Mhaieiyu

Arc 1, Chapter 22
A Palace of Deceit

The boy and the beast, having made their dues and decided their escape on the second day before the war, walked out of the room they had been made to inhabit — hopefully, for the last time in their lives. Pushing the industrial-grade door open, the teen found the smoothness of its touch strangely revolting; cold. As if that aura of protection had been replaced instead with one of deception and danger. Suffice to say, Tokken's fight or flight response had long chosen flight, and so his body almost excitedly lunged him toward the exit. Chloe followed suit, inspecting their surroundings to the best of her ability, making use of her impressive snout to try to map her way through the complex.

While unspoken between the two, they both simultaneously had guessed that escape wouldn't be so simple, particularly now that they held surplus, discrediting information. More so, Tokken thought to himself of some of Fely's choice words during his blow-up.

"You truly are important to the balance of this strife-filled world."

Were those words directed at him, or his family name in particular? The youth cleansed his mind of any clouds of doubt, as such would only prove to be a liability in their escape. If he messed up somehow, it was a matter of the imagination as to what might be dealt to them in turn.

Turning back to the canine, kneeling down in front of her, he gave the Cryptid a questioning look, to which she answered: "Sorry, I can't gather much. There's too many smells in here... I think I sense lots of people that way." She pointed toward their left, in the direction of the cafeteria.

Naturally, the boy thought, suppressing the urge to chuckle. Deny it as he may, he couldn't refuse some of the soldiers' welcoming behaviour. But every man and woman hid their secrets well if they lasted, and so it should be natural to assume that every single one of them either pocketed their deeds away from eye, or they themselves refused to contemplate their actions, hiding behind a mask of guilt and external blame.

With a nod, Tokken replied: "Understood, we'll just have to move carefully then. Are you sure you're ready?" he asked, impatient but wanting to at least hear out his ally's wishes. If it meant leaving her behind, he would, knowing he'd likely fair off worse.

"Y—Yes, I'm prepared. I guess my old colony will see me again after all. Have I learned enough to satisfy them, I wonder..." she replied with scrounged-up confidence, stammering off her latest words.

"If you're sure, then..." Tokken complied, offering her one last smile before standing. "Let's get the hell out."

With a short giggle, Chloe looked up at her human companion, still somewhat baffled she came to such an alliance. "You said so earlier."

"Shush," grinning, Tokken jested.

The pair set forth; the Howler secretly enjoying the carpet, almost wishing to kiss it goodbye as they marched on. There was only so much caution they could offer in such a crowded place, and the lad was convinced that even if they were spies, they'd struggle to hide in these walls. To enter such a place undetected could be comparable to a beetle trying to sneak past an anthill. By walking through it.

Of course, many staff members and even soldiers passed them by, each giving the two insecure youths an extra kick of anxiety as they inched toward the exit; it feeling much further than ever before. Their stupid grins as folk passed by ironically made them even more suspicious, despite being mostly ignored by passerby. Too busy. The kids were likely too stupid to do anything too dumb.

The large entryway soon appeared in view, and by the Goddess it was a welcome sight. The fountain in the middle proved a spectacular sight, albeit one emphasised by desperation. To think such wondrous architecture could seem like a prison where inmates where kept locked by fear alone, trusting in their inability to escape, even with a wide-open gate. And so, as if as by a strike of misfortune, an all-too-familiar alcoholic just so happen to walk by, noticing the pair in an instant.

"Oy, nice to see yer gettin' by," Emris offered, with an air of caution entirely unrelated to the two that only intensified their fears.

"O—Oh, hah! Yeah, we're doing grate— great! Damn it..." The stammers in his voice almost prohibited the boy from talking. With a raised brow, the veteran shifted his gaze upon Chloe, who almost squealed by his immense glare.

"Aye... Good to see Snowy's doin' alright too. Need anythin'?"

"We... uh... we just——"

"I'm doing just f—fine, thank you," Chloe interrupted, silencing the boy's gibberish with an almost regal tone. A tone adapted by her conversations with the doctor himself. "We don't require anything at the moment, we appreciate it."

"Ye sure? 'Cause yer face looks like a fuckin' rhubarb," Emris chuckled, sending the confidence of the lass crashing like a derailed train.

