A Second Generation Whateley Academy Adventure

Silent Mountain

by

MaLAguA

Part Four

Saturday, December 24th - 7:50pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Bathroom - Vic

<It hurts… I have to find a way to help the others… It hurts… I’m going to kill that guy!... It hurts … This can’t be how it ends… It freaking hurts!> Vic’s thoughts rushed jumbled and chaotic for what felt like an eternity since the knife was driven into his stomach. Desperately trying to think as to what he could do… And as to that, what could he actually do?

It’d been minutes–minutes that felt like hours since that impostor stabbed him, copied his powers and stepped out of the room bearing his face. And he hadn’t been able to accomplish anything… Anything…

He wanted to get back up, he wanted to get back and find that impostor from the get go, but his body suddenly felt itself sapped of energy, either because of something he did when he copied his powers, or maybe it was because of the blood he was losing. He couldn’t get his legs to cooperate despite still feeling them, and while his arms still did, they wouldn’t get him to stand up or barely move. Whenever he tried to drag himself, he could feel the muscles of his abdomen tense up, increasing the surge of blood oozing out from his wound even as he pressed on it.

The water he’d concealed in his arms was still there, soaking the ground around his form. He could use it. He could… He thought, as he mustered his thoughts to expand his domain of the liquid, reel it back in into a shape around his arm. With all that was going on, his control felt wobbly at best, fragile at worst and he had the suspicion this would get worse as he lost more blood.

Pooling everything together into the shape of a tentacle, he raised his arm, trying to extend its reach over the sink, blindly prodding around the porcelain as he searched for the keys. It grew more and more desperate as he pushed anything he found–and eventually he felt something give in to his efforts and pushed it hard.

Maybe too hard as his focus broke and the tentacle snapped at the thinnest portion, falling apart, splashing down on him. Vic cursed. Not just that, he wanted to scream even if nothing would be heard. What was that for? Why did he try that? He couldn’t tell if he’d actually accomplished anything. And even if he had, how would that fix anything.

The man had either been very deft in his knife work or just sadistically lucky to make the injury not lethal right away, but it would still claim him.

<I…> his thought began, only for his resolve to waver as the fears of the realization settled in. He had no way of healing the wound or of fixing organ damage. He might not have that much of a well versed knowledge of anatomy, but he had the feeling his pancreas and intestines were damaged, and the damage was dangerously close to the kidney. With those contents mixing themselves, he would be feeling blood toxicity soon. Death might be coming. He felt the fear of it… but more importantly the fear of not seeing his friends again, the fear of the pain his sudden departure might leave in them. Of all the things yet to live through.

His mind latched on to the erratic train of thought and casted him back in time, reaching back into the memories for something that could save his life right now: strength, knowledge, comfort…

The memories of his time in Maryland came back to him. He saw his Mom and all the other members of Crystal Sights. He remembered their hugs and touches. Their words of encouragement and love.

“Eres mi tesoro,” his mom told him always.

“Great job, Vic. You found the solution to the quandary,” Uncle Gus told him.

“I fear danger. I fear bullies… but I never let that keep me from acting,” was Uncle Oscar’s lesson. “When your mother agrees, Vic, I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you how to defend yourself and your friends. Even some nice tricks… just don’t tell your mom.”

“You’re one of the kindest kids I’ve met,” Those were his Aunt Lily’s words.

The thoughts jumped ahead when his father, Adrian Silver, came to pick him up. The first meeting was awkward, but he meant well. But it was an intention that clearly hurt the family later on as he recalled how strained the family life became once the step siblings were out of the picture.

The time with Ollie and Josh was another comfort, even if in the end they drifted apart. Each taking on different identities or life paths that marked times that wouldn’t come back.

Then, the memories went back to his time as a runaway in Massachusetts. There was no comfort, but they were still where he could fish for help from. Antauro Urresti’s rather ruthless tactics when operating were a bad example… but helpful where they counted. Caroline’s appearance in the picture provided him with the hope of a better life. Cole had taught Vic some things about fighting he tried to use whenever he could recall them…

And then came the tanker incident, probably the moment where his life took a spin… even more than before. When he realized that he was way over his head but also earned himself the ticket to Whateley. He recalled helping the team infiltrate, cracking the locks and opening the place for the crew. And how, when the ship sank, the world turned upside down as water filled the space. A box of cargo struck him from behind… After that, he woke up on the shore…

But there were more things, things that he’d glossed over. He remembered meeting up with Caroline in the bowels of the ship, a place filled with antique curiosity. He recalled being shoved up against a large stone and metal ornament. Watching the dust of colors cloud his eyes for even the briefest of moments…

Vic gasped as his eyes shot open. <That… that’s where the spirit came from!>

He’d been tested extensively by the examiner's team before undertaking the mission to be accepted as a Syndicate initiate and yet, all the crazy stuff began to happen after he got to Whateley!

<Help… you…> A voice chimed in the depth of his head. With the world around cast into perfect silence… even a whisper could feel like a scream.

<I hear you…>

<Let me help you!”

<I don’t want to change further…> Vic thought.

<That’s a fool’s wish.> The spirit said bitterly.

<It’s what I don’t want…> Vic started.

<You’re not serious… You’re planning to give up?>

Vic held his silence for a moment as he thought. <I don’t want it… But I have to take it. I have to do it despite the consequences.>

<I’m glad,> the spirit said, sounding stern yet relieved. <You’re injured… I can feel your pain. Get to work on it!>

<I know…> Vic frowned. <I don’t know how!? Can’t you use whatever you’ve been doing to fix my body? And do it in a way that doesn’t change me more?>

<I don’t have control over it. And even then… from what I've perceived, it would be too slow. You’re going to have to fix this now and cast a spell.>

<I can’t do magic,> Vic answered.

