Fragmentation

Prologue

“Your mind is made up?” a deep, resonant voice asked with undisguised concern. It echoed in the small, dark, enclosed space that seemed simultaneously just as small and yet much larger than it looked.

The response was a sharp, mocking bark of laughter. “What other choice is there? You heard them – felt the disdain in their eyes. They were humoring me. Me! Should I resort to their preferred methods of discourse? To rant and rave with fire and brimstone?”

Crouched beneath a raised podium, pronouncedly hunched shoulders belying his true age, was a disheveled man with prematurely greying hair. The harsh light of the multi-colored crystals that his dextrous fingers were manipulating emphasized the sneer on the fiercely wrinkled face. Bitter grief oozed from every pore, and atavistic resentment has long since made every syllable to come from his lips a poison-coated needle.

From the edge of the weak glow cast by smoothly flowing embers of light, which themselves were produced by countless strands embedded in the walls, an alien, but unmistakably feminine figure appeared: tall and slender, with unsettlingly pale skin, and eyes like the still waters of a lake, reflecting stormy skies.

“Your chosen solution comes from despair, not sense,” the entity entreated. “The consequences of your previous rash actions are still drowning the world in fire. How do you know this won’t lead to even more bloodshed?”

“Because I’m taking away their ability to cause it!” The scream tore through the man’s throat, though his hands never stopped working on the intricate device before him. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, dilating with manic intensity, but didn’t move a centimeter from his project. “I’m taking it back, Deenah. I’m taking it all back. You’ll see. Everything will go back to how it was before. You’ll see, Deenah. You’ll see.”

At the end of the man’s rambling, his voice had become so faint that even an enhanced pair of ears could barely hear what he'd said. Looking at the frail, trembling shoulders, the one called Deenah could no longer deny the truth.

Oh, what have they done to you? She thought as she gazed at the broken image of a fallen legend.

“You’ve never really understood the depths of mankind’s greed and ambition, dear one,” she whispered in heartbreak, knowing her piece would go unheard. “And now you aim to fuel it with fear and desperation.” 

Turning away to make preparations of her own, she had one last thing to say, “This can only end in suffering.”

As she expected, no response came. No response would ever come in the days that followed – only silence and death.

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Chapter 1 - A Heated Encounter

It’s a strange thing when the whole world can only agree on two things.

A date: September 16.

A year: 2015.

That was it. Everything else was up for debate that would often devolve into violent discussions. And considering how words regularly rewrite reality, such discussions can, indeed, be quite violent.

It was commonly accepted that 141 years ago, something happened, and magic was released into the world. Shortly after that, the predictable results of war and strife followed. Yadayada, lots of people died, and now, here we are.

Today is the 11th of August, in the year 21 AWS. That's After the World Summit. Or 2156 in the old calendar.

It has been over two decades since the Earth's remaining major powers came together to finally put an end to their century-long series of ego trips, which reduced the world's population to about 140 million humans, give or take. 

Put a pin on the keyword “human,” for the moment. That will be important later.

In any case, it's not like it has any relevance to people’s lives now. It's all ancient history anyway.

Of more interest is the story of Aeva Wong. Well, it's actually Alfea Marheanne Windsdottr, but that's way too long, so just call her Aeva.

She insists.

Right now, she – along with her fellow Diggers – is about to enter a certain ruin in the very depths of the forest near their settlement. One that has only recently been identified by Surveyors.

The mission: Raid it for ancient technology, plunder its secrets, and get rich from selling them.

Simple, right? 

She could already see what she would do with all those coins. Streams of sweets. Oodles of noodles. Mountains of meat. Hills of - 

"Aeva?"

She blinked and turned to her side. Claire gave her a sardonic smile that made Aeva grimace. Blue eyes twinkling in subtle humor, bronze skin crinkling the corners. 

"What?" she asked with wide-eyed innocence.

It was an impressive effort to head off any discussion about her obsession with food. 

It failed immediately.

"You have that glazed look in your eyes again," Claire said, clearly trying to suppress her amusement. "We had breakfast an hour ago. Get your head out of the clouds."

