Inside a certain Steamstrider
"Ugh, I forgot how much of a pain it is talkin to these people," Larkin muttered with a heavy sigh, his hands resting on the brass levers and dials of the Mark IX Steamstrider's central control panel.
They had finally crossed the border into Aeruna, but the agonizing wait had completely soured his mood. The local guards had detained them for hours to thoroughly search the massive mechanical vehicle. Given that they were the exact same guards who had happily turned them away previously, the rigorous inspection of the twenty-five-foot machine had undoubtedly been drawn out on purpose.
"Seriously, what the hells was their problem?" he grumbled in annoyance, peering through the reinforced windshield. "I just hope the guy I knew here hasn't changed much," he added under his breath.
Reaching toward the center console, he grabbed the brass communication device and pressed the toggle. "Everyone okay back there?"
A moment later, Zee's voice crackled through the comms. "Yes, we're okay, but could you slow the Steamstrider down a little? The bumping and swaying is making it really hard to feed Nori," she requested.
Larkin gave a silent nod, pulling back a lever to release a controlled hiss of steam, easing the heavy vehicle into a much smoother, gliding pace along the road.
Inside the softly illuminated passenger cabin, the faint scent of machinery and steam lingered beneath the warm glow of gear-shaped lamps. Zee leaned carefully over one of the integrated sleeping berths, gently trying to coax a cup of liquid food down the throat of the still-catatonic half-elf lying motionless on the cushions.
Seated across from them on a plush, velvet-lined bench, Ercale watched the delicate interaction with less than mild interest, having already witnessed this exact routine countless times.
"Can't you do anything?" Zee asked quietly, her eyes never leaving Nori's vacant face.
"Huh?" Ercale grunted, shifting his gaze toward her.
"Can't you heal him in some way?" she clarified.
Ercale leaned back into his comfortable seat, crossing his arms. "You're asking me this now? The question didn't pop into your head before?" he asked, his tone laced with dry skepticism.
Zee let out a tired, fragile sigh. "It did. But being as... emotional as I was back then, I knew I couldn't handle the way you usually talk down to me," she admitted frankly.
Ercale stared at her in silence for a few long seconds before letting out a dismissive shake of his head. "I can heal the body, not the mind. Those are two entirely separate things," he explained flatly. "Physically, he is perfectly fine. The injuries he had are already healed, but they were never the actual problem."
Zee offered a quiet, somber nod of understanding as she carefully wiped Nori's chin and finished feeding him. Setting the empty cup aside on a brass-trimmed side table, she stood up and retreated to her own seat.
She sat there in absolute silence, staring blankly ahead. Her usual energetic, delightfully airheaded, and highly talkative nature had been severely numbed ever since Xain had left them, leaving behind a quiet, hollow shadow of the girl she used to be.
Back in the driver's cabin, Larkin squinted through the reinforced windshield as a military checkpoint slowly materialized in the distance. As the Mark IX drew closer, his hands tightened on the brass steering controls, his eyes widening in alarm.
"Are those... dead bodies?" he muttered, his gaze sweeping over the grim aftermath. Mangled corpses of both human guards and grotesque demons littered the torn earth around the barricades. His immediate instinct was to throw the massive vehicle into reverse and turn completely around, but a sudden movement caught his eye. Several exhausted-looking soldiers were slowly emerging from the battered garrison, their weapons lowered as they stared at the approaching steamstrider in utter bewilderment.
Swallowing his rising panic, Larkin grabbed the brass communication device from the control panel. "We're comin' up to a checkpoint, and, uh... well, there's dead bodies of people and demons surroundin' it," he spoke into the receiver, his voice tight. "So, just prepare yourselves, I guess."
He set the device down with a heavy click and eased the Mark IX to a halt right in front of the barricade. With a loud, dramatic hiss of venting steam, Larkin pushed the heavy side door open and cautiously stepped out onto the blood-stained ground.
The surviving soldiers waiting for him looked completely shell-shocked, their eyes darting between the horrific carnage and the towering mechanical marvel.
"What manner of machine is this?" one of the guards asked, looking the armored vehicle up and down in absolute confusion.
"Before I say anythin' about that, what in the world is with... all of this?" Larkin asked, gesturing nervously to the massacre surrounding them.
Behind him, the side door of the passenger cabin swung open. Both Ercale and Zee stepped out into the open air to see what was causing the delay, their expressions instantly hardening at the sight of the battlefield.
"Who in the Emperor's name is here now?" a stern, irritated voice called out from the garrison.
The checkpoint captain marched out, looking significantly less exhausted than he did before. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring up at the hulking steamstrider. His sharp gaze then dropped to the passengers, shifting from Ercale, to Zee, and finally landing squarely on Larkin.
The captain froze.
"You..." the officer began, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.
Larkin's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "Wait, aren't you..." he trailed off.
The captain's expression instantly shifted from shock to pure, unadulterated annoyance. "What the hell are you doing back here?"