<We’ll worry about it… But first, you need to keep yourself stable,> The spirit said. Either she was growing stronger or it was the layer of silence that allowed her to be felt. He could even think he felt her influence creep up into his own control of water, like a guiding hand or a safety rail for his focus.

<Okay, what do I do?>

<The water on the floor isn’t wholly clean… but It’ll have to do… try to hold it while leaving behind as many impurities as you can perceive.>

Vic closed his eyes, feeling the volume of water that had been concealed in his other sleeve. With a bit of focus, he had it climb up and rested on the wound where the blood was ebbing. He wasn’t sure how to purify the thing, but he tried to make sure only water was what was being moved.

<That’ll do…> The spirit said. He could feel her control and influence helping with the minutia. <Now have you ever tried to control blood?>

<I know where you’re going with this…> Vic thought back. His mind went back to the moment where he’d struggled to keep Sterling alive. He’d felt the contact with the blood from her open wound and managed to redirect it back into the veins just as Pastel healed her. He didn’t want to admit that he sensed he could push his dominion over the fluid. Just a little bit more, and he felt he could bring it under his control.

<Good,> the spirit said.

Vic closed his eyes, hoping not to pass out as his insides burned when water reached them. With no sight and no hearing, he could feel the blood, the chemicals from his pancreas and his intestine starting to seep through mixed together in the gash. Pushing further, he could feel the circulation of his blood through the main veins and arteries.

<Leave them! Don’t tamper with the flow of your blood…>

<Okay…> Was all Vic said as he restricted his focus.

<Now…try to keep things with how they should be going. Push things back to where they are, guide the blood back to where the vacuum calls… My knowledge of human anatomy is lacking… but structurally, it appears quite similar.>

There were many veins and arteries in the path… but fortunately, as the smaller ones closed, the bigger ones began to accept the liquid pulling them back into the path.

<This hurts…> Vic complained.

<Good. It just means that you’re reviving.>

<What now?>

<I’m helping you with the details. Sadly, I’m no healer to mitigate the pain… but some of your nerve endings seem to have shut down. Not sure if that’s good or bad…>

<What now?> Vic muttered. He was trying his best to ignore the comment.

<Now, we use magic,> the spirit said before foreseeing Vic’s objection. <I know you don’t have the efficiency to gather mana. But I, even in this diminished state, do and have been doing it ever since I became conscious of it. So I’ll use it through you.>

<What sort of spell?>

<A spell that will bolster your body. If what I suspect is right, that plus the healing magic that has been aiding you, should help close your wound faster,> the spirit answered, taking a pause before carrying in a more sincere tone. <I don’t like our circumstances, nor the situation you’re in, but I don’t want to experience another death. You’re the boy who somehow captured me and has tried to rip me apart even in my diminished state.>

<I felt that ripping apart as well. But I don’t have a choice, and I don’t like what’s going on with me because of you,> Vic thought back to their last dreamtime encounter.

<The feeling is mutual,> the spirit said as it projected something into Vic’s mind. It was reminiscent of the visualization exercises he had done with his mother. There was a spell circle where the lines criss-crossed themselves into an asymmetrical shape. <Now, take some of your blood and use the water to draw this circle around the wound.>

Vic gulped. The situation was dire as it could be: he was on the floor dying with a stab wound on his stomach and his friends were in danger, the idea of visualizing something and making it happen with his powers was too much to ask. But he had no choice. Closing his eyes, he tried to emulate the sigil projected in his mind.

<Focus. I can see what you’re thinking. The shape you’re making is missing a couple of lines, here, here and here… Would you let me try to help you?>

<Yeah…> Vic relinquished some control just enough for the spirit to provide guidance. <So you can influence me,> he said, realizing his fingers twitched as each line was added.

<The first time I became conscious… I took control of your powers only once as the world around was dipped underwater and your mind was knocked out. I pulled you out to shore as best as I could channeling some of my powers in life… that strain broke me… in several ways,> the spirit said.

<I guess that’s a mystery solved…> Vic thought-muttered to himself.

<There> the spirit said as the spell circle was ready. <All I’ll need to do is feed mana into the spell through you…> She thought for a second, inwardly sighing. <I fear this will take its toll on me again… I don’t know when will I be able to talk to you next…>

<But when we do… We’ll have to talk about this.>

<That’s my exact same thought…> The spirit said, Vic could imagine her frowning.

<Will I be able to fight?> Vic asked.

<I don’t recommend it… but…> She thought for a moment. <I can make some adjustments so that it prioritizes internal damage. If you can find something to press against the wound, you’ll be in condition to fight… I heard your thoughts… the want for revenge. Even if I don’t understand what’s happening, I can share the sentiment… Just be careful.>

Vic didn’t answer, instead he felt his hand twitch in anticipation as a surge of energy bloomed from within an invisible center within him, going down his arm, through his fingertips and circling itself through the controlled water.

The lines of water began to heat up and flare with energy, though never really leaving his control. A burn that turned numbly soothing almost right away as he felt his organs and flesh slowly regaining their life and energy as the wound would start to close. It didn’t feel like a small spell but nothing was overly fast. No matter how much he wanted, he couldn’t rush nor lose his focus as he tried to keep everything flowing despite his wounds. No painless relaxing feelings yet… but better than before.