They were crouching behind a fallen log in an elevated position and surveying their surroundings. You never know what kinds of dangers lurk in these moldy structures.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. It was still annoying how easily her best friend could read her.

"I know, I'm focused."

"You better be," a blonde girl to her other side teased. "We don't want another incident like Water Town, do we?"

This was Shelby. She didn't share the same closeness as Claire and Aeva did, but was still considered a friend. More importantly, she has always proven dependable as an Earth Magus could be, especially in a fight.

And as Diggers, fights are all but inevitable. 

Unfortunately, she also had a knack for ribbing people at the most inopportune moments. A most unusual trait for an Alfian, but one that her companions have learned to live with.

"By Mother Leonora, would you please let that go already?" Aeva hissed, cheeks reddening at the reminder. “It was a year ago, I learned my lesson, let’s move on!”

She got twin snorts in response, followed by pats on the head. Aeva struggled not to pout. Three years of Digging, and they both still treat her like a child! 

That thing with the mooncake wasn’t even her fault! Smuggling stardust in pastries was a stupid idea, and she refused to take responsibility for that debacle.

“Look, we’re burning daylight here,” She said in a valiant attempt to move past the embarrassing topic. “If we want to start clearing this site, we need to decide what to do now.”

Claire and Shelby continued to chuckle for a few moments more, but eventually settled down. Young they may be, but they were still professional Diggers. The sun was nearing its zenith, and the surrounding foliage gave no indications of immediate danger.

Aeva peeked over the log, taking care to expose as little of herself as possible and running through everything she learned about Digging over the years. The entrance to the ruins was roughly 50 meters ahead by her estimation, partially hidden by thick foliage and pillars smothered by vegetation. 

It was about what they expected. A towering structure surrounded by gigantic trees and made nearly invisible from afar by various mega flora. 

From the arrangement of the surrounding points of interest, this was an isolated installation. Degraded pillars, arches, and walls were the only signs that something else had been here.

She frowned. Initial observations indicated that this would be a challenging dive. The path leading up to it was covered in overgrown ferns, vines, and thickets. The building itself was overrun with creepers and crawlers of all types.

No obvious defenses could be seen, but that meant nothing. No ruin worth raiding would be without nasty surprises.

Then again, their team knew this going in. She and her friends chose this target because of its difficulty.

Harder Digs come with bigger prizes, and this would be their first time doing so on their own. Succeeding here would put them in the big leagues.

No more baby dives for the trio.

“Right,” Aeva huffed, swallowing the anxiety threatening to clog her throat. “We all know the plan. Keep low, heads on a swivel, and watch where you step.”

Claire and Shelby both nodded despite the rather basic reminder. In an attempt to bolster morale, Aeva gave the two a cheery smile.

“As long as we don’t get careless, this should be a cakewalk!”

Naturally, Fate chose that moment to remind everyone why tempting it was an exercise of abject stupidity.

It took all of five seconds for things to change. Just as they were about to move, Aeva's sharp instincts kicked in. She didn’t have to wait long to find out why internal sirens suddenly started blaring warnings in her head. 

Loud, scraping sounds of rusted gears and metal plates were the first clue. This was then followed by sizzling bolts of high-energy plasma ripping through the foliage. 

Years of experience kicked in at that moment, and the trio scattered immediately. Aeva dove behind a ruined waist-high wall that offered a modicum of protection. Claire cast shield spells with impressive speed while backtracking to hide behind the thick trunk of a massive tree.

Shelby, on the other hand, raised a boulder from the ground to absorb the barrage of lethal shots sent her way. 

For a Digger team operating for less than half a decade, it was impressive. Unfortunately, the attacking sentinels cared nothing for the display of skills. They continued shooting with unrelenting, tireless fury.

Risking a quick peek revealed three towering machines walking unhindered through the undergrowth on six legs. Each had upright, boxy torsos, which were covered in thick plates of rusted steel armor, and sat atop a reinforced spine. 

A rough guess puts them at just over five meters in height, minimum. From two clawed arms protruded sparking tubes, launching projectiles that were thoroughly devastating the landscape.

