"Dawn!" Syrena hissed from behind, too quiet to be overheard but voice no less angry. "Get back here! It's too dangerous."
Dawn ignored her warnings, breezing through the shadows as she moved in the direction of the scream. They were so close to finding out what they needed to be prepared for. Naturally, Dawn had her theories based on what she knew so far, but it was the confirmation she craved above all else.
She kept to the very outskirts of the encampment, but she could still see within. Structurally, it was quite similar to the Base, although the atmosphere felt strange. Like something sinister lingered in the air, suffocating the residents. The humans looked strange too: ashen and sunken skin were the most noticeable differences, with no light behind their eyes. They looked remarkably unwell, and while the Base did not have much by way of resources, at least the humans who lived there looked alive and not akin to walking corpses. The veins of the people here were visible, webbing underneath their skin and bulging to the surface. They appeared black in colour, as if an inky substance was running through rather than blood. Despite their ghastly appearances, they still went about their early morning as though nothing was wrong; as though screaming was normal in this part of the woods.
It was not difficult to find the source of distress, and Dawn came to a halt once she reached a small clearing. Quickly scaling a tree for better visibility, she barely registered Syrena joining her as she observed the scene: a girl lay curled up in the muddy glade. It was apparent that this space within the forest was dedicated for something much more than farming.
"Please, no more." The girl panted as she begged, hugging her knees to her chest as though that might alleviate the pain. Dawn had seen this girl many times before, although she was curious as to how Elise had found her way to the northern encampment. Did she really offer herself? Or was she taken?
A man stepped closer to Elise, and Dawn did not recognise him from the Base. That must be who Garrett was speaking with, she thought as he pointed towards a weapon on the ground. It was dirty, but she could recognise a Monstra made weapon when she saw one.
"Pick it up." He said calmly, watching with keen eyes. Syrena sucked in a sharp breath as she caught sight of the weapon, her gaze then trailing to where the rest lay in a discarded pile towards the edge of the clearing; all of which were Monstra made. They were the weapons that had been taken from the kidnapped Protectors. Based on Syrena's unfathomable reaction, perhaps she recognised some of them.
"I cannot." Elise spat through clenched teeth, voice cracking with pain. Her body was visibly shaking from whatever she had been injected with, clearly rejecting the substance. The sight caused a brilliant chill to shoot down Dawn's spine, catching a glimpse of one of her newly acquired biggest fears.
"Pick it up or die."
The girl froze, eyes widening as she realised that she truly would be killed if she did not do as she was asked.
Slowly, she rose to her feet, movements heavy and sluggish. Elise trudged towards where the weapon lay, bent down, and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the sword. Typically, Monstra made weapons were too heavy for humans to lift, made of a material that most could not even budge. Now, while Elise could not fully lift the sword, when she pulled, it moved. The weapon moved.
They are expert fighters, Garrett, the likes of which no ordinary human can even hope to defeat.
That may be true for now, but it will not always be that way.
So this is what he had meant. His words rang through Dawn's mind as she watched the once bright and lively Elise pick up a sword that should have been impossible to lift. It was then that she noticed how unwell Freya's friend looked, her once dark and healthy skin was now sunken and dull. It was suddenly apparent that the residents of the northern encampment had all been subject to testing the drug.
"Didn't I tell you?" The man turned to Garrett with a smile that caused hair to stand on the back of Dawn's neck. "It's quite an improvement."
"Yes, but she still cannot wield the weapon." Garrett argued, seeming impatient with the lack of significant progress. "When will we get better results?"
"Calm yourself, we will have them soon enough. Our monster is acquiring what we need."
"Can we trust them?"
"The information they have provided has been correct so far, and they have promised to stay out of our business as long as we stay out of theirs."
"What of the other?"
"Ah, yes I imagine she will return soon." He laughed as though his words were a particularly funny joke before regaining sincerity. "For now we should concentrate on refining the contents of each dose, we don't want any more failed experiments."
"They are getting difficult to control."
"Let them run around, they won't attack your precious Base."
"It's too late for that." Garrett sighed wearily, and he suddenly looked aged. "The people of the Base have already seen one."
"And how did that turn out for you?" The man smirked, already knowing how the story had ended.
"I can fix it."
"Mhm, I would love to see you try." Dawn recognised the mockery in his tone, she was quite versed in it. "Less and less people are willing to head north, and even fewer trust you now. How exactly do you plan on fixing it?"
