Unbroken Curiosity

Chapter 7: The Departure

Robert

"The thing in the dark. It is coming up to meet us." Donny the Wise whispered. The thing in the dark? Does he mean the Codeks... Robert and the others waited in a newly formed clearing while the Captain convened with his men above. The world around the landing party was slowly dying. The vibrant trees began to lose colour, and the foliage was withering away. It was an odd sight, one that few of the others noted.

Robert always noted such oddities. He was small, after all, and close to the earth because of it. He was a naturalist with a passion for finding new flora on faraway worlds. He knew plants, and no plants should act like these. From behind the mountains, thick black clouds began to gather, enough to cast the world in shadow. Through the dying trees, an eerie howl came: The wind. A cold wind. A wind that gave the Half-Man goosebumps.

"Robert." The Captain's voice came through the comms. It sounded clearer than before. "Our telescopes found the Lady Lillias a few hundred meters behind your current position. Can you reach her?"

Robert hesitated. "Yes..." He muttered. Back towards the city... It took them hours to come this far. The jungle barred their way, much like it did when they arrived. But now, with the world dying, the path forward was clear. And the path back. Some of the other explorers whispered among themselves. They had no desire to return for the nobles. Robert studied them. They were exhausted. "But what about the rest of us?" Robert suddenly asked. "We are tired down here, sir, and something is wrong with the world. It is dying. I don't know how long we have."

"We are coming, Robert. Believe me. We are. Just get to Lady Lillias. I will be in touch." The Captain's voice disappeared.

Robert turned to the others. "You heard the man."

Reluctantly, the other explorers and what remained of Razor Company began the trek back towards the ruined city. The party was tired. The short trek back took longer than expected. From far away, the sound of thunder echoed over the mountains. With each step, with each second, more life vanished in front of Robert's very eyes. The world's colour was gone, leaving them moving through a world of grey. The air became thin, and the larger folk struggled to breathe.

Finally, the party found the Lady Lillias. Her charcoal dress was torn and bloodied. Her hair was a mess. She knelt over Lord Cobalt, her hands resting on his shoulder. She whispered. Oddly, Robert noted that her bare feet were clean and undamaged from the day's events. Robert took a second glance at the scene. His heart skipped a beat when he noted Lord Cobalt's arm. Only a small piece of flesh kept it attached to his shoulder. Luckily, Lady Lillias's magic had stopped the bleeding, but no magic would save the arm, Robert judged.

"What happened to him?" One soldier asked. He was Razor's medic. The medic hurried towards the nobles and knelt beside Lord Cobalt on soggy, bloodied ground. Then, from a bag at his waist, he removed a set of medical injectors with the word STIM stamped onto them.

"Finnick... He attacked us. He wanted..." Lady Lillias stuttered. She sounded near to tears. "He wanted that." She pointed to an odd-shaped item firmly in the grasp of Lord Cobalt. From afar, Robert studied it. A swirl of metal weaved around a blue crystal. Robert was mesmerised by it. He could not turn away.

Not until Donny spoke. "The Whirlpool." The elf said as he scurried closer.

"Where is Finnick?" Another soldier asked. She stood in front of Robert. The look Lady Lillias gave her was answer enough.

"He needs true medical attention," the medic interrupted. "Someone call the Curiosity. Tell them..."

The entire earth shook more violently than before. Ahead, from the ruins, one of the skyscrapers that still stood began to crumble, crashing down and sending debris flying. Another quake. Close by, the earth gave way. Dead trees and other debris fell into a newly formed sinkhole. Another quake. Then silence.