The Road Home [PRIVATE Sly]

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Lexia shuffled her hand further into the pockets of her black and blue hoodie, having decided to wear it over her restored backless top. Her skirt was currently in the drawer of the hotel room which they had booked, and she was wearing her normal boots with some rather plain black jeans. Her hair, instead of flowing loosely, was tied back into a braid.

However, Lexia was greatly regretting that she didn't have a hoodie which she could unzip. It was a warm day, the sun beating down on herself and Sly as they made their way through the rather small town. The towns population was significantly larger than the one which they had visited previously. The shops were in a slightly better state, made up of old wooden structures and panels. Their goods were in better shape, and around the outside of the town they managed to keep their own stock. Thankfully, this town wasn't exactly like the other one which was on the other side of Cormere, the one closest to the Temporal ruins. However, they were both well aware that they had to keep a low profile. And that was what they had done.

So far, neither of them had aroused any suspicion at all. Lexia had tried to convince Sly to dye his hair to ensure that it was a little harder for people to recognize them. He didn't exactly appreciate the idea, but came around to it eventually when Lexia promised him that she would use a temporary dye so that he would be able to wash it out after the mission was over. Although, he was still rather reluctant that he dyed it. To somewhat make him feel a little better, Lexia put a dark shade of red through her hair, its normal black colour tipped with red.

Lexia and Sly had arrived, fulfilled the mission Yuuki had asked them to do, only to find out there there wasn't enough cash for them to buy the tickets to arrive home. So, here the two were, stranded in a baseless city, stuck with paying for their room with money that they so desperately couldn't afford to spend, waltzing around the city. For safety purposes, they had decided to leave Nithya in the hotel room so that he could guard their proper private belongings, Lexia's skirt, and other private items.

Sadly, Lexia still couldn't remove the bracelet from her hand, and she wore a glove over it. She didn't show or tell Sly why she refused to take off her gloves, or more accurately the glove which covered the bracelet. With a small sigh, Lexia pushed the hood off her head further, trying to feel the gentle breeze across the back of her neck. It wasn't exactly cold, and the fabric was sticking to her sweat. She sighed, "You were right. It's too hot for jackets." She commented with a light laugh, before falling silent again.

She didn't enjoy the crowds wandering through the streets around them, but she wasn't really able to do anything about it. Currently, they were searching for any signs that needed help. Something to indicate that they could get money from somewhere. If it had been any other town, they would have been able to send a message to Yuuki, however, the systems had shut down and were on rather randomly. They only managed to send her these words before the electronics (and the majority of the signal) had crashed again;

Mission completed. Ran into trouble on return. Will be up to a month late.

These were the last words which Yuuki would hear from them, and Lexia was well aware that she might need to give her a proper briefing when they got home. But that was assuming that they did get home. Lexia drew a little closer to Sly, so that her following words wouldn't be heard by anyone else. "You should just make another construct to get us out. It would be much easier to get home." She commented, before looking down at her hands which she had taken out of the pockets.

Lexia fiddled with the leather of her gloves, her fingers brushing over the top of the blood stones. Don't you wish that you could use these~ It would be rather interesting to see what you could do to a street full of people~

Straight away she took her hands away from each other and shoved them into her pockets. The voice wasn't exactly pleasant to listen to, but she had little choice. This was something that bothered her, but she still had yet to tell anyone of the voices. Not even Sly knew. But what made her really question herself was that she somewhat trusted him, and the two worked well together. It was probably why Yuuki decided to send them both on this quest mission thing. Funnily enough, it was also both of their first missions. Well, official missions. Now that Lexia thought about it, Yuuki probably sent Sly with Lexia because of her injury, her back still hadn't healed. Thankfully, Sly's legs had completely healed.

But why did she trust him?

Lexia shrugged to herself, those were questions that she would ask herself later. There were more pressing matters at hand. She cast her gaze to a nearby shop, her heart lifting as she saw a sign. Only for Sly and herself pass it by as it was advertising a new product, not that they needed someone to work with them. Lexia sighed in disappointment. "Have you found anything yet?" She asked him, raising a rather hopeful gaze to him.

Nithya's feathery tail wagged to and fro, trotting happily outside, where his nose returned to the ground. He proceeded to sniff around, before making his way around the path, the door shutting behind him. He wanted to see just what else was around but at the same time, Nithya wanted to know why little Lex was in the building. She never went somewhere that Nithya couldn't follow, why would she break the golden rule now? With a huff, Nithya laid down near the door and waited for Sly to return.