"N— I mean, yes, but as you can... ah..." Chloe continued to stammer, with the boy folding his arms at the display. She almost waited for Emris to interrupt her, only to let her words trail off as she was met with a piercing silence. The bastard, Emris, continued to grin like a drunk telling a joke.

"Let me guess, yer plannin' to assassinate me?"

"What?!" Tokken blurted, before being met with a hand on his shoulder and the wheezing laughter of the Third Brig.

"Hah! Aye, definitely are, I see," he teased, flaring those lovely teeth of his. "Calm down, scrubs. I ain't bitin'. But seriously; where're ye goin'? Ain't nothin' good this way."

With compassionately raised brows, closed eyes and a tilted smile, Tokken replied: "We're just going to see the uh... waterfall."

Chloe flinched, looking up at the boy with clenched teeth.

Tokken simply looked back at the silent brig, trying to hold himself together.

"What?" the lad asked.

For a moment, the man contemplated the boy's expression, asphyxiating his personal space so as to get the best possible read on him. After a painstakingly long stare, from which Tokken's face had started to sweat profusely, Emris finally broke eye contact, letting out a deep sigh.

"Oi, ye best not. Ye spotted Chameleons out there."

The pair held their breath, knowing that a single word would come out as jittery nonsense. Almost automatically, Chloe muttered a compliant response, lowering herself to the floor. She was already scared enough of the unusual soldier's mannerisms, and this last spectacle did little to aid.

With a half response given, Emris wafted his right arm. "Good, now scram. I don't need you two finding more trouble for us to deal with. At this point, shité, let 'em just kill us in our sleep." Emris joked, laughing to himself as he slipped them by, finally letting them be.

Breathing deeply after refraining his takes, Tokken looked at the canine with a gaze of disbelief, she reciprocating his expression. They soon set off, still towards the door, though now with a bizarre sense of dread in each step. Looking around them, the pair almost simultaneously realised something that should've seemed more than evident by now in a place such a this.

They were being monitored. As much as he'd like not to believe it, it's very possible that even Norman was, in fact, just surveying the boy's actions. Why else would he waste time on a kid he doesn't even know for hours off his pay check?

That's what this place was, wasn't it? A palace of deceit? Tokken thought, a fresh drop of sweat beading on his forehead. With the likelihood of being watched in mind, the human and Cryptid seemed to mutually understand each other as they finally reached the entrance, walking right past it. What Chloe didn't know, was that he had already rerouted his destination.

"It's possible they'll just let us out, you know..." Chloe mentioned, trying to be act as a ray of optimism to the lad, while also trying to soothe her own nerves. The fact that they might actually be trapped here made the Howler feel claustrophobic, even in these tall, expansive hallways, and such was starting to bend her will. To her comment, Tokken struggled to reply.

"I know, but... you heard what he said. I'm still worried they'll... to you, especially..."

Her ears perked up as he trailed off, muttering those last words. With widened eyes, Chloe asked: "You're looking out for me?"

With a raised brow, the teen looked back. "Well, yeah. We're partners in crime now, we have to watch each other's backs, you know?"

"I... Yes, I like that." Chloe too smiled.

Roughly five minutes passed as they traversed the Facility, with Chloe only questioning the motives behind the walk when she realised they weren't turning back, to which Tokken explained he'd made up his mind already, much to her surprise. No, instead, they reached a different kind of door. A rickety old wooden door which stuck out like sore thumb among the rest of the industrial-class, refined designs the building otherwise sported.

With a deep take and a quick pat to the face, Tokken leaned in to knock. Almost immediately, the door snapped open, and from within a disgruntled, elder voice yelled——

"What?"

"Bu—harh!" Tokken emitted a noise unbecoming of common folk, almost falling over backwards in the process, flailing his arms defensively. Chloe was startled, but somehow a lot more capable of hiding it; likely due to the old giant's presence itself.

"Goddess damn it... you kids again?" Hephaestus grimaced, showing about as much displeasure as the boy did.

"Yes, and shush! Can we talk?" Tokken asked.

"Can't shut up and talk at the same time, shorty," the elder teased, flaring those dull, large teeth of his — one of which was replaced by a silvery surrogate.

