Chapter 4. Loka Regina

In an all-too familiar motion, Sam fought to attain consciousness.

He felt a lump on the back of his head, throbbing its constant complaint. His arms were spread out in a T-shape with all-too-tight restraints on his biceps and wrists, which brought a pain all of its own.

A disturbing thought flooded into Sam's head.

'Wait, I don't think I've felt actual physical pain until now.'

Sam quickly won back control of his heavy eyelids and willed them open.

He was nowhere near the location at which he had fallen and been ambushed, at least, the surroundings were completely different. Whereas the corridors he ventured through before were largely space-ship like in their futuristic build and abundant use of metal paneling over and around an overgrown planet; the room in which he was held captive now was first overgrowth, with a few metal panels at the complete mercy of the surrounding foliage.

He was in an almost-circular room, the walls being almost entirely branches and leaves, with two "doors" made of hanging vines leading out of the room. A small waterfall came out of one wall through a small tunnel of branches, about a hand's breadth in diameter. Sam's arms were bound by branches protruding from the wall and coiling around them, as if they had simply grown there over years.

But the most horrifying adornment of this room to Sam was that, in opposition to his hanging position on one wall, was his warframe on the opposing wall. Strung up by branches in identical posture and location, this made the reality of the situation crash into his head.

'I'm vulnerable, I NEED to get back into that or I might actually die.'

Sam tried to yank his arms out of their restraints, but only succeeded in straining his already sore shoulders' muscles.

"Ooh, he's awake!" exclaimed a giddy, female voice.

'Uh oh, she must've heard my rustling in these roots.'

Sam's mind scrambled further to see if there were any MacGyver-esque techniques by which he could magically escape his restraints.

There weren't any.

A lady brushed her way into the room casually past the vines, almost as if the vines wished to part ways for her, giving easy way to her gentle hand.

She was tall, wore a golden short-skirt with what could only be described as tight-fitting space-pants underneath. The skirt was made out of some fabric that was clearly framed so as to not move as she did, seeming to add regalia without impeding movement. The most striking aspect about her however, was her mask that covered only her eyes.

'Does she not need eyes? Does she have some sort of subsonic echo-location? Or does she have some kind of spiritual/mental power that allows her to do this.'

The lady stopped her stride about 4 paces away from Sam.

She spoke with a voice that was not the one Sam heard earlier.

"Welcome Tenno, you are in the hospitality of the New Loka."

'Hospitality?'

Sam opened his mouth to ask something to that effect, but was quickly talked over by the woman.

"Our queen has decided to talk to you directly in but a moment. She is currently disciplining a disgusting member of the Red Veil as we speak and will deal with you promptly."

Sam racked his brain.

'New Loka is a syndicate, or clan... I think. And Red Veil, they are... a rival?'

A piercing scream of pain followed a few moments later, confirming what Sam had just thought.

The lady, seemingly prescient, stepped backwards and to the side, out of the way of the vine door as another girl practically blasted her way into the room.

"I swear, the nerve on some people!"

The girl was as different as night was to day from the older lady. She was a short, long-haired blonde girl who looked like she came straight out of grade school. Where the taller lady wore a graceful space-dress, this girl wore a decently long dress (with a short, black, flower adorned shawl) that dipped down to her shins with a red and black design that looked like branching roots. While the taller lady wore a spacey hat and eye-mask, this girl had a long pony-tail, bound by a flower and some bendy-branches; and a small tiara under the bangs of her hair.

Somehow, this dress never caught on any of the protruding stems and leaves on the ground, despite her steaming lack of grace in movement and posture.

The girl stormed up to the New Loka woman, seemingly not mad at her but just generally mad.

"Do you wanna know what he said to me, DO YOU KNOW what he said to me Galena?!"

The woman, apparently named Galena, did not move a muscle.

"No my lady, what did he say?"

Just now, Sam realized with horror that the girl's hands were as crimson red as her dress, covered in blood.

The girl raised an angry, wagging finger.

