Chương 86: CHAPTER 85 – Drastic Measures

The abomination clawed along the walls, slowly pushing bones through its liquid skin. They gathered on the extremities that most resembled limbs, emerging to form claws. It began to climb, shifting that fat, slimy body up the walls. With every movement, it corroded the material, leaving a pinkish smoke with a scent akin to sulphur.

"It's aiming for the upper control floor…" Lexa murmured, while both Lance and Lautre watched the creature scale the tower's interior undisturbed. Grayson got back to his feet, slowly sealing his severed arm with what little strength he had left, and fixed his gaze.

"Sounds like a serious problem…" Lautre smiled bitterly, searching his uniform for something to drink. Lexa turned, seeing Lance trying to wrest a ghastly-looking can from Lautre's hands. Both paused at the sight of her face, hollow and pale, her mouth hanging open.

"If that beast reaches the relic, the entire dimension collapses, and us with it." Everyone turned pale instantly, except Grayson, who in the meantime had laid a hand on her shoulder. He raised his arm, tattoos still bleeding, and aimed his palm at the beast. A force shifted the slime, sending it crashing to the ground, howling. Grayson spat a clot of blood the size of a walnut in the process.

"Stop it right now! At this rate you'll really die!" She grabbed him from behind, trying to pull him away, only to fall to the ground. The scientist turned, smiling through his exhaustion.

"This body doesn't die easily. In all likelihood, I'll just go into a convalescent state again." He turned back, ignoring the constant blows on his back.

"AND WHO SAYS YOU'LL WAKE UP THIS TIME?!" Lexa tried to wrap her arms around his neck to stop him, but he pushed her off. Lautre aimed his tuning fork at the ground, making it tremble. He struck the floor, releasing a violent sound wave directly at the base of the beast. The vibrations spread inside it, making it seethe and spatter disgusting chunks everywhere. Lautre put away his weapon, looking at Lance with a faint shake of his head.

"Its core is deep and defended by an incredibly hard layer. I think it's Lambdite." Grayson watched him closely, leaning in to hear his words.

"Are you sure?" The scientist smiled, continuing to hold the creature still. His brow was furrowed, yet his face was smiling and curious as it had been at the height of his happiness.

"Lautre is practically blind, and his ability lets him control sound and the energy derived from it. I'd trust him more than anyone else in this situation." Lance smiled while his mentor struck a satisfied pose.

"All correct! But don't you think I should be the one to introduce myself properly?" Lautre scratched the boy's temple, focusing on Grayson.

"So…" The scientist stared Lance straight in the eyes, extending his index finger toward the centre of the beast. It was starting to thrash, straining against the scientist's invisible hold.

"If I can pierce it and break what you call the core… It should die?" Lance nodded, immediately drawing a smile from him.

"Grayson, we'll all find a way together to solve this." Suddenly, a cube of numbers formed around all of them, contracting. Their bodies began to glow blue as Grayson advanced toward the beast, moving away.

"Lexa, thank you for giving me another chance. When I come back, I'll make sure to endure whatever punishment you have in mind." He smiled, while Lexa tried to speak without success, as if frozen.

"I have a lot of words for your friends, even though we only knew each other a short while… I'm glad we were friends, Lance Klint." All three vanished, reappearing on a terrace near the top of the tower. Lexa immediately leaned over the railing, staring into the void lit by the grim pinkish light. Lance punched the floor, biting his lip and trembling. Grayson snapped his fingers, releasing a swarm of luminous darts.

Blocks of rock disappeared at his feet, and the shots pierced the outer flesh, gradually fading before reaching the interior.

"Without the arm, the brain can't fully distribute Frequency to the wounded side? The damage I've suffered makes opening the Dome or the Sea impossible… I really wanted to know more about myself." A tentacle tried to assault him, only to be crushed at his feet immediately.

"At the foundation of science lies the nature of sacrifice. I sacrifice my time, my essence, my nature to pave a path for humanity. That is the trade of a scientist." The air around him lit up, becoming a long cylindrical blade of golden light.

"A perfect trade for an existence as fleeting as mine!" Grayson launched his assault, slashing through the slimy flesh. Above the tower, Lautre held Lexa back, keeping her from diving in to help. Lance leaned against the wall, still exhausted and with his head completely wrapped in a veil of confusion and distraction. He remembered only fragments of the evening: the clash with Angel, with David, and then a grim, silvery laugh. A knot started to form in his abdomen, as if someone was tying his organs.