However, Lexia wasn't so lucky. She could hear Sly's voice, and she begged him for help. Only to realise that she had the stupid cloth on her mouth and he wouldn't have heard anything.

Lexia heard the doors slam shut behind her and she cursed herself for being so careless as to let herself be caught so easily. But she wasn't to know her cover had been blown, she didn't know just who was after her. Neither of them could have anticipated an advanced bounty hunter. Someone who knew the ways around their trade like the back of their hand. Neither of them were to blame for this. Lexia felt herself be pulled up, and she stumbled up a set of wooden stairs.

The breeze signalled that she was outside, the cold biting her skin slightly. She sighed. This was how it was always going to end. The ruins had garunteed this... Lexia felt the officer force her down on a seat, the clinking metals signalling a door that was locked. It seemed like she wasn't going to be able to get back home after all. Even if Sly was here, there was no way that he would be able to break her out of this...

The whip sounded and the beasts which dragged the wagon whined, beginning their long return back to Xas. This time, Lexia would not return.

The device made an uplifting tone, and Sly checked it. 5,000 credits. Pleasure doing business with you. And I guess I get to keep these horns? As he asked him, he could not help but concentrate on his periphery when Lexia disappeared around the corner. Then there was the sound of a door closing. Coming back to the officer, he only just noticed his nod.

Sure I guess. You killed it, they're yours.

Thanks. Oh and one more thing. That prisoner. Who is... he?

She, the officer quickly corrected. You may not believe it if I tell you, but she is one of the two who destroyed Temporal Ruins. They were all over the news. A man in a robe and white mask captured and brought her here not too long ago.

I see. Just curious, what happens to her?

She will be sent to Xastristan Central prison facility and face the judges before the court.

Xastristan Central prison facility. Sly heard of it before, said to house the most dangerous of criminals. No matter how this man tried to sugar coat it, Sly was no stranger to the fates of these men. If any of them were lucky, they would get a life-long sentence without bail. It was all the more reasons why he would have to save her before she gets to Xastristan.

Alright, thanks for everything, Sly said before walking out, then made a run for his hotel. Come Nithya. We are leaving.

--

The journey to the hotel was rather painful, not only because the thoughts of needing to hurry after Lexia haunted him, but also because of the benevolent heat on his back. Still, it was only a few blocks away and Sly had stormed into his room. As he had thought, Lexia was not around. Sly grabbed everything he could, putting them in both his and Lexia's bags before heading out. While he carried his own, he strapped Lexia's around Nithya. Sly left behind a few of their belongings that he did not find necessary, including a few used meds and change of clothing that they could just go and buy at Xastristan again. However, he kept the dented water flask, knowing the value of such item to Lexia.

Returning to the station bore no fruit, and, still riding on Nithya's back, he hurried down the road until he caught sight of 4 wagons in a line, each guarded by at least 2 officers on horseback. Perhaps it was due to the thinness and ruggedness of the road that dissuaded them from using vehicles, not that Sly could see any of them in town anyways. The wagons were rather old fashioned as well. Same as any carriage for prisoners, except these were pulled by large triceratops-like beasts. Because of how far Sly was to them, he could not determine which carriage had Lexia in it.

We will have to ambush them. Lets move. He hurried to the trees. If he recalled, the dirt road would snake through a small forest. It would have been more preferable if he had set traps along the road. However, the journey through would be quick, taking Nithya no more than a minute to get from the start to finish in one straight line. Still, Sly needed time to prepare, and so he settled for somewhere in the middle of the forest. Meet us at the end of the forest, Sly said to Nithya before letting him be on his way.

Conjuring Nemesis, Sly pierced and sawed off one of the large trees, the towering mass groaning and slamming onto the road with a thunderous thud that almost took him off balance. He still had several extra pieces after his tussle with behemoth, and so, conjuring two Pulse gears, he flicked them on the branches of the surrounding trees still standing. There, they began to 'unpack' and wrapped around the branches, before rising to form the familiar mantis-like sentries. Next he tossed Spade onto the fallen tree, the clockwork snake hiding behind it. He wanted to use Apotheosis next, but noticed he was short of the pieces he needed.

This will have to do, he thought to himself before putting his back on a tree and crouching under the brush. He dissipated Nemesis and formed Mirage in his hand. And there, he waited...

After hearing the thunderous crack, Lexia almost felt the vibrations through the carriage floor beneath her feet. She didn't move, how could she with the tight chains which wrapped across her hands and feet. They had tied her down to a chair, keeping her neck and head restrained with a crude neck race like metallic band. Even if she were bound, each metal piece could also serve as a little bit of a help. Seeming the guards were distracted by the sound, Lex tried to rise her hand again, trying to break one of the stones underneath her glove.

