd fuse with the core. A most splendid move. The power...

Would help me realize what I need. Yes. I knocked open the doorways, and was brought to my knees by the sheer energy emanating from the core. Green. Was the core always this color? Did they do something with it? I knew they were carrying out some repairs down here, but...

  There is little time. I must join with the core. If I do not do it now, everything will be to waste. My life, everything... It's all
  going to go to waste.

So then... here goes nothing. I closed my eyes, held my nose and mouth covered and walked into the dense green fog, towards the brightly glowing core. I placed a hand in my chest, and unlocked the heart compartment. The hand then reached towards the core. A small spark connected with the Aether lines in it.

And then another. A third, and soon enough a dense band has formed connecting me to the core. The fog feels less dense now, so I open my eyes. I see how the white lines slowly take on the mint green color of the energy surrounding the core. It feels nice, really. Almost... almost 'cold'. The coldness is very welcome. White Aether burns in an uncomfortable way. It's like a permanent fever, all over your body.

I have to take frequent medication to deal with the headache caused by it, and even then the pain sometimes resurfaces. The rest of my body isn't in the best of shapes. My limbs don't have any feeling in them, but my torso still aches constantly. Especially near where my heart used to be.

The color in the arms turns from white to green. I see the lines glow under my skin when they move to the torso too...and then my legs. The green encroaches upon my heart, my...core, and in a moment I see the circuitry reaching for the central Node...

At that moment, a bright flash blinds me. The process of f-fus...fusi-o..n...is...un...

  I must be stro-n...

Recollection initiated...

  Wait...what?! What is happening?!

Video analysis commencing in..  5...4...3...2...1...

"Hey... it's alright."-the voice wakes me up. I must have been in an awful state if that's the first words I had to hear. The other girl looks pretty bad too. She's clutching her arm, and her expression is positively full of pain. "It's...it's alright...it's all going to be alright."-she seemed to be trying hard to breathe.

Whenever she breathed, some sort of violent noise came from within her chest. A whirring sound. What had they done to her? I could remember if I tried. Yes, I just needed to close my eyes and recall. They kept us awake during the surgery procedures. We had very few of those, compared to the injections. The injections existed to prepare us for the surgery... But we had to be awake during the surgery or else our flow of Aether would be disrupted.

I remember them saying that. So I was awake when... "It's all going to be okay. It's all good. It's all going to be good."

...When they did that to her. I recall it now. Her throat, torn open. A tube inserted in there, pumping in some bright blue liquid, bit by bit. It was like the injections, except this once I bet she couldn't even see where it was going. Her chest was torn open. I remember seeing thin mechanical arms, moving over a mass of red tinted flesh. Bones, sticking out. A small transparent dome around her torso, projecting a stasis field.

That kept her alive. The girl was screaming however. "What are you doing?! Stop! Please stop! Please..."

I remember them lowering two small, metal orbs, with glowing lines. Near her lungs. The doctors...actually, the term doctor might not be so fit for them. That girl wasn't sick. She didn't need doctors. Those men were dressed in a lot of heavy equipment, like they were going to war. This was to defend them against equipment failure. If something goes wrong, the equipment explodes and kills everyone here.

They left the orbs inside her, and closed up her torso. They nodded to each-other. The girl was still screaming, but they couldn't hear her. That equipment means they need communication devices to talk to each-other outside of their helmets. No room for hearing us scream.

"It's all going to be alright. It's all going to be okay. It's all going to be good. It's all alright. It's alright. It's alright. It's all okay. It's all fine. Everything is alright. Everything is going to be fine. Everything i...s..."-this is where the whirring got really bad. Rapid. Too rapid.

She shut her lips, and for one second turned to me. "Help me!"-the fastest two words I've ever heard spoken. Almost as if they were runaways, escaping her lips. She shut them the moment after. I heard footsteps in the distance. People were coming  in quickly. The girl tried to speak again, most likely her mantra of reassurance..

But when her lips burst open, it wasn't words that came out. That glowing blue liquid burst out, almost like vomit. Except her body wasn't moving or lurching forward like you'd do with vomiting. She just stood there as the liquid burst out, before slowly dripping from her lips.

