The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Noble didn't have time to turn back. She didn't have the resources to spend. She didn't have permission to deviate from the mission.

Yet, back she went.

Her directed scan had revealed that the Mayor and his wife were uncorrupted, while everyone in between was not.

But in sending a wide scan of the area to check on Chip and Coy, Noble discovered an anomaly.

Another human was in the dome with them.

And they were terrified.

Now that the Master knew, she couldn't in good conscience leave them behind. 

Noble needed to hurry.

If she didn't come back in time, Chip and Coy would worry. They couldn't carry out the mission without her, which would make them sitting ducks as well.

Silently, Noble hoped her attribute would shield them from harm until she returned.

'I won't be long.'

With her bracelets to mask her presence, Noble called the names of light and growing darker to keep her from being perceived as she sped even faster than before.

In a blur of motion, she raced along the boundary of the barrier.

'Who could have survived when everyone else has been taken?'

She had a small guess, but soon she would find out for sure.

Two hundred meters beyond where Noble had parted with Jet, a group of low shrubs had been sliced in half by the defensive array. That was the Master's target.

"Hello?" Noble whispered.

No one answered, but the leaves rustled.

"I know you are there." The woman shut her eyes tightly as she grimaced. "Not in any creepy monster sort of way. I have an Aspect that lets me know who is around and…"

Noble pulled back the branches and a wild-eyed man lunged at her.

In his hand was a dagger aimed straight for her throat.

She dodged and he went tumbling to the ground. His Awakened armor suddenly became too heavy for him. He struggled against it.

"Keep away from me, you abomination!" He hissed. Leaves littered his hair, making him look feral.

Noble noted the body suit peeking out above the collar of his armor. His hands were badly burned from countless failed attempts to exit the dome.

The man was desperate. Noble was desperate too—desperate not to get caught.

"Keep your voice down. They'll hear you!" Noble scanned the closest street, but it was free of Skinwalker vessels.

That in itself was strange, but Noble couldn't think too hard about her luck.

"You're Fir, right? The scout that the army lost?" Noble had heard the man's name in passing. Thankfully Noble's [Clarity] had helped her remember.

"You…you know me?" Fir began to hyperventilate. "The monsters know my name. Kill me now!"

He closed his eyes and whimpered.

"I want to save you, not hurt you."

Noble sent a pleasant feeling with her words. She felt a little bad about the manipulation, but she didn't have time to argue.

The emotion was enough to break through his hysteria. He opened his eyes tentatively.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Noble scrunched her face.

"Why do you want to save me? Who sent you?" Fir grunted.

"I was asked by Director Luna to help and entered with Saint Jet and two others to get everyone out who was not a vessel. The government will let us out of here soon, but we have to hurry and get to the others."

"Jet is here?" Fir showed a flicker of hope.

"She's getting other people. Now come on." Noble released the man from the ground and eyed his dagger. She would pull it away if she had to, but it would be much easier if he trusted her instead.

The weapon dissolved into a rain of sparks.

"If you are one of them, you are good at it. I'll come. I can't stand to stay here a moment longer."

Noble nodded. She understood. Whether she was or wasn't a Skinwalker, the professor was his only hope.

"I'm Noble. I wish we had time to get acquainted but we don't. Forgive me."

She grabbed the man's arm and pulled him forward. At first, his muscles seemed reluctant to run. He had been crouching for more than a day, and they were screaming against the sudden exercise. But soon enough the action became more natural.

"You can let go."

Fir felt a little like a child being led along by his mother.

"Actually, I can't. These bracelets keep me from being perceived by those not actively looking for me. From experience, they will help mask others as well, but it's better if we are touching."

Noble remembered that the Skinwalker at the Jade Palace had perceived her even with the blindfold, or at least pretended to. It had not pursued her after Mordret denied her presence, so it was likely a bluff.

At least Noble hoped so.

The pair moved silently until they came upon the park where she had left the other Masters. The men were in the process of a whispered conversation.

"It's been too long. Something is wrong. We have to go after them."

"Chip, you have to stay right here. If you leave, she'll just have to track you down and use more of her essence to get us back on schedule."

"I'm telling you that something happened!" Chip's whisper became a hushed yell.

"Something did happen." Noble interrupted them as she ducked into their hiding place within a picnic pavilion. "I found someone."

The men looked at her strangely, wary of her words and even more concerned as she pulled a wild-eyed man into the shelter.

"This is Fir."

"The scout who the government lost? You're supposed to be dead!" Coy's mouth dropped open.

"Are you?" Chip squinted as his hand twitched.

"No." Fir hesitated. "At least I don't think so. My gear was taken by those Monsters. I think they must have figured out what I was doing when I transmitted my findings. They surrounded me, but then the barrier went up. I slipped out in the confusion. I have been hiding and searching for a way to escape ever since."

"And they haven't bothered you?" Noble doubted a little thing like a bush would be enough to stop a Skinwalker.

"They seem reluctant to approach the border. I don't know why." Fir shrugged.

"You sure he's clean?" Chip sniffed at the man.

Fir nearly vomited from the man's proximity.

"He's not a vessel," Noble pressed on Chip's arm gently.

"How do I know you aren't both taken?" He continued. "Quick, what happened the first time we met?"

"You made a morbid joke about the weather, and Coy looked too closely at my bracelets."

Noble had already anticipated this problem. While the professor could tell who was and was not taken, the men could not. The question and answer were made before they left the base.

Noble placed her hands on her hips.

"Now quit wasting time. I left Jet in position. If the Skinwalkers don't kill us, she just might if we waste her distraction!"

Chip nodded. "Yep, you are Noble."

Coy chuckled, "Nothing like a motherly scolding. Let's get this rescue mission started."

Caught up in the enthusiasm, Fir placed his hand on his heart. "Great! Count me in." He frowned. "Uh, who are we rescuing?"