"And what are these symbols…" On Lance's chest, right above his heart, two quite disturbing marks had been engraved. One depicted a thin, serpentine flame; the other, a woman with her arms stretched toward it, thin drops decorating her stylized mouth. The scars had vanished now that he wasn't using the Frequency, but he knew they would return. Lachesi hadn't escaped the strange changes either: it had grown glossier, lighter, and somehow Lance could feel it pulsing with a beat of its own.

The boy stroked the relic as he watched Lexa pull herself from the railing and make her way to the opening. She stopped to look at Lance, lowering herself to her knees and staring at him with tears in her eyes. She grabbed his fist and smiled.

"I have no right to ask you anything, but you can defeat it. You can save Gray… Right?" He felt something slip into his palm. It was a small red button, composed of dozens of tiny reddish and purplish circuits. Lexa left, vanishing into the darkness.

"Lautre…" The man was already watching him, holding a single purplish syringe. He handed it to him in silence, slipping it into the pocket of his worn, dirty trousers. Lance stared at him, confused, as he saw him smile.

"I know what you're planning to do, and I also know there's no way I'd manage to dissuade you. The only thing is, you'll need at least one more dose like that if you don't want to die from overload." He leaned against the metal railing, licking his lip and winking at the boy. Lance smiled, gripping the glass vial in his pocket.

"Obviously I won't say a word. Do what you believe is right. That's the only way to grow in life, Lance." Lautre stepped away, nearing the corridor entrance, when he saw several silhouettes emerge from the darkness. He grabbed his weapon, then put it away with a huff. Edvard ran to embrace him, pushing him back to the centre of the terrace. Lautre sighed and returned the gesture with a pat on the middle of Edvard's back.

"Glad you're well, you old greased-up bastard!" Edvard smiled, noticing the figures behind him. Maliard, Monica, Hoku, Jeanne, Noel, and Deborah slowly approached the light, now clear and strong, from the door.

"You're all right! What a joy." Monica smiled, hugging Lautre and noticing the boy sitting against the wall beside them. Lance's eyes were vacant and left gazing into an unknown horizon. Jeanne and Maliard stared at him, their faces turning red before they shoved Lautre aside and threw themselves at the boy. Jeanne wept, clinging to his neck and pushing him to the ground again. Maliard struck the boy's head, pulling his cheeks while spouting a string of insults.

Monica joined the assault, grabbing him from behind, threatening and cursing him with glistening eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Jeanne repeated over and over, pressing herself against him. Unfortunately, the more Lance tried to pull away, the more he buried his head into Monica's chest, who was now pulling his hair and dampening it with her tears. Lance smiled, stroking both women's heads to calm them.

"Don't apologize… You didn't do anything wrong. You were brave." The girl looked at him with those big, deep blue eyes, smeared with tears, noticing his tired but unsettlingly radiant smile. She mumbled something before starting to cry again, her tears falling on his skin while Maliard stepped away with a handkerchief.

"We thought you were dead…" Monica whispered in his ear, pointing a finger at her temple and spinning it wildly. Lance understood she was referring to his memory gap.

"While we were coming here… I genuinely thought you were beyond recovery after hearing the whole story." Though he struggled to remember, the memories wouldn't surface, only distorted fragments of screams and laughter.

"Maliard insulted me a couple of times after saying it." Monica pointed at him, trembling as he clung to the railing. His arm was scaly, wounded, but slowly regenerating." Death? Did I really die against Angel? I only... The darkness..." His vision grew grey for a second, like a veil distending on his face.

"There, there, but now let him rest." Edvard grabbed Jeanne from behind, lifting her under his arm. For some strange reason, she seemed smaller and more delicate as he carried her away. Monica huffed, stepping back and helping him to his feet. Deborah stared at him in silence, lowering her gaze and covering her face with her hands. Lance noticed her and looked away." I really feel like shit..."

An explosion was heard from below, and immediately the bulkheads and gates snapped shut like jaws, completely sealing the shaft. Lance rushed to the railing, remembering the battle unfolding beneath them. He fingered the button Lexa had left him, trembling.

"Jeanne, Maliard… What happened to me?" The two swallowed, glancing at each other for a moment before nodding. Maliard turned toward Lance, clearing his throat. His face was tired, perhaps a little hollow, but still pervaded by that aura of seriousness.

