CHAPTER 32 - June
"Answer your questions?" June raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Or what?"
Eloise took a single step forward, her finger curling around the trigger of her pistol. "Or I will kill your staff, one at a time, while you watch."
"Really Eloise? Murder? That's not your style-"
A shot rang out, followed by various gasps and screams as one of the engineers fell to the ground.
June paused for a moment, peering at the fallen man, then back at Eloise. "Is that it? Is that all you have to threaten me with? I can find replacements, you know."
Another shot rang out and a second engineer collapsed, crying out as he gripped at his chest, before a third shot silenced him. The three remaining engineers desperately dove for cover, cowering behind whatever they could find.
"Would you knock it off," June snapped. "I said I could find replacements, but not that it wouldn't be a pain in the ass!"
"No jokes, no games." Eloise turned her pistol back on June, her eyes hard and filled with rage. "Tell me what I want to know, or I swear, I will kill you."
June's eye twitched a little. "Well, you've certainly changed, Eloise."
"How can you do this?" Eloise demanded, keeping her pistol aimed at June but nodding up at the massive machine. "You know what this technology did to the Drathain plane! How could you be so stupid?!"
"Stupid? Do you think we've learned nothing?"
As June spoke, the machine began to hum again. The runes flared to life as a pulse of energy ran down its length toward the floor.
June gritted her teeth. "Dammit! Wulfe! Hillburn! Make sure the injectors are stable!"
As June's hand flashed down to her belt, Eloise fired, her bullet striking June in the shoulder. She cried out in anger more than in pain and started running towards a nearby stack of metal cylinders, drawing her weapon and firing wildly at Eloise. Bolts of red energy knitted June's flesh back together as she ducked behind the control panel.
"Wulfe, Hillburn! Move, now!"
Two of the engineers emerged from their hiding places and hurriedly made their way over to a large bank of controls at the base of the machine.
"M-matix is f-functioning!" One of the engineers called out, his voice shaking in terror. "C-conversion rate... seventy percent!"
"Injector one and three are working, injection into the crystal is proceeding!" The second engineer called out, her voice far more stable as her gaze swept the vast array of dials and gauges before her.
"I'd think twice before killing any more of my people," June called out. "Unless you want to turn all of New Burleigh into a smoking crater! That's what, half a million people? Even you aren't going to sacrifice that many!"
"You're not drawing power from the plane... you're using the lives of the pelts!" Eloise's voice darkened. "You're using the Iron Games to create blood runes!"
"The people of this country do love killing pelts," June sneered. "Might as well make use of it! Seems a just punishment for betraying us if you ask me."
"So you're serving Halcyon now? I thought you hated Wilhelmina and her bloody canon!"
June fired wildly at Eloise, before pausing to reload. "Don't be mad at me, it was Oliver's idea!"
As June reloaded, Eloise drew a knife from her belt and leaped out from behind her cover. Flipping the blade around in her hand, she charged at June.
With a curse, June stood up and tossed her gun aside. From a scabbard at her waist she withdrew a long, curved sabre. With a flick of her thumb, she triggered a rune on the hilt of the sword, and within seconds the blade began to glow a dull orange.
Sparks flew as Eloise's blade slammed into June's, ignoring the glow of the sword
"So you joined Oliver, I should have known." Eloise snarled, forcing June back a step. "You always did have a habit of crawling back to him when you got into trouble!"
June gritted her teeth, pushing back hard against Eloise. "Got tired of running, what can I say! You know, you could come back to us."
Eloise stepped to the side, forcing June's blade down. She brought her knife back up blindly fast, aiming a cut at June's eyes. Only a last-second dodge saved June from losing her eyes. Instead Eloise's blade carved a deep cut into her cheek. Before June could even cry out, Eloise delivered another cut to her left arm and thigh.
With a howl of rage, June gripped her sword with both hands and swung wildly at Eloise, forcing her back.
"So Legacy Runeworks is going to support Halcyon in its war?!" Eloise demanded, glaring at June. "You are insane!"
June panted, glancing down at her leg as her flesh quickly healed. "You know what, you're still a bitch."
Crying out, June attacked Eloise, her sabre a glowing streak as she whirled it around her body, striking with seemingly random thrusts. Eloise blocked and dodged the strikes, but soon found herself on the defensive.