"He said, 'My calling is bigger than your petty little environment.' and so I ripped that fucker's tongue out right then and there."

Sam had a mental double-take. Not only did this girl swear with the casual nature of a sailor, but she mentioned ripping a person's tongue clean out like it was as inconsequential as a normal girl would mention a breakup.

The woman gave a courtesy-cough to the girl. If she had visible eyes, they probably would've flickered over to Sam in that moment.

Regardless, the girl got the message and swiveled on her sandaled feet to face Sam.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Sam cleared his throat, which all of a sudden felt dry for some reason.

"My name is Sam."

The girl, already seeming borderline bored, waved a hand and the branches that surrounded the ground grew up to form a sort of wooden chair for her to sit in.

'No wonder she's their leader.'

"And? Where are you from?"

This obvious question actually stumped Sam.

'Where am I from actually? I have a vague memory of it being 21st century Earth... but that doesn't really make sense to me.'

The girl was newly intrigued by the confusion that had clearly manifested itself on Sam's face.

"So you don't know where you're from huh? Why is that?"

Sam was startled at how easily she could read his mind from his expressions.

"I...uh... don't know. I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep today and anything before that was a dream that I barely remember."

The girl stood up and motioned for Galena to leave.

"Are you sure miss?"

The girl quickly retorted.

"I am your queen, I am always sure."

The woman bowed and then promptly exited the way from which she had come.

Sam continued.

"If it helps at all, I feel like I am from Earth..."

The girl held up a hand with enough force that Sam immediately stopped speaking.

"Shut your trap idiot."

'Damn, you didn't have to say it like that.'

The girl gave a look directed behind Sam.

"You may release him, he is no harm."

Suddenly, the branches coiled around his arms loosened, allowing Sam to pull his way out of them. Looking back at what could have possibly released him, Sam found he was staring face-to-face with a giant eye ball embedded in a tree trunk.

Sam let out a yelp and scrambled away... straight into the girl's fist... into his forehead.

For a small girl, her fist felt like a rock, not forceful enough to knock him back out again, but hard enough to hurt like a bitch.

"Oww, What the-"

Sam raised his head to find a scythe at his throat.

He froze.

"I couldn't care less about where you are from or who you are, but you ARE going to tell me why you bullied my dear Nutsuki."

Sam fought every urge not to laugh.

"Nut... Nutsuki?"

Then he saw it, the acorn he had chased earlier fluttered into the room and hovered beside the girl with a small buzz. It chittered something into her ear, and her face contorted even more in anger.

"You pointed a GUN at him?!"

Sam knew when to capitulate.

"I swear I can explain!"

The girl pressed the blade into his skin with a look that said "You better explain fast."

This caused Sam to get quite the lump in his throat.

'Nothing in comparison to the lumps that are probably on my head.'

Sam brought his hands together in a mock-prayer for forgiveness.

"I swear, I meant no harm to it! It really spooked me and I thought it might alert the Grineer I swear!"

Not the cleanest explanation, but hopefully it came across as earnest and true.

The girl turned to the acorn, apparently named Nutsuki.

If a cyclops eye could ever look pensive and smug, it just did. It did whatever the flying equivalent of leaning is towards the girl and chittered to her.

The girl immediately switched to a smile.

"You're lucky!"

She retrieved her scythe towards herself and rested it behind her own shoulders, using it as an odd sort of raised arm-rest that a body builder might use to show off his biceps.

"Nutsuki and I happen to believe your petty little excuse, but next time..."

The girl placed two fingers under Sam's chin, in the fleshy part that no bone connected to and pushed up.

"...I might not feel so nice."

She returned back to her resting stance.

Sam rubbed his incredibly sore jaw.

"I understand."

"Great! What is your name?"

Sam continued to massage his wounds and sores.

"It's Sam... and you?"

The girl giggled and planted her scythe right beside herself. The overgrowth in the ground seemingly grabbing onto the weapon to hold it up for her.

"I am the great Viridi, goddess of nature; but you may call me Loka Regina, Queen, Your Highness, or any other variation of those."