<This’ll be… a lot to tell,> Vic thought, hearing no answer as the spirit was either concentrating or its consciousness was gone for the time being. <Just wait, fake Lightning. Whoever you are…> he thought, closing his fist, just as water began to flow out from the sink. <I’ll deal with you first… and the rest will come later…>

Saturday, December 24th - 8:18pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 2 - Near VIP lounge - Raffina

With the base with no power, every room and hallway was a mesmerizing slow dance of low red lights and black darkness. While that might’ve been good to convey the alert of the situation… after about ten minutes of the same pattern of light and darkness it was starting to get grating. It was probably a testament to the base’s location that no one had ever tested the effect of the constant slow strobe outside from brief emergency drills.

And yet, as annoying as it might be, half the light meant Raffina had over ten times the advantage otherwise. Feeling at home in their absence, she dashed from corner to corner at incredible speeds only to make a stop at the corner.

<What’s going on?> She thought. <It’s gonna be two hours since they took Leslie and haven’t reached back at us to tell us what’s next… And now there’s this sort of emergency vibe going around all over the place. Is this some sort of test?>

She peeked around the corner, noticing that the space opened up into a different room. And already Raffina felt herself on edge as the first thing she saw were scorch lines that crisscrossed the wall with an electric-like impression, stemming off from some metal remains on the ground.

As she took another step, she noticed faint sputters of light coming on intermittently in what was either a dangerously intense short circuit… or there was someone there on the spot. And, what made it more concerning for Raffina was that she was following the faint traces of Leslie’s scent in that direction.

A couple more steps deeper, she saw something that gave her pause. It was a solid surface that appeared to be made out of some sort of glazed glass. It certainly stood out from the rest of the decor… and the closer she got, the more she uncovered. There was a person trapped in a giant cube. She would’ve gotten closer, but as soon as she stepped in, she caught sight within the room, where the sparks came from.

It was men, two men wearing welding masks, devotedly working a blowtorch up against a sliding steel door.

Raffina’s gut reaction was to leap out of the way and against the wall only to freeze to assess the situation…

Fortunately, the field of silence and the welding masks made it quite easy for them to miss her. And to that, the girl grinned as she testingly reached down for the ground, finding a metal sphere about the size of a volleyball with a chain attached to it. She picked it up, and let it drop, using the chain to keep it from wandering off. No sound came from anything she did, and neither of the two would even take a break to inspect what caused the sound.

It was a small realization that made Raffina giddy. In the past couple of years of wandering around the city at night, she had never dared to be so bold in the presence of those she tried to hide from. It was a unique chance that certainly got her feeling overly confident as she leapt on the table and spied the surroundings, though never taking her eyes off the two men.

At first glance, there didn’t appear anything impressive about them. Adult men, dressed in thick clothes of matching colors, focused on directing a blowtorch towards the wall’s surface. Raffina didn’t need a guess to know they were attempting to carve through the steel surface of the door to make it to the other side. To what end? She had no idea. There was something about them that screamed henchmen… which was rather confusing, given who they were trying to steal from.

Still, her suspicions were confirmed as she turned around and screamed, in silence, at the sight within the glass cube: It was Lightning. The syndicate enforcers that were supposed to greet them into the mountain: frozen in the middle of a step, with an expression that appeared to be one of shock at the realization that… well, that he’d been frozen.

Tentatively, Raffina touched the cube’s surface. It was cold… but not ice cold. It also wasn’t solid as she felt a bit of softness as she pushed… although she still had a feeling that the thing could easily take the swing of an axe. But since she lacked the knowledge to understand what it was, she vaulted over it to land on the cushions on the other side.

The two men still appeared focused on their work, even as they took breaks. They never heard Raffina’s movement. Which worked, as her objective was to get close enough to incapacitate them, and she would do it the next time they would put down the blow torch–which, if she had been paying attention, would be in the next thirty seconds.

Raffina bade her time and waited, but as she did, her eyes spotted something just ahead, on the remains of a coffee table. On the slanted surface rested a book that read: Silent Mountain. General Manual.

Driven by curiosity, and getting the feeling the two men wouldn’t put down the blowtorch just yet, she picked up the book and flipped it open at a random page. This one contained a general layout of Silent Mountain’s hangar. Showing the space available, how it should be appropriately distributed depending on the size of the aircrafts that were being used and the important areas for maintenance, along with proper accesses.

Turning the page, it moved on to show the cargo hold that was behind the hangar, providing the layout of the space, the mechanisms for transport and the safety measures that had been put in place.

Skimming through the pages, Raffina kept on finding maps and notes of the base, ranging from protocols on how to prevent a hacking of the base’s system instructions to what to do if the base’s heater broke down.

<This could be useful,> Raffina thought to herself. It was a victory, and she was about to get another one as she lowered the book. The two men were still focused on their work carving a hole on the door. Just about halfway through the third line of a square, they appeared ready to take a break. Raffina crouched as she prepared herself to jump in. The moment the blowtorch was turned off, she was going to drive the head of one of the guys up against the wall hoping to knock him out, kick the tool away and then drive her heel into the welding mask. That should be enough to take them out or leave them reeling. From there, she suspected she could improvise.

And yet, while she prepared, her gaze slipped onto the side where a large TV screen rested against the wall. With the power off, it was a black mirror that reflected the low red strobing red lights. Raffina’s outline was almost invisible in the pitch darkness… but at the side, there was something… an outline that appeared just one step closer to her the next time the light flashed in.

Raffina’s eyes widened. <Shi-> She thought to herself just as she ducked her head as a large fist flew over. Such a narrow dodge. And before the arm could be moved or another could come her way, she leaned onto her hands to deliver a mule kick against her attacker.

She expected to send whoever it was stumbling back… but instead, it was like hitting a rock, so instead, she used the other kick to bounce herself off the couches and onto the open field.