Her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she instinctively reaches out with her hand, towards me. The liquid starts to pour out of her eyelids. Her nose soon begun to release that same liquid, as her body started convulsing. No... come on, don't! You could have been my friend... We...we could have been friends.

I reached out to grab her hand. I leaned forward still, as the blue goop poured out and hugged her. It smelled a bit like... oranges. Yes... oranges. What an odd and pleasant smell, for such an awful, awful event. I think the girl smiled at the moment I hugged her. For just one second, I smiled too.

And then she begun convulsing more rapidly. She fell back on her bed, and I was forced to move back. I reached forward, removed the hair from her face. "It's all going to be okay..."-I whispered. "It's alright. It's all going to be alright..."

The men in those outfits came in and surrounded us. They took me away from her. She convulsed one final time, more violently than before. The liquid burst out this once, but I had a feeling things weren't over. A bright flash of light from within her chest followed. I covered my eyes. When I opened them again... I saw smoke exit her nose, ears, mouth... And the liquid poured out slowly. This one was directly from those two orbs.

Which meant it was much hotter than before. I heard the sizzling, as her cheeks burnt... I didn't need to see the smoke to confirm it. I think I screamed for a bit.

"Her face!"-or at least I intended to. I think I lost my voice near the end, so it came more like 'Her fa-'

Nonetheless, I reached forward. My left arm was already replaced with metal. I rushed in and cleaned the liquid off her face. They stopped me, but I managed to at least clean the worst of it, while the remainder cooled. Still, deep red burns were left behind.

That's where I started crying. I don't know why here. She was dead already. That burning couldn't hurt her. I think...it's because her face was ruined like that. She was quite pretty before, but...that's not it. I was going to try to remember the way she looked. I was going to spend those extra moments I had, looking at her lifeless body, to commit it to memory. Forever.

But even that wasn't possible now. They immediately took her away. I heard someone say 'Discard her'. That's when I begun to hate that word. I would hate it until the day I died.

They took me away afterwards. I saw myself for a brief bit. The white scrub top had been splattered blue. Same with my pants. I think some had gotten to my face and hair too.

They took me to shower. A routine experience, even if one didn't get dirtied like this. Then more injections. They put me down into that chair and inserted the syringe. I didn't protest, I didn't scream, I didn't beg to be let go like always. My gaze was still fixed in the direction they took that girl, at least until the moment that I saw the liquid pouring in.

I begun to cough. They didn't mind at first, until my coughing fit got worse, and I bent forward, enough to remove the syringe. I fell with both hands on the floor, and kept coughing. I think the men in the big outfits were afraid. They must have never seen this reaction before.

I kept coughing until I threw up. At that moment I looked at the men. I caught a glimpse of one of their eyes. I don't know what that man was feeling, or what his expression was. Was he afraid? Terrified? Guilty? Disgusted? Angry? I will never know...

The injections continued later. I never looked at the liquid again. Anytime I would, I'd start coughing like that time. Whenever I thought about that girl's burnt face, I teared up as well...

Please... please don't let me end up like her. I don't want that fate. I'm scared! I'm so scared... Why...why...

Recollection terminated...

I see... So that's going to be my last memory? It's... fitting, I suppose. I can no longer feel my limbs. They are overflowing with power. I am overflowing in every sense of the word...it feels like I am trapped inside a metal cage, but also about to burst out. Except the cage is my life, and if I break out of it I can never go back in again.

I think I smell oranges too... Yes...this is certainly the end. Will I die, blowing this whole place up? I'd...I'd rather not..there are good people here. Maybe...maybe I can stop it a little bit...

  Is this your choice?

W...

  Is this the choice you will make? Accept death?

Who...?

  That does not matter right now. Beatrix! You are better than this! Your story is not yet over. The suffering you have gone through,
  the suffering all of those people went through, from your memories. Their pain... Will it fade into nothingness? Will none of them
  stand tall, on her own, to laugh in the face of death? You can do this!

I...

  I put you up to this, and I am sorry for that. But I will also do whatever I can to help you see it through. You made it so far on
  your own two feet. I merely pointed at a possible direction. Now, assert yourself as a terminal for the power core!

A...voice.. you...

