Chapter 79 (LXXIX) Aftermath

Khione had raced a great distance away from the island before circling an area and creating a platform as she reverted back to a small cub. Jackson groaned, lying on his back as he stared into the sky while she and Umbra stood on both sides of his head and stared at him.

"Thanks, you two; I don't think I would have survived that without calling you guys when he thought he won." The young man laughed, groaning again as he sat up, his WarFrame deactivating as his armor vanished.

Jackson sighed heavily, tapping on the flashing exclamation mark in the corner of his vision as a series of notifications appeared in front of him:

[Modified Tenth Floor Challenge]

[Fort Novae and Fort Vetus have been in a stalemate until recently, and Hollows have taken over! Discover the source of the Hollows and bring peace to the brother's neighboring kingdoms!]

['Final Judgement' has been Mastered within Timeless Rage of the Meteor Behemoth!]

[WarFrame has depleted all Power Cores; please recharge to redeploy!]

[Flaming Dawn has successfully completed La Décima Isla's Challenge! Please exit God's Tower immediately so the floor can be reset.]

Jackson closed his eyes after dismissing the notifications and fell onto his back, turning his head to the small cub, "Khione! How did you do that?"

"Kyu..?" She mewed, tilting her head. He laughed and patted the top of her head, and inspected her stats:

[Name: Khione]

[Species: Winged Snowdrift Panther]

[Spirit Rank: Queen (Evolvable)]

[Spirit Trait: Inspire Loyalty]

[Spirit Level: 5]

[Affinity: Ice]

[Power: 23]

[Perception: 25]

[Stamina: 24]

[Speed: 26]

[Instinct: 34]

[Available Points: 0]

[Spirit Artes: War Forme (5%)]

"War Forme, huh..?" Jackson muttered, inspecting her new Arte:

[War Forme]

[Rank: S]

[Mastery: 5%]

[Type: Transformation]

[Khione's body is enveloped in ice for a brief transformation into the Snowdrift Panther War Forme, increasing her attributes tenfold for a short duration.]

"Kyu!!" Khione proclaimed proudly, puffing her chest out. Umbra narrowed his eyes as he peeked at her from behind the young man, hissing softly and blowing a minuscule spark of fire.

"Great work, Khi!" Jackson exclaimed, picking her up and holding her high in the air with a grin as the kitten gushed in appreciation. Umbra whined as he leaned forward on his thigh, his tail wagging sheepishly.

Jackson laughed, patting the small wyvern as he placed Khione in his lap, "You were great too, Umbra!"

The small wyvern climbed into his lap excitedly, snuggling close to Khione as she growled softly before Jackson patted both of their heads and removed both from his lap, standing up.

"Come on, guys! We need to return to Duskgate and find Megan!" He said, waving his arm as he tried to run on the path of ice leading back to the island.

He waved his arms as he moved his body back and forth, stumbling forward before he regained his balance and started sliding his feet against the ice, skating back with the two Spirit Beasts in tow.

***

Megan awoke as her bound body was being jostled. Instantly her heart started pounding in her chest as she began hyperventilating, gagged with a cloth around her mouth and a burlap sack over her head.

She was drenched in sweat as she was dressed in a simple, dirty gray sweatsuit, bound repeatedly around both arms and legs with thick rope.

"Ngh!" she grunted as she was thrown against the hard ground as she began sobbing silently. A man ripped the sack off her head, and she shut her eyes tightly.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the light as she looked around and found herself in a dingy warehouse surrounded by a large group of intimidating men.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, little girl..." One of the men exclaimed, kneeling down as he pulled the bandanna out of her mouth, pulling it down around her neck.

"W-W-Wh-Wha?" She sobbed, unable to speak coherently as she looked up at him pitifully through teary eyes. The thug mocked her as he laughed, raising his hand to one of the men and snapping his fingers as they quickly came forward and untied the girl.

"You're free to go!" He explained, pointing to the large warehouse doors behind him, "There's the exit!"

Megan held her breath, her eyes darting around as she looked between the men, too scared to move. After a long pause, she slowly stood up, cautiously walking past the men.

Halfway toward the doors, she turned back, glancing at the men who ignored her, sprinting toward the exit, and repeatedly turning her head as she ran, trying to see if anyone was chasing her.

Looking back, she ran into the door, falling to her rear, and scrambled back to her feet, stumbling with the handle before running out of the warehouse as she ran toward the orphanage, running into Alijah on her way back toward the shop.

***

"After holding me somewhere, they moved me and that's how I was freed..." She explained, freshly out of the shower and wrapped tightly in a thick blanket with a piping hot cup of tea in her hand.

Alijah and the triplets gasped in shock, excitedly chatting amongst themselves and bombarding her with dozens of questions. Due to her return, the shop had been closed for the day.

Jackson burst into the empty shop shortly after she had finished telling her story; he looked around the storefront confused, before sprinting up the stairs, "Alijah!"

"Ah, speak of the devil!" She exclaimed before turning and shouting loudly, "Up here, Jackson!!"

Jackson quickly ascended the series of stairs, rushing onto the floor, "Quick, Megan's somewhere around Duskgate, we need to find her, fast!"

He quickly looked around all five women and looked back at Megan, realizing she was back when she dropped the mug and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

He was taken aback, his mind entirely overloaded by emotions. The mug crashing into the ground snapped him back as he wrapped his arms around Megan, hugging her tightly as she began crying uncontrollably.

He hushed her, stroking her hair, repeatedly muttering softly, "I'm sorry..."