Quick to recover, she spied at her opponent. It was a tall woman, built up like an olympian, with arms of taut muscle that would’ve spelled out the end of her quest if they’d landed. Her attire was rural casual rather than a sort of uniform, with the jacket taken off, ready for a throwdown… Raffina narrowed her eyes, getting a better look at the woman’s belt from which two tube-like canisters hung… They looked like special grenades… even flashbangs or smoke grenades. She wasn’t sure.

<Crap… I dropped it…> Raffina thought, spotting her book near the woman’s foot as she took a step closer, about to go on the attack.

Her mind bounced over to the options at hand: either run or stand her ground and fight… It was fortunate that neither of the two henchmen had picked up on the fight that was going on, instead just happening to stop to turn knobs and adjust their gear.

The woman smirked down at her… that didn’t bode well for Raffina. But she took it as a challenge, assuming the fighting stance Cole taught her. She might be smaller and not as muscular as her opponent, but she could still put up a fight before needing to escape.

<Let’s see…> Raffina muttered. With her words silenced, that probably meant she was incapable of casting any of the spells her tutor taught her, so she would need to rely on the ones that she had internalized.

Still, the amazonian woman took the lead, taking several strides after the girl. Despite her apparent strength and size, her body moved quite limber, letting her cover the distance fast, bringing her open hand down in an attempt to grab Raffina with one arm swing… and when she failed, she swung a kick that probably would’ve been like getting hit by a steel beam.

Raffina dodged and ducked under the swing, taking steps away until her back touched the wall. And even then, that wasn’t an inconvenience to her as she poured her dark energy on the surface to create another gap through which she slipped in, just before her opponent’s fist put a dent on the wall.

The amazon woman might’ve been puzzled for a couple of seconds as to what she just witnessed, which gave Raffina the chance. The girl emerged from the hallway with quick steps and momentum, leaping over the table until making a landing close to the two henchmen, just as they appeared to have picked up on what was going on. They (finally) saw Raffina come in, but she was too fast for them to react. One of them had their face met by the sole of her modified foot while the other received a punch against the welder’s mask, putting them out of combat.

By the time she turned to look over her shoulder, the woman had already picked up on her presence and was already coming in for another attempt to deliver another knockout punch.

Raffina reacted, instead jumping away with a flip, narrowly missing the hit again.

This was the second time she’d come close to being struck. That was two times too many, Raffina thought as she landed.

Resolving to go on the offensive, she raised her arm, gathering the dark energy from the surroundings and her mana, concentrating it into her forearm as the practiced feelings of the spell manifested it without needing to utter a word. And just like the release of a sling or a bowstrings, the bolt of energy flew out towards her opponent while the other arm prepared to repeat the process.

The spell she casted, though, was just a variation of the basic manabolt her tutor taught her. A simple concentrated build of essence imbued with the dark… so the damage amounted to little as the amazon just tanked the first hit, with the remains of the element clinging around her form like octopus ink underwater.

Raffina angled her shot to aim in the eyes. It didn’t matter how strong she might be, the face would still be vulnerable. If she could land a hit, maybe she could blind her for enough seconds.

But that was a bluff. As, when the woman reached to protect her face, she opened up her stomach for Raffina to fire at a higher intensity. One hit square on the breast, one on where her kidney would be and one up towards the neck, only to meet up with the woman’s wrist instead. Neither were effective on their own, but they were just enough to get her to flinch.

“Keep the opponent guessing,” and “build damage to weaken your opponent’s stance,” two lessons that Cole once taught her during a couple of training sessions. She didn’t expect to be making use of them here, but they were sound for the circumstances. Just as the last shot was fired, Raffina took two steps forth and drove a kick down on the woman’s kneecap.

It hurt like hell but, much to her surprise, it actually worked. The woman fell down to her knees, putting her head within striking distance for Raffina’s punch. Once again, painful as she felt like she was hitting a rock, but it still sent her opponent reeling back.

Another opening! She raised up her arm, charging another shadowbolt. While it wouldn’t knock her out, it would buy Raffina enough time to grab the book and run away. The energy was primed and…

And then the lights came back on.

The droning flicker of red and black was suddenly replaced by the steady white light that had Raffina reel back to cover her night-accustomed eyes… But then the shock and surprise became panic as she suddenly felt the elemental darkness on her attack start to evaporate, and with it, the taxation for her spell suddenly began to rise up faster than she was willing to keep on paying.

<This is bad. This is bad,> Raffina thought to herself. The same inner sense that allowed her to detect darkness was tingling through her skin, shocked by the sudden bath of light. <I need to run, now!> No shadow meant she couldn’t create her gaps for a clean getaway either–and with how she’d jumped around she’d accidentally put her opponent and the two henchmen between her and the hallway she came through, and all of them were just starting to recover from the attacks.

She quickly turned around and tried to open the doors behind her. The first one was locked, so she quickly switched over to the next one.

Fortunately, this one opened to reveal a supply closet, a rather skimpy one. There were the two people in there, thrown to the back of the enclosed space, both bound, wiggling as if calling for help. One of them was Leslie! <Can you hear me?> Raffina called out, only to get no answer. <The collar!> She remembered ‘Lightning’ had been adamant about the telepath wearing it. Suddenly, it all began to click in some way. Which might make the young adult she was bound with the other Syndicate agent, Censer.

<I have you!> Raffina thought. She would step into the closet, make sure it was all dark and get everyone out! A small fortune, but she underestimated the speed of the woman as, before she could act, her skin told her that there was now a shadow right over her.

She used that little bit of darkness to charge another bolt she would attack with when she turned around, but the woman had already gripped her wrist and spun to drive her up against the door frame. Thankfully, it struck her shoulder rather than her head, but it left her stunned, breaking her concentration for the spell.