"Ack— you know what I mean! C'mon, inside, go," Tokken ushered, with the giant left flabbergasted as, once again, somebody just waltzed into his domain. And they were kids!

"Hey! Who in the hell do you think you are?!" Hephaestus complained, grasping his head to soothe his rising headache. "I'm gettin' a migraine just being near you! Out!"

"Just hear us out, will you? We're in a tough spot as it is," Chloe demanded, feeling a mislead sense of bravery near the hulk she had managed to fell; unfairly as it may have been.

The giant gave the two a look, as if questioning who in their right minds did they deem themselves to be. It was an intimidating glare for sure, but the pair of youngsters managed to hold their ground long enough. Hephaestus relented, sighing to himself with a thumb against his skull.

"What do you kids possibly need from old-ass me?"

Taken aback for a moment, Tokken smiled, successful. "We need to get out of here."

Raising a brow, Hephaestus replied. "Then leave. Get out of me hair."

"We can't. Guards are posted everywhere, and it seems I'm hostage to intrigue or suspicion, I guess..." Tokken scratched his head in thought, exchanging awkward glances with Chloe.

"We bumped into one of your men just now, in fact," Chloe added, raising a paw.

Rubbing the rough on his chin, the giant proceeded to assess the situation at hand. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he raised a hand.

"Ain't surprised, what with that weapon you're carryin'. But the lads can't do shit if they weren't instructed."

Furrowing his brows, Tokken retorted. "That may be the case, but I have reason to believe Fely's watching me too. If they were his orders..."

"Hm, you'd be pretty screwed," the smith concluded, to satisfaction of the boy. "Why do you want to leave so badly, again?"

His sudden question left Tokken speechless for a moment, he unprepared to answer. If the lad were to be honest, he might make a new enemy out of the giant, especially considering his position in the Facility's hierarchy. No doubt, even the discovery of their dark secrets, with no details but the surface, would place a dent in the trust established between the Syndicate and the people they overlooked; assuming it wasn't already common knowledge. Baring in mind how isolated that little graveyard was, such was unlikely to be the case. But if he were to be untruthful...

"He needs to get home, lest his fellows anger or worry in his absence," Chloe tried to fill in, raising a paw. She honestly had no clue whether what she said was true or not, but it was the best answer she could give for him, noticing his struggles.

"Huh... Guess that's fair, but what should I——"

"No, that's not it," Tokken interjected, raising a hand. Chloe looked at him in desperate confusion. To her troubled looks, the boy took a deep breath and, facing the old giant...

"We... No, I need help to escape this place because I'm terrified. I've never been scared of death so much as I have in here; I haven't even come close to it. I've never grieved, not even for my own, and I'm terrified of what that'll feel like. We visited your graveyards, and for the first time since I was born I felt my heart and soul weigh down. Then I found them..."

"Tokken, don't!" Chloe pressured, feeling their believability slip away with each word. Regardless, he pushed on, standing directly in front of Hephaestus so as to let his speech deliver the full extent of their significance.

"There's no point lying to the dishonest. It only proves them right. So yes, we found those kids out there. The exact same age, each and every one of them, buried at a distance so as to keep away from prying eyes. I felt the intensity that haunted place emanated, and even I felt the painstaking grief their rest spat like hot iron."

Grabbing the giant by his lapel, Tokken insisted. "I need help, because I'm scared of knowing just how painful passing away is. Not just my own, but..." Looking back at Chloe, who's face squirmed and mouth hung in worry for him and his choices, Tokken proceeded. "That of others."

"Shorty——"

Tokken looked back at the Head of Arms, showing the fire of a once seemingly permanent, unlit passion. The sentiment of pain, the suffocation of trepidation, the ferocity of need.

"So please," Tokken pleaded. "Help us get out of this place."

With his neck pushed back and his head behind his shoulders, Hephaestus scratched his nape in bewilderment. "You kids sure have a way of makin' things dramatic."

Taking a step back, Tokken made a deep exhale, as if exhausted by his speech. "If that's how you want to put it, then I guess you're right. I've been so pitiful these last few days, I think it's only justice I give this place one last go before leaving."

The Howler, hearing these words, suddenly covered her lips with a paw, sniggering to herself. "Mhm! He even cried during his latest outburst."

