Lost Rain
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Outrun - Chapter 245
🕑 Added 2025-05-02 20:17:00 +0000 UTCI stared at the Valkyrie across from me, waiting for her to speak. I wasn’t sure what she knew, so I didn’t want to reveal anything by speaking carelessly. The Valkyrie likewise stayed silent, looking off the balcony towards the distant rain-clad city.
If I had a camera, this would be the type of picture that could sell for thousands. With her staring into the distance deep in thought, and the neon-lit backdrop framing her, it was truly a masterpiece moment. Unfortunately, I had no camera. Even if I did, no way Sentinel would sit still while I took a picture of one of their elites just like that.
We stayed silent a while longer. Eventually, she won the battle of wits as I broke and spoke first. “How’d you know?”
She didn’t say anything immediately, instead throwing her helmet into the penthouse. Brunhilde pulled out a scrambler and activated it before also pulling out an earpiece and throwing it into the penthouse. “Just us. Like I said.”
Dev was far enough to be out of earshot even without the scrambler. Truly did appear to be just us… and the eidolons watching over my back. I was never truly alone these days. ”So?”
”Your pack.” The wings on her back flexed out. Now that I was closer, I could see they looked much newer than the rest of the armor. “We just got these wings… look familiar?”
The wings had several Drop Chutes sized down and spread across the wings. They must’ve adjusted the tech to fit the Valkyries better after I got my hands on the prototype. To be honest, the wings were super badass. A few adjustments to my tech might be able to emulate it.
So she pieced together my identity from just that? No, she must’ve also run through their database. I was no doubt flagged as a suspicious person in the school investigation. A granddaughter of a duke from a random country showing up, and then everything going to hell?
There was a good chance they even knew who gave the chutes to me and betrayed the corp. I wonder what would happen to them? Would Sentinel execute traitors? The two lost their daughter… but corpos weren’t exactly known for their kindness. Linking the prototype Drop Chutes to them, and from them to Meno...
Even knowing about my relationship with Sean, though… just how deep was Sentinel‘s surveillance? And if it was so deep, just how did the Circle manage to infiltrate so deeply? Or was surveillance around Sean just particularly high? He was one of Mr. Sentinel’s children, after all. A Young Master of the Big 7 wouldn’t be so simple.
“What do you want?” I asked the woman as my mind whirled to keep up. She didn’t call me Shiro, so there was a tiny chance she hadn’t fully put together my real name and identity.
A tremor shook the building, causing everything to shake lightly for a moment before everything settled once more. The aftershocks of the explosion were still at work, huh?
Brunhilde looked out at the city one last time before turning around and leaning against the balcony. Her chrome eyes felt particularly piercing as she looked at me. “You know, it's funny. No matter how much I run your face through the database, the system refuses to match it. Even I subconsciously refuse to admit that you’re the same as Meno, even when looking at the picture… Some kind of ability? A Remnant? Or maybe even a Revenant?”
”Maybe it’s time for an upgrade?” I looked away quickly, worried about revealing anything with my eyes. The chances that she hadn’t fully uncovered everything about me rose sharply. Master of Disguise was keeping my face hidden, if nothing else. If I didn’t have the Drop Chutes, there was a chance she wouldn’t have even put together as much as she did, or recognize me in the first place.
I did feel a bit stupid, though. Here I was worried that my feature scrubber was gone, and Master of Disguise worked on even cameras. Why do I ever doubt the capabilities of the eidolons?
“Indeed… It’s not every day someone catches my eye. The Blue Crusade has you as a regeneration Kinetic, yes?” Brunhilde arched a brow at me. “Seems there’s more to it than just that.”
I glanced towards Dev. He was still sitting near the elevator, completely tuned out of the conversation. “What do you want?”
She raised her hands in mock surrender. “Oh, nothing bad. I take it Sean doesn’t know about your… proclivities?”
I shifted back, crossing my arms as I stared at her. “I take it Sentinel doesn’t know their Valkyrie has an obsession with one of their scions?”
”Obsession is such a harsh word…” She frowned tragically. It made my heart ache for some reason. “More like… watching over the child of a dearly departed sister. Regardless, that’s not why I called you.”
I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice. I really did. “Are we finally done talking around it?”
The building shook again. Was the base of this place still solid? I needed to wrap this up. Staying in this building was starting to give me a bad feeling. Ligh? Won’t you come back and save your poor Squire? Oh, Squiers. Dev was still over there.
Her wings snapped back to align with her spine, folding behind her back as she nodded. “I like capable people. Join Sentinel?”
”Um…” I stared at her in surprise. So not how I saw this conversation going. “Is this… recruitment?”
”Indeed.” She smiled beautifully. “Capable people are the best. So? How about it? The benefits won’t be bad.”
