Myth//OS - Chapter 21

The kid awoke in my arms about half way back to Ashton. At first, I didn’t notice anything was wrong. It wasn’t until she started struggling that my mind snapped out of its daze.

She shoved against me, a cry ripping from her throat. “H-hey!”

”…” Her voice- damn, she could claim to be Elysia’s daughter and I wouldn't be able to refute her-

“L-let me go!” She lashed out at my arm, sliding off the Jackrabbit as she got out of my lax hold. She tipped toward the ground, falling off the vehicle-

“…!” I jumped after her, snatching her up as the Jackrabbit sped away. We skipped across the ground, slamming into it repeatedly. I instinctively hugged her tighter, taking the brunt of the impacts until our momentum stopped.

”Ugh.” She groaned as she rolled off of me. I raised my head wearily, looking her over. She seemed fine. A bit bruised, but nothing looked broken. 

”Haah…” I let out a sigh as I looked at the Jackrabbit speeding away. It stopped after a while, but walking through the ash would still suck. And my clothes were entirely stained dark grey… ugh, white clothes were such a bad idea for a moon theme. Why’d I let Pursius talk me into this?

”Th-thank you for protecting me.” The girl timidly looked at the ground as she stood up, wringing her hands. The earlier defiance and unwillingness were completely gone. “A-are you alright?”

I forced myself to stand, feeling my broken leg pull weirdly. My ribs also tinged slightly, but nothing too serious. Worse than all that, my clothes were basically scrap. With the blood from before and now the ash? No way I’d get them clean. “Yep.”

She looked at my leg pointing in a weird direction and closed her eyes tightly. She quickly composed herself, the emotion fading away. “Sorry… who are you?” 

How should I introduce myself? Right, I should keep it simple. First meetings were important. “Aylin. Warden.” 

“Lucia.” The girl stared at me for a moment before looking around the barren Ashlands. “Why am I with you? How’d we get out- out here?”

I paused for a moment and fished out the shard from the guard. It was in one piece, though the same couldn’t be said for my knock-off Glass. The transparent screen practically shattered in the fall. Thankfully, the one I got from the Bureau was still whole. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Lucia accepted the shard, pulling an oculus from her pocket. The glass was cracked, though seemed to flicker to life as she tapped on it and set the monocle over her eye.

 As soon as she plugged the shard in, a video started up. I couldn’t exactly tell, but it looked like a recording from the guard. From before the crash, maybe? The audio- it was definitely the guards perspective of events. 

I took a step away, letting her focus on it as I inspected our surroundings for danger. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept watch over her. Her eyes… they were shadowed as the video played out. She held herself together, but the pain on her face only grew as time passed.

After several minutes, she took the oculus off with a sigh. She stared at me intently, suppressed emotion flashing in her eyes. “Thank you for- for being with him in his final moments.”

I looked away from her familiar silver eyes, an uneasy sensation running through me. “We. Good?”

”Yeah… yeah, I’ll follow you.” Her head dipped, ash-coated hair covering her face as her expression broke briefly.

She was obviously trying to hide it. I pretended not to see anything and took the lead back to the Jackrabbit, my leg throbbing with each step. I pulled out a thin layer of Ebonshroud underneath my skin, hardening it into a makeshift splint. I went ahead and did the same thing with my ribs, wrapping them tightly.

A few moments later, I felt incredible warmth at my side as Lucia wrapped my arm around my waist. She was too short to reach up to my shoulder. “Lean on me. It’s my fault you're injured anyway.”

“…!” I froze for a few moments before allowing her to take a bit of the weight. Not much, but just enough to relieve the pressure off my injury as we limped back to the Jackrabbit.

“Are you… for hire, still?” Lucia asked as we walked across the Ashlands.

”Yep.” Even if I wasn’t, my calendar was clear now. Lucia wasn’t her, but it was just too close. The wisp knew what it was doing when it led me out to her… if I’d been just a few moments later getting out there-

I took a deep breath through my nose, my focus sharpening as I eyed something moving in the darkness. It was… a bison? Something similar to one? It cautiously watched us from afar, though seemed just as weary of us as I was of it.

Lucia sighed deeply, waving a deprecating hand at herself. “I may not look it, but I’m the CEO of Cernobog Industries after my father… passed on.”