Her weakness to light might’ve been a bit too obvious as the next thing the amazon did was throw Raffina to the center of the VIP lounge, just to keep her away from the dark closet. Feeling the soreness on her shoulder, the spin of the tumble, her foot slipped before she could manage to get up, and allowed the brick of a woman to catch up to her.

<Ack!> Raffina’s mind screamed as she felt both hands wrap around her neck and effortlessly lift her off the ground.

Her opponent was back to being as tough as a mountain and no matter how much Raffina struggled, she couldn’t break free. Kicking was her first option, but again it felt like she was fighting a huge piece of concrete! Her claws scratched at the other woman’s arm and, while they did carve lines, all it appeared to do was anger the amazon enough to put more pressure against Raffina’s throat, forcing the shadow girl to grip the hands as if she would be able to pry them open, or at least keep them from squeezing further.

The woman opened her mouth, seemingly trying to say something. It made Raffina wish that there were some sound. At least that way she might be able to talk back. She wondered if they knew she was worth something… otherwise with that strength, someone ruthless might already have snapped her neck.

<Crap! I’m going to start losing air!> She urged herself to act as a desperate plan reached her mind.

A smirk appeared on her fanged mouth as her body swung back before reaching forward to throw a kick aimed at the woman’s throat. She saw it coming, though, and flinched, throwing her neck and torso to the side, not letting go of Raffina. And before she could attack again, the brick just pulled her in closer to trap the leg between her arms in an uncomfortable angle.

“Nice try.” The woman’s frustrated face spelled out the words, but then she was immediately taken aback, confused as to why Raffina was still smirking with her eyes as closed as could be.

She found out five seconds later when a small explosion punched her at the waist and a bright flash filled in the air. While she was busy dodging Raffina’s left leg, the right leg had reached out for the flashbang grenades on her belt, managing to pop the safety out of one.

The explosion hit hard, but more importantly, the light came in blindingly strong, forcing the woman to take her arms from wrangling Raffina to her eyes to cover them.

<Suck on that!> Raffina gasped and huffed as her body hit the ground. Her body tingled like crazy when exposed to the bright surge of light but it was something she could recover from, especially as she prepared for it. With her eyes mostly closed through the explosion, she had a headstart in the recovery, crawling away from the woman before pushing herself up on her feet for a run.

In her steps, she scooped the book off the ground and made haste to the corner where a large bookshelf stood at the corner of the room. She threw her weight, strength and effort into trying to force the piece of furniture out. By the third yank, throwing several books off the shelf, she felt it budge. And once unmoored it gave in to Raffina’s demands!

A couple more pulls gave her the gap she needed, and a push at the top got it to topple over. And not a moment too soon as she turned around just to see the brick woman had already recovered and was stampeding after her. Her eyes were bloodshot and her expression was furious, definitely promising Raffina a bad time was coming to her.

She didn’t wait to find out, instead, she stumbled herself under the cover provided and, by the time the other woman shoved the shelf away, all she would see was a pool of darkness on the floor that shrank into nothingness.

Saturday, December 24th - 8:32pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 2 - Security room - Ruben

The past ten minutes had been the busiest for Ruben. Once he got over the safe mode reboot of the camera and door control systems for the base and reported the situation to both Steve and Chad… thankfully, they had the modded phones that would work despite the antenna being offline

After reporting the situation, then came the rather exhausting task of guiding Chad on rigging the generator and backup together so that they would trigger a loop that would start a meltdown and also turn it back on. Needless to say, it involved a lot of explaining and describing that tested both of their patience.

But in the end, it worked.

The first thing Ruben had to do was make sure that the lair’s antennae would remain offline no matter what… The more isolated this base was from the Syndicate, the better for their escape.

The power also came back on with a warning that reported: “Maintenance required in the generator. Critical installation error detected that will cause a catastrophic meltdown if not attended. Safeties disabled! Please reactivate the safeties.” Along with a timer that gave them a rough estimate for the critical event, which could be shortened out if more strain was put onto the energy grid such as opening the hangar doors, which lowered the time left from two hours and seventeen, down to one hour and thirty two…

And the number kept on dropping.

Hopefully, that would be enough time to load things onto the ship…

But, as it always happened, problems popped up everywhere.

[Trouble!] Barb began the stream of messages just now.

[We’ve been seen]

[It was an imp!]

[She saw the guys and me!]

[Saw the hostages!]

<This doesn’t bode well…> was what Ruben thought before he texted back [What’s wrong?]

[It was the other girl from the group! She snuck up to the VIP Lounge and attacked us! She saw everything.]

<Shit!> Ruben cursed as he changed cameras towards the VIP lounge, clearly showing the signs of a struggle… or, at least more struggle after Lightning’s capture. Rewinding the view in intervals, he got a clear idea of what happened. It was that girl from the Syndicate candidates, Obscura, transformed into some sort of inhuman form! She slipped into the room undetected as Guy One and Guy Two were too focused on breaking through the door. She took her time spying in the surroundings, even picking up Censer’s weapon and getting a good look at the trapped Lightning. After that, Barb tried to catch her, only for the girl to demonstrate some of her powers. Which included the ability to phase through walls and fire some sort of projectiles. Still, Barb had the advantage most of the time–that is until she found her chance to escape. Like a magic trick, she slipped out behind a bookshelf and disappeared.

<This’ll be a huge trouble!> Ruben muttered as he quickly cycled through the cameras of the corridors, wondering where had the girl slipped. In his mind, a girl, after finding out that the base was compromised, might try to run away… but even with phasing powers that might represent a long descent that could be dangerous for anyone. She could try to go upstairs and steal a ship, but there was no chance she would know there was a hangar. She could try to go back to her friends… but both FitTogether and Root were supposedly quite useless without their holdouts…

The barracks! Ruben realized That was where the students dropped off their bags.