I ran back through the conversation to see if I missed something. ”Why?”
“Oh, I like capable people, that’s true. I have a good eye, though.” She turned back around, leaning on the balcony rail with her elbows. The mechanical lens of her vibrant blue eyes twirled fiercely as she looked at me. “The Valkyries are always recruiting. A Squire of the Ligh Strumgard wouldn’t be so simple either.”
A recruitment offer… “Can I say no?”
”Can you or should you?” Brunhilde laughed lightly and waved a hand. “If you say no, that’s it. Regardless, you’ll be added to a watch list, but there won’t be any cleaners involved.”
Damn it! After trying to avoid Sentinel all this while with the blueprints… was it really just my fate to be tied up with Sentinel? Crazy that I still managed to get entangled in a completely different way than I feared several months ago. Being on a watch list, though… I had to be more careful from now on.
Maybe I should drop all my identities? Leave Aythryn City and start up somewhere new? If nothing else, they weren’t immediately sending a hit squad at me. That was something, I guess?
She laughed again, though this time the laughter had a certain edge. ”Don’t think about fleeing, little cat.”
I stared at her blankly. “Little cat? Really?”
She rubbed her hands together and met my eyes over her shoulder. “I take it Zuku isn’t your real name? And your eyes look like a cat’s.”
Panther, are you really going to just take that? My eyes are your eyes, so she’s calling you a little kitten, right? Where’s your pride as an eidolon? Come on, send some Magi or something after her and help cover up my- ahem, redeem your honor!
As per usual, the eidolons were silent. Somewhere in the distance, though, I liked to imagine Panther's face scrunched up in irritation. The killer cat seemed to have quite a bit of pride. Or maybe it was Killer Kitten now? Ha… I'd better stop before his ire turns to me.
“Here.” The Valkyrie offered a business card covered in Sentinel’s shield and spear symbol.
I grabbed the card. As if that was the activation requirement, the symbol on the card slid to the side, and Brunhilde’s contact information popped up. Honestly, incorporating this level of tech into a simple business card was the equivalent of making it out of gold leaf. I activated Technical Expertise on instinct, copying the blueprint for the badass business card. “What’s this?”
”Call me once this is over? Now isn’t great for this kind of discussion. And surviving will be a good indicator.” She waved her hand out to the devastated AEZ.
I stared at the card for a moment before sliding it into my pocket. I could always lose it later, or it could break-
“Ah, I’ll be expecting a call back. On a side note, I do so love hunting.” Brunhilde smiled bashfully. It was weird to see such an expression on the woman.
“Noted.” Looked like I was stuck. If I abandoned everything, what were the chances I could escape from Sentinel? No- there was a chance it might excite her even more. Make her come after me in full force, similar to a predator chasing prey. It was better to face her outright and cleanly say no. Then maybe try and disappear afterward?
Damn, I really didn’t think life would end up like this…
The building shook harder, causing a frown to spring up on my face as I looked outward. Was it just me? Was the building tilted slightly? The floor no longer felt even. No, even Brunhilde was frowning…
A sharp tremor struck one more time as the building groaned fiercely. The world tilted and shuddered underneath as deep groans echoed through the structure. Down below, the gut-churning noise of concrete cracking and steel twisting rose. The floor lurched sharply as even more of the supports gave out.
I nearly fell as I grabbed onto the balcony, sliding toward the edge as the tower tilted. “What-“
”Tower’s unstable…” She eyed me, then looked at my pack. “Jump from here? Should be safe.”
Crack!
I almost followed her suggestion, though froze as I looked back toward Dev. He was down, staring toward me with an expression I couldn’t quite place on his face. Worry, yes… but also fear. A deep, unsettling fear that reminded me of the few times I’d been Underground with him.
Time slowed to a crawl thanks to Dexterity, making every crack and shudder feel particularly vivid. I wasn’t sure at first, but even without a gun in hand, my wrist guns counted for the Perk. It was nice to know, and allowed me to use both hands even while time was slowed.
Every second felt like a countdown as I stared at the Squire. Leave him? I could escape cleanly and safely now. At least I would live... but looking at his face...
I couldn’t just leave him. We weren’t exactly close, but we’d been through hell and high water together. Maybe if it were a month or two ago, but now? No way I could just leave a companion to die.
What was the point of the interface if I couldn't save even one person? I'd already failed to stop the Circle, but I'd at least save my fellow Squire. The Drop Chutes… right, they should be able to support both of us. Barely.
”Dev!” I moved, walking toward the Squire as the tremors intensified. Something snapped far below as gravity took over, the floor tilting at an angle that was becoming difficult to walk up. Dust clouds started choking the air, making it hard to see or breathe.