There was little time. I don't know what  or why, but some instinct at the back of my head kicked in. This was a critical moment, and I was not about to let it slide. I channeled the power through my core, and then expelled it in the direction of the core again. Two-way link, established.

The swirl of green pushes me to my knees once more.

  Great. Now take on full access. That should let you control it.

Full...access... Since my power was linked to that of the core, I could easily reach into it, and identify AS the core. I did just that. I had the power in my body streamline and match the one of the core. At this point, I should have been impossible to identify as a separate entity.

The storm around me calms down. I will it to relax, and it does. I turned my back to the core, walked out of the room and shut the doors once more. Outside, a large array of drones had their weapons pointed at me. I looked at my hands... Green. The energy flowing through me was now the same mint green color as the one of the core. Just what is this?

  Dream force. The same sort of power that keeps the ACWs like Lily working at their best. By merging Aether and the semi-fluid state
  of the core, one can cause the core-matter which is closer to Abyssal Blood, to turn into Dream Force. That is the power that now
  flows through you.

Dream force, huh?

  Indeed. I know we didn't exactly start things off in the best way possible... but if you would I could show you what to d-

Go ahead.

  Very well...

The next few moments go by quite rapidly. At first, I see everything darken and feel myself sinking into the ground. Then I see small flashes of green, appearing one by one and leaving behind a small flame. This is where my body bends forward, and I sense a powerful pull, before returning  into reality.

I can now see the drones again, all in place, and the little green flames correspond to them. Specifically, where their power cores should be. I then see the glowing lines on my left arm 'rise' up and move on their own, leaving my arm entirely and forming a ghastly, green replica of it, raised up to level with my eyes.

My aura begins to swirl around said arm... and then I see it snap it's fingers. The aura immediately blows out at full force, causing the little green flames to be put out all at once. The following second, all of the drones drop down. As I approached one to check it out, it seems it's power supply has been entirely removed. Almost as if it did not exist at all.

Funnily, every other part of the drone is in proper function.

  How did you find it?

I smiled. Perfect. I will find a good use for this power. I begun to head all the way back. As I run into more drones, ghostly arm replicas form once more, moving on their own. Sometimes they simply beckon at the drones, and the small green flames simply explode instead, causing the drone to be consumed in fire.

An effortless walk, as I make for the fallen elevator. I held my own hand up, as the green aura flower into the palm of my hand, before reaching for the elevator box itself. I could see it's systems being overrode as lines of green form and take over. I lifted my palm a little higher, and the elevator begun to move on it's own.

  They are about to send another one, from above.

I knew that. This is when I closed my eyes, and phased into that black dimension.

  I see. So this is your plan.

I nodded, as I imagined myself flying 'upward' (there is no real sense of direction in this place, everywhere you see, there is only blackness), before a boxy green frame formed above me. I waited until I was entirely within it's confines, before pulling myself out of the darkness, and appearing in another elevator box: the one they sent from above to crash on the one I was previously.

I snapped my fingers, the aura working to overtake this one and have it go up, to the topmost floor. The doors of the elevator open on their own as I walk out. Anton is waiting there, as is Sirius.

Unlike Anton, Sirius is a man of this complex, born and raised in the presence of nobility. Dressed sharply, with a sense of refinement. Sirius is also a deadly fighter, and his duty as caretaker of the upper floors has us face each-other at this point.

"Anton. Sirius. It would be in your best interests to let me go quickly. I intend to take over this place."

Sirius frowns, immediately. Of course. They cannot ignore such a bold claim, that directly threatens their employers. And they have no reason to believe the two of them would lose to me. That was true before of course, if I had to face both in combat at once I would be defeated.

"I am afraid we can't let that happen, lady Beatrix."-he respectfully bows, and takes out his trusty knife. Lined with Aether at the blade. That's all this man needs to be deadlier than almost anyone.

Unfortunately for him, today I stand on the other side of 'almost'. "I figured. It's alright. We'll go for a drink after this."-I smiled. If you have any good tricks for me, now is the time.

  I thought you'd never ask darling. But of course I do. The best tricks, for my lovely.

