Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 553: An Unwanted Ally

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 553: An Unwanted Ally

"Not me, and not the Voltens. This horde has nothing to do with Reis. My hands are clean of it." Sirsi shrugged. "The New Dawn has other areas of interest besides Reis for the sake of creating stronger and better humans."

"Fusing elements into people?" Oscar recalled the young Quinn from the Burning Valley, an elemental human created from ash and dirt.

"Oh? You know about it?" Sirsi eyed him. "Elements is one route that is researched. The cause of all of the mayhem yesterday is the beastification experiment."Thê source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

"Are they turning people into beasts?" Oscar growled. "I can only imagine the foul experiments you people must be doing."

"I said before, don't lump me in their lot. Even if you are in my good graces, it won't save you from a beating." Sirsi frowned, finding a place to sit among the rubble. "The Soulbond between human and beast is a unique connection between the cores, placing their lives on the same scales. But who wants that weakness and wishes to risk the absurdly low chance of forming the Blood Transmutation like you?"

Falling silent, Sirsi brightened with a smile and patted the seat beside her, seemingly inviting him to sit beside her, but Oscar remained still. Pouting, she crossed her legs and swayed her body softly to the breeze. "There is a laboratory under Orbis where the beastification experiments were conducted. The Guire Wildlands provide an ample amount of beasts and lost Exalts. The large insect that destroyed everyone is a released experiment, part of the deal made to the Undying Flame Sect."

"A deal? They wanted to slaughter their fleet?" Oscar couldn't believe they would sacrifice thousands if not hundreds of thousands.

"Not exactly. The deal was to destroy Orbis, not safeguard their soldiers and fleet. Technically, the New Dawn held up their end of the promise." Sirsi scoffed, mumbling about how idiotic the other side was. She leaped off her seat and floated closer, her short skirt fluttering, tempting glimpses of more enticing views, barely hidden.

Oscar didn't trust her. He raised his shield as a wall before her and dug his feet into the rubble, clenching his toes to explode with the fiercest Reis. Erden lowered his antlers, pointing the sharp ends directly at her, and slowly scrapped his hooves on the ground, prepared to buck forward. Sirsi sighed and stopped a few inches away from his shield, her gaze devoid of fear, shining with great clarity and will.

Sirsi cleared her throat and crossed her right hand over her heart, bowing slightly. "I offer you my help."

"Help...why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't a trap?" Oscar accused.

"Geez, why are you stubborn? I hope our child can be more open-minded." Sirsi said, descending to reach his eye level. She leaned forward, almost snarling. "I said nothing but the truth when we fought five years ago. Do you believe you can find your friends and soldiers in this heaping mess? All while the beasts hound you at every corner? Follow me, and you can stop it, then your search can go uninterrupted."

She sounded very convincing, each of her words stoking the images of his friends to flare up in his mind. He bit his tongue, drawing small hints of blood that tasted foul. He could reject her now and search on his own. But what would that achieve? Oscar felt his stomach churn at the decision he had reached. It was the only way to save as many as possible. Lowering his shield, he backed off several steps and silently nodded.

Oscar grunted in response and rested in another corner, sitting beside Erden with his arms wrapped around his knees, the shield in his hand ready and waiting. Sirsi turned over to lay on her side, resting her head on her palm as her violet eyes locked onto him, an inviting and suggestive pose. He grew tired of her stare, and the silence was discomforting. He felt like a mouse trapped in a corner by a cat who only stared at him hungrily without acting.

Perhaps talking might help. The discomfort of Sirsi's silent stare was too unsettling, so he thought of something to bring up. There was one mystery he had wondered about ever since learning about the Voltens from Sevon, and this self-proclaimed jewel of the Voltens might know. He whispered, "Why are you so obsessed with the perfect Reis user?"

"Why?" Sirsi rose from the floor, dusted off her back and side, and sat down, facing him directly, her gaze no longer provoking but serious and straightforward. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms, tilting her head while closing her eyes, clearly struggling with something. She grumbled, "You are an outsider..." She seemed conflicted, but she shrugged and laughed, "Geez, since you're the future father of my child, you have a right to know."

While her reasoning was flawed, Oscar didn't retort like usual, wanting to keep her talking. "I find it odd. After thousands of years, after the countless deaths and lack of progress, your clan still keeps trying. With so many dead ends, why do you all persist?"

Sirsi was silent for a minute, then began speaking, "You say thousands of years, but in reality, we don't know how long the legacy goes back. Our blood goes back to even the savage ancient times before the Primal Council. There is a story passed down in the main line."

Her voice went soft like the breeze and came out as a hum. "From the blood of Talos, the one arose, upon his shoulders was placed the hopes of all. But calamity fell, and Talos broke; the one's resolve shattered and turned to dust. Time flowed, and ages moved on, but we endured, ready to bring out the one. With its coming, salvation will arrive, driving away the calamities of old, and Talos will sing once more."

"A prophecy? That is what binds you all to pursue this path?" Oscar asked.

"If you believe it to be foolhardy, that is your right. It is the dream of the Voltens. We are the descendants of the one, and we shall bring forth his second coming." Sirsi smiled. "So why not try to have a child with me? I'm certain they will have the perfect Reis body. If the prophecy is true, the child will be the savior of Talos. If not, you'll have a child of your own."

"Ridiculous. If you believe in the prophecy, then why do all this?" Oscar chided. "Why experiment, mutilate, deceive, and murder? If your so-called prophecy is true, it will happen when it should, not forced by your actions."

"How can a prophecy be realized if people do not work wholeheartedly for it?" Sirsi argued back, glaring at him. "Prophecy is progress. Idleness is stagnation."

They argued back and forth but found no consensus. Oscar tucked in and went asleep after hours of talking, Demon staying ready to take over at any time. Once morning struck, he exited the shelter and followed Sirsi, who was frowning, still angered by yesterday's arguments. After a few hours, they stopped, surrounded by a few intact towers, the rest being toppled over on their sides, barely retaining their shape. There was no sign of life in these ruins. Oscar hoped there would be people in these standing towers, yet only corpses welcomed him inside.

"Here it is. Pull this hatch open." Inside one of the towers, Sirsi went down to the cellar, removing the brick floor. A metal hatch became clear under the removed bricks, and Oscar pulled hard, the hinges groaning until the lid was opened. Sirsi took the lead and delved down the hole, floating until she landed on hard ground. She stepped aside, and Oscar landed with Erden, greeted by a dimly lit corridor lined by dozens of doors.

"Beastification Research Laboratory. Designation Orbis." Sirsi said. A loud howl shook the corridor, dust flying from the gaps between the bricks. Oscar clenched his shield as Sirsi wore her gauntlets. Water, fire, and gold came to their aid, and in the dimmed halls, several large figures stomped slowly toward them, faint sounds of dripping drool echoing, their eyes burning bright red with ravenous hunger.