Switching cameras, he found the place the same as before. With the gadgeteer gear laid down on the ground and the bags piled around the bed near the entrance.

<I’ll have Chad take her out,> Ruben thought, recalling how his sociopathic coworker had just created a 3D copy of Tidestriker’s holographic form. With that, it should be easier for him to gain her trust and take her out. As of right now, she was the biggest threat around.

[Chad!] He texted.

[I’m about to go up to the first level.][Broke the lock and threw away the plug’s lever.] That just meant that the kids wouldn’t be able to manually unhook the reserve power and break the feedback loop… with the only other alternative doing it through the system, which Ruben made sure wouldn’t happen.

[Good… I need you to take out the kids. One of them is a real rat that is skulking around the base. Best we deal with them.]

[I knew you’d see it my way.] Ruben could only bitterly imagine that smirk Chad had about on his face.

[Just deal with them.] Ruben said as he put the phone down and he moved back to the cameras.

He certainly didn’t expect to see movements in the first switch… but when he flipped to the hallway just outside of the barracks, he caught a glimpse of a figure that stumbled out of the bathroom. A rather athletic boy that moved about with wounded strides, carrying a huge mass of water around his left arm and part of his torso, reaching as far as the right side where a dark red spot could be identified. It was the original TideStriker. He somehow survived Chad’s stab wound and appeared out for revenge.

<Fucking Chad! Can’t you do anything well?> Ruben slammed his hand on the table.

TideStriker’s steps took him further east, with his eyes set to the barrack doors. <Oh crap!> he thought as he quickly pulled the door controllers and reasserted the locks on the barracks.

He hoped that would be enough as the boy attempted to pull the sliding door open and found that it wouldn’t budge–but that was hoping too much. TideStriker wasn’t going to relent, and instead slammed the water-covered arm against the surface. It held what felt like a long time.

<Is he trying to use his powers to pull the thing open? If I recall, he is a low level telekinetic…> Ruben thought. And yet before he could breathe the sight of relief, the window of the door in question flashed a red alert: [Lock system compromised!]

The next moment, TideStriker was forcefully sliding the door open and then walking into the barracks. From there, Ruben could only watch as the boy made his way towards the mat of equipment, grabbing the obvious gun laid there. He also snatched the bag that Ruben had seen on Root’s person when he entered the base.

And, as if things couldn’t get worse, when Ruben switched channels back to the hallway, he happened to see Chad in his hologram, stepping out of the stairwell annex and turning to the side just in the right time for TideStriker to see him leave!

The boy was spurred to fight, immediately making haste after Chad, with the latter completely unaware of what was happening.

[Chad! Behind you!] Ruben texted, hoping that he would stop upon finding the door to the lounge closed.

But then Ruben realized that there was a problem with that. <Fuck!> The modified phones they had were synced to the base’s controls, capable of unlocking and opening them just as easily with a simple tap on the screen. But Chad, the fool, missed checking the message!

Instead, the door opened and Chad walked in, holding his stomach in a rather decent impersonation of a wounded TideStriker, with the real Tidestriker catching up to him.

Saturday, December 24th - 8:32pm
Silent Mountain Base - Level 1 - Lounge - Josh

Once Raffina left the room to explore, that just left Root and Josh alone in the lounge. And yet, with the doors closed and locked (And no matter how much the two tried, they couldn’t be forced open).

So, after some attempts to wait out and trading some ideas and plans on the situation, they sat on the table Raffina pulled to the center, back to back, ready to warn each other over anything that might happen. Be it their teammate’s return, or the doors opening.

And then, the lights turned back on. They still had no idea of the meaning of it, but it was something that happened that briefly broke the sitting in the quiet with the eyes open to the surroundings. It did get them asking each other if they should start breaking them for Raffina’s sake.

A couple of minutes later, Josh felt Root pull his arm, pointing over to a corner just north west from their position, where a pool of darkness began to form on the ceiling, just above a set of tables. And the next moment Raffina's shadow form got spat from it.

She was nimble, though, and, as soon as she was out the portal, she attempted to flip herself to land on her feet. The angle, and the landing though, were flawed, and she ended up knocking into the tables and throwing herself onto the ground.

Fortunately, it was just a tumble as she was getting back up right after, with the darkness slipping off her body as she reverted back into human form. The two kids offered their hands to help her up, noticing that Raffina was clutching a book.

So many questions. Once Raffina was back up on her feet, they each began to type in and show their phones to her. The general question was: [what happened?]

Raffina appeared somewhat shaken from the ordeal, and with a frown that told them that she wasn’t exactly happy to take the pause to try to explain everything that was going on. But it couldn’t be helped as she led them back to the table, quickly whipping out her phone and typing a message: [SM taken over! Lightning captured! Fought a brick woman! Found Leslie and Censer! We have to move!]

Predictably, that only got confused and concerned looks from Root and Josh. To which Raffina could only respond with a deeper glare that pretty much spelled out “How is it not clear!?”. And when Josh showed her the message (after what felt like a long typing process): [Slow down and explain more.] She just steamed through moving over to the table and laying down the book on it, pointing at the title on the cover there for everyone to see: Silent Mountain. General manual.

They were still trying to get her to expand on things but she was focused on her own explanation. She flipped the pages, skipping the index, the backstory of the base and the geographical and topographic details of the area until she found what she’d been looking for, the layout of the base.

[We here] Raffina typed on her phone, pointing at a large central area in the first level.

Her finger then moved over up towards an area on the second level which, if the layout was to be believed, was exactly above where they stood, labeled the ‘VIP lounge’. [That’s where I saw lightning.]

