“Emergency Protocol?” Avice repeated.
She glanced at Dall, who shrugged his shoulders. Narrowing her eyes, she felt like she’d heard the word before. Sometime recently, as well. She traced her memory, going back around the time she fought with the Spider. Then it came - the time when the two of them had fled from the Despairities chasing after them and crammed themselves into the tight rock jutting out of the ground. That was when that robotic voice asked her if she wanted to deactivate the ‘Emergency Safety Protocol’.
She snapped her fingers and looked down at Crisia. “I’ve heard it before. What does it do?”
Crisia said, “I’m afraid I don’t know. I achieved True Consciousness around the time the Tower had risen, and the Protocol had been activated.” She coughed. “I can still remember the terrified faces of the scientists as they explained the entire situation to me.”
“That situation being?” Dall asked.
“The E.P. was created to protect both Alder’s and the Ruby Clan’s Instrument facilities. It was originally designed for the unlikely war between the two countries to avoid mass extinction - locking away the most powerful weapons. But what happened is drastically different,” Crisia said. “Supposedly, the Protocol activated to protect and ensure the survival of both races from the ‘Blue Night of Revolution’.”
“That sounds menacing,” Avice grimaced.
“I know nothing more than that,” Crisia said. “A group of the surviving Aldrians and the Clansmen both living in this Tower for approximately five decades before the life support systems collapsed.”
“Fifty years? I can’t even imagine,” Avice said. She tugged on Crisia’s hem. “And Achaea was the only survivor?”
“The General had her circumstances,” Crisia responded slowly.
Dall frowned and crossed his arms, seemingly unsatisfied with that answer.
“Regardless, to answer your question, yes. The last thing I remember is her telling me that everyone had perished. Was this due to the life support systems cutting out, or by Achaea’s hand? I’m afraid I don’t know,” she said. “What I do know, however, is how to activate and deactivate it.”
“That’s good to know,” Dall said. “But you didn’t answer the first question. What exactly does it do?”
“The Instrument Facilities scattered around the continent gather the Spirits around the area and use them to sink themselves underneath the ground,” Crisia said. “They are unified under one command, so all facilities have now resurfaced.”
Avice’s eyes widened and fumbled. “W-W-Wait, I didn’t mess people’s homes or cities up, have I? Dall, answer me.”
He returned her crazed gaze with his own. “I-I can’t tell.” Then, his eyes narrowed, and his lips quivered.
Crisia’s words rang in his mind.
She claimed to be a part of the ‘Support Series’.
That description never seemed to be too important to him. He carried the vague notion that Crisia was a mighty artifact hailing from the days of Alder, but he had never thought that she was one of them.
He grimaced as he remembered the war - the scene of the Hero mowing down countless soldiers with a brilliantly shining blade.
A blade known as an Instrument.
“Wait, Cirisa,” he said. She let out a small sound telling him to continue. “Do all of these ‘facilities’ contain Instruments in them?”
“I’m afraid so, yes.” Her words sent a chill down Dall’s spine. “I know not the manner of how your races react in the face of such raw power, so there may be some issues.”
“Avice,” Dall said, turning to her. “We need to do this.”
“Yeah, I know,” Avice responded.
“No, I mean it. There are only a couple of Instruments out there in the world, and they are tremendously powerful,” he said, hanging his head. “So powerful that they can end wars single-handedly. That’s, that’s how we won our war, after all.” His eyes glazed over, a dark cloud coming over him. Avice’s heart stung as she reached out. He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. “What I’m trying to say is that if more Instruments reach any country’s hands, this continent will be doomed.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re already taking care of it, huh?” Avice said. She squeezed Crisia’s leather and said, “So how are we going to fight Achaea? The Spirits won’t listen to me, and we only have one sword. We can’t just beat her the way we are now.”
“You won’t,” Crisia said. Avice tilted her head, confused. “It will be by a narrow margin, but if we are successful, we can sink all facilities and trap Mistress Achaea.” Dall pursed his lips. “It will be a rather tough battle. The timing is going to be the largest hurdle we will face. And the Mistress’s pure strength will overpower us at every turn should we be careless.”