The metal was just short of breaking it, but Lexia felt a familiar poke against her chest. The barrel of a gun. She stopped, moving her hand to rest again. The wooden seats an all too familiar feeling. If she had her way, Lex would have requested to remove what obstructed her vision. The stupid bag was still across her face as the guards had been amused by it. A great and powerful person... Had a bag on their head.

Lexia sighed, sitting back further into her seat. There was no way that Sly had managed to finish off the mission with the beast. She would be on her own, at the last, lagging carriage.

---

Three of the four carriages would arrive at the fallen tree, the guards wondering how such a size would be able to come down so easily. One at a time they would each leave their own carriages to investigate the trees massive size. Confusion danced across their eyes, and one of the many officers shook her head. "Ben, tell the fourth carriage to take the alternate route. We have a slight problem here with getting through." She instructed. A small, slim person who looked quite young nodded to her, before turning to run back to the lagging cart.

The remaining people would slowly disperse from the tree, turning their backs to it, and heading across the grounds to climb back onto the carriages. They would use them to retrace their steps, their end goal to use the alternate route to get back to the other group.

Nithya, for his part, had followed Sly's general direction and was sitting down on the edge of the forest, a gentle whine coming from him as he didn't want to keep waiting. He wanted to go back to the building and find Lex! She had been in there!

Even as they stopped, he held himself from rushing the ambush. In his head, he counted the guards that left the three carriages. There were perhaps six in total, plus there was a fourth carriage that fell behind. Now that the officer mentioned it, Sly did remember seeing a fourth. They mentioned an alternate route, which earned a frown, as he had not crossed one while trekking the forest. It was just one long and winding road. Once they had their backs turned, Sly activated all his sentries.

After a high-pitched metallic hum from one of the Pulse sentries above, a series of marbles were fired towards the men. One of them struck the neck, burying into his skin and forcing a croak and gargle out of him before he collapsed. The rest bounced off some parts of the carriages, with another one burying into the dinosaur-like beast. With a growl, it reached on its hinds, tipping its carriage to the side and just narrowly missed another officer. Sly prowled all the way to the rear, until he was standing behind the third carriage. The two officers there were finding cover and flailed their guns around, searching for their attackers. Their backs to Sly as the first attack came in the other direction.

Having no need of Mirage at this point, Sly switched for Nemesis and, pacing to the guards, sink the narrow blade through his gut and immediately pull out to slash at the other's throat just as he registered the situation. With the two standing around the third carriage taken care of, Sly impaled the handles until they popped from the door and clanged inside. Lex? Sly asked, pulling one of the doors opened.

He was met with a muscular man with a bag over his head, strapped to a chair.

Dammit, he thought, then ran around the carriage to sneak up on another pair. This carriage was the one that fell over, and one of the guards was trying to calm the beast. Spade immediately claimed his life with a loud snap echoing across the forest, the blade dagger going through his chest and ricocheting off the side of the fallen carriage. Sly made quick work of the other guard, but his final cries took the attention of the last officer. He immediately ducked behind the carriage, and reloaded the Pulse sentries mentally to busy the woman.

Breaking the door, he carefully swung the bottom door and peered inside. Another male prisoner, leaning awkwardly against the side with blood coming out of his ear.

Heart racing, he feared that Lexia would be in the final carriage, and hoped that she was in the one up at the front. His Pulse sentries had yet to strike the woman and, as he turned around, he was met with the barrel of a pistol. His foot slipped and he slammed his head against the corner, just as the gunshot rang in his ear, and he quickly skid behind cover, groaning.

Shit! The woman cursed, before firing another bullet somewhere up at the canopies. Sly closed his eyes, forcing the pain aside. He focused on where she was, then wondered where spade was. Using his mind, he manipulated Spade to turn his head towards the corner of the first carriage. It would be quite a guess, but he had no consequences to suffer on. He took the shot.

Another loud snap rang, and the woman screamed. A soft thud was heard, way too close to Sly, and he stiffened as a long object rolled to view. A severed arm with the gun in hand. Shaking his head from the small shock, he jumped over it and sent the blade into her chest, silencing her as quickly as he could. Now the forest was dead quiet. Sly dissipated his structures, saved for the blade, and strike it over the handle.

Lex! He screamed, tossing the door open. There was no body inside, but boxes and packages, presumably supplies, lining the walls.