Aeva knew her team was in a pickle. They had literal seconds to change the situation or risk being overwhelmed. 

Deciding to test their opponents’ defenses, she primed her AirBurst Mk. 2 rifle and got ready for what came next. Her training was quite clear on what to do when under suppressive fire from enemies.

Wait for a break in the storm of oncoming rounds, pop up quickly to align your shot, squeeze the trigger, and dip back down behind cover.

This is exactly what she did, and the result made her stomach drop. 

While not the most powerful mage gun available, the ABM-2 was still a monstrous thing of a weapon. Capable of launching a compressed bead of air that could shred stone blocks a foot thick in rapid succession. Aeva chose to keep using it despite the availability of more powerful, albeit slower alternatives for this reason.

To see something take a hit from her trusty shooter and just ignore it without breaking stride had Aeva questioning all her life choices.

"They're like mini Armadrones!" Aeva yelled to her teammates while preparing another shot.

“I got that, thanks!”

It seems Shelby came to the same conclusion as she bombarded the sentries coming up to her position with sublime spellwork. From the lack of mechanical remains despite the shattered boulders and upturned earth littering the space in front of her, though, she had as much luck inflicting damage as Aeva did.

Checking on her best friend, Aeva saw Claire's hands move in swift, graceful arcs behind the increasingly diminishing protections of the tree trunk. She concentrated on weaving shimmering barriers of protective magic around the trio. Her efforts to bolster their defenses against the relentless assault bought them some time, but it won’t last forever.

“Shelby!” Aeva yelled over the cacophony of energy bolts and explosions. “Can you scan them for weak spots?”

Instead of answering verbally, the team’s mage cast one of the shorter spells in her arsenal and got instant results.

"Their joints!" she called out, her voice tinged with urgency. "Focus on their joints!"

Aeva wasted no time and lined a shot on the closest machine sentinel’s exposed vulnerability. This time, the hit took out a leg, causing the lumbering metal beast to fall on its non-existent face. Whatever feeling of elation Aeva might have experienced was short-lived.

In response to the effective attack, the gunner was almost cut down by an increased hail of fire. Claire did what she could with her own spellcasting, but the barrage from the opposing force left no room for longer incantations.

With the ever-growing desperation of their predicament, Aeva decided that playing it safe was going to get them all killed. 

“Claire! I need you to give Shelby a boost!”

The cleric stared at the gunner, wide eyes reflecting her dread at what madness her friend was cooking up this time.

“Shelby, get ready to launch the biggest Earth Wave you can manage!”

Aeva waited only long enough to ensure that both her teammates heard her instructions before bolting from cover, attracting the majority of energy bolts as she did so. Weaving through thick obstacles of roots, vines, leaves, and enemy fire, the diminutive Digger devoted all her attention to evasion and staying alive. 

This was an incredibly stupid move on her part. Heroics are anathema to her profession.

Risks will always be a part of a Digger’s life, but they also do everything within their power to mitigate those risks. Resurrection spells have long been forgotten. So, unnecessary deaths are not only wasteful, but each loss also represents costs that the Guild has to shoulder.

To that end, abandoning Digs in favor of escaping to fight another day isn’t only common. It’s actively encouraged. Had any of her trainers seen what Aeva was currently doing, they would have boxed her ears for her rank idiocy, and she knew it.

Either through luck or skill, Aeva eventually ended up circling around the advancing sentinels, drawing fire all the while before skidding behind a massive stone pillar. This served to turn the machines around, effectively presenting their backs to her companions.

Unfortunately, this also made Aeva the sole focus of their mechanical ire. For a good 30 seconds, she was forced to endure the uninterrupted staccato of impacts, being showered with debris, and the increasing ambient temperature caused by the plasma fire.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aeva felt the telltale tremor of the earth heaving. A massive quake followed, pushing tons of dirt, one layer over the other, with unstoppable momentum. She didn’t need her eyes to know what was happening. 

The unmistakable crunch of steel and the whine of motors moments before a titanic crash signalled the guardians’ fates.

