Chain the Infamous Chainmaid 6

“Geh~”

A gentle moan escaped Melody as consciousness returned to the harpy. Slowly opening her eyes Melody noted that as had been the case since she had arrived in Aperture she was lying in the bed in Corvina’s bedchamber. Her thoughts were fairly foggy however as the effects of all of the aphrodisiacs that Corvina had been pumping her full of made it difficult to think. Conversely it made it easier for Melody to concentrate on what she deemed most important which was confirming whether or not the depraved princess was present. Chained to the bed at the ankles and throat however it was difficult for Melody to get into any position that was advantageous for her view. At the least she could confirm that Corvina was not with her in the bed. Gambling on Corvina being absent from more than just the bed Melody closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She immediately regretted it as the air was still full of the intoxication perfume like aphrodisiac and she felt as though she might lose her consciousness to it again.

“No…”

Gritting her teeth Melody resisted the effects with all of her being and took another deep breath. Fighting for all she was worth the harpy began to gently sing.

♪~ The Builders sing of gentle breeze ~♪
♪~ What comes after rain and clears the air ~♪
♪~ Brhea’s breath so purifies ~♪

As Melody sung a gentle wind swirled around her and just as in her song the presence of the aphrodisiac was purged from the air. It was not just the air as Melody felt the wind course through her as well and lift away the poisons that stole her strength. Feeling her strength return it was an easy matter for the harpy to put her monstrous strength to use and snap the frail chains that held her with ease. So free she was at last able to sit up and see if her seemingly successful gamble was not just a cruel prank.

“Thank goodness.”

Melody sighed in relief as it turned out that she was indeed alone in the bed chamber. Getting up off the bed Melody took a moment to spread out her wings and tail feathers as much as she could in the room and gave herself a quick look over. Satisfied with what she saw Melody allowed herself to smile and a melodic tune found its way to her much more sprightly voice.

“Alright~♪ Now I just need to figure out where I am, where Link is, and get to her♪ As much as I want to save everyone else and figure out what happened to Finch since I was here about five springs ago I think things have gotten to be too much for Link and me~♪ Besides… Link didn’t look like she was in good shape using her Relic like that… Why did you have to go and break your promise Link…?”

Melody suddenly shook her head and forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

“Not now Melody~♪ You have to escape first and then you can worry about Link~♪ The only question you should be worried about is where to go?~ ♪”

Deftly opening the bedchamber door with a talon Melody braced for a fight but discovered no guards in the unlit hall beyond. Squatting down as low as she could Melody shrunk her profile and relied on her stilt-like feet in combination with powerful flicks of her ankles to skip down the hall as stealthily as she could. Her efforts perhaps would have been more effective if she did not continue talking to herself aloud.

“It won’t be easy to find help if I heard what that crazy maid was saying to that mean professor earlier properly~♪ I can’t believe the both of them are Heroes but I could hear the Builders singing about them and it makes it more believable that that crazy maid could be controlling the adventurers here~♪ And it’s not like I don’t know she can do it either~♪ I saw her ability to possess people first hand that night back in Highroot so I guess that means I should avoid people in general~♪ But I wonder if I can do that and get to Highroot in time to help Link… Flying across all of Bright Rift and then through the Stormroots would take me days and then it would probably be too late. Maybe I should try to get help from the Junk Birds even though I know Link won’t like it~♪”

Melody laughed nervously at herself but regardless of how she felt it was the best plan she could come up with at the time. Devoting herself to it Melody shifted her concentration from planning her escape and what came after it to actually escaping. She had a number of problems to contend with that made the execution of her escape particularly difficult however. First there was not knowing where she was and having all of no understanding of the labyrinthine corridors and chambers of what she presumed to be a military facility that she was making her way through. Secondly, there was having to circumvent locked doors, security checkpoints, and any people in general as the possibility of anyone being possessed by Corvina’s powers was more akin to an actuality. Naturally this weighed on the harpy greatly and she was starting to get fed up.

“This is getting so annoying~♪ It’d be so much easier if I could just do it Links way~♪ It’s not like I can’t or anything~♪ I was trained by Swallow Martin after all so I know I can~♪”

Melody seemed to realize what she was saying and shook her head fiercely.

“No, no, no, no, no Melody! You can’t risk her finding out where you are~♪ That’s the last thing that can happen ~♪ But still, there has to be a better way than sneaking around aimlessly~♪ Maybe a distraction of some kind~♪”

With a secondary objective in mind Melody started paying even more attention to the facility as she snuck about in hopes of finding a way to create a distraction that would surely get her out. Eventually she found herself having managed to sneak into an area where there were more people wandering around in lab coats than the green military uniform of Bright Rift. The lightning bolt-like crest that adorned a badge on the shoulder of the coats still identified them as being affiliated with the military but that was not of any concern to Melody. The sight of scientists suddenly made her day better.

“Finally, something I can work with~♪ Since there are scientists here that means labs and that means emergency exits in case of an emergency~♪ Now I just need to find a lab that I can make a big enough mess out of to cause an evacuation~♪ “

Practically chirping with joy Melody skipped about as she snuck through the laboratories of the facility in hopes of finding what she needed. Eventually a lab with a fierce red light emanating from within caught her attention. The sight of guards equipped with rifles posted outside hinted at something extremely valuable within the red glowing lab.

“That looks interesting, but I don’t want to have to sneak around even more guards~♪ I guess anything dangerous though would be under heavier guard~♪”

Melody intended to head off in another direction but the guards seemed to notice something and the harpy tensed up waiting to see what the guards did next. Curiously one guard stepped away from their post and headed down the hall in the opposite direction of where Melody hid. A moment later she heard the guard ask someone a question.

“What exactly are you doing here?”

“Oh a guard, thank goodness.”

The voice of what sounded like a bewildered scientist answered the guard and immediately started complaining about the sighting of an unpleasant bug. Naturally the guard reminded the scientist that they weren’t posted there for bugs but the scientist would not listen. The entire scene amused the guard who still stood at their post but as their attention was on the scene further up the hall they failed to notice Melody who took advantage of their distraction to slip into the lab. With trained speed and precision Melody quickly identified any potential threats within the lab as well as immediate hiding places and disappeared into cover in nearly an instant. Once she was positive that she was alone in the lab she peaked out from her hiding place.

“So, what goodies have I found today~♪ Meat would be best but I can have some later~♪ First I need–?!”

The sight that awaited Melody in the lab stunned her and she could not believe what it was she saw.

Copyright © 2018 Joshua D Tarwater