Dev grabbed onto a pillar above, stopping his body from sliding towards the edge. Furniture tumbled past the two of us, shattering glass and falling onto the city below. I lunged upward, grabbing a built-in couch to hold myself stable for a moment-
”Zuku! Look out!” Dev called.
I flinched as I felt a cold impact on my body. I used Burst Step, intent on dodging. Only, with the angle of the building being so off, I slipped and didn’t go as far as I intended with the movement. I barely managed to get out of the way as the roof collapsed where I’d just been.
I moved upward, using the collapsing roof as a foothold as I climbed up to Dev, leaning against a pillar. Brunhilde was a step behind me, lunging for her helmet and comms as they slid down the floor. The wings on her back were fully extended, helping her catch them without much of an issue as she expertly controlled her fall.
The sound was deafening, like thunder concentrated into a small steel box. The tower’s bones gave way below, sending the entire building angling toward the ground. A moment of weightlessness struck me, the terrifying sensation of free fall.
Instinct almost took over. The instinct to run and protect myself. I barely managed to force it back, finally pulling myself up to Dev. The Squire’s eyes were tightly tensed in despair, and yet there was a certain grim acceptance in his face.
He was ready to face the end. There wouldn't be an end if I had any say in the matter. For either of us.
I looked at the only other person in the tower for clues on how to get out of this, as we continued falling. Brunhilde’s wings were fully extended, pointed towards a gap in the collapsed roof. Her intention was clear as day; glide through the gap to safety.
I moved up onto to sit on the now horizontal pillar, pulling Dev up beside me as it groaned as if in agony. It lurched, the pillar cracking down the middle though still holding, albeit briefly-
“Gah!” A scream came from the Valkyrie as something impacted her. It sent her careening into a wall, her wing shattered as the projectile glanced off her armor and smacked it. A second later, the crack of a sniper’s shot hit my ears. As if the situation wasn’t already bad enough. She disappeared behind a wall, though the woman was the least of my concerns.
We needed to get out of the building. Climb up to the opposite side, so we wouldn't be caught in the collapsing rubble. How though? I moved my gaze up. What once was a wall became the new ceiling. There weren’t enough footholds to climb up, and even climbing would be nearly impossible with the constant breaking and shuddering.
Hmm… I aimed my wrist at the floor, firing several shots of Cryo rounds at it. The bullets impacted, creating ice crystals in a pattern of foot and hand holds. I only had a moment to get out of this before they’d start melting or collapsing.
I rooted through my bag, pulling my rope and ascender as we sat on the pillar. I passed them to Dev, screaming over the racket of the collapsing tower. “Get ready!”
The acceptance of death seemed to clear from his eyes as he nodded his head and grabbed the stuff. I left him to it, clambering up the ice holds with the other end of the rope. I continued up, eventually reaching a gap with the exposed sky. The rain made everything all the more slick as I used Burst Step once more to jump onto the ledge.
My gauntlet caught on the shattered frame of a window as I pulled myself up and tied off the rope. Down below, Dev started using the ascender. The Squire skipped past all of my footholds as he moved up the rope to me.
I barely managed to hold my grip as I pulled him to me. I wrapped him in an embrace. “Hold me tight.”
The Squire didn’t ask questions, his pale face practically radiating trust as he grabbed me back. The building fell out from below entirely as we truly entered a state of free fall.
Comments
InLucidReverie
Building falling AND a sniper. Unfortunate.
An Open Book
Have fun at the wedding!
Lost Rain
I added a sentence to that part to clear it up a bit more. The wrist gun was never stupid. It’s- it’s cool, alright? I promise. Rule of cool is most important. She has the drop chutes on there fairly well hidden, but their shape and design would still be noticeable to someone who knew the tech. It’s a combo of the Valkyries eyes being really sharp and the original tech being specifically for the Valkyries. Also, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure originally. It just so happens the techie Valkyrie was on the job though. That was the heavy armored one Brunhilde spoke to last time to get confirmation.
Lost Rain
Assuming the Valkyrie survives that long. She was literally sniped out of the air. Find out what happens next on Outrun litRPG!
Findell
Clearly Sentinel corp can't be trusted. So where can she run?
Gardor
"We stayed silent a while longer. Eventually, she won the battle of wits. “How’d you know?”" Should be more clear who's speaking, she could have won the battle of wits by asking this random question. "I wasn’t sure at first, but even without a gun in hand my wrist guns counted for the Perk. It was nice to know, and allowed me to use both hands even while time was slowed" Wow this goes a long way towards making the wrist guns not stupid. What's her backpack look like? Hasn't she moved the drop chutes around and put them into different casings? Does her back pack look so unique that it'd be an immediate give away? Maybe the Valkyrie's eyes are just that great.
didi19555
Ah the forced recrutment, try to catch a stealth adept with that is sure a good idea. I think Brunhilde just made a strong enemy, also she is underestimating her.