"I went to Jeanne's aid, managing to slow David down. Unfortunately, I wasn't careful enough, and the backlash forced me onto the defensive. That's when you appeared, or something that resembled you. You managed to overwhelm your opponent with Lachesi, but something went wrong. David nearly killed Jeanne, and at that point you used your own body as a shield." Maliard spoke, but Lance heard only a constant hum in his skull. His vision began to blur until a question surfaced.

"What did I look like? At the beginning, and right after I was wounded." Maliard hesitated for an instant.

"Maliard, tell me... I need to know!" Lance repeated the question, drawing closer to him until he grasped his friend's shoulders. Maliard stretched out his hand, pushing him away.

"When I saw you at first, it was still you, with bloodshot eyes and various white streaks. Your hair was longer, and your teeth were protruding. But afterward… You became a woman, maybe a best might be more accurate. You were tall, slender, covered in scars and strange tattoos, with very long white hair…" His words began to fade as, behind Maliard, the figure that had haunted him since he first realized his abilities appeared.

This time she was completely naked, save for a single drape of slime covering her from the low waist down. She smiled, showing her teeth and tongue.

"D o you remember now? You were exquisite. A shame I didn't get to taste the others as well…" Maliard noticed Lance's face go blank and completely white.

"Lance... Is everything all right?"He tried to whisper something. The boy slowly turned his eyes, almost devoid of color.

"Maaliard... Did she speak? A name or something?" Maliard looked into the air before sighing.

"Eve... She called herself Eve." Lance rushed to the railing. He vomited, a mix of blood, drool, and black tar. Everyone went pale, trying to help him. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I almost killed my companions… I lost control… I… I…" A fresh wave, this time more violent, tore through his stomach. His eyes watered while Lautre tried to calm him. He snapped upright, pushing the man away and wiping the vomit from his lips. He turned, directly facing the woman. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, yet she maintained her dignified composure, crying without a sound.

"How is Rea?" Lance asked with a smile, and Deborah swallowed a lump of sobs before speaking.

"She's well. She's in the safe room on the top floor. All the personnel are fond of her!" Her tone was sincere and cordial, trying in every way not to let her voice tremble or to burst into tears. Lance nodded when he heard a distorted voice coming from Monica's earpiece.

"Do you read me? It took me an hour to reconfigure the Frequency! It has to work!" Monica pulled it out of her lobe, turning a small wheel at the base of the device.

"Lucas?! You can finally hear me!" She smiled, bringing it to her mouth so as not to distort her voice. Everyone gathered round, except Lance and Lautre.

"Monica? Finally, that strange veil has collapsed. What happened at the Machinamentum site? Maverick is unconscious in the gardens, and I'm picking up post-mortem frequency from an uncatalogued Meta. Is everyone all right?" Monica laughed, confirming their situation." Changeant attacked, but everyone is all right... Yeah, we are all fine!"

"At the base, I'm detecting two critical peaks. The first seems to be trying to climb the tower's interior." Lance joined the conversation, slipping in from behind Hoku and Noel.

"Malcom has created a second beast like the one at Arden! Grayson Dirac is facing it." Everyone turned toward him as he was wedged under Noel's arm.

"Can we do something?" Hoku asked, pointing at the silver, luminous floor that had sealed the only way to reach them quickly.

"Grayson's frequency is concentrating! He's risking a second collapse!" Lucas's voice immediately conveyed the sense of alarm contained in his words. Lance moved away, leaning out and scratching his head.

"The only way to kill it is to smash its core. If we fail here, we all die!" Lautre replied, lighting a cigarette he had previously stolen from Edvard's pocket. Monica looked around, massaging her temples in search of answers. Deborah watched them, pale, trying to contact the control room. Someone grabbed her wrist, preventing her from entering the code. Lance stared her straight in the eyes before violently striking his own face with his free hand.

A trickle of blood ran from his nose as everyone stared at him in surprise." Wake up Lance! Stop crying and do something! These people want to see tomorrow too!"

"I failed with Winoc… I take full responsibility for this evening, and I accept it if you think we're incapable, or if you think I'm a liar. I accept it. But at least let me be useful now." He turned, putting his hand in his pocket and pointing at Noel with a smile. Monica murmured something, but Lance didn't listen.

"Noel... Could you turn around for a second?" The boy asked, tracing a couple of circles in the air with his index finger. Noel obeyed, showing the box of Maverick's device anchored to his back, partially intact. Lance approached slowly, stopping behind him.