"You're slower!" June cried out, her sword just barely missing Eloise's chest and instead slicing into her shoulder with a sizzling hiss. "What's the matter, Eloise, not been keeping up with your training? I thought you were the one who always said-"
A loud crack rang out as Eloise slammed her elbow into June's nose, before spinning around and driving her knife into June's chest.
She howled in rage and pain, lashing out with a foot, knocking Eloise back.
"You could never beat me June." Eloise growled. "And that will never change, I don't care how many years have passed."
"Oh would you shut up!" June grimaced as she pulled the knife from her chest and threw it back at Eloise. Eloise caught the blade easily, but June was already moving, ignoring her wounds and attacking with her sabre.
***
Luke felt his mouth go dry as another of the debris, a young feline, fell to the ground, dark red blood spreading around him. Only three debris remained in the pit, grouped together against one wall as Kard and Cero both advanced on them.
"Are you enjoying the match?"
Luke jumped a little as Colmstock approached him from behind. "Ah... Mr. Colmstock, yes it is certainly... exciting."
"Mmm, I find it thrilling, seeing life and death in its most pure form." Colmstock sighed with joy as another of the debris tried to run away, and was instead struck down, her skull caved in by a vicious blow from Cero's club.
"There is nothing in this world that you can't see in the ring." Colmstock purred, dropping into a seat beside Luke and gesturing for a servant. "Life, death, hate, joy, even love if you can believe it."
"Doesn't seem sporting, giving those 'debris' no weapons to speak of."
"Well, we can't have them damaging our prize fighters." Colmstock chuckled. He didn't take his eyes off the ring as the server approached. "Water with ice."
"As you command."
"It's all a carefully crafted narrative written in blood for the crowd." Colmstock continued, folding his fingers in front of his face. "But of course, they can't be allowed to see the strings."
"So everything here is just a story?" Luke scoffed. "How distasteful."
"'Just a story'? My dear Mister Windhill, I do believe that may be one of the most hurtful things you could have said." Colmstock chuckled a little. "This is a masterwork, a tale spun from blood, rather than from petty words. Each of those debris was specially selected, and it is certainly no accident that Cero and Kard, two fighters of roughly equal skill and renown, are facing one another."
Colmstock paused for a moment, the crowd roaring as the second to last of the debris was struck down. "Of course, there can be an upset from time to time, Cero himself was once mere debris."
***
As the second last of the debris fell to the sand as was still, the final one, a young Lutrine with a single arm, was backed against the wall of the ring. His eyes darted back and forth, his chest heaving in fear as both Cero and Kard bore down on him.
"Once this one is dealt with, I'm going to tear your heart out and show it to you." Cero snarled, glancing over at Kard.
"You're welcome to try," Kard replied with a cocky grin. "But last I checked, I've taken out more of the debris than you have."
"A warrior doesn't concern himself with the butchering of weaklings."
"Then he's mine." Kard stepped forward, aiming his club at the terrified Lutrine. "Don't worry, I'll make it as quick as I can."
***
"This is it," Colmstock muttered, leaning forward in his seat. "The most important moment in that poor wretch's life. Does he attack? Does he run? No reward other than to keep living if he wins." A wide grin spread across Colmstock's face, his eyes shining. "Isn't it exciting?"
But it wasn't excitement that Luke felt as he watched, his stomach twisting. For a moment, it wasn't a young lutrine that he saw, but Azee, Chara, or Fray.
'This has to stop...'
***
With a desperate howl, the debris charged, wildly swinging the sharpened stick that he carried at Kard. Kard danced backward, his huge lapine feet a blur. But the lutrine pursued him, thrusting his stick with practised precision. The crowd let out a tremendous roar as one of the thrusts struck home, the point digging into Kard's right side, just above his waist.
He let out a bellow of anger and pain, staggering backward. The lutrine seized his chance, rushing forward. But his thrust was too committed, too predictable, and Kard was able to catch the crude spear under his arm and send the lutrine tumbling with a powerful kick.
The lutrine struck the wall of the pit, coughing raggedly and desperately trying to catch his breath.
