CE Advance - 11/03 7:01 pm 51EE

Navie bounced her leg impatiently as she sat with her arms crossed. She sat at a small dining table with cutlery and bowels littered about. A small chandelier swayed above, the cascading light flickering as the lightbulbs intermittently blinked from the ceaseless turbulence plaguing the whole airship. Cups and spoons would occasionally shift in the direction the airship swayed in with Navie following a similar example. Around the dining room she was situated were countless cabinets filled with an assortment of spices and condiments, each systematically organized by flavour. At the north side of the room was the doorway which was blocked by an idle Werren who was smoking and speaking with Meda. To the east side of the room was a long countertop with a clutter of dirty dishes and food still being prepared, a stove was going with the crackling and popping of meat in a large pan. A large pot sat on another part of the stove, bubbling and frothing with a clean green broth. The piquant scent of the broth wafted through the room. By the south side of the room was a large fridge and freezer, misty air seeping from the freezer as Pyxis and Draco stood by it, their faces bedaubed with sweat as their skin inhaled the icy draft. Finally, at the west side of the room, was the dining table in which Navie and Century sat, both silent and dismissive of the lively environment they found themselves surrounded in.

In the background of all the muttering a radio played light melancholic jazz that soothed the excited atmosphere. All of Lockdown had wound down for the night with them having changed out of their uniforms and into more casual attire. Meda wore a red baggy shirt and had her hair tied up, she was the main cook for Lockdown so she would keep her eyes locked on the stove while chatting with Werren. Pyxis wore a bright blue onesie as he sat near the freezer taking ice cubes to munch on while he spoke with Draco, who wore a fluffy white turtleneck sweater with a picture of a polar bear on the front. Navie on the other hand hadn't changed out of her uniform, she kept a stern expression as she waited for dinner. Century yawned as she too was waiting for food, a low rumble came from her stomach.

Suddenly, Nayjhren ran into the room excitedly. He had a large grin and was out of breath.

"GUYS GUYS! Birdies! On the top deck! They're back!"

All of Lockdown groaned. Pyxis leaned back shaking his head.

"I'm not dealing with this one!"

Meda flickered her fingers and looked away.

"I have to focus on dinner, someone else deal with it."

Navie shook her head aggressively.

"Grrh... Draco! Go deal with it."

Draco saluted.

"Yes ma'am."

Century shot up.

"I wanna go fight the birds! Last time none of you left any for me!"

Draco held her palm out in front of Century's face.

"Don't worry. I can handle it, there is no need for me to have a partner."

Century raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? I'm not helping you lap dog, I'm gonna beat you to the birds first!"

Century ran off. Draco's demeanour changed as her eyes narrowed.

"Challenging me is idiotic girl."

Draco bolted after Century.

Century sprinted through the narrow hallways of the airship, putting on her glove. Draco swiftly caught up and blew past Century, shoving her down. Century clenched her fist and got back up, racing after Draco. They soon reached the ladder to the upper deck. Draco didn't even bother climbing the ladder, instead opting to leap up the whole way. She crouched down, bending her blade prosthetics before pushing up and making a quick ascent to the deck.

Century looked up the ladder.

"Fine. I'll take my own shortcut."

Century ran to a nearby window and opened it, the pressure in the airship dropping as Century was sucked out. As Century flew through the air, she turned her glove to helium and transformed it into a balloon, inflating the glove and causing her to rise rapidly. Once high enough she cut the helium off and dropped to the deck, looking up she saw a giant bird with the tail of a rattlesnake and the body of a vulture. It had deep green feathers and glowing red eyes, signature features of a Necrobeast.

Draco bounced around the deck, ripping out strands of her hair and turning them into arrows. However, instead of using a bow to fire the arrows she pitched them like spears into the beast's back. It squawked loudly as it flapped its wings threateningly before rattling its tail and swinging it around at Draco. Draco leapt out of the way as the tails crashed down on the deck. Century used her glove to create a small floating blob of water, she grinned manically and waited for Draco to land. Once Draco hit the deck, Century lobbed the blob of water at her. Draco became soaked.

Draco looked appalled.

"Water?"

Draco peered towards Century who smirked.

"What are you doing?"

Century made another blob of water.

"Getting this kill."

Century threw the other blob at Draco soaking her further but more importantly, drenching her hair causing it to clump together. Draco tried to pull out a single strand to form an arrow but instead, she ripped out a handful of intertwined strands and they all transmuted into a large pile of arrows. Draco dropped the pile of arrows, she had a lot more arrows than needed.

"Why would you-"

Before Draco could respond to Century's sabotage the Necrobeast whacked Draco across the deck. Her body slid across the deck before slamming into the railing. She groaned in pain as the Necrobeast turned its attention to Century.