Once everything settled, Aeva breathed a sigh of relief.

“We good?” she yelled from cover. One can never be too careful during a Dig.

“Yep!” came Claire’s answer.

Aeva was glad to hear her friend still sounding lively, if a little winded. With a grunt of effort, she pulled herself off the ground before walking around the pillar. It didn’t take long before she saw what remained of their defeated foes.

Twisted limbs of metal, wires, and circuitry stuck out beneath mounds of upturned dirt. They were shoved right into the facility’s outer wall hard enough to cause cracks on the solid surface. In the area running up to the entrance, the previously lush grounds were scoured of greenery. 

Several of the trees looked dangerously close to toppling over, as well.

Letting out a whistle of appreciation, Aeva made her way back to the other two. Claire was still upright, though exhaustion was written on her face. Shelby, on the other hand, looked just about ready to pass out where she sat on the ground. Her usually fair skin was pallid, her pointy ears drooped, and her shoulders sagged. 

Oh, and she was panting like she had run a mile at full sprint. A physical activity that her squishy race actively despised. 

So, Aeva did what any good friend would do in this moment of vulnerability.

“Typical Elf,” she remarked with a frown. “You expect us to do all the work, while you sit there looking pretty?”

She had to dodge a stick and particularly colorful invectives hurled her way.

Chapter 2 - To the Depths

After taking a few moments to collect themselves, the three young Diggers ventured forth toward the ruin’s entrance. There, they found two large steel doors – tall, broad, and thick – covered in moss and ivy. A single line of silver filigree ran from top to bottom, encircling an obsidian orb a few meters off the ground, with a glowing circle the size of an eyeball in the middle.

Upon further examination, Claire blew out a breath in relief. 

“A bi-modal sequence lock with an aetheric circuit interface.”

“The bypass shunt will work, then?” Aeva asked in trepidation.

The Cleric nodded, already rifling through the small pack at her waist. “It should. Might take a while, though.”

She retrieved an object that looked like a giant syringe. It had a hardened rubber casing, a stripped-down circuit board exposed on one side, and a thick, shielded cable ending in a hypodermic needle-probe.

Claire gave the door another once-over before inserting the shunt into the circle. Once done, the trio moved behind a pillar with a good view of the entrance, just in case they tripped any security measures still active in the facility. 

The high-pitched, whining noise, the clicking of gears, or the intensifying of lights that Aeva expected never materialized. The thing just sat there, stuck in the door.

“It’s working, right?”

“Yes, Aeva, it’s working,” Claire huffed.

“I’m just checking,” came the sheepish reply.

Aeva knew she was being impatient, but she could’t help it. They were so close! This Dive could change everything. She couldn’t help but wonder what they would find inside.

Lost technology? Secrets to immortality? A pile of gold, perhaps? Actually, forget the gold. Those are pretty useless these days.

Titanium stockpiles, though? Now, those would bring in the zennies!

“While we’re waiting, are we going to talk about it?”

Claire’s question cut through Aeva’s musings like a sudden stab in the gut while a girl was busy eating cake. An unusual comparison, perhaps, but fitting.

“Eh?” came Aeva’s brilliant response.

“Don’t even start,” Shelby glared, still fuming at the Steam Gunner. “Intentionally getting the Sentinels’ attention like that. What were you thinking?”

The last part was hissed, something Alfia only ever did if they were truly, royally pissed. They’re too dignified to do so without good reason, otherwise. Aeva winced at the realization. Claire was more circumspect, but Shelby has always been an avid abider of rules. 

Rules, which Aeva broke with her desperate maneuver.

“Look, I’m sorr –” she tried to say, but the Earth Mage cut her off.

“No, you’re not!” Shelby said in a quiet, but distinctly angry voice. “Diggers don’t do Heroics for a reason, Aeva. We’ve been over this! One would think that after three years, you’d gotten over that habit, but you still keep doing it!”

Had the recrimination come from anyone else, Aeva would have argued in indignation. But she knew where Shelby was coming from. 

