Nier Automata: Journeys in the 12th Millennium

Interval 4 - Basilisk

-Kingdom of the Night, Year 4192-

How did it get so bad? I thought as Novi and I walked out of an office building, leaning on each other.

There were several dead SHADES scattered on the sidewalk and in the street, slowly disappearing in black smoke. Looking back, I saw the reception of the building full of dead SHADES too; they lay across the hallways, stairs, and rooms where we fought.

Novi and I didn't come out unscathed, I had a cut going left to right just below my eyes with blood running down my face, three cuts on my chest, and one on the left side of my torso thanks to a SHADE who got too close.

Novi had received a blow to the head, blood flowed from her forehead towards her eyes, and she had a cut on her wrist and right shoulder.

"Let's go home before more arrive." Novi said, pointing her Colt 1878 down the street in search of any SHADE.

"I agree." I slung my Colt Lightning Carbine over my left shoulder, and we slowly walked down the street, but we could not get far as the ground shook.

"What the fuck?!?" Novi screamed, holding on to me.

"I don't know!" I screamed, trying to keep my balance, but I could not, so we fell to the ground. Suddenly, the shaking stopped.

"It ended?" Novi asked, getting to her feet.

"I think so. Do you still have ammo?" I asked, reloading my guns.

"I only have the ones in the guns." Novi replied, reloading her guns too.

"Damn it! Moreover, the dynamite? Please tell me you still have it!"

"I only have one more." Novi said, pulling a stick of dynamite from her pocket.

"It is better than nothing. Let... Let's go, I just want to rest." I said, walking away.

"You're not the only one." Novi replied, walking beside me.

Then the ground shook again.

"Shit!" Novi screamed.

I could not answer as the asphalt below us cracked, the ground opened up, and we fell into the hole that formed.

"AAAHHH!" We screamed as we fell.

-XXXXXX-

"My head!" I mumbled, getting up and looking around me.

I was in a kind of stone and concrete tunnel that stank horribly. Looking down, I saw water running around my boots; I was in the city sewer.

"Novi! Novi!" I screamed through tunnels, the noise echoing off the wall.

"Alan!"

I heard Novi's screams echoing too. I ran towards the scream, my boots squeaking in the water with every step.

"Alan!"

I heard Novi's scream again, it seemed to be coming ahead, but the sewer divided in several places with tunnels left and right.

"Alan!"

She was close! I quickly entered the tunnel to the right only to collide with something large, throwing me to the ground.

I noticed what I had bumped into when I got up. My eyes widened, and I shivered at the thing in front of me.

"Alan!"

Novi's voice came from behind that thing.

"Alan!"

She was here somewhere. I pointed my carbine at the thing and pulled the trigger.