"Chloe!" Tokken exclaimed, flailing his arms in embarrassment. As if lit on fire, the boy's face went red from one second to the next, his hands trying pointlessly to hide his skin.

"Sorry, sorry! I couldn't help myself, you looked like a weeping child," the canine continued to tease, releasing a torrent of tension from the room's ambience as she started giggling uncontrollably, amplified by the boy's unbecoming squeals of shame.

Witnessing the pair of youngsters faff around gave the blacksmith an uncharacteristic grin. It had been some time since he saw genuine companionship and even a sense of joy in the youth. Usually it was the longer-lasting adults, corrupted by the battlefield, who occasionally found some light to embrace others with. Their lives were grimy, and in Hephaestus' eyes, completely miserable. And yet, here were two individuals, both racked by the world's corruption and yet persevering, maintaining their natural light without aid of third party medications or booze. A pair that feared, but didn't hate. A sense of vengeance was especially common among their age.

"This is all real touching, but I have to ask. Why'd you come here to tell me all this shit?"

"Because you clearly hate your job, and you're the most likely guy to help us out," Tokken explained with a sheepish smirk, to which Chloe continued to laugh. "You also hate us, so I think you'd be the best at getting rid of us. Uh, peacefully, that is."

"Cute," Hephaestus spat, facepalming. "Alright then, pipsqueak. I'm all ears."

Nodding contentedly, Tokken proceeded with confidence. "Right then. We need to know when the guards are least likely to stop us."

To which the giant snorted, holding in his amusement. "Never."

"Wh——"

"Oh, come on! There must be some time where there's a decrease in density, right?" Chloe intervened inquisitively.

"Yeah, and you can also walk through a fire naked and maybe not set ablaze. You're askin' for a miracle; if they want to stop you, they will," Hephaestus explained, stiffening himself for a moment so as to give his old back a crack.

"It'll be our risk to take. Just tell us!" the Howler demanded, showing a fierceness that impressed the lad.

"Vicks... You folks are desperate, huh?" the smith commented jokingly. For a moment, he refrained from answering, instead exchanging glances and looks at several items in the room, if only to avoid their piercing gazes. "I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit..."

"We'll be gone from your life," Tokken insisted. "Just give us a time, and we'll be out of your hair."

"Stop assumin' that's exactly what I want, eh?!" Hephaestus yelled suddenly, making the two's asserted stance flare up and back-pedal. Chloe's fur stood up, giving her a furball aesthetic. Seeing this, the giant blurted his spit, breaking into an uproarious laughter. "Fuckin' fuzzy! Hah!"

"S—Shut up! Just give us an answer you oaf, out with it!" Chloe screamed, bashing the Head's boot with her paws uselessly in embarrassed protest. Tokken smirked.

Karma's a 'bitch'.

Recovering from his restless guffaw, the giant grabbed one of the tables, using it as a ledge before dragging himself off the ground. Taking a few more moments to poke fun at the puffed up Cryptid, Hephaestus finally spoke.

"Alright, alright. 'Round morning, by five or six I'd reckon. Night-timers swap out for the morning dregs, and nobody feels like doing anything that early. It's about the loosest time you'll get, but don't drag it on. You could get shot before you reach the tree-line."

The two youngsters gulped at the prospect of being annihilated so swiftly, though relaxed upon seeing the sarcastic smirk upon the giant's face. A joke, let's hope.

Before Chloe could make a rebuttal, Hephaestus asked: "When you get to the city, what'll you do then? Urchins lurk all around the place at night."

"We'll avoid the city," Tokken replied.

"You'll get chopped up by the tree huggers," Hephaestus shot back.

"Then we'll take to the big streets in the city!"

With a humoured, smug grin, Hephaestus added. "There ain't many of those, 'less you fancy a trip to the industrial sectors."

Exhaling irritatedly, Tokken raised a hand. "We're going south, to the mountains. Outskirts and all that?"

Shifting his attention back to his trinkets, the Head of Arms resumed to batter on the gear he had been so politely entrusted to work on by Emris. "Outskirts're all around us, shorty."

"We'll just be careful, okay? It's not like it would matter to you, either way," Chloe concluded, stepping up for the nervous teen. "Once we're out of here, you can return to your elder's dream day job and forget all about us."

