Chapter 130: Book 2: Loop 15.3 (1)
I'm back in the lab.
The first thing I do is brush off the strange, distinct sensation of Once More into the Fray falling apart inside my... Firmament core, I suppose. It's a distinctly uncomfortable feeling, like holding broken shards of glass inside my mouth. The skill still feels usable, but only barely; thankfully, the feeling fades soon enough, and I'm able to direct my attention elsewhere.
Like trying to figure out whether or not Bimar's still alive.
I let out a breath of relief when I see her leaning against the nearby wall. She's breathing, at the very least, although she doesn't look like she's doing very well. The sight of the normally headstrong crow doubled over like she's about to puke isn't really comforting.
Nor is the part where she collapses onto the ground. I hurry over to her even as she lets out a curse that the Interface pointedly doesn't translate, and frankly, that in itself is kind of worrying. "Are you okay?" I ask, kneeling beside her.
"What do you think?" Bimar groans. Her voice is muffled by the fact that she's got her wings pressed to her face. "What happened? I feel like featherscrap."
"Uh... you died," I say. No use sugarcoating the situation, and I'm not sure there's a gentler way to tell her, anyway. Bimar still freezes, staring up at me in a mixture of horror, confusion, and disbelief. "Going after Miktik," I add.
"I don't think that helps," Ahkelios mutters from my shoulder.
"Yeah, you're going to have to explain that one." Bimar groans again, pressing her beak into the floor. "In a moment. Once I don't feel like all my feathers are about to fall off and explode."