Chapter 13
Ivy's eyes snapped open, and a sharp gasp escaped her lips as pain jolted through her body like a lightning strike. Instinctively, she shot upright, coughing violently as her lungs protested the sudden movement.
"Easy, easy!" Caitlyn's voice was firm but gentle, her hands reaching out to steady Ivy. She cupped Ivy's face, her touch surprisingly soft yet grounding. "Calm down. You're okay. Just breathe."
Ivy's chest heaved as she tried to follow Caitlyn's instructions, her wide eyes darting around the dimly lit room. The faint smell of alcohol and antiseptic filled her nose, and her gaze landed on the small bottle in Caitlyn's hand. It was half-empty, glowing purple.
"What...?" Ivy's voice cracked, her throat dry and her head spinning.
"You're safe," Caitlyn said quickly, her blue eyes locking onto Ivy's with a mixture of relief and worry. "We're safe, you're safe. You passed out, and... we had to find something to patch you up."
"Patch me up?" Ivy echoed, her voice hoarse. Her hand instinctively moved to touch the wound which was no longer bleeding or hurting. Caitlyn caught her wrist mid-movement.
"Careful," Caitlyn warned. "Im not sure how well it worked."
From behind Caitlyn, Vi stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Her expression was hard to read, a mix of tension and subtle relief. "You scared the hell out of us, Ivy," Vi said, her tone gruff but not unkind. "Thought we'd lost you back there."
Ivy's breathing began to slow, and she leaned back against the wall, her body trembling from exhaustion. "Didn't mean to be such a... hassle," she muttered, her lips curling into a faint, weak smile despite the situation.
Caitlyn let out a dry laugh, shaking her head as she let go of Ivy's face. "You're impossible," she said, though there was no malice in her voice. "But you're alive, and that's what matters."
Vi pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
"Like I got hit by a blimp," Ivy muttered, wincing as she shifted slightly. "But I'll survive."
Caitlyn shot her a look that was equal parts skeptical and relieved. "You'd better. Also, airship," she said, her tone lightening slightly, though her concern was still evident. "Airships have a rigged metal hull."
Ivy playfully rolled her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. "Okay Kirraman." Despite the pain and exhaustion, a small part of her was grateful—to be alive, and for the unlikely duo who had refused to let her go.
As Vi stepped outside, the sound of the door creaking behind her, Caitlyn moved to Ivy's side, offering a hand to help her up. Ivy gritted her teeth, steadying herself as she rose. The initial sting of pain in her side had disappeared, replaced by a faint soreness that puzzled her.
"I swear, this feels... different," Ivy muttered, lifting the hem of her shirt slightly to inspect the area. Her toned stomach was now marred with a faint scar where the wound had been. The skin, previously torn and bloodied, had healed faster than seemed natural.
Caitlyn's gaze dropped to the scar, her brows furrowing as she studied it. "It's incredible," she murmured, the tone of clinical observation slipping into something more curious.
Ivy raised a brow, her voice tinged with suspicion. "How the hell did I heal this fast? Last I remember, I was coughing up blood and blacking out."
Caitlyn straightened, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Vi and I managed to get our hands on some medicine."
"What kind of medicine?" Ivy pressed, narrowing her eyes.
"A woman gave it to us." Caitlyn quickly clarified, her tone defensive. "I don't know all the details, but it sped up your healing."
Ivy let out a low whistle, glancing down at the scar once more. "Experimental, huh? Let's hope it doesn't come with any nasty side effects."
Caitlyn offered a faint smile. "Considering the alternative, I think we made the right call."
Ivy looked at Caitlyn, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Guess I owe you one," she muttered, her voice sincere.
Caitlyn tilted her head, her lips curling into a small, knowing smile. "I'll hold you to that."
The moment lingered before Ivy let her shirt fall back into place, rolling her shoulders and testing her balance. "Well, I'm not dead, and that's a start." She nodded toward the door. "Let's see what Vi's up to. Something tells me she's not out there for the fresh air."