Century created a silver dagger.

"That's it... come to Mama ugly."

Century propelled herself upward, dodging its sweeping tail. She landed on the beast's back causing it to flail through the air.

"Just. Stay. STILL!"

Century lifted the dagger and slammed the blade into the beast's back. Green blood spurt out as Century ripped the blade out. Before the Necrobeast could respond Century put her glove to its newly acquired wound and ignited an explosion. Century was flung off the beast's back as a trail of smoke and blood rippled from the beast. It slammed onto the deck limp. Century landed on the deck with a loud thud.

Draco had gotten up and ran over to the collapsed beast.

"Ensuring target is dead."

Draco put her hand on the beast's head. Without warning, however, the beast's neck snapped to face her and its beak clamped around her arm. Draco couldn't escape it as the beast ripped her arm off. Wires and metal scattered through the wind but Draco didn't look fazed whatsoever.

"Injury sustained. Finishing off target quickly."

"WAIT! Don't kill it!"

Nayjhren ran across the deck with his hand extended.

Draco glared at him over her shoulder. Her fist clenched as she turned back to the beast and bashed its head in. Its movements halted as Nayjhren tore Draco away.

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Nayjhrne inspected the beast but sighed when he saw it dead.

"Ugh. Why didn't you listen!? I said not to kill it!"

Draco stood up and ripped her detached arm from the beast's jaws.

"I was following orders."

Nayjhren looked disgusted.

"I wanted to try and save it!"

Nayjhren gripped his hair.

"I just... why didn't you listen."

His hands dropped to his side.

Nayjhren got up with his head low as he dragged his feet away from the corpse.

Century ran over to see the beast dead by Draco's hands.

"THAT WAS MY KILL!"

Draco had a neutral expression.

"I had to follow the captain's orders."

Century turned her fist into diamond.

"Follow this!"

Just as Century went to punch Draco, a tendril wrapped around her wrist.

"Calm down. Dinner's ready, clean up that corpse then come and eat."

Werren had an exhausted look on his face, his tired eyes drooped downwards more than usual.

Century was let go as she scowled at Werren. She turned back to Draco.

"You're lucky I'm starving!"

Century walked off as Draco picked up the beast with her attached arm and hauled it off the side of the airship, watching it fall through the clouds.

"Save it..."

Draco then followed Century back down to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, everyone was seated at the dining table. Yelling and throwing of things ensued as Meda placed people's food on the table.

Pyxis took a long sip of the broth.

"Woah! It's the Pho from Jia!"

Meda smirked, proud of herself.

"Of course. I have a very good memory so it was easy to replicate it. Especially with so many people under my charm, I tasted it a thousandfold."

Century devoured her meal.

"SECONDS! NOW!"

Werren whacked Century with a spoon.

"Be respectful Century."

Century snarled.

"Shut up old man! SECONDS! SECONDS!"

Pyxis was impressed by how fast Century scarfed down her food.

"What!? Someone can eat faster than me!?"

Pyxis slammed his bowl down.

"NO MEDA! ME ME! SECONDS!"

Meda grew agitated.

"Both of you WAIT! Seconds are only allowed once everyone has finished their bowl!"

Werren takes a long drag from his cigarette.

"Century if you keep being disrespectful we won't fight tomorrow."

Century sat up straight.

"F-Fine. I'll wait."

Navie coughed as Werren blew his smoke into her face.

"WERREN! Smoke OUTSIDE! That smoke is repulsive."

She covered her nose.

Meda was taking pictures of the food but the table kept being knocked.

"STOP KNOCKING THE TABLE! I'm trying to take a photo."

The table was knocked again.

"Who is doing that!?"

Pyxis giggled and smirked.

"No seconds or dessert for you Pyxis."

Pyxis looked distraught.

"What!? No please I'm sorry Meda!"

Dinner was quite lively aboard the Advance, after a short while the excitement died down and everyone enjoyed a few quiet moments.

Navie sat back and used a toothpick to clean any remaining food from her teeth.

"Was that Necrobeast from before dealt with swiftly? I saw Century leave a window open so I'm hoping that means everything has been cleaned up."

Century let out a loud burp. Pyxis giggled.

"No, it went horribly. Draco stole my kill."

Navie shook her head.

"I wasn't asking you. Draco, was the creature dealt with?"

There was a moment of silence. Navie looked up expecting to see Draco seated at the table but she was nowhere to be seen, along with Nayjhren who was also missing.

"Hm? Where's Draco?"

Meda shrugged as she scrolled on her phone. Pyxis was building a pyramid from forks. Century was poking Werren as he slept leaning back in his seat. Navie just shook her head before getting up to go look for Draco.

