Hex's eyes widened in surprise as Freyn dropped the revelation about the lab. "What, chimera!" he exclaimed, caught off guard by the unexpected term. A nervous chuckle escaped him as he added, "But, what is a 'chimera'?"
Freyn, her expression composed yet tinged with a hint of exasperation, seized the opportunity to enlighten her teammates. "'Chimera' refers to an organism formed from a combination of genetically distinct tissues," she explained, her voice holding a tone of authority born from knowledge and experience. "It's created through various processes such as the fusion of early embryos, grafting, or genetic mutation."
Hex scratched his head, realizing the gravity of the situation. "Well, that's a whole lot more complex than I expected," he admitted, laughing at his own initial confusion.
Nyx, sensing the tension mounting, raised a valid question. "Why keep this from us until now?"
Freyn's frustration simmered beneath the surface, her voice carrying a hint of indignation. "I would have shared if there had been a moment to be heard!"
A momentary pause followed, Nyx's realization sinking in. "Fair enough, my apologies, Freyn. We should've listened more attentively," she admitted, a hint of contrition coloring her words.
Freyn's demeanor softened at Nyx's apology, a silent acknowledgment of their shared responsibility in the lack of communication.
Hex raised a placating hand. "Alright, alright, let's not point fingers. We're all in this together. Now, Freyn, spill the beans. What else do you know about these chimeras?"
Freyn, his anger melting away under the weight of the situation, sighed. "Not much, I'm afraid. I'm just as oblivious about this facility as you guys, but... things about genetic manipulation, forbidden experiments, creatures unlike anything seen before, that's what they are experimenting with here."
A shiver ran down Hex's spine. "Forbidden experiments? Is it related to the river of blood we met earlier? This is worse than we ever imagined."
"We need to proceed with caution," Nyx urged, her voice tinged with urgency. "If they're dabbling in forbidden experiments, who knows what else lurks at the end of this tunnel."
As they ventured deeper into the unknown tunnel, Nyx's feeling was replaced by an unsettling sense of foreboding.
She attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere, playfully teased Lumi, hoping to steer the conversation away from the disturbing possibilities awaiting them at the tunnel's end. "I'm surprised you want to follow us, Lumi. I'm sure you would have followed Az back then."
Lumi's face flushed with embarrassment, caught off guard by Nyx's jest. "Wha-what do you mean by that?" she stammered, feeling a bit flustered.
"Relax, I'm just joking," Nyx assured with a playful grin, noticing Lumi's unease.
As they continued walking through the dimly lit tunnel, Nyx seized the moment to quell the silence, trying to divert her thoughts from the unsettling scenario looming ahead. "By the way, what's up with you and Az? You guys seem close," she asked, genuinely curious.
Lumi hesitated, her expression shifting as she pondered the complexities of her relationship with Az. "I-It's complicated," she answered with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, struggling to find the right words.
Nyx nodded understandingly. "I get it. Some things are hard to put into words," she replied, trying to convey a sense of empathy.
"You get it huh? Who's the guy? Akira or Deus?" Hex quipped, trying to tease Nyx. She was usually quick-witted and composed, but Hex's unexpected question about her feelings caught her completely off guard.
Her face suddenly flushed crimson, an uncharacteristic reaction that surprised not just Hex, but the rest of the team. Nyx, usually unflappable, now seemed shy and unusually quiet, different from her usual confident demeanor.
"Huh?" Hex stumbled, taken aback by Nyx's sudden change in demeanor. He hadn't expected his playful teasing to evoke such a response. "Did I offend you, Nyx?" Hex's concern was palpable as he tried to backtrack, worried that he might have crossed a line.
The usually poised Nyx struggled to regain her composure, her face still tinged with a deep shade of red. She was at a loss for words, feeling unusually flustered by Hex's unexpected probing.
Hex, sensing the gravity of Nyx's reaction, nervously rambled to himself, attempting to make sense of the situation. "Well, it can't be Deus, right? You seem annoyed with him," he mused aloud, inadvertently hitting the nail on the head.