"Hey! I don't get a break a damn day of my life! Have you seen these hands?!" the smith complained, detaching his eyes from his work for the fifteenth time today. Prodding his index against Chloe's fur... "And I said stop assuming what I want and don't."

Folding his arms with a smug grin, Tokken restrained his laughter. "Are you saying you care about us, old man?"

"I ain't...! Never mind. Yeah, it's common sense, shorty. It isn't everyday some kids come to me for a chat. Charming, so it's a bit of a big deal when you want to waltz out of our protection like a duckling slippin' from its flock for a fresh sip." Casting upon them a governing eye, the Head squinted his eyes. "It's idiotic, frankly."

"Well, sorry, but we've made our mind," Chloe defended, knowing well what the lad wanted.

"Aye, but just because you're certain doesn't mean it's smart. Ugh... You got what you wanted, no? Clear off then; I've got heaps to do."

Chloe raised a brow as she noticed the giant hide his face from the two, digging it a fair bit too far into the metals. Tokken seemed to notice it too, and offered a smile to the canine in response. The giant might be a bit dodgy, if not downright pathetic sometimes.

But he's a decent man, in my books.

The pair turned to leave, but their attention was regained by a sudden cluttering noise behind them. Hephaestus had turned toward them again, this time holding something in his hands.

"Show me your palm, kid."

"Why, exactly?" Tokken challenged, not fazed but still wanting to tease the old sod.

"Agh! Shut it and show it."

"Pfft, sure."

Offering his hand to the Head, he watched carefully as a cold metal was placed atop it, Hephaestus covering it with his other hand. Soon, he unveiled the item, and to Tokken's surprise...

"It's for emergencies only. Don't die out there, shorty."

Taken aback by the offering, the youngster stammered to offer a reply, but the giant simply returned to his labour without a breath.

After a minute of pleasant shock, the two mischiefs abandoned the workshop, with Tokken taking a deep breath, wiping the sweat off his brow. Chloe was first to talk.

"That was... beneficial, I'd say," she pointed out, acknowledging the bizarre nature of their outcome. While ignorant to most of high society's squabbles, she had learned somewhat distastefully of the presence of the human's weapon ingenuity. The lacklustre, small kit of steel that had been so suddenly gifted to the lad was, indeed, a pistol. And as wimpy as it may seem to the dimmer observers, the thing could easily annihilate foes at the press of a button. An incredible feat of technological advancement, though the morality behind it was questionable at best. The thought of what larger devices society had cooked up during the Howler's reclusive, primitive existence shook the young Chloe to her core.

"Just so you know, I have no intention of using this."

"What if we run into trouble?"

"...Okay, maybe if you do. So don't, okay? I don't like the idea of having blood on my hands."

With a short giggle, Chloe nudged the human's leg with her own. "You won't get blood on them if you use it from far away."

Grimacing, the lad scratched his head. "You say the darnedest things sometimes..."

 

The pair made their arrangements in accordance with the giant's advice, biding their time in false compliance as they continued to waste away the day, Tokken irking his body to demand rest if only to skip through the gut wrenching time they were forced to spend, knowing and hoping they would be the last hours they spent near this place. What would it mean for his future, he had no idea. He'd simply return to the farmlands and try to forget all about this place. Perhaps, now with Chloe as a friend, three might even be a day where he could become an ally to her race, to share with each other their knowledge without having to distort their individual cultures. The idea might seem brazen, but it certainly uplifted Chloe's spirits. A half-hearted promise was made, and so he strived to one day meet the wolves he spent his whole life fearing. To discover the monsters under his bed, that hid in his most treacherous memories. A unique, all-powerful strategy to eliminate one's fears; if only they worked, of course.

As much as it weighed upon his chest to do so, Tokken avoided Norman from then on. The possibility of his prying eyes holding any maleficence was simply too much to bare, and while unlikely, if the Minotaur were a spy, he could very well dismantle their plans somehow. And thus, when night finally came, and the two set their belongs in order before resting until early morning, they stepped out of their room for the last time; this time, for absolute certain.

And as a single, overworked man watched them take their leave in early dawn, watched through the many hidden security cameras sprinkled throughout the Facility, Fely frowned to himself. Taking the last muffin from its basket, the Head of Medicine turned off the television propped in his office, wishing them well whilst questioning his loyalty to the Syndicate and its grey ethics.

