The bunker.
At last, it was just over the horizon, peeking from behind a fallen tree.
"Lenora? Lenora!?" Abella called her voice the loudest of the three of them.
However, in spite of that fact, no reply came.
Even if Lenora had only been with them for an hour, it still concerned them how concerned the lady had been. Running off like Gro-goroth was at her tail.
"Let's go, we shouldn't be too far," Marina urged them, pulling at the hem of her dress so she could run.
"Hold up," Abella tugged at her, but it was to no avail. Marina would keep running, no matter what.
Lenora was in danger, she could feel it… Somehow, it was like the two of them had been linked in the town. A presence she could anchor herself in. Feel comfort in how no matter how she turned out, she would still be proud.
A presence that wasn't that much different from what a mother was supposed to be…
No, her parental issues could wait.
Lenora needed her.
Just as she was about to reach the bunker, however, the earth shook. Cracks forming along the ground, Marina's legs failing to keep her up right.
Right before she fell, something caught her arm. And looking up, she saw the familiar face of Bella there to help her up.
"Slow down, Marina!" She warned, her face scrunching up like she ate a lemon. "I know you're concerned, so are we… But you can't run in without a plan, you'll only hurt yourself."
The mechanic's words were enough for Marina to snap out of it. Calm returning to her with a deep breath.
"Yeah, it was selfish of me to go off on my own," Marina apologized. "But we need to get to the bunker! Lenora's there, and she's in danger?"
"In danger of the earthquake that's for sure," Bella muttered, pulling at her overalls. "Still won't mean I won't help."
"Same here," Tanaka agreed, "Bring shame if I didn't help."
Tanaka nodded at his own words, removing his tie from his neck, and wrapping it around his fist.
A weird gesture, Marina had to admit. But it was endearing that the easterner thought about it.
"We're almost there, just wait a bit longer, okay?" Bella reminded them, pausing as they came to the opened latch.
"Lenora! Lenora, where are you!?" Marina called, the abyss that was the bunker echoing her words.
"Head in," Bella whispered, tapping the side of the latch. "Worse comes to worst, we'll just leave with Lenora."
"And if shes…." Tanaka didn't feel comfortable finishing his sentence, looking ashamed for even thinking about it.
"Then we leave with Lenora, either way." Abella sighed. A grimace darkening her features, but she ultimately stood firm. "But, we hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."
"Whatever's got Lenora acting like that… and this strange earthquake… They gotta be connected, somehow."
It wasn't as if Abella was trying to dampen the party's mood.
But, even Marina had to admit, Abella was doing a shit job at keeping their spirits high.
Shaking her head, Marina let out her own sigh, pitching the bridge of her nose as the cultist nervously paced.
'She had to be alive, I can feel it.' Marina chanted like a mantra, the feeling in her gut twisting.
Abella took charge, entering the bunker first.
Dark, and possibly alone, she signalled to the rest of the group that it was safe to enter, if a bit dust.
The larger debris collecting further in the bunker.
Although, with the darkness, Marina doubted she was able to see Lenora at this rate.
Thankful, Abella had a solution, in a flashlight she'd found scavenging.
It lit the halls well enough, though they were only able to see much beyond a few meters past their feet.
Better than tripping over themselves.
Marina's eyes trailed the rusted walls, the cracked roof. As her nose smelled the moldy stench of the bunker.
Whoever was here, clearly didn't take care of this place.
Hopefully, they wouldn't need to be here for much longer.
At least, that's what she hoped…
The party descended into the darkness, afraid that whatever lurked here for Lenora to be worried wouldn't catch them.
It was quiet, too quiet for a place that just got hit by an earthquake.
On second thought, with the amount of otherworldly energy present on the scene… Marina doubted it was only an earthquake that caused this much damage.
Eventually, something appeared on the ground, marks of… blood appeared on the floor.
It led to a trail that made it look like a fight had occurred.
Marina tensed, as Bella placed a comforting hand over hers.
"It's going to be fine," She coaxed, "We've seen how tough Lenora is."