***
"I'll buy him," Luke said quickly, glancing over at Colmstock. "The boy, I like his spirit. How much to purchase him?"
Colmstock didn't turn, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the ring. "Let's see... This is the moment that decides if he is a fighter... or just debris."
"Didn't you hear me? I'll buy him, four hundred Larics, right now."
Colmstock gave no reply.
***
The lutrine managed to pick himself up, clutching at his stomach, blood and bile dripping from his mouth. Cero charged, aiming a swing with his club, but the lutrine just barely dodged, the spike on the end of Cero's club just barely cutting into his ear. He tried to scramble over to grab one of the fallen debris's weapons, but his own spear came out of nowhere and buried itself in his leg.
The crowd let out an ecstatic roar as Kard approached the lutrine, still desperately crawling to try and get his hands on another weapon. Just before the lutrine was able to get his hands on another spear, Kard reached him and pinned him to the ground with his foot. The lutrine struggled, but Kard was too strong for him.
***
Luke's breath shuddered as Kard flipped the lutrine over with a kick and raised the lurtine's own spear over his head, gripping it with both hands.
"A thousand larics!" Luke pushed himself out of his seat. "Dammit man, fifteen hundred!
Still, Colmstock said nothing.
Luke started to yell, but a sudden explosion of cheering from the crowd made him pause.
In the ring, the lutrine collapsed to the sand, his own spear buried deep in his chest. He took one last gurgling breath, before lying still.
With the final debris felled, Kard turned to Cero. Again the crowd roared in anticipation as the two began once more to circle one another, all distractions eliminated.
Luke's whole body felt numb as he dropped back into his seat. As the server returned with Colmstock's drink, Luke gestured to him. Setting the crystal glass down on the table beside Colmstock's seat, the slave bustled over.
"Yes sir, how may I serve you?"
"Whiskey, now."
"Yes sir, how would you like it?"
"Do I look like I care?"
The server quickly nodded and hurried off.
"Did you feel sorry for him?" Colmstock asked,
Luke glanced over at Colmstock, working hard to keep his expression from registering the disgust and frustration that he felt in his chest. "He had spirit, seems a waste to just kill him."
"A waste..." Colmstock shook his head slowly. "No Mister Windhill, not a waste. If not for me, his life would have been naught but drudgery and toil, but in those last few moments, he meant something. Perhaps it won't mean much for very long, but I wasn't about to take that flash of meaning away, not from him, and certainly not from the crowd."
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
***
In the ring, Cero was the first one to make a move, charging at Kard and trying to knock him off his feet. Despite the wound in his side, Kard was still fast, managing to dodge to the side and lash out with a powerful kick.
Cero caught the leg and held on tight, using his strength to force the lapine to the ground on his back. He swung his club, aiming the spike between Kard's eyes. Instead of dodging, Kard lunged forward as much as he was able, driving his forehead into Cero's nose. As the canine yelped, Kard was able to wedge his feet into Cero's belly and push him off.
Both fighters scrambled back to their feet, each watching the other closely.
***
"I think, sir, that perhaps you take more pleasure in killing than necessary," Luke commented as he glanced down at the ring, the distaste in his voice clear.
"Killing? Nonsense, I merely give the crowd what they demand."
"And a barkeep may pour the drink that finally kills a drunkard, with only the fear of his own conscience to stop him. People are terrible judges of what is and is not good for them."
Colmstock's smile faltered. "Forgive me, Mister Windhill, but did you just compare our beloved Halcyon to a drunken degenerate?"
"A poor choice of words perhaps."
"I should think so. You should be cautious Windhill, such talk could cost you."
Luke raised his chin, glaring down his nose at Colmstock. "Are you questioning my loyalty, sir?"
Colmstock's eye twitched a little as Luke's hand drifted down to rest on the butt of his gun.
"Of course not, a mere.... observation."
"Then I thank you for your insight, but my family has served Burleigh county, and all of Halcyon, for centuries, and will continue to do so for all time."
"Perhaps." Colmstock turned back to the fight. "But one who truly serves his nation must share in its spirit. Money is the cheapest way to serve, Mister Windhill."
Pausing for a moment, Luke looked back at Colmstock. "What do you mean?"
