Rising Shards

Ovie touched back down in the void node Vita Coa was in. She’d left a waypoint in the wastelands, so she was able to bring Laenie right where they needed to be to begin their search. Laenie shivered, likely looking around for the nightmare pods Jeans had put her and her friends into.

“Are you going to be alright?” Ovie asked, not really caring but not wanting Laenie to get in her way. Laenie clenched her fists and nodded.

“Yes! This is for Rem, after all.” Laenie said. She looked around. “How are we going to find pieces of a mask in this?”

Ovie took out her bloodsaber. “This is an advanced Endoran technique, like year two stuff.” She charged the veins in the sword up, then drew a small circle in the ground then stabbed it. From the point of the tip of her sword, an oozing, toothpaste-like glob of Elka came out.

“Ew,” Laenie said as what appeared to be an oil-toothpaste-slug hybrid formed on the ground. It began slithering forward, leaving a trail of dark, iridescent slime behind it.

“Elka can sense Elka.” Ovie said. “The Starlight Despair was filled with Elka. Hence, a tracker slug can find a fragment of the mask. Do you need me to explain what Elka is to you again?”

“Do you need me to punch you across a field again?” Laenie asked. “I don’t remember doing it, but I was told you went very far.”

“Fair point,” Ovie said. For some reason, even after Laenie had trounced her in her Exa form, Ovie still underestimated her. Maybe it was her small stature and constantly panicked demeanor. That there was a fiery beast within that timid shell was something she’d have to remember for the mission.

“Is this going to take a while?” Laenie asked. “It’s only moved like maybe a foot forward.”

“Hopefully the nearest piece isn’t far,” Ovie said. “Just don’t touch it, or I’ll have to make another one.”

Ovie didn’t need to fill dead air, but she could tell Laenie would rather talk than just sit there.

“What is it?” Ovie asked.

“Oh!” Laenie said. “I was just curious.”

Ovie waited for Laenie to say something else, but she stayed silent. “About…?”

“My brother,” Laenie said. “What was he like when you saw him? Did he fit in here?”

“I’ve only been here a bit longer than you,” Ovie said. “Honestly, I don’t remember ever seeing him until Fang Moon Web.”

“Oh.” Laenie said. “You don’t think they’d have a fake Rem here just for me, do you?”

Ovie shrugged. “One thing I’ve learned is the Endoran school of Cani powers is heavily built on misleading and disinformation. An easy way for an Endoran to gain power is to trick someone else. You just have to figure out if you’re the one being tricked, so always be on your toes.”

“It’s weird hearing you give somewhat decent advice.” Laenie said.

“And it’s weird for me to spend time with you and find you somewhat decently tolerable.” Ovie said.

“Have you been tricked here like that?” Laenie asked quietly.

Ovie cursed herself and wanted to run off and scream, because the first thing she thought of was 09 telling her Jeans was doing that to her. Misleading her, feeding off her confusion and sorrow. She hated that a part of her must have believed it enough to attack Jeans. To let Zeta and the others destroy the Starlight Despair. To cause the mess she was currently in. But she’d find Jeans and make it all right.

“No.” Ovie said. “Never.”

A whistling sound came from the tracker slug, which was somehow much farther than its speed would have suggested it would be given they only talked for a minute or so. Ovie and Laenie found the slug circling around what appeared to just be a triangular piece of glass, about the size of a cracker. The slug dove into the glass, swirling around inside of it. Ovie carefully picked it up and held it in her palms.

“Is that it?” Laenie asked.

“Yes,” Ovie said, feeling like she’d had the first real win of her mission.