Heart part 1

Chapter 38 - Taste the Wind part 7: Final Walk

"...and I...I think that's everything." Esther blew, taking a moment to rest her sore throat. " I don't know what happened to Juzo after I passed out, but judging from how Dandy's acting, I think it's safe to say he made it out."

" When we returned to Burning Toe, Dandy had us locked up. For at least a day, we've been trapped down here. He's been starving us, trying to get information." Jaqueline told them, her voice low, and from what they could imagine her lips shivering.

Heart took a moment to dwell on everything. " So, the Construct Core has been found? I'm a little disappointed to hear someone else got to it first before me. I designed the hall and surrounding complex for the day when a human might find it. Jaquese Rock was supposed to act as a sort of landmark, calling humans and their insatiable curiosity and or greed to the area. Even the caves lead directly to it if you exclude all the deadends and winding paths that loop and lead back into each other. It was inevitable that it would be found. The other purpose of the place was also to tell a story, a story about the very beginnings of this planet, but I heavily doubt anyone would get it. Regardless, I put the tools to learn it there just in case, but from the sounds of it, they've been destroyed."

They blew a sigh. " Oh well."

" Now, after that little tangent, it's time to think about the real problem at hand..." Shifting their eyes through the darkness, unable to spot a thing, Heart pressed their body against the wall and began to feel around. "...how am I going to escape?"

" With what happened back at Jaquese Rock...I guess that explains why the security seemed so tight. They're probably on high alert, orders from Dandy, to be on constant lookout for even the smallest hint of Juzo. But that being said, knowing him, I doubt he has any plans to rescue these three anytime soon. In fact, it's probably best he stay away for now. Can't let Dandy get a clue to the core's whereabouts, not until I can get that urn back. So then, how can I escape this room? Unlike how it was back at the Blood Guzzler's mansion, I don't recall any prisoners here leaving behind any gifts. But there's still a chance one could have left something later on..."

Turning to Esther and Jaqueline, Heart parted their lips. " Make yourselves useful and start feeling the wall around you."

" W-why?" Esther asked.

" A previous prisoner could've left something behind, like a makeshift lockpick or a knife. It'd be most likely hidden behind a false rock."

Chains began to rattle, alongside their pained inhales of having to force their strained and deprived limbs to move, but the prospect of escaping was enough to convince them to push themselves just a minute more. It was at that moment, Heart noticed the golden heart was missing from their chest.

" It's never strayed far before... I didn't even notice. When did it leave?" They gave the room another glance over and as expected, didn't find a single shred of light. " I was hoping to use its glow as a light, but it doesn't look like that's going to be possible."

" The one time you're needed... useless." Regardless of what they thought, they couldn't help but feel a ring of unease form around their heart.

Waiting for either of them to return with good news, Heart turned their attention to Sandy. In this pitch-black, they couldn't see a single hair, but they knew she was there, dangling. Playing dead.

" Are you really planning to just stand there, until what? You starve? When Dandy returns and has one of his soldiers finish you off? Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. For the longest time, you've always been prouder than most and continued without regret. I heard you nearly managed to get Dandy after he had you all pinned with some rubble down in the grand hall, but you got unlucky. From the sound of it, you ended up doubting your own strength and faced judgment from those chains. If I had to guess, it was probably some sort of spontaneous hallucination, but the cause hardly matters. What matters is that you had doubts about yourself, your strength. After you lost your arm, your spirit was left shattered. And that's what led you to act like this."