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The girls slowly made their way through the corridors. Dana, with her light, stayed at the front of the group. Gunfire sounded from a distance and rang throughout the airship, and dread twisted in Astrelle’s gut. Someone, people, were fighting [i]something[/i], and as much as she didn’t want to believe it, she had an idea of what it was. Her hands were clenched tightly in fists as they proceeded through the eerie passage, with only the sounds of their footsteps and distant warfare as company.

Astrelle spotted the figures in the darkness slightly sooner than the others, with her eyes that pierced through the shadows. She let out an audible, sharp gasp and reactively covered her mouth with her hands, as if it were a mistake to make a sound. The sinister aura of the humanoid being sent a surge of panic through her body, and she found it hard to control her trembling. Fear froze her, and Astrelle could only watch helplessly as a soldier was impaled with the creature’s claws. She regretted, in that moment, the clarity of her vision; she could see the glisten of the victim’s blood still trailing off the monster’s appendages.

Astrelle watched in disbelief as Penny charged at the Void, seemingly unfazed by the sight of the monster quite literally pinning a full grown man onto a wall with little effort. Her willingness to fight was interpreted more like an idiotic death wish in Astrelle’s perspective. Regardless, it worked out better for her that Penny was on the offense; Astrelle’s abilities were not suited for attacking, and if someone had to be sacrificed for the others to survive, she was satisfied as long as it wasn’t herself. The way Astrelle saw it, Penny seemed more than willing to risk her own life. 

Something in Astrelle snapped and dispelled her fear. She had connected the right dots or found some rationalization that allowed her to come to terms with reality, and couldn’t help but laugh. The scene before her only affirmed her pessimistic expectations of being an Ars Magi. Her predictions were merely accurate. Her boisterous laughter filled the small hallway.

[color=b699ff]“I’m so [i]excited[/i] to be an Ars Magi,”[/color] Astrelle mimicked sarcastically, recounting the girls’ statements from the tea party. The thought of imminent death overruled any desire to stay polite to the others. An eerie grin stretched across her face, [color=b699ff]“Wouldn’t it be [i]so fun[/i] to be impaled by a Void like the poor guard?” [/color]

Perhaps now, their naiveté would be replaced by caution. She didn’t care about how wonderful the government tried to sell it on TV, or how honorable the station was in society—she just didn’t want to [i]die[/i]. Unlike the others, she never asked to be an Ars Magi and never wanted to be one. She wanted to go back to her life of luxury—even becoming a dog to the Venus clan seemed like a better idea than this.

In reaction to Penny’s attack, the menacing creature released the injured soldier from its grasp. Dana was quick to act, rushing to the injured man and performing healing magic. The monster looked distracted now, but it was only a matter of time before it turned its attention to its assailant. Astrelle kept silent and maneuvered to the back of the group, giving no heed to how self-serving the action appeared. She could feel her power building amidst the shrouds of Nox, but even then, her abilities to sink into shadows and generate darkness were not skills that dealt damage. The most she could do is evade the monster’s attacks, but that would only help herself. There was the possibility that her high evasion would be useful if Astrelle acted as bait, but there was absolutely no way she would suggest herself for that position. 

[color=b699ff]“Unfortunately, my abilities aren’t suited for fighting,”[/color] Astrelle smiled, finally regaining some sense of calm. She gestured to the darkness of the corridor behind them. [color=b699ff]“The most I can do is act as a guard dog for your backs, or I can go and try to find Victoria.”[/color]