Caitlyn nodded, following Ivy as they headed out the door. Outside, the air was thick with tension. Vi stood rigid, her fists clenched as she faced a man who exuded an aura of danger and cunning. He was tall and slender, his posture relaxed but his presence unnervingly sharp. His left eye was missing, replaced by a glowing orange mechanical implant that pulsed faintly in the dim light. Half of his face was marred by scars, a testament to the harsh life of the undercity.
In his hands, he held small glass bottles filled with the ominous purple liquid known as shimmer. He hovered them tantalizingly above a group of ill and desperate individuals, their gaunt forms barely human. They crawled toward him on their hands and knees, their hollow eyes fixated on the shimmer like it was the only thing keeping them alive.
"Pathetic, isn't it?" the man said with a sneer, his voice smooth yet dripping with malice. He walked slowly, his boots crunching against the gravel as the ill people scrambled after him, their pleas falling on deaf ears. "You'd think they'd learn to be grateful for what little mercy I've shown them."
Behind him, his henchmen loomed—hulking figures with cold stares and weapons strapped to their belts. Their presence was a silent warning to anyone foolish enough to intervene.
Vi stepped closer, her eyes blazing with fury. "Silco," she spat, her voice low and venomous. "Still playing god with people's lives, huh? Guess some things never change."
Silco stopped and turned his glowing eye on her, his thin lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his scarred side. "Ah, Vi," he drawled, his tone mocking. "The prodigal daughter returns. To what do I owe the pleasure? Come to grovel like the rest of them?"
Vi's fists tightened, but she held her ground. "Cut the crap. Where's my sister?"
Silco raised a brow, feigning surprise. "Your sister?" He chuckled darkly, a sound that sent a chill down Ivy and Caitlyn's spines as they watched from the doorway. "She doesn't need you anymore, Vi. She's finally found her true family."
Vi took a step forward, her jaw tight. "Tell me where she is."
Silco tilted his head, his smile widening. "You've been gone for years, Vi. The world moved on without you. So did she."
As he spoke, one of the ill individuals lunged forward, managing to grab at the bottle of shimmer. Silco's expression darkened in an instant. With a swift motion, he kicked the person aside, the shimmer bottle slipping back into his grasp. "Greedy," he muttered, shaking his head as if scolding a misbehaving pet.
Silco's steps faltered as he caught sight of Ivy from the corner of his glowing eye. He stopped abruptly, turning to face her fully. His gaze lingered, and a knowing smile tugged at his lips.
"Well, well," Silco murmured, his voice laced with amusement as he studied Ivy. "If it isn't the lost daughter of Zaun. I was wondering when you'd show up."
Ivy stiffened, her tired body fueled by sudden adrenaline. She took a step forward, her tone sharp and guarded. "You know me? Funny, because I sure don't know you."
Silco chuckled softly, taking a calculated step closer, his presence looming. "Oh, I know more about you than you realize, Ivy. About your parents, your past. The sacrifices they made... the mistakes they couldn't take back."
Her breath hitched at the mention of her parents, and her fingers instinctively brushed against the hilt of her dagger. "What do you know about my parents?" she demanded, her voice low but filled with unyielding determination.
Silco tilted his head, his scarred face partially illuminated by the flickering light of the shimmer bottles in his hand. "They were loyal workers of mine. They were also dreamers, like so many before them. Believing they could build a better future. But dreams come at a cost." His gaze darkened, and his voice grew quieter, almost sympathetic. "Seems they paid with their lives."
Ivy's jaw tightened, her mind racing as pieces of her fragmented memories and Silco's words tangled together. "You're lying," she snapped, though her voice wavered slightly.
"Am I?" Silco said smoothly, his smile growing. "They did make a big mistake crossing me in the end, but they were good people, Ivy. Brave. But bravery doesn't keep you alive in a place like this. No, that takes power. The kind they didn't have. The kind I have" he chuckled.
Vi's fists clenched, and she stepped forward, her anger barely contained. "Don't listen to him, Ivy. He's just trying to mess with your head."
Silco ignored Vi, his focus entirely on Ivy. "You've felt it, haven't you?" he continued, his voice almost soothing. "The weight of their choices. The burden they left for you to carry. They wanted so much for you... and look where it's brought you. An escaped fugitive in your own home."