The replica arms formed again. Not just one, but a whole lot of six rise up from my actual arms. The aura around my grows much denser, much like how the core itself was. Anton draws his blade. A large, lengthy model he used even back in his days as a Knight. By charging the blade with Aether (precisely why it has an Aether core at it's center), it can deliver blows of tremendous power, that even my frame would feel.

Sirius takes a readied stance. The other troops are in a bit of a bender as the dense aura is confusing them. One even drops to his knees. I have to end this fast if I want everyone to make it.

  Your wish is my command darling.

The aura parts, and engulfs the entire hallway in a far less dense version of it. Anton and Sirius charge from two sides... and that's when the battle ends. Small 'rifts' open into the air as what appear to be chains shoot forth from one rift and back inside another. A veritable web of chains forms, where one cannot move a leg in front of the other. Some of the chains even go over their mouths, forcing them open, while others wrap behind the heads, forcing some of the troops to look down.

Anton cannot even move his wrist, and neither can Sirius. "I hope you know what some of our prime directives are. Such as never entering the command room without explicit permission."-I smiled.

Sirius closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "True. If you can get past your own trap that i-"

Effortlessly at that. I warped into the other dimension, and simply stepped forward. The chains were still there, but I could just leap over. The group back in reality must have been shocked to see me turn into a green phantom and just leap over the ceiling, only to come over in the other side. I wrapped back into reality, blew them all a kiss and...

"I will be looking forward to working with you all again."-I forced the doors open, and walked right in. A large number of terrified people filled the interior of the uppermost room in the building.

A circular wall in one side, lined with large windows to look over the city. A huge table. Multiple monitors, several servants, a large cabinet for drinks. Very comfortable chairs. I've never been here before.

"Let us cut to the chase. I'm calling for a vote."-I patted the back of one of the monitors, as the screen shifted.

'Beatrix for head of house Emernia? Y/N."

A simple choice. I smiled, looking at them all. I had certainly prettied up for my meeting with Sarla, although that little beating I received earlier may have ruined my makeup. A shame, really. I wish I was more presentable...

They all begun to shout. I heard one of the eldest members, probably my grandfather say something along the lines of 'malfunctioning tin can' about me. Some of the younger Emernian nobles were making quite a fuss as well.

"Gentlemen! Ladies."-I coughed. "Please. Allow me to clarify. Those of you who vote yes, will be escorted to the topmost floor, where a drone will pick you up and drop you at a random point in Atharom. You will be leaving the complex unharmed. Those of you who vote no, will be leaving the complex somewhat *less* unharmed. You know I can make good on this promise.

The guardians outside the door will not be coming in at any point, nor will anybody or anything save you, especially as I have bound myself to the core of this place. Every automaton in this complex bends the way I want it to, spins the way I want it to, and even dances the way I want it too.

And you, my dear, dear family are just like them."-I smiled as smugly as I could. This was bound to get one of them in a rage.

Indeed, the grandfather from earlier stands up (and he does cut quite the imposing figure) and begins to make his case. "How dare you?! How dare you compare us to the automata? How dare you even step into this room? Do you know wha-"

I lunged forward, gripped his neck, and then shattered the glass with a single poke. Then I held him by the neck, right out the window, as wind blew in. Quite a few of the nobles parted and hid into a corner, even at the moment I reached forward to get the guy.

"You'll excuse me, but I have had a very long day, and the longer it goes, the less patience I seem to be able to muster. Now, I'd much rather relax my grip right here and now but it seems I can still gather a sliver of patience for you all, given that you are family."

I pulled the old man back, and dropped him on the floor. He'll need some medical attention afterwards, but he'll live. "Vote. Now."-I turned to them, and...

That seems to be all it took. At this point their weakness is wholly exposed. When someone manages to successfully defy them and get away with it, there is nothing to these nobles. They knew this. They just never thought it would actually happen.

They all turned to their monitors. They all begun to vote. With every tap of the 'Y' button, I felt myself a little more relaxed. I stretched a little, as if I had woken up from a long and terrible sleep, fraught with nightmares.

Finally able to move on my own. To live on my own. Even to breathe a little. I turned to the glass I just broke, held my arms open wide and let the wind blow past my face. The sun was setting in the horizon.

At last... It is truly beautiful.

END: ~~~~~~~  B  ~~~~~~~