[He really captured?] [For real?] Josh and Root asked, but Raffina ignored their comments and moved on to the next point, pointing at the doors right next to the “First Office”.

[They were trying to enter here.] And before they could get to another question, Raffina beat them to the punch, writing [And this is where they had Leslie and ‘Censer’] Now she pointed at a small square marked as ‘supply closet 2’.

The two boys took notice, with Josh, leaning in to get a better look at the manual, curious about the base, but they still appeared at a loss, either because they didn’t catch every bit of text before Raffina wrote the next one or were still wanting for their questions answered. So when she showed: [What do we do?]

It would be impossible to come up with a plan like this, so she emphasized that detail by writing: [I FOUGHT THEM. THEY KNOW I KNOW… THEY’RE PROBABLY COMING AFTER US. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!.]

None of them could deny it. They believed her account and saw the implied threat. To that, Root wrote: [Okay. We move.]

Raffina nodded, closing and grabbing the book, just before Josh could raise an objection.

[You break the lights. I get you through the door.] Raffina suggested, but Josh suddenly ran ahead and stood in their path.

Only to have them wait as he typed a message. [Wait. We have to find Vic!]

To that, Root asked. [Did you happen to see him?]

Raffina shook her head.

Josh grew worried. Wondering where his friend had gone or if he was alright… It certainly would’ve been easier if he were present. After all, Vic had a telepathic rating that enabled the exchange of surface thought… basically allowing them to speak through thought. An ability that would really be useful just about now!

He was halfway through writing his explanation when, lifting his gaze he spotted the southern door opening to reveal Vic stumbling into the room! He walked in looking like he’d come out of a fight, holding a hand up against his stomach as he applied pressure to a huge bloodstain.

While they’d gotten acquainted with gangs and dangerous folk while in Massachusetts, They’d been lucky enough that their injuries had only been scrapes and bruises. Watching the red that stained the fabric of his uniform and the pained expression on Vic’s paler skin got Josh to run for his friend.

Root and Raffina followed his eyes, reacting with similar shock they followed after Josh. And yet the surprises didn’t end there as, the next moment a red beam came in from the corridor, striking Vic’s shoulder, having him stagger.

An attack!? Josh and the rest of the kids froze in place, trying to think up of ways to defend themselves. The options were slim, though, as even Raffina was trapped within the well-lit room.

Two more shots came, all aimed at Vic, while the first one missed, the second landed squarely in the back pushing him down to the ground. And it was then that Josh recognized the attacking beam. It came from his own weapon… The realization came just a moment before the shooter stepped in.

It was … Vic?!

A second Vic made his entrance, jumping into the room, looking exactly just like the first one. Same soaked jacket, same Syndicate basic uniform and… more importantly, same dark red stain over the black uniform. He, however, was holding Josh’s gun and had a whole mass of water that covered his left arm down to the right side of his body. Both weapons he planned to use up against the one that entered first.

The first Vic turned around to look at his mirror image, point the gun at him and try to pull the trigger. But the laser blast didn’t happen. Instead, the lights on the barrel began to flash..

Josh knew what was the problem: too many high potency broad shots had been fired in quick succession and the heat had built up in the barrel, forcing the system to lock out the energy cells so as to avoid overheating. All that would be needed was to open the valve to release the excess. Of course, the Vic holding the gun didn’t know that, so he just kept on trying to pull the trigger only for nothing to happen.

In turn, the first Vic responded, suddenly turning around and throwing three pellets in the direction of his mirror image that exploded into bursts of smoke that filled the entire side of the room. And without even looking at the team’s direction, he sprinted into the cloud.

The smoke was dense and the lack of sound left a lot to guess, but judging by the outlines provided between odd flashes of lights and splashes of water that were, it wasn’t hard to piece together that the two Vic’s were fighting for supremacy. In the process two objects were cast out of the cloud.

One a simple leather bag that Root immediately reclaimed. It was his seedbag.

And the other was Josh’s gun, kicked across the ground in his general direction. He lost no time in picking it up and turning the nozzle to release the extra heat from the barrel. Once that was done, the lights turned on when he turned a small lever, signaling that it was ready to fire again.

He pulled the trigger towards the upper region of the smoke cloud. Wide enough to dispel the smoke and reveal the outlines of the two Vics as they forced each other apart, still ready to try to fight.

As they were revealed, Josh calibrated his gun before holding it up, aiming from one Vic to the other. The situation had been clear since the start: One of them was the real Vic, the other was an impostor using his face.

Neither Raffina nor Root dared to try to take their eyes off the scene just to share their thoughts via texts, instead they both just stood near Josh. He had control of the situation, being the only person with the gun and the one that supposedly knew Vic the best among the three.

<Oh, crap…> he thought. The weight of the matter got the gun on his hand to shake.

The two Vics looked straight at Josh with pleading looks about them, flinching as the gun was pointed their way and opening their mouths to plead, out of desperation as they knew it was moot in this situation, but feared that gesticulating too much might be taken as an attack.

<This is so much worse…> Josh thought. <If they could talk, we would be over with this just by playing trivia–heck, maybe whatever they’re using doesn’t mimic voices.>

Josh’s hands kept on wavering from one onto another. Neither Vic dared to take a step forth, just shooting him pleading looks and gestures.