 

♦ ♥ ♣ ♠

 

A nobleman stood alone by the protective rails which prevented his fall into the freezing river below. He looked out into the night sky, vigilant of any shooting stars to wish upon. If they were to surge victorious from these trifling times, they'd need all the divine fortune they could grasp. The noble's beard hung voluminous by his neck, he scratching the scruff of his chin in deep thought, his mind stretching over the many hurdles they would have to overcome and just how to counteract in such a time; which allies would be necessary and when they would most be needed, what army positions would most favour their defence, what resources to expend and treaties to consider...

His position was, arguably, unrivalled worldwide. The illegal capital and figurehead of a country almost as large as a whole continent, if it weren't for their immediate, ever-competing neighbours. And while a massively respected individual for his fatherly care and traditional, more lenient ways of leadership, Alpha understood well that he was far from a perfect rule. And he knew that the smartest of his lot recognised his inabilities. If he continued to underperform his supreme duties, it would be a matter of time before those same individuals replaced him — and with all those lives on his shoulders, he could afford not a moment of respite from his planning. He had to save these men from the clutches of hell one way or another; if it cost him his life, he would.

"Sire," a jesting old voice spoke behind him, robbing him of his thoughts.

Turning to face the familiar source of the sound, Alpha smiled to himself in that stiff-yet-warm monarchic complexion that fit him so well. "Hephaestus, what a time of night to be joining me!"

"Ah, you know me. Can't catch a wink these days," the giant complained, arching his back so as to pop each vertebrae.

"Aye, I fear there's few of us who can," the Head of Men reciprocated with a sigh, realigning his gaze upon the skies ahead. "I heard Kev and a couple others have already gone off on another rescue mission. The Celestials, Corvus and Erica I believe?"

Resting his worn dark-skinned arms against the rails with a thud, Hephaestus nodded. "That's right. Just had to fix Emris's gear — the bastard. He salvaged nothin'. Squat!"

Alpha chuckled, before laughing uproariously to himself in a crescendo of amusement. "That's the old buster I remember, no less!"

The two shared a common laugh, with Hephaestus having eased into their passive banter through a trust few had ever seen around the disgruntled giant. Soon after, a silence met the pair as they plunged into thought. While neither mentioned it, they both knew what troubled each them. What else could possibly bubble upon one's consciousness to surpass it?

"Hey, oldie," Hephaestus called, striking an iron palm upon the similarly huge liege 's back. "I'm tellin' you now, if you kick the bucket, I don't think I'll bother much longer."

"Oh, man!" Alpha exclaimed, looking back at the giant in worry. "Don't be foolish, you have much yet to see. A woman to love, perhaps? Either way, don't go throwing the wrenches out yet, me old fiend. I could nay rest easy otherwise!"

"Eh, I've about had it with my job and these wandering brats either way, so you'd be doing me a favour. Honest."

"I disagree, lad."

"Go fornicate thine self, then," the smith joked, earning a dishonest chuckle from the man. "The two kids that came by aren't too bad either, I suppose."

With a brightened complexion, Alpha leaped at the opportunity. "Ah! Then there's your match. Consider them your vessel to sail upon in case all else goes tits up——"

"I insist, friend, I have no care for babysittin' kids," Hephaestus smirked, to the discontent of the old leader. "Besides, I might've helped them escape just earlier today..."

Expecting a verbal battering from the royal, the Head of Arms closed his eyes in recoil, even upon failing to sense any kind of reaction after his blasphemous utterance. Instead, however, he was met with a peaceful silence and a gentle, paternal mutter.

"I see... I suppose they had seen enough, aye. That said, I do wonder..."

Removing himself from the barrier, Alpha stepped toward the entrance of the complex to resume his scheming in peace. Hephaestus turned to the Head of Men, anticipating a conclusion.

"...Is it too early to expect him to be prepared to see straight and true?" the man finalised with a worried expression, resting his palms against the door frame for a few moments. Soon, he slipped inside, disappearing from view.

With a sigh, Hephaestus shook his head. He gazed upon those stars up ahead, and just so happen to catch a flash of light skim through the night's air.

"Let's hope it'll be soon enough, boss. Just hope."