While she’s always done her best to never put anyone else at risk with her insane choices, and she only ever did them during desperate situations, the truth was undeniable. Aeva had acted like an idiot with a penchant for unnecessarily dangerous maneuvers multiple times in the past.

It was out of instinct, almost – seemingly beyond her ability to suppress or control.

Many times she wondered if it was some sort of curse, but extensive examination at the Guild disabused her of this notion. Whatever pushed her toward actions that explicitly went against the policies meant to keep Diggers alive was simply innate.

“Can we all just calm down?” Claire intervened, earning a glower from their blonde teammate. “Shelbs, I get it. Aeva messed up. I just thought it needed pointing out so she doesn’t do it again. At least, for today. As for you, Alfea –” Crap. Using her formal name like that? Her best friend was definitely close to losing her temper. “– If we have to abandon this Dig, we will. Okay? We should’ve just cut our losses back there. We prepared escape routes for a reason.”

Yet another blow to Aeva’s heart. The fact that they could have run at any point during the confrontation with the Sentinels only highlighted how unwarranted the risk she took really was. 

“Yeah, I get it,” she sighed in surrender.

Claire nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the door. Shelby was slower to acknowledge Aeva’s words, but followed the brunette’s lead. As for the diminutive gunner, she took up the rear in low spirits.

Eventually, the shunt had finished its job. A hiss escaped the doors’ hinges before loud, mechanical groans heralded their slow, ponderous yawning. To their mild surprise, nothing came barreling out, ready to blast everything that moved.

When Shelby’s scans revealed that nothing dangerous waited behind the entrance, the three walked into the gaping maw, which led into the dark unknown. 

It was a cavernous place, with walls reaching so high as to be swallowed by the darkness. Interspersed within were square columns, crumbling furniture, and clear panels that had long since become smudged with age and exposure.

There were no light sources to speak of, but that was fine. Guild-issued Digger lenses came with nightvision, allowing users to see even in the purest blackness. Couldn’t have their members trip and die due to obscured sight, could they?

More expensive eyewear came with more advanced features, such as auto-targeting and thermal vision. Unfortunately, those were still beyond their current means.

Hopefully, that would change after today.

Walking through the long-abandoned facility yielded familiar sights of dusty workstations, shattered display screens, grimy walls, and even some moldy chairs. Nothing that they haven’t seen before at other Dig locations.

Their exploration was slow going, mostly because of how cautious they needed to be. Guild training emphasized expecting turrets, traps, or enemies around every corner. So taking them had to be done with precision and ample care. 

During a Dig, nothing was ordinary or seemingly harmless. 

Something as simple as a lamp could hide enchantments that would easily turn it into a bomb.

Claire and Shelby had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities. They were the ones casting detection spells to find hidden dangers. Aeva’s role was to keep an eye out for distant hazards or threats that could come out while the other two were preoccupied.

So, every silent hallway had to be traversed at a nearly agonizing pace. Every room is entered carefully, with each sliding door being an object of deep consideration as to whether it’s worth opening or should be left alone. As the hours flew by, the small group found no signs of recent activity within the facility itself, magical or otherwise.

This alone was a sign that this was no normal Dig.

Eventually, they found the large doors of an elevator that still seemed to have power, as evidenced by the blinking light indicators. This was noteworthy for two main reasons. 

One is the importance placed on the enclosed mode of interior transport. That it was still running wasn’t entirely unusual. Plenty of other ruins retained working reactors. But a facility where everything else was dead, and this being the sole exception?

As already noted, Diggers are risk-averse. They needed to be, so that the enormous investments in their training and equipment could be justified by what they brought back. 

So, anything that broke the mold was worth paying attention to. 

Based on the Guild’s extensive records, every site that featured dedicated power sources separate from the main reactors, for the sole purpose of keeping specific equipment or amenities running, had all, without exception, involved extreme peril.

This was only compounded by the second point of interest: the complete lack of stairs, both the ordinary and hidden kind. Thus, making the elevator the only means of descent.

“We’re not taking this, right?” Aeva asked, more for stating the obvious rather than any real need to know.

“Nope.”

“Nuh-uh.”