Sly blinked, slowly absorbing what happened. Then, just as his chest flared, he slammed the door, hard and placed both hands on his forehead, staring back at the road. He wanted to scream, but settled for sharp hisses and pants. Sly did not want to alert anyone else if the fourth carriage was nearby. Not finding anything useful here, he made a run to the trees and followed the road. He hoped the carriage had followed along the path and would meet with the others as soon as possible...

Nithya had worn a furrow into the knee high grass from his pacing. The humans normally didn't take this long, and the cries of pain were beginning to worry him. His ears flicked up, trying to listen for anything. Instead, he heard gunshots fire and he snarled before dashing back through the woods. It wouldn't take him long to reach the battleground. Sniffing for a trail, he would quickly find the scent of Sly before beginning to track him. Eventually, find him half stunned, a panicked look in his eyes. The foenix quickly loped up to Sly, licking his hand gently and nuzzling it. A whine came from his chest as he tried to reassure him, but his ears constantly flicked to make sure that he didn't hear anyone approaching.

---

Lexia felt her chest tighten and she gave a pained groan, slumping slightly forward against the chains. It wasn't her heart that ached, but she felt it like the pain was her own. The cart suddenly pulled to a stop as she leaned forward in the shackles, the guards quickly dismounting and heading outside to greet the messenger. While they were preoccupied, Lexia struggled with the chains before crushing one of the stones. The black void magic formed around her as she lifted her head, before casting it forward. The five daggers slashed through the neck lock, the chains which bound her wrists together, the one which bound her to the chair and the other that kept her ankles in the one place.

As soon as they were freed, Lexia tore the sac from her head, her hand smashing another stone. Her heart beat faster in her chest as she burst from the back of the cart. She only had a few moments to cast forward five daggers at their throats, slashing them open with ease.

But the gunshot that rang before she hit chilled her. A few moments later an agonising pain spiralled through her side, the bullet cleaving through it like it was butter. She gritted her teeth, her hand pressing against the hole. She used her other to guide her along the cart, leaning against it heavily as blood trailed down her front and back. Her hand brushed the side of the animals which drew the cart and a sorrowful expression came through her eyes. They didn't deserve to draw such a heavy thing.

Raising a hand, Lex would pull off the reigns for the two beasts, letting them go. She released the wound with her other hand and quickly wrapped the leather across it, crying out in pain as simply touching it caused incredibly agony to rip through her. Let alone tightening it. Holding her breath, her hands quivering, Lex would suddenly rip the leather tighter across her abdomen to staunch the blood flow. The very motion caused her vision to rapidly grow white as she collapsed into a crumpled kneeling position, slumping to the ground.

He was left alone for a moment to pick up the pieces, if only for a few moments before he had to leave. And what better way to do it than to grab their pistols. There was nothing special to them. 0.2mm calibre pistols, but none of the officers had a lot of magazine on them. He grabbed two, just in case, before he turned to see Nithya reuniting with him. How could he ignore the foenix trying to get his attention? Resigning to him, Sly gave a light chuckle before scratching the back of his ear.

We need to find Lex, he said. Can you track her?

Then, from the distance, gunshots echoed between the trees, a sudden bang followed by another, the air cracking like there was an intense battle going on. Without stalling another second, Sly hurried in its direction, dissociating all of his structures. Then the gunfire became sparse for quite some time. If it was still going, then it meant Lexia was still alive. Could she have broken free? Were they attacked by bandits? Maybe a wild animal?

He should have jumped on Nithya’s back when he had the chance. The foenix would bring him there much faster. At last, he found the final cart, sitting in the middle of the road with officers standing around it and… shooting towards it? One of them had fallen, a black knife dug into his neck and leaving a pool of blood beneath. There were two more remaining. Behind one of the animal, Sly could see her.

Lex!

An officer turned to him. Sly cupped his mouth, then immediately rolled behind a trunk as a flurry of bullets flew towards him. He hissed at himself. Me and my big mouth! Sly pocketed one of the pistols, freeing a hand to conjure Mirage. He stepped out of cover, blade pointing forward with the gun beside it, and he aimed for the closest officer. Him being more experienced, Sly had to activate his shield as the man fired directly at him, and Sly was still trying to aim.

Just as the shield faded, he fire two shots. One missed cleanly, and the other shot him in the chest. Sly immediately went behind cover. Nithya, go! Sly said, remembering one of the commands Lexia gave him. With Mirage needing to recharge, he could not risk himself unless the last officer was distracted.

Hang in there Lex, I am here!