"I'm sure you could help in that department."
"I could, but I would have to use force."
While the men were talking, Elise had collapsed, chest heaving and body convulsing. It was a jarring sight to watch, but Dawn could not risk getting caught so she stayed put, gazing on as Elise fought for air. Had Dawn chosen to side with Garrett, or had done nothing about the problem, that would have undoubtedly been Rose and Freya's fate.
This is exactly what they are trying to accomplish. You wouldn't have a daughter when they use her for their experiments! She is essentially Experiment Zero in their eyes!
Not just her sisters' fate, but her fate too. So what they are trying to accomplish is me, Dawn's hand gripped the branch and it splintered beneath her touch. She knew this, of course she knew this, but it was still distressing to have confirmed.
The shards of wood fell to the forest floor below, rustling the shrubbery that lay underneath. The slight movement caught the men's attention, both heads turning in their direction. Luckily, the two girls were blocked from their view, but Dawn did not want to take any more chances.
"We should leave now." Dawn elbowed the girl beside her, trying to gain her attention. "We have seen all that we need to see."
Syrena took a moment to respond, eyes still locked on the weapons that lay discarded. It was only after another nudge did she give a reluctant nod.
Realising that she was concerned for the Commander, Dawn hastily pushed the thought and emotion aside until they had made it out of the forest. Distractions would not help her here.
As swiftly as they could, they dropped back down to the forest floor, hastily backing away from where the humans were mere feet before them. Luckily, the sun was hidden behind thick grey clouds, offering them some form of protection; although it was still not as much as Dawn would like. The walk back to the break in the border would take a day, but the more distance they put between themselves and the encampment, the better.
They kept to the same path that they had taken before, although this time they ventured further away from where the humans resided, no longer needing to follow a trodden path for directions. The silence between them was palpable, almost uncomfortable given what they had just witnessed. Dawn was sure that there was more to this plot than a few artificial steroids, but their three days were almost up and the danger of being caught increased by the day. Especially if they were to dig further, there was certainly more to be found deeper in the mountains that Dawn doubted she wanted to discover.
Even when they had reached a point where whispered conversation was moderately safe, Syrena kept quiet. This was not unusual for the Commander, but Dawn noticed that she seemed different, more distant.
It was those weapons, she thought as she dared a sideways glance at the girl, she knew the owners.
Dawn stayed silent too, still untangling her thoughts on what she had seen. The day's events were still too fresh for her to voice opinions. She had known that Garrett was searching for a way to make humans stronger, strong enough to go toe to toe with Monstra. She knew that he was not alone in this operation, and that their new base was nestled within the northern mountains. She knew that the men had failed multiple times, leading to the existence of horrific creatures. She knew that they had people working for them outside of the forest, including Monstra. What she did not know was what was going to happen, or how to stop it from happening.
She felt as though the very fate of her loved ones rested on her shoulders, and she did not know how to save them. She would do anything, someone merely had to give her the solution. Except, nothing was ever that easy, and Dawn would have to figure the solution out herself. Who did she have to trick? Who did she have to lie to? Who did she have to kill? Exactly what did she have to do?
Daring another sideways glance to Syrena, Dawn felt an unbearable need to find the answers to those questions, and fast.
They walked for what felt like a very long time, braving the light of day in favour of escaping Kings Grave, and neither girl spoke to the other. Dawn wanted to, she had long since needed to share her thoughts, but her companion looked as though talking was the last thing she wanted. With this in mind, Dawn stayed silent, allowing Syrena the quiet she obviously needed.
Only when the next sign of danger came did Syrena look at her. "Did you hear that?"
Dawn, who had been rather distracted, shook her head. "Hear what?"
Syrena listened intently to the forest surrounding her and, slowly but surely, Dawn could make out the sound of rapid footsteps heading in their direction; they sounded human.
Whoever it was, Dawn was not keen on finding out. Especially considering they had been foolish enough to move during the daylight. "Run."
The two girls began running, feet pounding the earth and leaping over shrubbery as they outraced those that were chasing them. Had they been discovered somehow? Or were some people fleeing the dire situation they had found themselves in? Either way, it would not be a good thing to be spotted.
The longer they ran, the more Dawn realised how much trouble they were in. Not only had they been chased to a part of the forest she did not recognise, the humans had driven them away from the break in the border; a truly unfortunate set of circumstances.