Her two companions immediately denied. Which was to be expected.

“Thought as much,” she sighed.

While disappointing, this marked the end of their independent expedition. There was simply no way to rationalize going any further, with just the three of them. Not when the implied danger was so overt.

“Look on the bright side,” Claire chirped. “We’re still getting credit for the initial Dig. Who knows, they might even let us join the main force that the Guild’ll send over.”

“But, Claiiiiire!” Aeva whined. “This was supposed to be our time to shine! At this rate, we’ll be stuck playing support forever!”

“You’re exaggerating, Aeva,” Shelby scolded. “We still have plenty of time to earn promotions. It’s not unheard of for Digger teams to spend a decade in the field before doing so.”

“Says the Elf!” she retorted. “We don’t all live for centuries, you know?”

“That’s enough of that,” Claire calmly stated, heading off another argument. “Let’s just secure the perimeter, so we can report to the Guild.”

From there, the trio fell into the routine of checking for anything they might have missed in their initial pass of the floor. They did the same after exiting the interior of the facility, taking care to jot down the state of the Sentinels.

Aeva felt a brief shiver at what would be in their report. There was no way to avoid solidifying her mishap in paper form. Leaving out pertinent details in official accounts was a huge no-no, after all.

“Tarv’s going to kill me,” she moaned on their way back to their settlement.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Shelby chided. “At worst, you’ll have to fill out an incident report.”

“I dunno,” Claire hummed thoughtfully. “I heard Keema’s coming back today.”

“What?! Why didn’t you tell meeeeee?!” the gunner wailed.

“Oh!” The Earth Magus made a sound of surprise before turning to their tiny teammate. “My condolences.”

The sincerity in the Alfia’s expression of commiseration only fueled Aeva’s despair. This day sucks!

Chapter 3 - Homecoming

By the time the trio was in sight of the only permanently inhabited area within eight hundred kilometers, Aeva was bushed. Not from the physical exertion. Digger training made sure that she had plenty of stamina to spare.

No, her exhaustion was out of anxiety and no small amount of fear.

Towering trees gave way to smaller, thinner trunks and sparser canopies. Shrubberies became less dense, allowing for much easier traversal. Their scanners also stopped warning them about nearby monsters every few minutes. Even so, none of the girls dropped their guard. 

Stories of travelers disappearing within sight of walled cities are still far too common, and the settlement of Windy Point certainly boasts none of the protections of larger townships.

Barely ten years old, it features clusters of single-storey buildings at the edge, with taller structures near the center. It does have defense towers covering all points of vulnerability, but nothing that could withstand determined waves of hungry beasties.

That’s what the Guild branch is for.

Staffed by experienced Diggers, they provided enough of a deterrent that Windy Point has never been seriously threatened since its founding.

Narrow roads crisscrossed the small area of 3,000 inhabitants, with only one main road going from the large, wooden gate that functioned as the land entrance, and ending at the port, which saw brisk business from fishing and shipping. The gate is the young adventurers’ first stop, where a familiar figure is leaning over the guard tower.

“Ah! Claire, Shelby, Aeva – how went the Dig, girls?” This was Sergeant Morrow, a retired rifleman from the Tarasian Guard Corps. A jovial man, he always greeted anyone who came and went through the gate with smiles and laughter. And, with how his dull grey uniform was always neat and pressed, it’s clear that some of the habits he gained from the Guard still remain.

“Ran into a bit of trouble, Sergeant,” Claire replied with a kindly smile. “We’re off to report our findings and hopefully sort it out quickly.”

“Indeed?” he gasped, bushy mustache and brows positively quivering with excitement. “Well, I shan’t keep any longer, then! Off you go, off you go.”

Waving the three inside, they made sure to bid him farewell as they passed, before then stepping on well-maintained cobblestones. Keeping a brisk pace, they made a beeline for the second-largest building in the center of Windy Point.

Along the way, they were met with many greetings, from simple acquaintances to merchants hawking their wares. The hubbub only grew louder and more frequent when they passed the market square. 

