The Last Dainv-Chapter 184

The Last Dainv-Chapter 184

Lily pulled her phone from her vest and tapped through several screens. "Hold your phone up. Screen facing me."
Gale took his phone from his pocket and held it up close to Lily's phone.
"There." She tapped his phone with hers. "AurMap uses Wifi16 to function as both a mapping tool and communication device. It's how Aurians stay in touch during rift runs."
Gale opened the new app on his screen. It showed just a blue dot in the middle and everything else was black.
"It's just a blue dot," he said.
"That's because we haven't mapped anything yet." Lily tapped her own screen. "The app builds a map as we explore. It'll track our path, mark points of interest, allow us to see the positions of our allies, and let us communicate with the others. Most importantly, it can send distress signals to anyone in range with the map."
"How does it work without service?"
"Wifi16 creates its own network between devices. Range is about fifty kilometres in open space, less in buildings or underground." She put her phone into her pocket. "Ready?"
Gale put his phone away. "After you."
"No." Lily ushered him to outside. "Vanguards first."
Gale took point, leading them down the dirt path away from the facility. They entered the jungle once again, trees as thick as the amazon forest he used to climb as a kid. Not as thick as the trees in the Eclipsed though. Every so often, he checked his phone, watching their path form a thin blue line on the blank map.
Every hundred metres or so, Gale marked a tree with an X mark with Weber. Old habits died hard, formed by dad's grueling grind of a childhood.
"How are you feeling?" Gale asked after twenty minutes of walking.
Lily stepped over a fallen branch. "Fine. The sun helps."
"The artificial sun, you mean."
"Still better than that blue light from before." She stepped over a small stream that crossed their path. "It triggered something... brought everything back."
"Yeah, I get it."
"Yeah." Lily pushed a branch aside. "I usually sleep with the lights on and the curtains closed back at home. It just feels like it comes back to me when I'm alone in the dark, and I imagine Elliot is just waiting to open the trapdoor. This power I got from the blue moon, it's a curse and a gift."
Gale marked another tree as they passed. "Do the other blue witches have the same thoughts?"
"Some worse than others. Marine can't look at anything blue without freezing up. Jeanne painted her entire apartment yellow to compensate," she said. "What about you? Any triggers from the Eclipsed?"
"Kind of. I still flinch when one of the neighbours closes a door too hard," Gale said.
"Sorry to hear about that."
"Slowly got used to it. It's fine."
They continued through the forest, passing what looked like apples on vines. The apples, half the size of Gale's head, hung on thin vines that looked like they might fall off at any time. They actually looked normal compared to the fruits in the Eclipsed, making him wipe off the dripping drool at the corner of his mouth.
"Why make a forest instead of just farmland for the agriculture floor?" Lily asked. "Seems inefficient."
"There are things that can only be grown in forest environments. This place could be just one sector among many," Gale said. "In the memory chamber, Rachel and I found that this whole section is probably something called
Harmony Section
. This area might be specializing in crops that can't be farmed on flat lands."
"Like what?"
"Mushrooms, certain berries, plants that need specific tree canopy cover." Gale touched one of the fruits that looked like an apple. "Or hybrid species engineered to grow in forest conditions."
Lily reached up, poked at one of the fruits. "Your parents ever teach you how to farm?"
"Yes, actually." Gale stepped over a fallen log. "I know how to grow everything from Hydnora africana, which is probably the most difficult parasitic plant to cultivate, to basic potatoes."
"Why?" Lily asked.
"I don't know."
"You don't know why your parents taught you to grow parasitic plants?"
"They never explained." Gale marked another tree. "Just another survival skill they thought I needed."
Lily sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."
"Don't worry about it. It's just life."
Gale marked a few more spots with an X by a cluster of purple flowers. "What's your relationship with Ollie? He mentioned you've worked together a lot."
Lily coughed. "Just business. The Blue Witches usually take their commissions directly from Ollie rather than dealing with Path higher-ups like Jonathan."
"You don't like Jonathan?"
"
No one
likes Jonathan," Lily said. "Except maybe higher ups."
"Have the Blue Witches had other conflicts with the Path?"
Lily sighed. "Vancouver. Not sure if you heard about it. Ollie and the twins were there. Let's just say we didn't like Jonathan's orders."
"What went wrong?"
"Too much to explain, really." Lily laughed. "Better ask Ollie or Kyle for more details on that."