Ivy's hand gripped the dagger tightly, her knuckles white as her emotions warred within her. "Why should I believe a word you're saying?" she hissed.
"Because," Silco said, leaning slightly closer, his mechanical eye glowing ominously, "I was there. I saw it all."
The weight of his words hit Ivy like a blow, and for a moment, the world seemed to tilt around her. Vi stepped in between them, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
"Enough," Vi growled. "You don't get to stand here and mess with people's heads, Silco. If you're done playing your games, tell me where Jinx is, if not, then we're done here."
Silco straightened, the cruel smile returning to his face as he regarded Vi. "You're as impatient as ever, Vi. But I think I've said enough for now." He turned, waving a hand to his henchmen. "I'll leave you to ponder my words. And Ivy?" He paused, glancing back at her with a chilling smile. "I really did wish a better ending for your parents." He dropped the bottles of shimmer to the ground. They all scrammbled grabbing a bottle and chugging it.
The low growls of the shimmer-mutated creatures echoed in the air, sending a chill down Caitlyn's spine. She braced her shoulder against the wooden beam, pushing with all her strength, her boots digging into the dirt for leverage.
Ivy stood nearby, her dagger drawn, watching the creatures' grotesque forms shamble closer. Their veins glowed an eerie purple, and viscous shimmer dripped from their mouths like venom. She took a cautious step back, her eyes darting between the approaching monsters and Caitlyn's frantic efforts.
Vi, unfazed by the chaos, cracked her knuckles. "You talk too much," she muttered, before driving her fist into the wooden beam Caitlyn was pushing into. The structure groaned and creaked under the force of her punch, the weight finally shifting. The beam started to tilt, falling.
Ivy's eyes widened in shock. "Damn, you're strong," she blurted, glancing at Vi with a mix of admiration and disbelief.
Vi smirked over her shoulder. "Stick around. You'll see plenty more where that came from."
Caitlyn looked up at the screws bursting out the wooden pillars."Run," she warned.
"No shit," Ivy said, flipping her dagger into her pocket . She could feel her heart pounding, as she looked up the neon purple flickering sign falling down.
"Now actually run!" Vi's voice cut through the chaos as she broke into a sprint, her boots slamming against the ground. Without hesitation, Caitlyn reached out, grabbing Ivy by the wrist and pulling her along.
"Come on, we have to go!" Caitlyn urged, her grip firm but not forceful. Ivy stumbled for a moment, but she found her stride quickly.
The sound of the mutated creatures roaring behind them spurred them on, their growls and screeches blending with the deafening crash of the wooden beam collapsing fully under their weight.
As they darted through the shadows, Ivy glanced back over her shoulder one last time. Through the flickering light and haze of shimmer, she saw Silco standing still amidst the chaos. His one good eye was locked on the massive, glowing purple sign above him, watching as it tilted and groaned, teetering on the edge of collapse.
For a brief moment, his words echoed in her mind.
"They were dreamers... They paid with their lives."
Her chest tightened, a mix of anger, confusion, and something she couldn't quite place gnawing at her. Then the sign began its descent, crashing down in a cacophony of metal and glass, obscuring Silco from view.
Ivy whipped her head forward, her focus snapping back to the present. Caitlyn was still pulling her, and Vi led the way, clearing a path. The faint light of Zaun's dingy streets flickered ahead, a promise of temporary safety.
Ivy's breathing was ragged, her heart pounding as they climbed up a cliff. They kept running until they reached the city's alleyways. They slowed to a stop, the sound of their pursuers fading into the distance.
Vi leaned against a wall, catching her breath. "Well," she muttered, brushing dust off her hands, "that was a mess."
Caitlyn's own breathing was heavy but controlled. She glanced at Ivy, concern flickering across her face. "You okay?"
Ivy nodded silently, though her mind was far from calm. Her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her dagger as she leaned against the alley wall. The weight of Silco's words and the chaos they had just escaped weighed heavily on her.
She didn't say anything, but one thought lingered in her mind:
What if there's more to his story than I want to believe?