Oddly enough, while Claire and Shelby did get their share of attention, the bulk of it was directed at their friend. Mostly because…

“Aeva, dear! I have those pastries you like. Fresh out of the oven!”

“Aeva, my girl! New stocks just came in. Have a browse of these sweets!”

“Oi, Aeva! My nan just made Butter Buns. Said to tell you if I see you!”

And on and on it went. With their business being so urgent, however, she very well couldn’t just stop and shop for food. So the poor girl had to balance trying to excuse herself while also reserving the things she liked.

“I’m sorry missus Brille, but we’re in a bit of a hurry. Can you save me some of the strudels, please?”

“Gotta run for now, mister Cline, but I’ll be sure to buy some blueberry taffies. Can you set some aside?”

“You lying booger face! Stop skipping work and go help your nan, already. Oh, and you better have at least three Butter Buns for me when I come by later, or I’ll tell on you!”

Suffice it to say, Aeva has developed something of a reputation among the residents of Windy Point. Rather, everyone has become quite familiar with her gluttonous appetite.

“Every time!” Shelby groused as they finally left the persistent vendors far behind.

No reply came from the other two, with Claire being too busy sniggering into her sleeve, and Aeva – well, she was munching on a piece of jerky that Old Man Dale tossed her way as they passed his stall. 

What? It’s just one piece! Aaaaaand, she was coordinated enough to walk and snack at the same time! Really, Aeva was just being efficient, as any Digger should be.

By the time she was able to swallow the dried meat, which was then interrupted when she started choking and had to unclog her throat by chugging some water, they’d arrived at the Guild branch. Shelby pushed the doors open with a huff and went through, with Claire following right behind, still giggling.

Aeva was about to do the same when she did a sharp heel turn and started running for her life. The reason became evident not a moment later, when the door was smashed off its hinges, and a blur burst out into the streets.

“You come back here, young lady!” the blur roared after the speeding gunner. “I’ve got stacks of complaints with your name on it, and you WILL explain why!”

Instead of slowing down, as she should have, Aeva did the unwise thing and scaled a wall to escape. Unfortunately for her, she was eventually caught. And now, she’s sitting in the branch manager’s office with her friends and an irate mountain of a woman looming behind them.

To be clear, Aeva’s the only one in trouble, but Shelby and Claire were also sweating bullets. It was difficult to keep calm when in close proximity to someone who ran through several stone walls just to catch their friend. So, all three were sitting ramrod straight, doing their absolute best not to draw attention. 

Like trembling bunny rabbits hoping that the hungry wolf will just ignore them.

A few other people were supposed to be in the room, as well. However, they all mysteriously left the building for no apparent reason that anyone could say out loud without being silenced with extreme prejudice.

“Keema,” an aged voice suddenly piped up.

“Yes, branch manager?” the musclebound lady answered.

“You’re paying for the door.”

“Yes, branch manager!”

“And the walls.”

“Yes, branch manager!”

“And the,” he paused, consulting a piece of paper he was handed moments before, “roofs? Why did you have to damage roofs?”

“The brat scampered up to the shingles and jumped between buildings,” the woman, now named Keema, explained. Aeva tried to shrink into her seat and remain still at the same time. The result was a weird, hunched posture that made her look like she was sitting on a toilet and fighting for her life.

The middle-aged administrator sighed in exasperation before turning his attention to the three statues masquerading as Diggers. 

“Now, you have something to report?” he asked gently, warm eyes crinkling as he smiled. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt, vest, and spectacles, the man was an old hat at putting others at ease…

“Yes, branch manager!” was Shelby’s instant response. The Alfia’s wide, green eyes stared straight ahead with rigid precision.

…That is, when there’s not a walking, talking natural disaster in the room.

“Keema?”

“Yes, branch manager?”

“Get out.”

“Yes, branch manager!”

And in no time at all, it was just the four of them left in the office, prompting the girls to let out a breath of relief. This was instantly replaced by squeaks of surprise when two faces were suddenly pressed against the glass of a side window.

“Is she gone?” one of the faces asked.

The branch manager, once more, could only sigh in exasperation.