Marina tried to smile back at the mechanic. But the dense atmosphere made it hard to feel hopeful.
This was something she'd so rarely seen outside the Vatican… In fact, it looked like something her father woul-
The trail eventually ended. Leading to a pair of bolt cutters that were haphazardly placed on the ground. Left on an even bigger puddle of blood.
And near by…
Was Lenora, sumped against the wall.
Immediately, Marina was at her side, compelled by some unknown force.
Still, she did what she could to help, checking her pulse, if she was breathing properly, or if she needed a drink…
Of course not, stupid!
She was passed out against the wall, and now bearing several new wounds. Or, not? Her dress clearly bore marks where they'd been torn, but there weren't any wounds underneath her garments. Not even a bruise to show for her efforts.
However, she had still passed out, and right in front of a long broken corridor at that. One where not even the floor of the bunker was left intact.
Marina's eyes tailed the destruction wrought upon the lands.
What caused this?
Or better yet, who caused it?
It smelled of a spell of Gro-goroth. The destructive scent of otherworldly magic leaving a distinct smell in the air.
Then again, Marina doubted the other Gods offer spells of this sheer caliber.
Power strong enough to utterly obliterate anything in its path.
It had to come at a dire cost.
"There's another person here!" Abella called out, a bit deeper into the hallway. "He's dead."
Dead? That didn't sound right.
Heading over to Bella, lo and behold, she found a body. A hand clutching where it once had his stomach.
Most interesting, however, was the stab wound in his crotch.
Or maybe it was the second?
Second, if someone could confirm a curiosity of hers.
Looking at the placement of their bodies, it garnered quite a bit of suspicion.
Lenora, laying before a ruined hallway, where someone just so happened to be standing.
Marina turned towards the towering woman, a certain pull drawing Marina towards her… One she just couldn't explain.
There were too many coincidences, but the result wasn't making any sense.
Still, they couldn't just leave the woman there on the ground. They were a team, and Marina wasn't one to throw others to the curb.
Crouching down to her level, Marina took Lenora's hat off, her fingers brushing over her beautifully framed face.
"You'll tell me your secrets, one of these days," Marina muttered a smile playing on her lips. "And you'll teach me how you get that foundation done. You really can't get skin that fair…. It isn't fair."
Marina blushed when she caught herself muttering. She used the hat to cover her features, hiding her face as she wore it.
"That's enough out of me…"
Looking down at Lenora, Marina called Bella over. Finding it hard to speak the words on her mind.
"Eh, Bella, I don't think Lenora's doing too hot." Marina said. The mechanic came to her side with a confused look on her face.
"What's wrong? I thought she was stable earlier?" Abella's brows furrowed, kneeling closer to the downed woman. "Can't you use your witchcraft to make her feel better? Maybe some herbs to take the heat off?"
Marina was taken aback by Bella's words. However, there was no doubt that the brunette only meant well by her words.
Marina still felt more than a bit miffed that she was compared to something so rural as a witch…
She was better than that. Top of her class in the Vatican.
The proud little cultist wouldn't allow her efforts to go unacknowledged.
"No, unfortunately," Marina muttered. "No otherworldly power can get her out of a pickle like this… it might even make things worse…"
Bella turned to her, alarmed. "Worse? Worse how?"
All Marina had to do was glance towards the destruction. "Whatever Lenora did for this to happen, she had to give up something in return."
An oppressive atmosphere pressed on the two. A shadow fell over them, as Tanaka arrived to join them.
"Equivalent exchange, the basis of all spells. If I were to try and help Lenora now, I would be putting my life on the line, by sacrificing something of equivalent worth to what Lenora gave up."
The idea hung heavy in the air. More so on Marina than anyone else.
It would help push her goals forward, if she did so. No matter what, she would be helping the group by putting the more capable Lenora back into play.
However, were her goals truly the same as the group's?
Marina glanced at Abella, remembering how she had kept the secret of her contact within the military.
At Tanaka who viewed Bella as her saviour.