Down the hall and past the bend were the cabins. In one of the guest rooms, Nayjhren was cooped up in his bed reading one of his many books. His door then opened as Draco stepped in, her arm still detached. Nayjhren looked up and squinted before burying his face deeper into his book.

Draco walked up and sat on the bed opposite Nayjhren.

"What did you mean?"

Nayjhren didn't move. He kept his book covering his face.

"Save it... that's what you said right?"

Nayjhren turned away from her.

"Nayjhren, correct? How could you have saved it?"

Nayjhren scoffed.

"Why would you care?"

Draco looked down.

"Because what you said is impossible. Since the beginning of record history, there have been zero cases where the effects of a Necrobeast have been reversed. In fact, most modern-day Necrobeasts aren't even from normal animals that ate a Strand brain. Around 99.18% of modern Necrobeasts are born naturally, from two-parent Necrobeasts so they have no reverse since they are born a monster. To change a Necrobeast back to normal is impossible, so please tell me. How would you save it?"

Nayjhren slowly turned around.

"I... I don't know. I have to try."

Draco looked up at him. Her cold expressionless gaze burned into his retinas.

"Over one thousand tests of Necrobeasts have been conducted in just this Era alone and most results conclude that Necrobeasts are just puppets for the parasite inside them. They don't have feelings nor do they share bonds. The closest a Necrobeast has to a bond are their nests but those are made purely for survival and reproduction rather than to be social. In fact, most studies show Necrobeasts live better alone since they only eat Strand Brains which makes gathering food hard since Strand users have evolved a long way since the primitive ages."

Nayjhren's eyes widened.

"Have you actually ever been in a nest?"

Draco looks down once more before looking back up.

"Yes. It's how I lost my body."

Draco uses her hand to dig into her face. Nayjhren hears the bending and creaking of metal as Draco rips her face open revealing a vast mechanical array. A jumble of metal and wires with her eyeballs connected to her brain via wires and cables.

"Trust me when I say that Necrobeasts cannot be befriended. You cannot go against nature Nayjhren, the world is this way for a reason."

Nayjhren gags as he sees Draco open her face up. Suddenly Navie walks in as Draco turns to her.

"Draco?"

Draco stands up and salutes.

"Captain."

Navie looks at Draco's open face and detached arm.

"What the... um. Go get yourself patched up."

Draco nods before walking out of the room.

"Was everything okay in here?"

Nayjhren looked disturbed.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

"Well, come to the bridge. We're discussing tomorrow's plans."

Navie walked away.

Nayjhren composed himself as he looked at the collection of metal fragments now littered on his room's floor. He sighed and tossed his book onto his bed before going to the bridge.

The bridge had a large console that controlled every aspect of the airship, from navigation to the defensive cannons that lay across the hull. There were massive windows at the front of the bridge that looked out onto the purple sky. At the back of the bridge was a large table where everyone sat, on the table was a map of their location. Nayjhren soon joined everyone and took a seat beside Werren. Across the table, Draco repaired her face and slowly began to reattach her arm.

Navie walked up and pointed to the map.

"This is our current course to the island. It's a good five thousand kilometres from any other land mass and in the heart of territory that both Ignition and SHS are vying for so it isn't too out there to think they have a similar idea to us. We are expected to reach the island tomorrow afternoon so expect resistance once we arrive. Since we accidentally left Crux behind we won't have any repairs on the ship nor will we be able to restock the cannons so our best bet is to park the Advance somewhere hidden."

Century raises an eyebrow.

"Why don't you just put the ship back into all of your hair and then resummon it? Seems stupid to park it. I mean this thing's HUGE."

Navie nods.

"Resummoning the Advance can use up a lot of energy. Most of the time it takes around an hour for the Advance to be fully summoned. When we summoned it back at Jia, we used a lot more energy to summon it quicker but after a battle, using a lot of energy might not be an option. Our best bet is to keep it hidden once we arrive. Speaking about our arrival, our main target isn't the Haab', it's the island itself. If Ignition and SHS are there then we will let them fight over the Haab'.

Navie stands tall.

"It'll be a quick mission. We will probably set a safety timer for... three hours. That should be enough time."

Nayjhren looked confused and turned to Werren.

"What's a safety timer?"

Werren turns to Nayjhren.

"When the Initiates begin an operation, to ensure we don't lose a bunch of operatives squads are required to set a timer. When the timer hits zero then a backup squad is called to evacuate the squad so most operations are under a strict time limit."

Navie turns away.

"Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Then, Lockdown, you are dismissed for the day. Rest up for tomorrow."

Everyone left the bridge as they prepared themselves for the start of their operation the next day. On the horizon, the SHS and Ignition prepare their plan as well. A great battle is sure to commence once the sun rises...