《Retribution Engine [DEPRECATED - SEE SYNOPSIS]》12 - Rubedo Sickness
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It was matte-black with a silver shine to its edge, and somehow the only thing on that door-table that was completely clean of blood. She couldn’t tear her eyes off it until she walked into the transport and its wall did it for her, and she immediately scanned her new surroundings out of instinct.
Where she had expected a cramped and filthy arrangement of as many seats as could fit, she was met with a mostly complete living space for four people - two bunk beds, metal lockers, even a sink, whose faucet connected to an exposed pipe which in turn led to a caged slot in the wall containing a dull-grey gemstone, the word “Aqua” stenciled in blocky blue letters above it. Under the sink, there were five large and eight smaller seal-covered bottles full of pale-green Viriditas, some still bearing barely-legible labels like “Kaiser Pilsner”. Next to them stood two large and five small empty ones, some bearing fresh seals, some plain, and one covered in so many old seals that it was completely opaque. It was corked shut, so perhaps it wasn’t empty.
Modifications to make it more spacious had clearly been done, but even in its default configuration it must’ve been at least bearable. Spliteye opened one of the lockers, its hinges creaking almost loud enough to conceal a pained grunt from Wire.
“What’s up with the bald one?” she asked, watching as Spliteye pulled several things out of the locker, placing them on the lower right bunk. Steel-toed, armored knee-high boots, a pair of trousers, a pair of armored bracers, and several belts of varying sizes. The blonde sighed at the question, looking out the door, then at Zelsys, remaining silent until there came another pained grunt, a quieter one this time. “Rubedo Sickness,” she said. Before Zelsys could ask what that was, the Swordsman’s voice interrupted her thought process.
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“Purgation Arts: Rubedo Dissolution!” he exclaimed. Wire’s voice was heard immediately after, but instead of a yell or a grunt it was a very, very long wheeze, as if a large quantity of something gaseous was being expelled out of his mouth - not unlike a deflating balloon.
Spliteye remained silent, letting the sound ring out for a few seconds before she stood up with a sigh, shutting the locker. “Take your pick,” she said with a light gesture at the items laid out as they were, adding on “Feel free to use the bunk as well.” as she passed Zelsys on the way out.
She took a seat on the bunk, placing down the Tablet as she unwrapped the bandages from her feet and legs and shed her cloak, a good portion of the fabric now filthy and tattered. The trousers came first, and to her surprise they were clean - certainly not pristine, but far from the level of filth that the soldiers’ clothes exhibited. “Too small…” she thought as she tried to put them on, the waistband not even wide enough to get halfway up her thighs.
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