— Elijah Stormreed POV —
Now deeper in Evergreen territory, Elijah carried Leonhardt over his shoulder until they reached a cavern. The sound of metal struck by stone, layered with a faint melodic tone drifted from within.
Inside the cavern, Elijah locked down his expression, smoothing his features into their usual mask, hiding any grieving expression he had. He couldn't afford to stir any worry, as the person inside the Cavern was a vital, and highly volatile ally. Any sign of grief or internal compromise might lead them to question his mission's viability.
The cavern was vast and lit by several lamps. It wasn't a natural cave anymore; it was a makeshift workshop, as tools hung from hooks, wires crisscrossed the ceiling, and complex clockwork contraptions lay half-assembled on heavy wooden tables.
Standing amidst the organized chaos, their back to Elijah and deeply absorbed in their work, was a person wearing heavy leather aprons and thick, tinted goggles pushed up onto their forehead.
The melodic sound emanated from a strange device sitting on a workbench. It looked like a complicated box from which a piece of circular, reflective glass was spinning, and a fine needle was brushing gently on its inner circumference, producing the joyful tune.
The person was swaying their entire body to the music as they were so consumed by the rhythm and the delicate work in their hands that they didn't notice the massive figure of Elijah Stormreed, missing an arm and carrying Leon, standing directly behind them.
Then, with a final scratch, the device stopped playing.
The sudden, absolute silence in the cavern was jarring.
The figure instantly froze. Then, with a playful smile already stretching across their lips, they spun around, simultaneously pulling the goggles off their face.
"Jeez, you couldn't wait until I was done?" they asked, their voice carrying a light, easy tone.
"It's just urgent, Hexa," Elijah stated, as he simply tilted his body, clearly showing the empty socket where his mechanical arm should have been.
"Oh?"
The person named, Hexa, sets down her tools and approached him with a frown, her eyes lingering on his empty shoulder socket, then up to his eyes.
"What the hell happened?"
"Got into a rough one," Elijah answered.
"Clearly!"
Hexa reached out and poked his shoulder socket, her curiosity peaked.
"Who'd you lose to?"
"No one. I won."
"..."
Hexa bursts into laughter, clutching her sides, "Oh-ho-ho! That's rich! You call this winning?" She gestured dramatically at his missing arm. "Did you at least blow something up?"
"Can you make me a new one or not?" he questioned, his gaze intense, clearly not taking Hexa's earlier teasing lightly.
"Pfft - of course I can!" Hexa said, waving a dismissive hand as she sauntered over to her workbench. She rifled through a bin of scrap parts and discarded contraptions before pulling out a new mechanical arm.
"Here ya go. One replacement for your lost limb."
Then Hexa sets the mechanical arm down, her eyebrows rising at the sight of the unconscious boy at Elijah's side.
"Uhhhh, who's that?" She asked, pointing to the kid.
Fixing his gaze on Leon, Elijah answered, "Just a companion, he got knocked out during the fight."
Hexa's head cocked curiously as she approached the kid, inspecting him closely, poking him in the cheek with her index finger. She looked back up to Elijah, raising an eyebrow.
"You're bringing a kid to fights? Isn't that kinda irresponsible or something?"
"He's stronger than he looks," Elijah said with a sigh.
Hexa laughed, crossing her arms and giving Elijah a disbelieving look. She looked back down at the unconscious boy, studying his features.
"Doesn't look all that strong. Looks a bit like a stick-in-the-mud, actually."
"Take my word for it, he can put on a hell of a fight," Elijah said with a smirk, his gaze on Leon once again.
Hexa rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it. But she does crouch down to get a better look at the unconscious Leon, "Alright, I'll humor you for a moment. What's his name, at least?"
"Leonhardt Haldrin."
"A Haldrin?"
Hexa's eyes widened, a look of excitement flashing across her features. She leaned in closer to inspect Leonhardt's silvery-grey hair, her gaze flickering to take in more of his facial features.
"Well, well, well..." She murmured, a hint of mischief in her voice. "This changes things."
"You love Haldrins or something?" Elijah asked, the question slightly skeptical.
Hexa grinned, her fingers still tangled in Leonhardt's hair, "Who doesn't? They're like... walking legends!" She leaned back, crossing her arms. "But I gotta ask—what's a Haldrin doing tagging along with you?"
"Their village was attacked by the Valorians, and he's one of the survivors," Elijah answered.
Hexa's grin faded slightly, her expression shifting into something more serious—though still with a hint of her usual chaotic energy.
"Valorians, huh?" She muttered, glancing at Leonhardt again. "Figures they'd go after the Haldrins. Those bastards don't like anyone." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So, what's the plan? Gonna train him up to be a rebel like you?"
Then, Hexa noticed something off...
"Hold on a second..." She trailed off, her eyes flickering about as she scanned her surroundings. "Where's Seraphina? I thought she's usually glued to your side."
Elijah then spared a quick glance at the cavern entrance, "She left for the base. Will catch up after getting my new arm."
Hexa rolled her eyes at the nonchalant answer, "Figures. She's always been the responsible one."
Then, looking at the new mechanical arm, Hexa continued, "It's a Model Seven," Hexa explained rapidly. "Faster rotation than the last one, and the torque regulator is better sealed. Try not to lose this one in a fight, alright?"
The connection was sharp, but Elijah barely reacted. He flexed the fingers, the familiar whirrr and soft thunk of the gears a welcome sound. It worked. He immediately secured his satchel with the new metal hand, confirming its grip.
Without another word, Elijah hauled Leonhardt completely off the ground and shifted the boy's weight so he was once again slung perfectly over the freshly replaced arm's shoulder. He turned toward the cavern exit, his posture rigid. He lifted the new mechanical arm in a sweeping motion, testing its full range.
As he reached the entrance, he spared a quick, backward glance at Hexa, who was already returning to her spinning glass device, preparing a new tune.
"Thanks."
Hexa let out an exasperated huff as she watched him leave, her eyes narrowing at his casual wave.
"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it... You're so annoyingly nonchalant."
She then grumbled to herself as he exited the workshop. Her thoughts lingered on Seraphina, alone at the base.
"Ugh, I swear, someone needs to keep those two out of trouble..."