Dall glanced up at Avice and stared into her eyes. “So this is it,” he said. “We’re going through with this. Are you good?”
She nodded firmly. “There’s no other choice.”
“How do we activate it, Crisia?” Dall asked.
“The device’s location is in a hidden alcove on the fifth floor of the Tower,” she responded. “We may face some troubles on our way there. And, without question, Mistress Achaea awaits us there.”
Avice slammed her body against the door, the chilling metal pressing against her skin. Dall stood next to her and similarly pushed against it. The door creaked once it moved, forcing the two to stop in their tracks. Avice’s heart pumped as she held her ear to the metal.
There better not be anything out there, she thought.
She took a glance at Dall, who, after a moment, nodded. They pushed again, the door screeching inch by inch. The ear-piercing ring echoed throughout the chamber.
The door finally opened, yet the two kept still inside of the room. Avice poked her head out, straining her eyes, trying to see anything moving in the darkness. Dall crouched down and closed his eyes. She tugged on her brown jacket. “Anything out there?” she asked.
Dall kept still, then sighed. “Doesn’t sound like it. The immediate area should be safe, at the very least,” he said.
Avice nodded.
She stepped out into the tight hallway and examined her surroundings. The hall seemed to be just as distorted as they’d left it. Some spots along the wall dripped like liquid. Steam rose from the floor. Spikes jutted out of the marble walls, and wide, black holes scattered about the floor, leading to who knows where. She stepped forward and nearly slipped when Dall caught her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she responded. She knelt down and ran her finger against the patterned tiles. “It looks like this place got lubed up,” she said. “Damn it.”
Dall stood next to her. “This place sure is a mess,” he murmured.
“It is, isn’t it,” Avice said. “To think I tried so hard only for the person I needed to try and kill me.” Dall frowned. Noticing his expression, she shook her head. “No, ignore me. We need to get out. That’s the most important thing.” She moved forward, keeping Dall’s gaze away from her frustrated face.
It was all for nothing, she thought. Her fists clenched and she bit her lip. Stop, just stop. She sighed. Follow your own advice. Let’s get out of here before we think about that.
“We should expect worse things once we reach the fifth floor,” Dall said. He made his way to the right wall and examined one of the sharpened points. “Still, this place is as eerie as they come.”
“There aren’t other scary places in this world?”
“Oh, there are. It even feels like I’m under a Hybrid illusion spell,” he responded. He looked at her, then nodded. “Crisia does look quite good on you,” he said.
Avice smiled bashfully, spun around again, enjoying how the contrails of her new cloak danced behind her. “Thank you,” she said. “With Crisia, this place can definitely feel less creepy. We can hopefully do something other than run away, too.”
“Well, that’s what we got her for,” he said. Straightening his back, he stared at her for a while before saying, “Avice, listen to me for a second.”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t expect our way to the fifth floor to be an easy one,” he said sternly. She nodded. “There are bound to be monsters. I’m sure of it. And I told you about what happens once Souls are filled up, right?”
“Right,” Avice responded. “Some outburst of emotion, right?”
“Exactly. So, I want you to do your absolute best to avoid any combat. And I mean any,” he said.
“Then what am I going to do if you end up in a pinch?” Avice asked.
“I’ll manage,” he responded. Avice crossed her arms and glared at him. “I’ve handled myself before. Don’t worry.”
“I will worry. I refuse to just sit there and watch you crowded by monsters,” she said. “And why? What’s wrong with me fighting?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “I just want you to be in your best shape once we reach Achaea.” His words stunned her. “We don’t know how long it’ll take before we reach Achaea. It could take a couple hours, or, even worse, days. And if you manage to fill your Soul at the wrong moment, then we won’t be able to get out of here. So instead of refusing your will to fight, save it for later.”
She stammered. Well, she thought. Dammit, Dall. She sighed internally. He makes sense. I don’t know how bad this Expansion thing can go, but if it’s anything like what I experienced earlier, then I’ll take his word for it. Avice glanced up at him.
“On one condition.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll help you if you’re in trouble, even if it risks my Expansion.”
He frowned. “But-”
“Listen to me,” she said, her voice softening.
He shut his mouth.
“If we make it out of here, I will be alone.” Her muscles tightened. “That’s the one thing I refuse to be. I hate it.”