Gale carved another X into a tree trunk, near a set of apple vines, but something made him stop. He looked at the mark more carefully, then at the surrounding trees.
"Hold on," he said.
"What?"
Gale walked to a tree about fifteen metres to their left. Sure enough, an X was carved into the bark at exactly his height. He moved to another tree and found the same thing.
"We've been here before."
"What do you mean?"
Gale pointed to the X that was just made, then to the older one on the nearby tree. "These marks are mine. We've passed through this exact spot at least twice already."
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please the violation.
Lily pulled out her phone and opened AurMap. The screen showed their current position and the trail they'd followed. The pathing on the map showed that they'd been walking in a straight line.
"Look around you. I recognize that cluster of purple flowers. That fallen log. Even those same vines of weird looking apples." Gale carved a small circle next to his latest X. "Let's test this. We'll walk straight, see what the app says, and make sure we're not gaslighting ourselves."
Lily nodded.
Again, they walked in as straight a line as possible through the forest. Gale kept his eyes on the screen, watching the path the app displayed. The trail showed a crooked but straight line, exactly how they're moving around the forest.
Ten minutes later, they stood in front of the same X carved into the same tree trunk.
"Third time," Gale said.
Lily watched the screen on Gale's phone. "According to the app, we've covered almost two kilometres of new ground, but the edges it shows look like a repeating pattern."
"But we haven't moved at all."
"This reminds me of something the Jiuling uses," Lily put her phone away. "Array formations. The chinese factions have this whole system of spatial manipulation techniques. Step into one of their traps and you can walk for days thinking you're making progress, but really you're just moving in circles."
Gale looked around the trees. Nothing looked different from when they'd started. Same purple flowers, same fallen log, same weird and heavy looking apples.
"How do they work?"
"Space gets folded or twisted somehow. Your senses tell you you're moving forward, but the formation redirects your path without you noticing." Lily kicked at a small rock. "The really nasty ones can trap entire armies."
"I want to test this one more time." Gale looked straight ahead. "I'm going to run full speed in one direction. See if I can break out of whatever this is."
Without waiting for a response, Gale took off running. He counted seconds in his head. He was confident he could cover a kilometre in under half a minute. And in under a minute, he saw a figure standing ahead, near a familiar cluster of trees.
Lily stood exactly where he'd left her, next to the same X mark.
Gale slowed to a stop. "How long was I gone?"
"Maybe thirty seconds," Lily replied. She pointed to his left, then to his right. "You ran into the trees over there and then came back from that direction."
"One question. How do I know you're the real Lily?"
"I already have to babysit three idiots on this mission. I don't want to make it four." She said.
"It was a fair question to ask," Gale mumbled. He pulled out his phone next and opened the walkie app, holding on the push to talk.
"Ollie, we've hit a problem. How are things on your end?"
"Great, except there's a walking heater beside me and this whole forest is above 32C already."
Rachel's voice came through in the background. "I heard that!"
"You were supposed to hear it," Ollie said. "Anyway, we've covered about three kilometres so far. Found some interesting crop formations, but no sign of any elevator access. What's your problem?"
"We're trapped in some kind of spatial trap. Keep ending up back where we started."
Static crackled through the connection for a moment. "Trapped how?"
"Unknown. Lily thinks it might be similar to array trap formations."
"Hold on." Ollie's voice faded as he didn't talk straight into the mic. After a couple of seconds, he came back and said, "Rachel says to mark your current position and try moving in different directions."
"Copy that. We'll try it."
"Keep us posted."
Gale put his phone back in his pocket. "Is there a way to break array formations?"
"There's usually always a way," Lily said. "Most trap formations are just invisible mazes. Step wrong, and you're right back where you started. The trick is finding the correct path or the formation's weak point."
"How do we find that?"
"Trial and error, usually. Unless you can see the formation's structure directly."
Gale closed his eyes and let Breath of the Void spread outward. Tendrils extended in all directions, searching for any presence. He found no hostiles apart from the mundane animals. No watchers, no enemies, no threats of any kind.
Guide, find any abnormal entities using Breath of the Void.
Gale mouthed silently and not moving his mouth.
[Scanning.]
[1000+ signatures detected. No signatures above Awakened found. Threat level: None]
Gale sighed and opened his eyes. "We should try something other than a straight line that Rachel suggested."
