The two girls had finally obtained what they had originally set out to find, still generally uncertain what they had actually accomplished. If nothing else, it was obvious that they had overextended their stay, it might be a prompt time to leave.

Lyun poked her head cautiously out from the secret passage, having carefully ensured that she was actually alone. She might have been compelled to stay in hiding longer, but she was keenly aware that such would have had a really poor impact on Axln. In all consideration, she had endured plenty on her own in this place, she just wanted to meet up with Axln.. and hopefully get out of here. Sure, she only had a really strange book to her discovery, but maybe Axln had discovered far more luck than she had. She really, really hoped at this point that they were in a position to leave. This whole place quite honestly felt surreal, a pure defiance of all that should be, the place was almost a pure embodiment of the mythos. Herself, having actually been to the place such a mythos originated from, it wasn’t even the same, that place had a dramatically different distinction in how it existed, like it really did just exist in simplicity, in its own form of sense. This.. this place felt embodied by the thoughts and feelings of the mythos itself, intangible figments somehow made real. She was well versed in the laws of her own world.. and this place felt like it stood in defiance of those very rules.

Lyun quickly left the abandoned library too, the place reminding her of another really horrible deviation of her comforts. Ashen dust didn’t even remain at this point, all traces of the accident having disappeared. However, the previous silence and stillness of the halls had been lost, the entire place humming with a faint red glow. She recalled the secret room coming to life in her presence, moving in recognition of her in a spiral that reminded her of an instrument's core. It was far too obvious, she had caused this. Deprived of all familiarity, she just wanted to find Axln so that they could get out of here. However, that had remained something she had failed to achieve even in her earlier moments of the citadel. Even so, since then, she had found herself guided to the book, maybe whatever paranormal guidance she’d been experiencing would be kind enough to deal with this problem too. All she needed was anything that was related to her friend, anything that would bring them closer at last.

“Oh my, this is quite the change of fortune. And here I was worrying things were about to get difficult, only for our paths to cross so suddenly. Even better, it appears you even have the book, give it to me now.” A human woman stepped forward from the corner she had passed around, someone suspiciously not in the warden uniform at all. Actually, she was specifically adorned in a very formal coat, looking like quite the established business woman. The expensive looking silver bracelet around her wrist only proved to further establish her sense of wealth and prosperity, such reflective metal being almost priceless in their society. Her disposition made it far too obvious her affiliation, she could only be a part of the foundry, a fairly high individual in such structures considering her visual flair. However, maybe that wasn’t such a huge concern, the woman was really alone. This wasn’t some martially trained warden, just a high-class business woman. Lyun thus made ample use of her leg enhancements dashing in the absolute opposite direction, only to suddenly fall backwards as she rebounded off of a sudden forcefield that had formed before her, bolts of light streaking through it in a sign of shape and dimension.

“Oh please, don’t make this difficult, Lyun, just give me the book.” “I’m flattered that someone so high up in society has actually taken the opportunity to learn the name of someone as simple as myself. I can’t actually fathom why the foundry might actually even care, they typically show no consideration for anything else.” “Oh please, I don’t have the time to entreat your ignorance. Book.. now. You know what, fine, if you want more convincing arguments, I can think of a few that would suit you.” The woman reached into her coat and pulled out a few small spheres, quickly throwing them to the floor towards Lyun. Both of the spheres surged with stripes of lighting, unfurling from such cores into a surge of a storm that resembled a living creature almost half her height. As the shape of the creature resolved, Lyun backed sharply into the wall in a heightened fear, the apparition lizard’s tongue surging with a series of sparks. The thing looked so real in some of the worst ways, and so much more unreal in even worse ways. The thing was clearly a demon of abstract horror. The two creatures advanced upon her as the woman went back to her coat, visibly preparing to use some other selection of instrumental marvels. Lyun could even see she had quite the selection from such a perspective, the woman had an utter arsenal of instruments hidden under that coat.

Lyun realized then that she might have actually underestimated her opponent. Certainly the woman had not proven her martial prowess, but with such an arsenal of instruments.. she may actually be a far greater danger than any of the hunters she had already confronted. Worse was how the woman seemed keenly aware of her fear of lizards. It really didn’t help that such demons were probably as dangerous as they looked to her horror-filled eyes, foundry instruments had the funding to go the full distance. A sweeping kick strike at one of them who had got dangerously close proved her fears beyond a shadow of doubt, the current of force surging through her entire body, leaving her feeling numb as her leg sparked. She was very obviously at an overbearing disadvantage, even her own exceptional instrumental prowess was nothing before this might.

Axln continued her walk through the halls, having come to terms with the power armor she had discovered. The thing was honestly quite neat, even if she still didn’t get half of what the thing was capable of.. maybe not even a sliver. The best part of it remained how relaxing her walk was when she was having something doing all of the hard work for her. The next step of the plan though remained finding Lyun, a tough challenge considering how the place was designed to keep her so lost. At this point, she was really missing her nanites, she could really use the guidance of someone like Holi right now, pulling through to provide her with just the right route. Distracted in such thoughts, she leaned against a rounded node of the wall, the entire unit lighting up and sliding open. Within, she found a black-haired woman, blinking awake as if after a long nap, a crescent hairpin adorning her hair. Wait, this was an ersatz? The woman eventually focused and turned directly to Axln with a very courteous bow.