"Your family's money may well have built this place, but it is I and others that make it more than just another gaudy building. A true believer, a true servant of Halcyon, will always prove more valuable than a mere sum of money. Patriotism cannot be bought. Your father understood this.... a shame he never had the chance to pass the knowledge on to you."
"I think you will find, sir, that you know very little about what my father did and did not teach me." Luke straightened and brushed off his jacket. "I believe it is time for me to leave."
"Indeed, that may be for the best."
***
Kard and Cero lunged at one another again, their clubs clashing with a loud 'THWACK' that filled the arena. Both swung wildly, deadly blows missing by mere inches. The crowd roared with anticipation, they knew their moment was coming.
With a resounding crack, Cero's club shattered just above the handle, the metal spike flying free. Rather than retreat, the canine let out a fearsome howl and pounced on Kard, his claws digging into the lapine's flesh.
Kard aimed a swing at Cero's head with his club, but a fearsome punch to his jaw sent his head crashing into the sand hard. Taking advantage of his dazed opponent, Cero tore the club from Kard's hand. As Cero swung downward, Kard caught the club, the spike going clear through his hand. Desperately he sank his teeth into Cero's wrist. He howled in pain, dropping the weapon, and allowing Kard to deliver a savage punch of his own.
The melee swiftly turned into a brawl, with Cero and Kard both dealing vicious blows with fists and elbows, limbs thrashing about as each tried to pin the other.
***
As Luke turned to depart, the server returned with a glass of whiskey in hand.
"Take that away," Luke commanded. "And go see to it that my carriage is brought around, I am leaving."
'Eloise can bloody well walk back to the hotel.'
"Yes sir, of course, sir. But... uh... there is an issue you should be made aware of."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What issue?"
***
Both Cero and Kard panted in exhaustion as they glared at one another. Their coats were dripping with blood, both their opponents and their own. One of Kard's eyes was swollen shut, while Cero had a large chunk missing from his left ear.
The arena rang with calls and cries to the two fighters.
"Come on Kard! Kill that mutt!"
"He ain't got nothing left Cero! End it!"
"I bet fifty larics on you rabbit, you better win this!"
"Go for the eyes man, the eyes!"
But the fighters heard none of it, only the roaring of blood in their ears and the sound of their own breathing.
***
Luke's eyes widened as he approached the bar at the back of the lounge. "Azee?!"
Azee looked up, her head swaying back and forth, her eyes glassy and unfixed.
"Oh... h-hey there Luke.... You uh... you wanna drink?"
"Are- are you drunk?!"
"You said n-not to watch... I dinn wanna watch, so I had a drink." She haltingly tried to count the empty glasses in front of her. "One... three... six... I dunno..."
Luke turned on the bartender. "You!"
"I-I'm sorry sir, b-but my orders a-are to s-serve when I am c-commanded to." The bartender shrunk back, trembling. "P-please forgive me, sir."
With a growl of frustration, Luke grabbed hold of Azee's shoulders. "Azee? Hey! Snap out of it, we're leaving."
"Leaving? Is... is it over?"
"Yeah, it's over." Luke gently pulled Azee to her feet. "Come on, time to go home."
"Home? I don't... I don't wanna go home, I wanna find Chara..."
"Right, we'll go find Chara okay, we just have to go to the hotel first."
"Can we go see Shinra again, he was cute..." Azee leaned close and whispered in Luke's ear. "He had a nice ass."
Forcing down his frustration, Luke nodded. "Fine, now just come on."
"Can I have another drink? It feels really good."
"Sure, I'll get you a drink at the hotel. "
As Azee tried to take a step her legs wobbled and she nearly fell over.
"By the lord..." Luke bent down and swooped Azee off her feet. "Now come on, we're going."
One of the servers hurriedly stepped up. "Sir, please allow me to-"
"I'm fine," Luke snapped. "She's my slave, my responsibility. Just make sure my carriage is waiting when I arrive.
"A-as you command sir."
Ignoring the chorus of whispers that followed, Luke carried Azee toward the lift.
"Are you mad at me?" Azee asked, looking up at Luke, her vision swimming.
"I..." Luke looked around, keenly aware of the ears turned towards him. "We'll talk about it later."