"Where did they go?" A voice yelled from their left near the border, blocking them in and leading them further into the forest.
"I don't know." Another replied, sounding furious. "Perhaps down to the Base?"
"Looks like a Venturer or Watcher wandered too far." The voice was further away the next time it spoke, much to Dawn's relief. "They're getting quite bold now."
"Maybe we should throw them into the tunnels." The other sounded as though they were grinning. "Let's see how bold they are then."
From the way they spoke, it sounded as though there was a divide between the humans of the Base and the humans from the northern encampment. Dawn found this incredibly odd, shouldn't there be some unity between them?
Crouching behind a large surfaced root of a tree, the two listened as their pursuers grew further and further away. While they were free to return to the border, it still felt as though they had been chased to a point of no return.
Dawn's theory proved correct when, from underfoot, came the sound of muffled heartbeats and clawing, as though a mass of things were desperate to unearth themselves.
Syrena and Dawn looked at each other, gazes equal measures of shock and horror. So that's what they meant by tunnels, she thought as she reached the correct conclusion. The creatures were kept within tunnels underneath Kings Grave, although she did not know how many they held, or how far they stretched. There was no wonder Dawn had never come across one before in Kings Grave, not when they had been hidden and roaming about below the surface.
Since she had encountered them in the west, that meant there were either more humans stationed there, or the tunnels reached that far. It was a wonder that they had not heard such a hideous crawling sound before, unless the beasts knew that they were there and were gathering underground to their exact location. The chance, while highly likely, did not soothe her.
Moving as silently as they could to not disturb what lay beneath, Dawn and Syrena crept away and towards the border. They needed to get out of the forest.
Their previous flight from the humans had saved them precious time, although there was still a long way to go between where they were and the safety of the world beyond the border. Dawn almost froze at the thought, since when did she begin to consider the outside world safer? How peculiar! It was almost amusing how much she had changed in such a short span of time.
Much to their discomfort, the crawling sound followed them for hours on end, the creatures below seemingly knowing where they were going and were determined to follow them.
If there are tunnels, I wonder where the entrances are? Dawn wondered as they walked, not seeing any holes or creatures spring from the earth. The vile beasts would surely be waiting to attack, though perhaps they did not know how to get above the surface either considering they were blind. Though, they seemed too intelligent to be placed somewhere and stay there. Unless some entrances were hidden?
Testing this theory, Dawn began to closely inspect and feel the ground with her feet. The soil underfoot felt as she would expect. Although, she was still not fully used to her new strength, and Dawn pressed a little too hard on a patch that was best left alone.
She lost her footing, meeting air rather than solid ground. Dawn found it almost comical how she seemed doomed to constantly fall into various holes in the ground that promised her death. Below her, a swarm of creatures flocked to the steep opening, ready to tear her limb from limb. The smell that wafted upwards was truly horrendous, and she would've gagged had it not been for the fact that she was preoccupied. Dawn's fall was cut short, and she looked up, a peculiar feeling of déjà vu gripping her memory as she watched Syrena's fingers dig into her forearm, saving her from falling into the precipice below. She grinned at the Commander. Whatever would I do without her? "If we live through this, remind me to thank you."
"Don't strain yourself." Syrena grunted as she pulled her over the ledge to safety, the monsters nipping and clawing at the hybrid girl's heels.
The tunnels, as it happened, had openings in multiple places between where they were and the border. This was proven when some creatures managed to crawl their way to the surface, snarling at them through cracked and bloodied maws, rotten teeth on display.
Dawn loaded her bow and fired, killing each experiment that appeared while Syrena handled the ones who drifted too close. The monsters seemed different here, they were stronger and larger than they had been previously. It took a significant amount of more effort to kill just one.
Then, something truly horrific emerged from the ground. This creature was similar in appearance to the others, although there was something sinister about the way this one held itself; as if it possessed the strength of a mountain. Dawn had only seen such stature in certain beings before, and never once had that been a human. This particular beast also did not have sewn eyes, and their once brilliant hue had darkened, as though two black holes presided where irises should be.
"They weren't just experimenting on humans." Dawn whispered as she stood toe to toe with what should have been the impossible. The humans were experimenting on Monstra too. Syrena made a choking sound from behind, and Dawn's heart cleaved in two.
