Golden: The Collection

Chapter XI: Bushes of Thorns

Being back within the Gem Hunter's facility was not something Cobolt had been eagerly anticipating. He despised the way the floor felt against his feet, the way the other Hunters looked down upon him, watching his every move. They gazed upon him with such judgment, such distrust.

He glared back at them until they averted their eyes.

Everyone knew he was only there for his sister. As soon as that leverage was gone, so was his loyalty.

Serenia was his world. He would get them out of there. He would. He promised her, which was why he found absolute distaste in every moment he wasn't actively working towards the plan.

What they needed was the Gemstones, he knew. There was something called the Applegate, a place that can manifest dreams themselves. They would be safe there, for all eternity. As soon as he obtained all of the Gemstones, he would take Serenia and go through the Applegate.

Still.. he couldn't help but remember the way his heart twisted at the sight of Nicholas and Harmonia after so long. He'd had to remind himself of his objective.

For the time being, there wasn't much he could do but follow Flamethrower's orders. Use his Enchanter skills to the best of his ability, and perhaps he would be awarded.

What a joke.

Cobolt knew they would never reward him, no matter his feats. They were in it for themselves and themselves only. They all were.

He found himself before his destination. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the heavy door open. There Nightshade was, talking with another one of Cobolt's superiors. The second he stepped foot inside, the threat of Influence grew stronger.

Nightshade didn't use it on Cobolt as often as he used to, but it remained in the air, waiting for its moment to strike. The room was standard, strictly used for keeping their plans organized. Nightshade was clacking on the keyboard, while the other Hunter was speaking in a lowered tone. Both of their heads turned at Cobolt's arrival, to which Nightshade dismissed the Gem Hunter. They shot Cobolt a sideways look before exiting the room.

"You come with good news, I presume?"

Cobolt would rather shoot himself with a berserker three hundred times and then some, than hold a conversation with him.

"They're on the move, and have split into two groups. They've also taken a zombie into their ranks." He approached, glancing at the computer screen. On the monitor was Gembearer data. There was the Topaz and Amber, whose identified bearers were Princesses Aureate and Stelora. The three besides, Cobolt was unsure of. The Opal was on there, which was reported as having an extremely recent Awakening. The Quartz, also on there, was confirmed a zombie (a zombie!!) was in possession of.

A zombie Gembearer was, honestly, incredibly significant considering their past. If the circumstances were different, maybe Cobolt would look into the how's and why's a bit more. As of the moment, he had more important things to focus on.

"How did Flamethrower respond?" Nightshade asked slowly.

Cobolt hadn't been there when a small force stumbled across the zombie in the Crossroads, but decided to keep him alive to reap answers. He appeared to be a soldier zombie, and after running some tests, they discovered he had half of the Quartz. Not the entire thing. The very thought boggled Cobolt's mind.

The other, the Zircon of Wind, they had yet to draw a conclusion about. From the radar, they could tell the bearer remained stationed in the Scorching Kingdom. As their forces were currently all over the Sunfall Kingdom, as well as on standby to pursue House Solarex, they were forced to leave them be.