"Good idea. Let's move in different directions and see what happens."
They split up, Lily heading northwest while Gale went due east. He walked for five minutes, marking trees as he went. The forest seemed normal, with the same mix of modified crops and natural vegetation they'd seen elsewhere on this level.
In less than five minutes, he saw Lily already waiting at the starting point beside the X.
"How long were you gone?" she asked.
"Five minutes, maybe six. You?"
"Same. But look at this." She showed him her phone. "AurMap says I jogged almost a kilometre northwest. But I never turned around and got back here."
Gale checked his own map. The app showed his eastward journey as a straight line covering eight hundred metres, followed by a direct return path.
They tried again. Gale headed south while Lily went north, but not going towards the facility. He pushed through the underbrush, climbing over fallen trees. The trees and growth he saw were clearly familiar, yet slightly different.
Six minutes later, he found himself back at the X mark.
Lily arrived moments later from a completely different direction.
"Same result," she said.
Gale carved a small circle next to his original X mark, then stepped back to study the trees around them. The formation had to have some kind of central point or anchor. Something that defined the boundaries of the trap.
"What do these formations look like that the Jiuling use?"
"That's the problem," Lily said. "You can't see them. The moment you see what looks like a formation anchor, you're already trapped in the array."
Gale pulled out his phone and opened the walkie app again. He tapped Ollie's contact.
"Ollie, we need to abort the search."
"What happened now?"
"This trap isn't breaking. We've tried every direction for the past hour. We keep ending up at the same tree no matter which way we go."
Static crackled through the connection before Ollie responded. "Copy that. We'll start heading back now."
Kyle's voice crackled onto the walkie app. "Thank fuck. Clyde and I are drowning in our own sweat out here. Pssht over."
"Speak for yourself," Clyde said. "You're the one complaining every five minutes. Pssht over."
"Because this suit wasn't designed for a goddamn sauna. Pssht over."
Gale closed the walkie app and turned to Lily. "Time to go home."
"How do we get back if we can't navigate properly?"
"Follow my markers." Gale pointed to the X carved into the nearest tree. "I've been marking our route since we left the facility. Trail should lead us straight back."
They started walking, Gale checking each tree trunk for his carved symbols. The marks appeared at regular intervals, exactly as he'd left them. Every hundred metres, a small X cut into the bark at shoulder height.
"Old school navigation," Lily stepped over a fallen log.
"Dad taught me. Said technology fails, but marks don't."
They followed the trail marked by X's, moving at a steady pace. Sweat dripped from their foreheads as their clothes felt damp under the heat of the whole floor that felt like a greenhouse.
The research facility finally appeared, familiar ground coming back into their view. It looked exactly as they left it. Shoe marks still led in and out of the front door. Exactly 6 different shoe patterns, Gale saw.
"There," Gale said.
They reached the facility's entrance just as Ollie and Rachel emerged from the northern tree line. Sweat dripped into Ollie's shirt, his face red from heat while Rachel looked perfectly normal except for her clearly annoyed look as she side eyed Ollie.
"Any luck on your end?" Lily asked.
"Covered 10 kilometers," Ollie wiped away the sweat pouring down his forehead. "Found crops, weird ones at least, irrigation systems, more modified weird crops and weird fruits. No elevator in sight though."
"Same setup everywhere we looked," Rachel said. "Apart from the forest and some organized crop, nothing that looked mechanical."
Kyle and Clyde appeared from the southwest path ten minutes later. Dark stains covered Kyle's shirt under his blazer where sweat had soaked through the fabric, same for Clyde.
"Jesus Christ," Kyle pulled at his collar. "I'm going to wring out my socks and probably get a full cup of water."
"Gross," Rachel said.
The group went inside the main hub of the facility. The AC immediately made the twins sigh in relief. Kyle dropped into one of the desk chairs, immediately removing his boot and socks, then twisting the socks. Only a few drops of sweat dripped onto the metal floor.
"Seriously?" Lily grumbled.
"Huh, thought there'd be more," Kyle said.
"So in summary," Ollie clapped his hands once. "Gale called us back because of some kind of trap. Rachel and I found crops and shit everywhere but no exits. Kyle and Clyde covered their sector without finding anything useful. What's your call this time?"
Gale sat down in one of the workstation chairs. "Something is keeping us here, and it doesn't want us out."

Chapter 184