The large beast drew closer, and Syrena had not moved an inch from where she was rooted to the ground. She never froze in times like these, was it because she was up against something that used to be a Monstra?
Dawn, who had been steadily moving closer to Syrena, eased the scimitar from her hand. She grew increasingly more concerned when the Commander did not react, nor put up a fight in light of her weapon being taken from her. What was wrong with her?
Sparing one final worried gaze, Dawn turned back to face the former Monstra, armed and ready. She had never received training in the art of swordsmanship, and she had no idea how to wield such a formidable weapon. She did, however, know how to stab things, and what was a sword if not a glorified knife?
Steeling her heart with courage and misplaced confidence, Dawn darted around to the back of the horrific beast, feeling its soulless eyes follow her every movement. It turned to face her, and she slashed outwards, grazing the edge of the blade against the flesh of its leg. The thing snarled and swiped its hand in her direction, although Dawn had already moved away. She may not be good with a sword, but she was proficient at dodging.
Black blood spewed from where the blade made contact, but this did not seem to deter the creature from continuing to attack Dawn. It had grown completely oblivious to the existence of Syrena, the hybrid girl made sure of that. If the Commander could not fight, let her not have to worry about being killed.
Growing increasingly tired of their game of cat and mouse, and growing incredibly frustrated at the Commander's ridiculous sword choice, Dawn circled the beast once again, looking as though she were going to stab it from behind. Her opponent circled, long limbs stretched to catch her. Anticipating this, Dawn ducked underneath and drove the scimitar deep into the chest of the forsaken Monstra. This was not easy to do given the curved nature of the sword's blade, and Dawn grit her teeth as she struggled to carve a path with the blasted thing, but she felled the beast nonetheless.
With a gargled cry, the creature fell to the floor, its last breath sounding akin to a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was painful to live in such a state.
Pulling the weapon from the chest, Dawn noted how she was now covered in the same gore that she had made fun of Syrena for.
No sooner had she thought her name, the girl spoke from behind in the same mocking tone that was often employed when referring to Dawn's use of weaponry. "You are truly horrible with any form of blade."
"It's not my fault that you chose the most inconvenient weapon." Dawn spat as she tossed the Commander the offending sword. "Why the fuck is the blade curved?"
Syrena sneered as she caught it effortlessly. "Don't blame the sword for your ineptitude."
Dawn and Syrena did not have time to argue further before having to face more enemies, and the former struggled collecting each of her arrows in time for the next onslaught.
"We'll be stuck here forever if we don't move forward somehow." Syrena stated as she cleaved the head of a beast clean off of its shoulders. It made a hideous thump as it landed on the floor. Unfortunately, it seemed as though they would not have time to clean up the evidence, and someone was bound to stumble upon the bodies they would leave behind. That would undoubtedly send their enemies into a panic, perhaps even spurring them on to move faster, but it could not be helped.
"I'll lead." Dawn said as she began walking, using the bow to clear a path for them and swiftly collecting her arrows as she went. It would be highly inconvenient if she ran out of them.
"I'll cover you." Syrena confirmed as she resumed fighting the creatures that were too close to shoot, and the ones that approached from behind.
Once a decent path had been cleared, and there were fewer creatures to contend with, Dawn took off in a sprint. She was desperate to be out of Kings Grave, she had seen enough of it to last her multiple lifetimes. Besides, she also knew that something was bothering Syrena, and she felt the urgent need to discover what.
They were close to the border now and, as if freedom was mocking them, another beast burst forth from the shrubbery, blocking their way.
Without pausing, Dawn giggled as she charged forward, straight toward the creature that awaited her. It was clear that it would not move from her path, and she relished in that fact. The world around her seemed to pulsate, the hysteria tugged on her emotions, and Dawn felt her sense of reality begin to slip away. The only thing that grounded her was the feeling of the blood hammering through her veins, the sight of the tree line, and the sound of Syrena's frantic heartbeat.
Kicking off from the ground, she flipped over the obstruction just as Syrena threw her weapon, the blade glinting as it whistled through the air where Dawn had been moments prior. The scimitar struck the beast in the chest, burying itself to the hilt and effectively killing its target.
Dawn did not stop running once her feet had hit the ground once more, and Syrena, who had retrieved her weapon without pausing, was close behind.