"I'm sorry, Monica…" He smiled, tearing the contraption off Noel's back in an instant. Along with the metallic wreckage, he grabbed the purplish syringe. He threw himself onto the bulkhead, pulling the red button from his pocket. He pressed it with such force that the outer casing shattered.

"LEXA, OPEN!" A flashing red light illuminated the complex as the iron bulkheads opened, freeing the pinkish light below. He gripped both syringes in his fist, pressing the needles forcefully into the vein at the base of his neck. Immediately, black lines began to spread across his skin, reaching his chin and arm. He stroked the bracelet as he fell, smiling.

"Everything... I will give you everything you desire… But now you'll have to settle for my body!" The relic lit, releasing a discharge of black flashes. His arm was sheathed in luminous black scales. A dark cape rose at his back, while the grip of a weapon formed between his fingers. Surges of intense pain tore through his body, stiffening his face and flooding his brain with information about his surroundings. He fell at insane speed, drawing ever closer. Lachesi fully formed, fusing with his arm and his nerves.

Lance's left eye burst from its socket as the other lit up yellow. Blood flowed toward the relic, joining the clawed fingers gripping the pistol." Karmesin harpune!" Red filaments shot from his fingertips, harpooning him to the wall. He slid along the surface, balancing on the lower transport rails, leaving a trail of sparks behind.

"This ability somehow appeared in my brain after I woke up. Even though I think it's Eve's, it's proving quite useful." He bent his torso forward, spiralling down toward the abomination, ever brighter. A figure was dealing golden slashes to the creature, amputating its limbs.

"My head is splitting open… I can't afford to miss!

"He aimed the muzzle of Lachesi at the creature's centre, watching thin spirals gather right at that point. The rails were about to end, torn apart by the previous clashes. Grayson tried to catch his breath, enduring the constant jets of blood bursting from his pores and throat. The gravity he was using to stop the creature's movements was starting to diminish, and all his attacks were unable to reach the core.

"Am I really going to have to expand a Dome in these conditions?" He sighed, raising his arm and gathering light into a greyish sphere. A swarm of numbers began to fly around him, concentrating around his palm. The beast stared at him intently, slamming its appendages on the ground.

"Don't fret! You've been an excellent research base." He smiled, snapping his fist shut to collapse the entire hall. From the corner of his eye, he saw a violet light shining above his head. The scientist recognized the cloak and the black arm, and his pupils lit up.

"GRAYSON, HOLD IT STEADY!" The sphere dissipated, and Grayson raised both arms, bringing it crashing rapidly to the ground. The beast was crushed, slowly breaking through the floor. His face began to crack from the strain, but his heart shone once more with determination. Lance smiled in the darkness, his face now lit by the weapon's light." Lachesi... Pierce it!" A beam of black light with violet reflections pierced straight through the creature's chest, perforating the rock beneath.

The creature thrashed frantically, melting its surroundings with its own exhalations. It stopped, its core completely perforated.

"It worked!" Lance exulted, raising his fist in the air, before crashing ruinously to the ground. He slammed down a few steps from Grayson, groaning and coughing.

"I thought I could finally settle my debt…" Grayson staggered toward him, swinging his single hand. Lance smiled, wiping the blood from his nose and empty eye socket. Lachesi was beginning to shrink, leaving dark black furrows on his skin and fingers.

"I'm sorry but... I don't think I want your life as a payment." The scientist looked at him, pained, helping him to his feet.

"It must hurt." Lance glanced at Grayson's severed arm and all the bloodstains on his body, smiling.

"You're no better off than I am! I hope you realise that." Both laughed, embracing immediately after. Satisfaction and joy hovered in their heads when the macabre memory of the night of Arden Ring seized his mind.

"Shouldn't it have already disappeared?" The moment that thought formed, a tentacle rose before them. The mass shifted at the centre, trying to repair the core. Without a second thought, Lance threw himself onto the carcass, his boots and feet slowly corroding. He began striking the sphere of hard matter repeatedly, channelling what little energy he had left. Grayson once again channelled gravity, pushing the acid away from the core.

"Come on, come on!" His knuckles fell on the dark surface like a hammer, damaging it, but too slowly. The hole made by Lachesi was already beginning to seal, the weapon not fully charged enough to completely erase the Frequency animating that disgusting necropolis. For a second, he gave up, lowering his arm. He stared at the beast's body regenerating rapidly, the acid burning his skin, and the violent throbbing in his head.

