Chapter 6: Hearts in the Crossfire

The storm of battle raged on, but Lucien wasn't focused on the cultists surrounding him. His mind was split—partly on the intense fight, partly on the artifact, and mostly on the growing tension within the crew. A fight was one thing, but what really had his nerves frayed was how the women in his life were starting to… clash.

"Rosie, duck!" Lucien shouted as a cultist swung a blade at her. Without hesitation, she dropped to the ground in a perfect roll, dodging the strike with surprising grace, and then came up, guns blazing. Her shots rang out with deadly accuracy, and one of the cultists crumpled to the floor.

"Thanks, love!" Rosie winked as she popped up from her crouch, her eyes flashing with excitement. "And here I thought you were just a pretty face."

Lucien grinned, dodging a blow from a cultist as he swiped his blade across the man's chest. "I'm more than just a pretty face, Rosie."

Selene appeared behind him, her black cloak swishing as she effortlessly dispatched another foe. "Keep the flirting to a minimum, Lucien," she said with a rare smirk. "It might distract you from staying alive."

Lucien's grin only widened as he parried a blow and kicked the cultist away. "I think distraction is my specialty."

"Could you two save the banter for after the fight?" Evelyn's voice came from behind him, sharp but with a hint of amusement. "You're making us all look bad."

Lucien chuckled as he spun to face her, just as a cultist lunged at Evelyn. Without thinking, he grabbed the man by the wrist, twisted it, and threw him into a nearby pile of wreckage. Evelyn gave him a grateful look, but her lips were tight.

"Next time, be careful," she said, though the edge in her tone softened when their eyes met.

"Anything for you, Evelyn," Lucien said with a wink, letting the sarcasm soften the weight of the moment. He couldn't help it—there was something about her, something that made him want to keep pushing her buttons.

For a moment, the battle seemed to slow, the chaos of fighting drowned out by the thudding of his heart. Evelyn gave him a quick, searching glance, but before Lucien could say anything else, a deep voice cut through the tension.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Lucien Drake," said Marion, stepping up with her usual poise. She knocked a cultist unconscious with a single, precise hit, then gave Lucien a playful smile. "Otherwise, I might think you're trying to steal my attention."

Lucien chuckled, a little breathless. "You know me too well, Marion. But trust me, I've got enough charm for all of you."

Marion raised an eyebrow. "Enough charm for all of us? Hmm. We'll see about that."

Before he could reply, the unmistakable screech of a nearby mechanical beast echoed through the cavern, drawing everyone's attention. They had bigger problems now.

"Not again," Lucien muttered under his breath.

"Looks like we're getting some company," said Rosie with a grin. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

At that moment, the walls seemed to pulse with energy, and from the depths of the cavern, a monstrous figure emerged. It was a towering mechanical construct, covered in jagged metal and steam, its eyes glowing a menacing red.

"Well, this is new," Valeria's voice rang out as she appeared beside Lucien, an excited gleam in her eyes. "A giant mechanical horror. It's like a dream come true!" Her hands twitched, as if eager to begin an experiment.

"Valeria, not now!" Lucien shouted. "We've got a bigger problem!"

But Valeria was already eyeing the creature's inner workings, her fingers twitching toward a set of odd devices strapped to her belt. "Oh, come on, Lucien, don't be a party pooper! This is the perfect opportunity to test my new explosives. I'm practically salivating just thinking about it."

Lucien shook his head in disbelief but couldn't suppress a grin. "I'll take your word for it, Professor."

The monstrous mechanical construct charged forward with a mechanical screech, its heavy steps shaking the ground. But before it could reach them, Marion darted forward, a flash of movement, and before Lucien could even react, she had jumped onto the back of the beast, gripping onto its mechanical spine.

"Hey, Lucien," she called, her voice teasing. "You want to give me a hand? I could use some help with this… thing."

"Just don't break anything important!" Lucien yelled back, already on the move to help her.

Meanwhile, Evelyn was working on her own strategy. She ducked beneath the beast's strikes, a piece of machinery from her pack already in hand. Lucien watched, fascinated, as she quickly rigged a device to short-circuit the creature's sensors.

"Here goes," she muttered under her breath, and with a sharp click, the device sent an electric pulse through the air, striking the beast square in its head.

The mechanical creature stumbled, its movements jerky and erratic. Rosie, seizing the opportunity, launched herself into the air with a smirk, guns blazing as she fired shot after shot at its exposed joints.

Lucien, however, was watching something else. He had no idea why, but he couldn't stop looking at Evelyn. The way her brow furrowed in concentration, the way she worked so effortlessly with her tools… it was like watching an artist at work. He felt his heart speed up, and for a moment, everything else disappeared.

"Lucien!" Marion's voice broke his focus as she leapt down from the beast's back, smacking him on the shoulder. "You're daydreaming, Captain! Snap out of it!"

He blinked, shaking himself out of his daze, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, got lost in the moment."

"Good thing you're always good for a distraction," she teased, a sly grin on her lips.

Lucien grinned, but the moment was short-lived. The mechanical monster lurched forward, forcing them all to leap back just as it began to spin its enormous, spiked gears in a frenzy.

"Well, let's wrap this up," Lucien muttered, drawing his blades.

The rest of the crew followed suit, and together, they launched a coordinated attack, working as a team to bring the beast down. The battle raged on, but Lucien couldn't help but notice the way they all worked together, the way their bonds were growing deeper with each passing moment.

And despite the chaos around him, Lucien knew one thing for certain: he was starting to feel something more for each of them.

But which one would it be?