At last, the break in the border was before them. Thanking her lucky stars that she could not hear any humans nearby, Dawn dashed straight out of the forest and into the open. The two girls did not stop until they reached the same foothills that they had hidden behind before they had entered Kings Grave, wanting to be completely out of sight before they could allow themselves a moment to breathe.
Dawn's thoughts were racing a mile a minute as she stopped once they were safely hidden, immediately dropping her weapons and one trembling hand flying to her temple as she massaged the skin there. Her medicine was still working, so why did she feel as though she was on the precipice of another episode? Was she at another breaking point? Or was it merely what she had inherited from her father? According to Nysteria, he received medicine from her too and yet he still lived in a constant state of instability.
If that is to be my fate then so be it, she inwardly sighed as she straightened, having had enough of fighting herself. As long as she was able to think with clarity of any description, and able to keep in control of her emotions, she could not complain too much.
It was only when she looked towards the girl beside her did she remember that something was wrong. "Syrena, what is it?"
"It's nothing."
"It's clearly something."
Syrena turned away from her. "Drop it, Dawn."
"No, I won't." Stubbornly, Dawn moved to stand before her again, folding her arms. "What happened?"
"I said drop it." Her tone was final, and her voice seemed to hold the edge of a growl.
"And I said no, you're clearly upset."
"I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me." It was Dawn's turn to flood her voice with sternness. Did Syrena really think she would let her get away with staying silent? After everything they had been through? "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you." She snapped before reeling back, not meaning to use that tone with the infuriating girl before her. "I'm just angry."
"Angry?" Dawn's head tilted, thinking about how the Commander had acted in the forest. "With Garrett?"
"I..." She closed her eyes and took a breath, seemingly struggling to keep her temper. "I'm...angry with myself."
"For what?"
"Those weapons they were keeping like prizes once belonged to Protectors under my command." She spat the words as though they were venom, though her eyes told a story of misery.
This was information Dawn already knew, and she failed to see how it was relevant. "Yes?"
"Don't you get it? I ordered those patrols!" Syrena's hands flew to Dawn's shoulders, shaking her as she yelled. "I sent them to their deaths!"
Everything suddenly clicked. "Syrena, you didn't."
"Protectors went missing and I sent more in their place. I was practically helping them, and now look! They were even experimenting on them and it's my fault." The Commander loosened her grip, head lowering in shame. "I should have gone the second I realised something was wrong."
"But you did go."
"I went too late." She dropped to the ground, glaring into empty space as she battled with her self loathing. "I'm so stupid."
"You are not stupid." Dawn said forcefully, looking down at the Commander, unsure how to console someone who seemed to never need consoling. "How could you have known? It is unheard of for Monstra to go missing."
"Which is why I should have done something the second I noticed."
"Have you been carrying this guilt all this time?" Syrena stayed silent, which was answer enough. "That's why you volunteered to solve the mystery when you brought it to Zyire's attention, isn't it?"
"I couldn't stand by and not try to amend my mistakes."
"It's not your fault." Dawn said as she sat beside her, the damp grass soaking through her clothing. She stared at Syrena for a time, still unsure of what to do. Was there anything she could say? By the looks of things, there didn't seem to be any words that would help. Instead, Dawn opened her arms and pulled Syrena into her, letting the Commander's head fall to her shoulder as she held her. "It's not your fault."
The girl froze under her touch, muscles tensing. It seemed that despite not being used to hugs, this one wasn't unwelcome. Syrena stayed in the hold, body eventually relaxing against her. "I don't know what to do."
"Neither do I." Dawn confessed, voice barely above a whisper as she buried her face into Syrena's hair. In truth, she really didn't know what to do with what they had discovered. Despite knowing more now than she had previously, the information still felt insubstantial. There was still so much she didn't know, still so much uncertainty. If anything, she had more questions now than she had before.
The Commander's hands gripped her, as if needing something solid to hold onto. "What's next?"
"I don't know that either, but I'll figure it out." She breathed, wishing she could let go of every concern she had in favour of enjoying the feeling of holding a girl in her arms. "I suppose that, for now, we should return to Zyire."
Nodding once, Syrena uncurled herself from Dawn and stood, averting her gaze and keeping it trained to the horizon. The incriminating reasons were currently trailing from her eyes and down her cheeks, leaving wet streaks across her pale skin.
Dawn said nothing and rose from the grass, pretending as though she had not seen Syrena cry for the second time since she had met her, and still not being able to help her any more than she had the first.