As the lift arrived with a loud clatter, Azee buried her face in Luke's chest. "You haven't... carried me like this... fer a while."
"Because you are heavy, and it's not appropriate," Luke said quietly as he stepped into the lift. Most of the other spectators were still watching the match, but some had turned and were staring with mixtures of shock and confusion at his behaviour.
Azee sniffed as her grip tightened. "You sold my sister... that wasn't ap...appro...ambropriate either..."
The lift door slid closed as Luke gently squeezed Azee. "We'll talk about it later."
A little smile played about Colmstock's lips as he watched Luke leave, before turning back to the match.
***
Cero lunged at Kard with his teeth and claws, a savage light glinting in his eyes. Kard dodged to the side, aiming a kick at Cero's ribs. But Cero had been expecting the attack and dodged it, stepping to the side and delivering a vicious right hook to Kard's jaw.
The lapine staggered back, dazed. He swung wildly with his own right hook, but Cero dodged it easily, before throwing another punch, this time with his left. Kard dropped to his knees, his head spinning before Cero grabbed hold of him and locked his head in a chokehold.
The crowd roared as Kard fought desperately, but was unable to get any purchase on Cero. His legs thrashed, his eyes bulging as Cero forced him to the sand. Kard's struggles grew swiftly weaker as a grin crossed Cero's face.
Then, just before everything went dark forever, Kard caught sight of something in the sand. With the last of his strength, he grabbed hold of it.
In a flash of silver, it was over. Cero blinked once in surprise before his eyes rolled back and he tumbled to the sand and lay still. The spike from his own broken club was stuck half in and half out of his right temple.
An ecstatic roar exploded from the crowd as Kard shakily got to his feet and raised his hands over his head in victory.
***
"And that is how quickly fortune can reverse itself." Colmstock smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "A most perfect ending." His eyes slid closed as he allowed the roaring of the crowd to roll over him like waves upon the beach.
So caught up was he in his moment that he didn't hear the Order agent approaching his chair.
"Sir?"
"Mmmm?"
"Mister Colmstock, sir?"
With an irritated sigh, Colmstock turned to look at the man. "Yes, what is it?"
"Sir... we have a problem. We've lost contact with the harvest team."
Immediately Colmstock's eyes widened. "What?! What do you mean?"
***
As the lift began its descent, Azee looked up at Luke again. "I don't like this... it's like being in a cage..."
"Don't worry, it's almost over."
"You wanna put me back in a cage, don't you..."
Luke looked down at Azee and shook his head. "No. Azee, I never want to put you in a cage. I promised you I'd look after you, and that is what I'm going to do. Even if you hate me for it."
"N-no, you wanna put me in a cage, I know it."
"I really don't Azee, I promise."
"You don't understand... you just... you just don't under... understand."
"Just... hush, we'll talk about this when we get home."
Azee's head spun as she tried to keep her focus on Luke. "You're angry at me..."
"I'm not angry," Luke lied.
"Yes you are... you're mad at me all the time now..."
"You're drunk, just relax."
Azee began to fight against Luke's grip. "No... no! No, you're gonna punish me! I don't wanna!"
"Azee I- OW! Azee! Relax!"
"I don't wanna be here! I don't wanna! Let me go!"
"Azee please, just relax, I've got you. I..." Luke's mind raced as Azee's struggles grew more and more frantic.
"I'm scared! Stop it! Let me go! I want out! I want out!"
Unable to think of anything else to do, Luke bent down and planted a kiss on Azee's lips. Immediately her eyes went wide and her struggles slowed. Warm memories poured through her as Luke kissed her, pleasant memories of being safe and happy. Reluctantly at first, then with more conviction, she returned Luke's kiss.
With a loud clang, the lift reached the lobby. An usher approached to open the door, but paused when he saw what was happening within.
Luke and Azee were still kissing, Azee gripping the front of Luke's jacket tightly. Neither one seemed to have noticed the lift had stopped.
"Uh... sir?"
Luke looked up sharply, his face swiftly turning red. "Oh..." He cleared his throat and stepped out of the elevator into the otherwise empty hall.
The usher bowed his head. "Your carriage is waiting for you at the front, sir."