She pointed at him.
“I can’t believe myself for saying this, but I,” she paused. “I trust you. I trust you, got it?” she repeated. "I realize that we've only known each other for a couple of days, but, aside from my friends, I don't know anyone who would do the things you've done for me."
Seeing his confused expression, she decided to lay out everything for him.
"You treat me kindly and you know I come from another world and don't complain about my ignorance. You followed my lead and decided to help me reach Achaea, even if you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. You asked me to open up to you, and you're the only person in my life I've ever spoken to about my problems. And I even remember what you did for me back in the town."
Chuckling at his reddened face, she continued saying,
"If I don't put my faith in you at this point, I'll never be able to do it ever again."
"Avice," Dall said.
"And if the person in front of me - the only person in this world I believe in - is in trouble and falls, I’ll regret it. So if my Soul Expands, then so be it. We’ll wait until I’m done,” she said. “And I know how much you want to get out of here.”
Avice smiled wryly.
“That’s my condition.”
Dall held his breath. She stretched her arm out and held up a pinkie. His heart pounded in his ears.
He wrapped his pinkie around hers. “Alright,” he said. “I accept.”
Then, a surge of electricity pricked his spine, and he yelped. Avice’s eyes widened. “Dall?!”
His body shook. A mysterious force pounded against his skin. He gritted his teeth and nearly dropped to his knee.
“Hey, hey, what’s going on?”
He grunted and clenched his fists.
“I-It’s,” he groaned.
He arched his back and screamed, his shout ringing throughout the hall.
Then, everything disappeared.
He panted heavily, sweat dripping down his cheeks.
“W-Wow,” he said.
“Dall, answer me, are you okay?” Avice asked.
“I’m fine,” he said. A strange sensation swirled around his stomach, and warm energy softly beat in his heart. He put a hand to his chest and whispered, “No way.”
“Dall-”
He reached out and grabbed her hand. Still confused to react, Dall pulled her close and said, “Activate Crisia.”
Seeing his serious expression, she followed his words and softly chanted, “Exanten,”.
Then, their bodies disappeared.
W-Whoa! It works on two people? However, the second she thought those words, an unbearable pain slammed down on her head. She fell to her knees, her arms and legs weakening significantly. What the hell?!
“Deep sight,” Dall whispered next to her.
Avice glanced to her right, but she saw nothing. But she still felt her hand in his. “Dall, what’s, urgh, what’s happening?” she said through agonizing pain.
“Quiet,” he said.
She groaned and followed his lead. Not a minute later did she see the reason behind his actions.
Avice stared wide-eyed at four, floating balls above her.
She squeezed Dall’s hand harder. As she did, the pain lightened up, and she found herself able to stand. Turning her attention back, she focused on what they were doing.
The Spirits scattered about, spreading around about the hallway, each of them gliding along the four sides - the walls, ceiling, and floor.
They bounced up and down in random patterns.
The two of them sneaked forward and stood away from the walls. She especially watched the Spirit scanning the floor, anticipating how they would avoid its detection.
The Spirits forged onward.
The one on the floor stopped in its tracks.
Avice held her breath.
Their connected hands dripped with sweat. A numb feeling encroached upon her.
She tugged on Dall’s hand, trying to pull him toward her. It’s coming, she thought. It’s-
The Spirit leaped from the ground and soared high above them, clearly targeting them.
Avice yanked him closer, dragging him away from the Spirit.
Her breathing grew ragged. She didn’t know where he was now, but she knew that she avoided the worst situation, as the Spirit landed softly on the floor and continued on.
The Spirits seemingly finished their jobs, as they floated up towards each other, glowed dimly, then floated away towards the hallway’s exit.
Waiting a couple of minutes after they left, Avice said, “Exanti.” The invisibility deactivated, and a wave of relief washed over her. “Ow, ow, that freaking hurt.” She glanced at Dall, “How did you know they were here?”
He said, “I have my Skills back.” A spark of hope flickered in her heart. “Something happened, but it feels like my Soul’s back to normal.” He grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Let’s do this, Avice. Let’s get out of here.”
Avice returned his smile. “You got it.”