“Greetings, inheritor. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. How may I be of service?” “Oh, uh, hi? I don’t know, maybe you could help? I’m looking for my friend, an elf.” “Do you happen to be speaking of the other inheritor?” “Uh, maybe? Sorry, still not completely certain what is going on, or even what you mean by ‘inheritor’. All I know is that I need to meet up with my friend so that we can get out of here our own way. The place is full of people trying to hunt us, and I’m tired of it all.” “Acknowledged. Inheritors are in need of protective enforcement against aggravated threats. Deploying additional support.” The ersatz spoke without even a hint of emotion, the entire thing seeming only faintly alive despite looking absolutely genuine. It was clearly an even more rudimentary model to the ersatz she had seen before. However, it became quickly clear this one was certainly not alone. In series through the halls, several other nodes in the wall slid open, revealing a hoard more of the same. Each ersatz was unique looking enough, but they all had the same lifelessness to them at the same time, like they had very little will of their own. The first ersatz, positioned like a sort of leader among the others at this point, started her path forward, with Axln quick to follow. Very obviously overkill, it seemed Axln had stumbled upon the support of quite the significant search party.

“Who is it? I’m really busy right now. Oh, Zxyd, it’s you. Sorry, I don’t have time for anything right now, I’ve got the thief cornered right here, would be really glad if even some of you guys were to show up. What do you mean, no one is available, this is the exact reason you guys were sent here in the first place? Don’t make me do your work for you. She’s dangerous? This is why you guys were supposed to sleep her, she doesn’t unleash wildly if she’s sleeping. Wait, what do you mean there was suddenly a series of ersatz spotted in the halls, all weaponized. By the divine, everything is awake. Alright, everyone back off to a safe perimeter, you guys don’t have the weaponry to deal with such force. Those ersatz are not to be underestimated, they are completely capable of overwhelming force. We need backup.. now.” “Problems?” “The two of you have been really busy, it's actually annoying. So even Axln has been sticking her nose into things she doesn’t understand. No more wasting time, either give me the book now, or I’ll take it from your fallen frame.” The woman didn’t even give Lyun time to respond, knowing she no longer had the time to wait. The lizards stopped playing nice, charging her full on. Lyun managed to jump out of the way of one, only to find her leg wrapped in the binding chains of the other’s tongue. Lyun was slammed into the ground hard as lightning surged through her in full intensity and pain, leaving her partially paralyzed. She really was suffering a losing battle, she couldn’t do a thing to the blasted lizards, let alone get past them, and she was still trapped in a corner. She turned to the barrier that was cutting off her progress through the halls, wondering if there was anything she might be capable of doing about that. She was already missing the infusion of ability she had endured earlier, all of it having left her. The only part of that she had left was the power her arm was capable of, a power she really didn’t want to need to release. Considering those thoughts, she turned to her white glove once again.

“Oh hells no, you already unleashed your void scourge here not long ago, you might really want to consider how bad it might be to do it again so soon. This is not the time for panic, just give me the blasted book.” The woman actually sounded to be on the verge of panic herself, stepping back a few times in concern. Lyun however could see her point, this power was still terrifying. She could still vividly see in her mind’s eye the woman from before falling apart before her. She even recalled her own decision to not entreat such power so easily. Did she even have anything else she could count on right now, though? It was especially concerning that her opponent seemed so vividly aware of the complete extent of her abilities, even knowing so keenly what the white glove represented. Somehow, it was as if the woman knew her far better than should have even been possible. And as the woman came to realize that Lyun was indeed holding reservation on her void power, she returned to the offensive, knowing Lyun had nothing else.

“Back off from the elf if you know what’s good for you.” Axln's armor hissed as she arrived around the corner, starting up in a charged rush. The woman realized that she had already taken too long, with Axln having already shown up. Worse, the blasted woman has uncovered some of the fortress’s power armor. It was fortunate for the woman that she knew Lyun would hardly know how to use such a thing, else things would have gone really grim. She pulled out another instrument, yet another sphere she tossed towards Axln. This one discharged in a sonic burst, the shrill intensity hitting her before the waves of force did, throwing her into the back wall. Axln just lay there in a complete daze, the thunderous intensity having left her in pure shock. The woman then threw up another wall of force that cut off Axln’s approach, leaving her to face Lyun again.

It didn’t take long for Lyun to notice that the choice of attacks she had saved for Axln was also of a very distinct taste. She had witnessed before just how easily very loud sounds startled Axln, her own elven ears were still ringing from the directed burst that wasn’t even in her direction. The woman was even talking to her, but she couldn’t even hear through the ringing of her ears. It didn’t take much to know what was said though, she still wanted the stupid book. However, Lyun came to a very distinct realization.. Axln was here. She had an escape option that the woman had nothing she could use to counter it. Lyun stood up again as her ears cleared, a sly smile broaching her face. The woman knew too much, but there was one thing she would have no chance of understanding.