And Lenora, who was a wild card so mysterious, Marina had trouble deciding what to do with the woman.
She was sure of one thing, however.
Marina needed to keep her emotions in check.
A cold feeling touched the back of her neck. Her mind falling into a trance.
"The best I can do is aid in her recovery. But I cannot, in good faith, put everything on the line in order to help this woman."
Detached, selfish, even.
But she needed to do what she must, because she had to.
"Then, what do we do with Lenora?" Abella pointedly questioned, lifting the woman in black in a bridal carry. "For someone that was so desperate to save her just earlier, it seems so easy for you to just throw her away?"
"Why? Because there's nothing for us to do." Marina pointed out, biting down on her urge to say and do otherwise. "The best we can do is grab whatever we need here and rush back to the train. She'll be safer there."
"So…" Abella looked pensive. Her gaze hardened to one of stone. The wind in her sails turning stagnant. "Okay."
Marina still felt like she needed to do more. The uncertainty of Lenora's condition lingering in the back of her mind. Like a ghost that haunted her thoughts.
But, she needed to move on. She would help where she could, but not more than that.
As cold as it might have been, she needed to let Lenora sit on the back burniner for the meantime.
Tools and parts might have been what they came there for.
However, Marina felt like she might have lost something along the way.
Marina sighed, the stress getting to her at a time where it wouldn't help anyone.
'Tools and parts,' She reminded herself, 'Tools and parts.'
{---}
Tools and parts,' Abella lied to herself.
She looked at Lenora, the mysterious girl snoring through rain and shine.
Abella wondered just who she was, and what motivated her. At times, she even felt the need to pry further than what was on the surface. Her eyes glancing at the parts of her outfit that were little more than black rags clinging onto her frame.
That pale skin…
Abella shook her head.
She had her own secrets too.
She wouldn't want others prying at topics they weren't meant to.
"Is this everything, Abella-dono?" Tanaka asked, in that overly respectful tone of his.
He took out a backpack, showing its contents
Spare parts, oil, and some tools. It wasn't as much as she had expected, but she would have to make due.
Besides, it wasn't like she went there for the parts in the first place.
"Just one last thing," Abella said, Propping the girl she was carrying onto a wheelchair they'd found. "There's a generator on one of the lower floors. I believe it should have something we might need from its engine."
Of course, Abella knew she was just making things up, but she was the sole mechanic of their rag tag group. Who would even be able to call her out?
"I don't know Abella-dono," Tanaka shyly scratched his neck. "Shouldn't we go back to the train like Marina-san?"
Bella shook her head. "If we had to come back, it runs the risk of coming across more of those things," She reasoned. "It's much safer for all of us to get what we need, and take her back, all in one trip. Besides, it saves on daylight."
"Day… Right?"
"Time, Tanaka. With how things are, it would be more dangerous out at night."
Understanding crossed the salary man's face, like a revelation from All-mer himself.
"Wise, you are, Abella-dono."
Abella could barely hide the wince that shook her. But she reasoned it was for the greater good…
The Kaiser could not be allowed to fulfil his plans. Not when she was so close.
In her heart, Bella believed she would be the deciding factor that shifted the tides. And she would make herself the hero of this story.
Even if it was the last thing she did…
{---}
Marina sighed, the quiet buzz of the elevator taking them further down.
She was reluctant to join the party, especially after the words she had ended things.
However, join back alone, with the dangers she'd seen, was practically suicide.
It didn't matter how familiar she was with Prehevil, if everything was so alien around her. None of that experience would matter.
"Just a little bit longer…" Marina whispered to herself, hands brushing against her long hair.
Her eyes drifted to Lenora, the girl laying limply on the wheelchair.
She was sleeping like a corpse. Unresponsive to any and all stimuli, it made one wonder what exactly happened for her to pass out.
Pins pricked at her skin, as Marina's knuckles turned white.
"I think I should be the one handling her."
Her mouth moved before her thoughts, Abella glancing at her with a conflicted expression.
