>>6006506The world is uncomfortably hot when you open your eyes. The floor is hard and the air smells of cinder. You can hear the crackling of great fires in the distance along with the shouting of men and women. You feel tired.
“Hey look, she's waking up!” You hear Silas say as the world comes into focus.
You’ve been laid out on rubble with nary a cushion to soften your head. The fires still rage around but you can hear no gunfire. The church you saw earlier seems to have completely crumbled though a few people, normal ordinary people, are working to clean up the rubble. You push yourself to sit, “What happened?” You wearily question as you look around.
“You collapsed, Your Highness, we had to pull you out of the house and protect you as we cleaned up the rest of the bots,” Abram says from behind you. “Luckily, your strategy left very little to clean up. Still, I have to ask, what happened? What made you faint like that?”
“I-i’m not sure,” It all seems so hazy but the memories are slowly coming to you. The little girl, Alice, and the strange dream. What did it all mean? Or did it have any meaning at all?
“Her Highness does not need an interrogation, inquisitor,” Silas rebukes Abram in your favor, I am certain she is more than able to disclose why this happened if she is given space and time to rest,” But why does he say that? Lip service to your rank? Probably.
You hear Abram’s armor clank as he steps away, “Not much time to rest I’m afraid. Whole towns in chaos. She’ll be required to do something to sort this mess out.”
“And mingle with these barbarians? Surely, you must be jesting, inquisitor. If they want to be separated from the Crown so much then surely they can handle themselves!” Silas announces to the world with pomp, the people around seem too busy to pay him anything more than a passing stink eye.
“How long?” You say in barely more than a whisper.
“About an hour, Your Highness, Asher and Marie managed to take control of the vessel these things,” He kicks what once used to be a metallic skeleton’s arm, “used to arrive here after a big fight with some more put together ‘bots’ as they called them,” Abram says.
“Speak of the Demon Lord,” Silas trails off as two people walk over to your position, Asher and Marie. Marie looks mostly fine with only a few scuffs and bruises while Asher- It would be an understatement to say Asher looks horrid. His left arm hangs limply at his side, his right hand clutching the mangled mass of flesh and splinters that are his upper right forearm. Dried blood cascades from a cut on his forehead. It looks like the fight did not end well for the man and yet despite all that he doesn’t let it deter his pace.