“Young?” When I thought of CEO’s, images of grizzled old corpos came to mind. Not someone like- well, like Lucia.

”Seventeen… it's been a hereditary position for generations, though.” She shrugged loosely, her hand tightening on my side. “Look. I- I don’t know who I can trust after the hova went down. Will you… be my guard?”

“Yep.” I was already planning on protecting her anyway. At least, until I figured out what was going on. And she was still a kid. I used to hate kids, but they had a soft spot in my heart now. You really couldn’t appreciate something till they were gone.

Her weary expression lifted slightly into a small ghost of a smile. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“No-”

[Nighteye warns against refuse. It’ll just make you look suspicious!]

Rush.

Ugh, the cat had a good point. Looking suspicious was the last thing I wanted. Although she was hiding it well, she was already guarded against me. Not that I could blame her given the situation. “Fine.”

”As soon as I can get everything back under control…” She dropped her head, expression hidden by her long golden hair. “If I can get everything back under control…”

We went silent until we got back to the idling vehicle. I mounted the Jackrabbit with her help. She got on behind me, hesitantly wrapping her arms around my waist as I hit the accelerator.

Under the constant hum of the engine, both of us were silent. Thankfully, the journey back to Ashton was a boring one. Just like on my way out, I dodged anything that looked dangerous and wrapped around every building just in case.

Getting back into Ashton wasn’t an issue either. She had a white SIGIL as well, surprisingly. She was an awakener, though it seemed she lacked in Skills. Otherwise, she should’ve been the last one standing in the hova. Security didn’t give us any trouble. 

As for the Jackrabbit? I had to pay a slight fee thanks to a few bullet holes, but nothing too major. It did cut my wallet way down though, which was sliced even further as we decided to stay in a hotel until the morning. I wasn’t in great shape, and Lucia was hesitant about immediately going back in case they were watching for her.

I checked my SIGIL with a frown as we stepped into the hotel’s elevator. This place was low end- the perfect spot to lay low for a while. I was low on Nytes. Extremely low. 

Hmm… I should go run some more rifts soon. Not only for the Nytes, but also to power up. For once, I felt a familiar drive to get stronger. My mind raced with information as I thought about everything I’d read on the Grid until now… maybe I should try to find a Skill catalogue before committing to anything else? Outside of the Skill I was already working on, of course.

I stuffed my hands in my hoodie pocket as I followed Lucia into the hotel room. I kept my eye peeled, checking the corners as she jumped onto the bed. A moment later, she shot to her feet with an overly bright expression. “I call the shower!”

I watched her bolt into the bathroom as I moved to the other bed and took a seat. I clicked on the TV as the shower switched on, watching the news as I pretended not to hear the muffled sobs and sniffles coming from the bathroom.

[Nighteye wonders why you aren’t going to check on her.]

She went out of her way to hide her sobs, didn't she? And that smile she showed me before heading into the bathroom… She was trying to keep up a strong front. To not look weak. I’d have to be some kind of monster to shatter that.

[Nighteye’s ears drop defensively as she catches a random stray.]

Just let her have a few moments to grieve. Going down in a wreck was already a lot, but then add on betrayal? That wasn’t something that a med patch could just be slapped over. Besides, we barely knew each other. I wasn’t in the best position to offer comfort.

I sighed and shook my head, focusing back on the TV as I turned it up slightly.

— — —

In the morning, I woke up early and went out-

[Nighteye coldly harrumphs. Dishonest in even your own thoughts?]

 Okay, okay, fine. I didn't really ‘wake up’ early. I just didn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, memories of her last moments haunted me. That, combined with the light cries from Lucia? It was impossible for me to sleep.

I went out and got donuts from a bodega on the street corner. I returned to the hotel, adjusting the aviators as I opened the door to the room-

I ducked backward as the clothing rack’s rod slammed right past my head. The donuts dropped to the floor as I secured my coffee. I back stepped, holding my cup defensively as I eyed my attacker. 

“S-sorry.” Lucia called out from inside the hotel room as she lowered her improvised weapon. “Y-you weren’t here and I just- I just-“

I sighed and grabbed the dropped donuts, stepping back into the hotel before anyone could come to investigate the noise. “Break. Fast.”

Her silver eyes welled up with tears. “I’m so sorry. You went to go get breakfast and I- I attacked you for it-“

I shrugged as I set the donuts down and popped open the lid. I wasn’t sure what she’d want, so I just went with a dozen of varied kinds. “It’s. Fine.”