"Yes, thank you." Luke stepped out of the elevator, still carrying Azee, who was looking up at him with a smile, softly giggling to herself.
"I suppose I don't need to tell you what will happen to you if you tell anyone what you saw?" Luke asked, glancing at the usher as they approached the main door.
"I saw nothing, sir."
"Good answer."
The night air was refreshingly cool as Luke carried Azee through the door and out towards the waiting carriage.
As the driver opened the door, Luke glanced at her. "No need to drive fast, steady would be much preferred."
"Of course sir."
"And take us to the hotel's rear entrance, I don't want-"
It was then that Azee turned her head and vomited all over Luke's shoes.
'Well... at least it's consistent with how this evening has gone thus far,' Luke thought to himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"P-perhaps your pelt should ride... on the back?" The driver suggested as Luke took a series of calming breaths.
"She rides with me. You can bill me for any damages." Luke replied resignedly, before climbing up into the carriage and slamming the door behind him.
After carefully setting Azee down on the seat, Luke sat down beside her. Almost immediately Azee tipped over, planting her head in Luke's lap.
"You smell funny." She giggled, before her eyes slid closed and she started to softly snore, her tongue hanging out the right side of her mouth.
"I... You...." Luke sighed heavily. Unable to think of anything else to do, he gently began scratching Azee between the ears.
"Here's hoping Eloise at least got what she came for."
***
"Dammit!' June howled, swinging her sword at Eloise as red bolts of energy crawled over the many cuts on her body. "Will you just die already!"
Eloise ducked June's wild swing and stepped backward. "More than two centuries, and you still haven't gotten any better with a sword!"
"You know, it would almost be worth blowing this place sky high, knowing it would take you out as well!" June pressed her attack, lunging forward and aiming a flurry of thrusts.
"And disappoint your new allies?" Eloise dodged most of the thrusts, but two struck home, one slicing into the side of her neck, the second in her chest.
"Halcyon is not an 'ally', they are a customer!"
Eloise panted as her wounds healed. "Now you really do sound like Oliver."
June was breathing hard, her grip on her weapon shaking a little. "Dammit... this is such a bloody waste of time... we could kill each other for days and never get anywhere."
"If you're tired you can take a break." Eloise's eyes narrowed. "I'll wait."
June shook her head as she paced back and forth in front of Eloise. "I don't get it... why did you betray Oliver? Why did you go against everything we were trying to build?"
"Because what you were building was monstrous! You and Oliver learned nothing from the cascade!"
Eloise lunged forward, throwing her first knife at June, before drawing a second. June deflected the first blade, but was caught off guard by Eloise's fresh attack.
Again the cavern rang with the sound of steel against steel.
"We're not copying the Drathain, we're learning from their mistakes!"
"You're using cruelty and murder to create blood runes! How many pelts have died for this!"
"They betrayed us at Kanter Valley!"
A loud hum echoed through the cavern as the match above ended. For a split second, June was distracted, her gaze flicking up to the massive machine.
Eloise was a blur, seizing hold of June's wrist and bringing her knee up hard. June cried out, her sword dropping from her grip. Eloise caught the blade as it fell, gripped the handle with both hands, and swung as hard as she could.
The blade let out a grinding hum as it carved through June's neck. June's body fell heavily, her head rolling away, much to the horror of the remaining engineers.
Dropping June's sword to the ground, Eloise turned back to the machine, and the engineers frantically working at the controls.
As she strode forward, she aimed the point of her knife at the nearest engineer. "You!"
The engineer looked up, terror on his face. "M-me?"
"Take the blood rune out of this machine, now!"
"B-but I-"
Eloise's second pistol slid out of her sleeve and into her hand. With one quick motion she raised it and fired, the bullet striking one of the other engineers in the leg. He dropped to the ground, howling in agony.
"Blood rune, now."
Stepping out from behind a control panel, another of the engineers called out.
"We can't take it out now! It's unstable." The engineer paused as Eloise turned her gun on him, before shakily swallowing and continuing. "I-if we take it out before it's stable, it could go off."
Despite the obvious fear in his voice, the man maintained a mostly calm expression. Eloise was surprised to note a pale blue ring around his otherwise orange eyes.
"Then stabilise it, and quickly," Eloise commanded.