"Is it useless? Why can't something work for once!" He went limp, then remembered Tux, that man consumed on the train for his sake, his sacrifice. Lance struck again, this time with his forehead, splitting it open and cracking the core. He kept striking, faster and faster, while the black scales on his arm began to bind to his skin again." One more blow! Just one more and we'll win!" He raised the weapon when he felt something cut through the sky above him.

He raised his head, seeing a burning meteor hurtling toward him. The object slammed into the core, wrapped in flames. It was a crude, double-edged sword, heavy and more like a block of steel, but it was exactly what they needed.

"This Frequency…" He smiled, gripping both hands around the hilt of incandescent iron. He lifted it above his head, feeling the liquid fire slide down his shoulders, but it didn't dampen his expression." I'll thank her when I wake up…" With a cry, Lance brought the weapon down, crashing it against the core. Both shattered. The impact broke his fingers, but all he felt was the smile forming while the sphere crumbled. The monster howled furiously before falling completely still.

Lance let go of what remained of the sword, bursting into a shout of joy. Tears flowed and mixed on his grimey face. On the upper terrace, everyone heard it, including the exhausted Jeanne. She clung to the wall, with her world slowly turning black. Monica let a smile of relief escape, while she shook Hoku out of nervousness. Lautre smiled, disappearing into the corridor while opening his flask." When I wake up… I'll have a lot to tell you."

Jeanne fainted completely, supported by Maliard, who was smiling incredulously. Lucas's voice rose from the earpiece, murmuring something. Monica nodded, leaning out.

"You're right, Lucas. This generation has its heroes too. Lance Klint could become the next Hero of our agency." Lance and Grayson lay side by side, gasping.

"That weapon belonged to that girl… The one with brown hair and blue eyes? You know, she scares me a little." Lance stared at the void above him, laughing and trying to nod.

"She's a really good person, though! You two would get along very well, you know." Grayson turned pale, slamming his arm on the ground like an infant.

"I'm glad you're all right… After everything that's happened." Lance turned to look at him, gasping and slowly noticing the worsening in his vision.

"You're brave, Grayson. You have all my respect as a person. I'm glad I can talk to you." The scientist laughed, trying to turn over, failing miserably.

"I'd like to ask you so much about this new world. This path belongs to me now, and I'll make sure no one will walk it without help. If I can be of aid to those who came before me, I'll be more than happy to do it." Lance sighed, clearing his throat with a few coughs.

"Always curious about everything? That's exactly how a scientist should be…" Grayson smiled, turning to look at him. He noticed the closed eyes and the soft breathing, and in that moment he realized Lance had finally quieted." Living might be harder from now on..." A few moments later, he did the same. Far away, beyond the relic's dome, under the sky nearing dawn, a couple lingered. On a wooded peak, a small raised portion, they had placed a table.

The woman, wearing a dark dress full of frills, set down her opera glasses, smiling. The man behind her nodded, extinguishing the lantern and setting it on the dark wood.

"Are you satisfied, Miss Apate?" The woman laughed with such elegance that the wind bent the trees' heads. Her reddish eyes lit up with the first light of dawn. She rose, adjusting her corset, leaving a single drop of tea in the cup.

"Everything is proceeding as I imagined. Soon we will know the location of this era's last Simulacrum, and this time, in this world, you no longer control me." The air turned icy. The shadows expanded as if listening. She opened her arms, watching the dawn arrive.

"Your disgusting, forgotten name no longer matters to me! You will be crushed so that humanity may be reborn, and your love will be consumed by the darkness along with your deplorable and inglorious desire!" The shadows hissed as they were eradicated by the sunlight. The man, elegantly wrapped in his long double coat, gave a bow and a brief round of applause. Apate turned, revealing her lips from behind the partial veil, radiating pure joy.

With a clap of her hands, she erased every trace of their presence, pointing the way.

"Come, we are required elsewhere." Apate began to walk, then noticed her companion had stayed behind, gazing at the horizon. She looked at him, curious and with a smile on her lips. The man pulled out a pocket watch, broken, its hands fixed on twelve.

"Lady Apate, if you wish, I could intervene." The woman appeared at his side, watching the sun swallow the cold morning sky.

"Dear Degger, could you ever appreciate the dawn without the night? Tomorrow without the present? Hope is futile if there is no waiting to support it… Though for you, waiting is a concept long forgotten." The man nodded with a smile, replacing his heirloom in his breast pocket and casting one last look at the rising sun before vanishing together with her. In an instant forgotten by time, the couple left nothing behind. Thus the light drew its curtain upon the belly of the Leviathan.