To his surprise, Nyx's face reddened further, confirming Hex's accidental guess. The team, witnessing this unprecedented moment of vulnerability from Nyx, exchanged surprised glances, realizing that even someone as strong-willed as Nyx harbored feelings she hadn't divulged.
The tunnel echoed with an awkward silence as Nyx grappled with her unanticipated reveal, and Hex, realizing he had struck a nerve, attempted to steer the conversation away from the uncomfortable territory he had ventured into.
As the tension eased in the group after the unexpected moment, Hex, attempting to change the subject, directed his attention back to Nyx's ability. "So, what kind of skill book do you possess?" he asked, trying to shift the focus away from the previous awkwardness.
Nyx, regaining her composure, smiled faintly, appreciating the change in conversation. "It's...quite complicated to explain," she began, her tone still carrying a hint of embarrassment from the earlier exchange. "But given the opportunity, I'd be glad to show you."
Her response intrigued the team, stirring a sense of curiosity. Hex and the others understood that Nyx was a bit guarded about sharing the details of her skill book, but her willingness to demonstrate spoke volumes about her confidence in her abilities.
"Sounds intriguing," Hex replied, attempting to strike a balance between curiosity and respect for Nyx's boundaries. "We'd love to see it sometime, if you're comfortable showing us."
Nyx nodded, grateful for the understanding. "Absolutely. When the time is right," she agreed, offering a small smile to reassure the team.
The tension of the previous moment began to dissipate as the team refocused on the mission ahead. Nyx's willingness to share her unique skills became a beacon of curiosity, a thread of intrigue amidst the challenges and mysteries that lay ahead in the alien facility.
Nyx, curiosity piqued, turned her attention to Hex, Freyn, and Lumi, eager to learn more about them. "So, what about you guys?" she asked, curious about their abilities.
"I'm mostly about strength," Hex replied simply, his tone casual but confident.
Nyx turned her attention to Freyn and Lumi, intrigued by their skills. Lumi, who had discussed this beforehand with Az for a moment like this, took the lead in explaining. "Well, I've mainly invested my skull points into intelligence," she explained, echoing Az's guidance on how to describe her abilities.
As Nyx's focus shifted to Freyn, Lumi jumped in, adding, "Freyn's skills are quite similar to mine. We've both specialized in intelligence."
The synchronicity in their answers struck Nyx as odd. Their similarity in skull allocation seemed too convenient. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to their abilities than what was being shared.
Nyx, however, chose not to press the issue further, realizing that each team member had their reasons for being guarded about their abilities. With a nod, she accepted their responses, storing the information away for later consideration.
As the team ventured further down the seemingly endless tunnel, the dimly lit path stretched ahead, leaving them with a sense of uncertainty about what lay beyond.
Hex sighed, his voice breaking the quietude. "How much longer are we supposed to walk? Looks like our road is still longer than we thought."
"Yeah, feels like we've been walking for ages," Nyx remarked, her gaze fixed on the undulating shadows cast by the faint glow of the corridor's lights.
Lumi, usually quiet, chimed in, her voice carrying a hint of concern. "I wonder how the others are doing. It's been a while since we split up."
Freyn nodded, her thoughts mirroring Lumi's. "Hopefully, they're making progress without any trouble," she said, her eyes scanning the tunnel ahead for any sign of movement.
"We should've brought some sort of communication device," Hex lamented, kicking a small pebble along the path. "Unfortunately, there are no communication devices that seem to be working from any of the trader's vendors."
Nyx nodded in agreement, her mind pondering the possibilities. "Yeah, it's not just the lack of devices. With the interference Elodie encountered earlier, what could cause that, I wonder."
Their conversation drifted to speculation about the other teams and their progress through the labyrinthine corridors. Each step forward felt like an eternity in the unending tunnel, and the sense of isolation began to weigh on their minds.
Hex broke the silence, his voice tinged with concern remembering there was something out there that could interfere with their quirk. "I didn't know there was something that could interfere with our skills. Damn, the only hope we have in this post-invasion world is our skill power."
Nyx nodded, her expression reflecting the gravity of the situation. "Our skills are our strongest assets. But, if we can't use them anymore..."