"I mean, it's so that you and Tanaka can focus on gathering more parts," Marina reasoned, her heart suspiciously beating wildly in her chest. "I'm not exactly as well built as you two…"
Waving around her noodle-like arms, she had made her point clear enough. She wasn't like those other students in the Vatican who focused on Gro-goroth rituals.
But looking back…
She really should stop ruminating.
"You know, the thought isn't half bad," Abella's mouth told one story, while her hands and body told another. "How bout we-"
Their conversation was cut off, as the elevator finally reached its destination, opening with the whir of servos.
"Let's talk later." Abella finished, walking out with Lenora in tow.
It fussed with her to no end.
But, she wouldn't be confrontational because of it.
Doing so would only hurt her reputation in their eyes.
Better to stay calm and think through the situation properly instead of jumping head first into the deep end.
Though, with how the day's events felt, it was starting to feel like she was doing that a lot more.
Leaving the elevator, the party entered a large connecting room.
There were paths that lead to two other quarters, but one had a closed door, and the other was left ajar.
…While a third seemingly led straight into a wall?
It was confusing, in all sorts of ways.
But she wouldn't mind it for now.
After all, Marina's first priority was to help where she could.
That way, she could get to where she needed faster.
"I take the left corridor. Tanaka, you try and see if you can get that door open," Abella ordered, her eyes then meeting Marina's. "You'll be checking out that hall over there. There seems to be a circle on the ground, and I doubt it's any regular graffiti.
"Writing on the ground?" The cultist wondered, tiptoeing to see what was there.
"Yeah, writing," Abella confirmed. "Chalk, from the look of things, can't make heads or tails on what it is. Thought that you might have a better shot at knowing what it is."
The mechanic shrugged, adjusting the backpack she wore. "I'll take Lenora with me, for now. But once we're out, I'll let you do your share of work."
Work.
Because she couldn't do anything out of the kindness of her heart.
It would have offended her, if it weren't for her earlier words.
A grimace formed on her lips. But Marina reluctantly nodded. Understanding it would take time for them to feel comfortable around her.
She made her way towards the end of the hall, into a small pocket of the bunker that look like it was specifically made for this purpose…
A ritual circle was drawn, one dedicated to the old gods.
Alarms screamed in her ears, but she ignored them for the moment, studying what it could be.
A trio of circles, each connected by another in a chain.
Rher?
The symbol drawn on the ground was dedicated to the old god Rher.
The very deity that the festival was in celebration for.
Termina, the circle, the base…
Was it coincidence?
Or were there powers at play he-
The elevator came to life once more, as another machine came to life in the bunker.
What?
Coming to the central corridor, Marina found Tanaka and Abella also coming together. Both bearing equally confused looks.
Like none of this was planned…
"Say, Abella," She asked the mechanic. "What are the chances it automatically goes up after some time?"
"Slim to none," Abella replied, stepping closer to the elevator. "Take Lenora. And get ready to cast one of those spells of yours."
When the elevator came to a stop, it suddenly came to life once more. The time between the action shortening.
As though someone were actively using it.
Who?
Or more importantly…
Why?
Taking hold of the wheelchair, it was then that Lenora stirred from her slumber. Writhing in place, as trickles of blood oozed from a mark at the back of her neck…
What was-
Ding!
Slowly, the rusted doors opened.
And out came a woman bearing the garb of a general in the Kaiser's army. Only, her appearance and demeanor was closer to the Bishops of the Vatican.
Though, the red stole hanging from her shoulder and the crimson blade at her hip, made it far easier to draw comparisons to both of them.
"You have made my job much easier." Her voice was smooth and composed. Like she was ready for a masa-
"Abella, run!"
Malevolent, like a curse that had clung onto someone's flesh
Whoever she was, that woman wasn't alive….
Better yet, she wasn't human to begin with.
"Clever girl," She mimed being surprised, flourishing her blade. "You lot shall receive my name."
In a flash, the woman leapt forward, swiping at Abella!
"Be proud to know you shall be taken out by D'arce, the Yellow King's Right Hand."