“No its not! What if I- what if I-“ Lucia shook her head, roughly rubbing at her eyes. Seemed the shock from last night was wearing off as she held back tears. “I’ve already injured you once!”

I set down the food and patted my arm. “Strong.”

”Heh…” Her expression twisted for a moment before she forced a dim smile. “Still…”

I pulled the frost dagger out, passing it to her. “Here.”

”What’s this-?” She cut herself off.

”Better. Weapon.” I nodded to the clothes rack propped up inside the closet. No point leaving her unarmed. What if something happened while I wasn’t near? Besides, she’d probably get more use out of it than I would.

”Are you sure?” Lucia eyed the weapon, her hand twitching slightly.

I bobbed my arm up and down. “Yep.”

”Thanks.” She grabbed the dagger and sheath, wrapping it around her waist.

The room went silent as she picked up a donut. I watched her, moving to the window sill as I sipped at my cup. It wasn’t great, probably some kind of low-quality instant mix, but coffee was coffee.

In the distance, sounds of a firefight and the wails of sirens echoed through the thin walls of the hotel. Other ambient noise filtered in as the tension in Lucia’s shoulders relaxed slightly. The TV loudly blared some corporate shit that was closer to an advertising campaign than an actual show, though she seemed to have some interest in it.

“Um… do you have trouble speaking, by any chance?” She asked hesitantly.

”Old. Injury.” Injury wasn’t quite right. It was closer to a curse than anything, though it was slowly getting better.

”Right… sorry for asking.” Lucia slapped her cheeks slightly, causing her complexion to become rosey. “I’ve been making a plan… I-is it alright if I stay with you for a while? Not too long. I just need to lie low and see who’s still loyal inside Cernobog.”

”…” I tilted my head to the side. Hmm… could I convince Kali? Probably, right? She had a heart of gold. If I showed up with Lucia and told my roommate I picked her up off the streets, she’d probably give in, right? Or maybe she’d smack me upside the head for kidnapping…

Lucia’s silver eyes twisted. ”Is that a no?”

“Roommate.” I shrugged, hoping she got my point. “Stay. With. Strangers?”

She fidgeted for a moment before sighing. “I- I have a Skill. It lets me see- um- strands? No- ugh! It helps make decisions, I guess. I can’t see you with it… but almost everywhere else reeks of danger. My options are- they’re not great.”

Eyes of Providence? It sounded like it. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. Just like Elysia and the rest of the royal bloodline of Serhymn… And Nighteye had the gall to tell me Guiding Moonlight wasn’t a wish. How could things be so similar?

[Nighteye raises a paw in defense. She couldn’t have known things would turn out like this!]

Then is there a reason she looked so similar to my Elysia? Or was it purely just chance? No- if the appearance was just chance, then why did she also have the Eyes of Providence? A descendent, maybe? 

It- it wasn’t… impossible. Highly improbable, but while I was intimately aware of what happened to most of her kids, there were a few who slipped through the gaps. One of them could’ve ended up here, just like me…

Even more so, her Eyes of Providence didn’t work on me just the same as the royal family’s version… Or I should say, no longer worked on me after that bastard-

I bit my tongue, forcing the thoughts away. Best not think of the devil lest he comes, yep? Nighteye? You have any ideas?

[Nighteye tries to inspect Lucia. She sighs in frustration, proclaiming another Star is blocking her vision.]

Hmm-

“Did you hear me?” Lucia tilted her head to the side, her golden hair bobbing with the motion. 

I frowned at Nighteye. Quit distracting me. “Sorry…”

“Ugh… I was saying and you’ve already saved me. If you had any ill-intentions toward me, you could’ve done something back at the wreck. Before I-“ Her expression wilted. “I injured your leg.”

I patted my leg, swinging it lightly. It wasn’t back to a hundred percent, but it was no longer in an off direction. Wardens already healed quicker than mundanes. Add in my already fast ‘natural’ healing? “Primo.”

She went silent, staring at my leg intently. “Still…”

“Bastion? Ready?” I changed the subject. I imagine there was only so much she could do down here, and I was more than ready to get back to the apartment.

“I guess…” She shook her head, finishing off a donut. That false cheer returned to her face as she forced a smile. “Whenever you are.”