“Before you think you could escape so easily, may I remind you that we’re in the very middle of the citadel. If my calculations are correct, that might end up being a bit too much heat for you to handle, am I right?” The woman sported a smile of her own, a demon smile without remorse. Despair suddenly beset upon Lyun, considering such provided details. That the woman knew they were actually in the middle of the citadel was impressive alone, considering how easy it was to get lost around here. However, if this was the middle, they had another problem. She recalled her discussions with Holi regarding how the relay handled heat, that most of the heat was in the core. It was probably more heat than she could survive, even with her fancy ear pieces. But the most incredible part was how the woman knew this would be important. Lyun wasn’t the only one who noticed, Axln wasn’t actually completely out of it. First Velvet, now this woman too. They really needed an edge against such over-informed individuals. Fortunately, Axln still had a surprise of her own.

“Luna, I need you here, now.” “Yes, inheritor. What can I do?” “I told you, I’ve got a friend over there I need to rescue, and it seems there is someone in my way. Might you please scare her away?” “Authorizing use of non-lethal force. Fortress defense grid online. Weapon systems active. Proceeding to disable invasive shielding instruments.” Axln climbed back to her feet while the hairpined ersatz walked out from behind the corner. She had taken to even naming her based upon such a hairpin, just to get things straight in her head. Behind Luna was a score of other ersatz, all drawing weaponry. The walls of the citadel itself started to whirl, an intensity that started having the shielding attachment that were set on the wall gradually begin to crinkle as the very walls started to vibrate. The shield then instantly went down to the explosive force generated by one of the ersatz’s projectiles, the walls dented in the process but automatically repairing itself soon after. Ten other beams pointed straight at the woman, a light emission that did nothing originally but was visibly building in intensity.

Mheridz was fully aware just how bad this situation was. There was a slim chance she could stand her ground against such might, but this was only the beginning. If she stayed, there would be many.. many more to come. In fact, if she knocked both girls unconscious, their protectors would ensure their safety, potentially even keeping the book secure for their awakening. It was at most only a slight delay, and it was at risk to her own continued wellbeing. She had no choice but to withdraw. Pulling another sphere again, this one connected with the remaining shield, pulling her rapidly towards it and letting her pass through it. She then ran, knowing that such a shield wasn’t about to last very long either. She slipped behind another corner just as a rush of air burst through the halls at yet another explosion. Things were going very bad, but she hadn’t lost everything yet, there was still one plan remaining. Pulling out another sphere, she detonated several charges in the nearby area in calculated areas, pulling down the roof in select halls but leaving certain others free for passage. With that accomplished, she rushed to meet up with the wardens, fully intent on starting an evacuation. The citadel was lost to them, it was in the full hands of their enemy, stolen completely. They couldn’t stay here any longer, but they did have other areas to be as things stood. The foundry was certain to take interest in this aggravated escalation too, maybe people would finally be willing to listen to her some more.

“Lyun, you okay?” “I’m.. fine, thanks. By the divine, you looked so cool there. Talk about finding some really useful stuff, all I found was a stupid book. You found.. some incredible gear.. and quite a number of handy friends. First nanites, now ersatz. It’s.. like I can’t do anything to help you anymore. I was totally useless there, a failure with no chance of enduring had you not shown up as you did. I’m sorry.” “Nothing here is your fault, I just happened to stumble upon a few things that could help out, while you uncovered the real treasure. I found a lab that made it pretty clear that your book alone is the very thing we came here for. If we can bring it back to the others, we might be able to uncover some real answers here.” Axln helped Lyun back to her feet after having fallen over in the onrushing chaos, first by the woman’s sudden dash, then also by the leveling blast. After dusting herself off, Lyun found herself holding a small package Axln had offered her. It was the second armor that Axln had found earlier, ready for Lyun’s own use. After a moment to get into her own version and adjust to how it works, she started finding the principle quite interesting. Her biggest concern remained how bulky such a design really was, it really wasn’t intuitive. Lyun suspected most of the intent was an appeal to the mythos, something so many inventors in society could appreciate. However, she personally knew their interpretation of the mythos was seriously out of date. It was a concern, but it wasn’t relevant at the time, they really needed to get out of there instead.

Accounting for what they were told, the foremost objective was to reach an appropriate distance away from the central area of the citadel. As Lyun and Axln set off, they found their paths cut off in a number of turns, even though those halls were already visibly under repair. Neither of them though were willing to just sit and wait for repairs, they wanted out. Conveniently it wasn’t as if every path was denied to them, they simply followed what opportunities they had available. They travelled for a distance along, getting confirmation from Luna that they were no longer in the inner circle of the citadel. After Luna and the other ersatz wandered off, the two found a place as good as any for their return shift. This time however, the two kept much closer, intent on not being left separated again on the other side. Beginning their shift, the two were gone in the next instant.

Mheridz peeked out from behind the corner, a sly smile on her face despite knowing that she might not have recovered the book, instead she had delivered the two straight into the waiting hands of her accomplice. Mheridz turned her attention back to her bracelet, hoping that those on the other side were sufficiently prepared as she took her own leave of the citadel.