"Only if you swear not to kill any more of us."
Eloise paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously trying to bargain with me? Just what kind of position do you think you are in?"
Screwing up his courage, the engineer stepped forward. "The position where, if we don't help you, this city is dust, and you with it. If we are to die, then we will die destroying an enemy of Halcyon."
For a long moment, the engineer and Eloise stared at one another. Finally, Eloise slowly lowered her gun. "Stabilise the crystal, and you get to live."
Nodding quickly, the engineer returned to his panel. "Injectors steady, increase power to number two converter!"
"Instability in the crystal! Pressure is rising!"
"Initialise primary and secondary bleed circuits!"
The whole room thrummed with power as the engineers worked feverishly. Bolts of red energy danced across the length of the machine, filling the room with the smell of burned metal.
Eloise felt the hairs on her arms stand up, a powerful tingling running over her skin as the air itself became charged.
"You bloody fools..." She glanced down at June's body. "How could you have seen the cascade... and still do this..."
Finally, the bolts of energy died down and the air stopped humming. But as the machine quieted, Eloise could hear another sound that made her curse under her breath, the sound of distant hammers and pickaxes. It would seem her barrier had been discovered.
"Crystal, now!" She commanded.
One of the engineers stepped towards the base of the machine, but the young man with the orange eyes put a hand out to stop him.
"We're not giving you the crystal," he declared.
"Are we seriously going to have to go through this again," Eloise demanded as she raised her pistol. "Give me the crystal, or I'll kill you lot and get it myself."
"You swore!"
Eloise's eyes narrowed. "And?"
The engineer's hands clenched into fists as he glared at Eloise.
As Eloise's finger curled around the trigger, one of the other engineers hurriedly pulled open a metal door at the base of the machine and pulled out a fist sized piece of red catalyst crystal.
"For the Lord's sake, just take it!" She shouted, throwing the crystal at Eloise.
Eloise caught the crystal and hurriedly wrapped it in a scrap of fabric, before shoving it into one of her pockets.
"Good. Now, knowing June, there is a second way out of here, where is it?"
"It's over there," the woman replied, pointing to a small alcove cut into the cavern wall.
The orange-eyed engineer spun round and glared at his comrade. "What are you doing?!"
"Getting her out of here before she kills all of us!"
Keeping her weapon aimed at the engineers, Eloise carefully made her way to the alcove. Upon the floor within the alcove was a metal plate bolted to the rock. An extremely complex rune was carved into the metal, with a series of catalyst crystals arranged around its edge.
"A transmission rune..." Eloise glanced back at the engineers. "Where does it lead?"
"W-we don't know, no one has used it."
As Eloise examined the rune, the sounds of pickaxes were replaced by the sounds of rubble falling, followed shortly by a chorus of shouting.
As quickly as she was able, Eloise approached the orange-eyed engineer and grabbed the front of his shirt.
"Come on," She ordered, dragging the young man over to the transmission rune. "Activate it."
"B-but it doesn't have power."
With a string of filthy curses, Eloise pulled a small handful of red crystals out of her jacket. "Here, now activate it!"
Instead, the young engineer seized on Eloise's distraction and swept the red crystals from the metal pad and lunged at Eloise. He grabbed hold of her arm, just as Order Agents appeared atop the scaffolding.
"Dammit!" Eloise snarled. With her free hand she seized the revolver at her waist and brought the butt crashing down on the engineer's head. As he fell to the ground, knocked out cold, Eloise knelt down and pressed her hand against one of the pieces of crystal that surrounded the perimeter of the transmission rune.
Immediately, trails of bright green energy spiderwebbed out from the crystal, filling the rune. Eloise gasped in agony as the crystal drew a vast amount of energy from her, first her hand, then her whole body. She let out a cry as her flesh quickly grew old and withered.
Before she and the engineer vanished, Eloise took aim at the machine and fired. The last of her piercing rounds left a light blue streak as it struck the machine and burrowed deep into the metal.
By the time the Order agents reached the bottom of the cavern, both Eloise and the young engineer were gone, leaving only a steaming transmission rune behind and a handful of small red crystals scattered about on the cavern floor.
***
END OF CHAPTER 32