<Maybe I should let them fight it out?> Josh thought in urgency. <No, that might not solve anything because I would still have to check the winner. Maybe knock out the two of them? No! One of them has a real injury, so that might just make things worse. Come on, Josh. Try to logic this out. Everyone depends on you to make the right call… Okay, okay! The obvious solution is to see who has Vic’s powers. The second one entered the room with a full gauntlet of water. That one must’ve been the real Vic…>

Josh’s thoughts trailed off as the smoke cleared off further and revealed each of the Vics’ left arms. The whole gauntlet and armor of water one of them had carried into the room, which wasn’t splashed around in their scuffle, had been reduced to just enough to cover their arms. And in both cases, it stuck unnaturally to their skin. Could they both have the same power?!

Josh held out his left hand, beckoning them to mimic it. Both of them got the idea and raised their arms, each making some sort of trick with their powers. The Vic to Josh’s right had the water do a spinning spiral motion in the air while the one to the left, created a spike that rose up tall from the palm, holding it upside down like a stalactite.

They both had the same power.

<Crap,> Josh thought as he looked at them, trying to see any differences between the two he could latch on, but he saw nothing. Each of them appeared to be mirror copies of the other.

It was about then that he remembered. During the scuffle in the smoke there was a quick flash of light that formed a sort of grid like pattern. That was tech! One of them was wearing a holographic projector. Yet, he had no way of telling who at a distance. If he were to get closer to one and he happened to pick the wrong one, either that would be the end of him or he would be made into a hostage against the others.

He tried to test them, gesturing at them to hold the flap of their open jacket, figuring that a holographic system wouldn’t account for that. But, much to his surprise, what the guy used didn’t appear cheap or shoddily made, as indeed the jacket got lifted in both cases. There could probably be an overlap error, but even if there were, Josh was too far to actually see it.

He couldn’t make a decision. He had no idea how to check, and yet both Raffina and Root looked his way, awaiting for him to take action. Either they were putting too much stock on him or fearing that they made the wrong call.

<Crap!> Josh repeated.

It was then that one of the Vics realized that he couldn’t solve the conundrum. The one on the right reached down for the hem of his black uniform and lifted it high enough to reveal the injury. The other one realized what was happening and tried to copy him fast. There was a marked difference. The one on the right had a patch around his stomach that had been altered, with the skin scarred and bleeding slightly, and yet it had started to turn a shade of white, with the upper side green. The one to the left had a deep red open wound, one that was so nasty that it should’ve been bleeding profusely from just being standing.

He recalled his conversation with Vic earlier that day. That his friend had a spirit that would bolster his healing and powers but at the cost of slowly altering his form. Not only did this clear up the doubt but had Josh’s eyes narrow as he tapped onto the side of the barrel to refocus the beam. It charged with electricity before he opened fire at the Vic to the left.

A blue beam was fired this time, carrying with it the same horse-kick potency as the standard red flash, but also a painful electric sizzle. The shot fried the holographic tech, and by the time ‘Vic’ hit the wall, the air around him shimmered in light as another man was revealed in place: A twenty-something guy that stood about head or so taller than Vic.

The shot did a number to him, leaving his hair and beard frazzled and standing on end. His body twitched from the electric shot and the edges were left smoking, especially around the arm that held the water. More importantly, the box that hung from his belt frizzled, sending discharges and splutters of light as it tried but failed to regenerate the hologram. The thing was toasted, but the impostor wasn’t down for the count yet. His foot pivoted as he caught himself in mid-fall and then he immediately turned around, dashing back to the south exit.

Both Root and Vic sprinted forth, trying to give chase, but no sooner than the impostor was a step away from the threshold, the door began its descent to seal off the room! At the speed it was going, he would escape their grasp!

Josh opened fire, with the beam narrowly missing the moving target and by the second, where he was sure the shot was lined up, the trigger was locked! That last combined shot had triggered the overheat safety. <No!> Josh cursed as he fiddled with his weapon. <Why couldn’t Junkerer give me a more efficient power cell for this!?>

By the time he sorted it out and raised the gun again, it was too late. The door had closed behind the impostor, with both Vic and Root being forced to stop. The former appeared angry enough to drive a water coated punch up against the steel surface.

<Vic!> Josh thought. Suddenly realizing the advantage they now had, he grabbed Raffina’s wrist and dragged the objecting girl towards the rest of the team.

His friend appeared exhausted, putting his back against the door, with his hand pressing on the injury. His body was soaked in water, or sweat while he still appeared as pale as the impostor’s hologram. But he refused to fall down. Instead, looking up, he read Josh’s intention and offered out his hand for him to hold.

<I’m glad you three are okay.> Vic’s mental voice became clear in their heads. And with the silence that they’d been going through, it was incredibly refreshing.

Raffina’s eyes widened as she held her head. <W-Why… how can I hear you in my head?> she thought, having just been given access through Josh.

<And we can hear you too. One second…> Vic thought as he extended his hand for Root. To an outsider, it must’ve been confusing to see their reactions but, once he accepted Vic’s invitation and his mind was added to the mental link. He got an idea. <I’ll explain this once. I’m a telepath. I can create mental links between people… I mostly use this to have private conversations.>

<Thank you, Vic!> Raffina praised. <I was at my limit having to go back and forth with these guys with just our phones.>

<Your explanation was horrible,!> Josh argued.

<Hey! I was trying to get to the point! I was just going to lead you out and explain things later!> Raffina frowned. <I didn’t have the time to wait for you all to type and retype their message when we’re in danger! As you could see by that guy!>

<You could’ve been clearer…> Root said before correcting himself. <What matters is that now we have a way to exchange thoughts that doesn’t involve typing… This is much much better.>

<I know…> Raffina frowned. <So… What was that?>

<A power mimic… He showed up in the bathroom disguised as Lightning. Suddenly, the world went quiet->

<That must’ve been the silence machine.> The thoughts were echoed by Raffina, Root and Josh.

<I know,> Vic frowned.

<Sorry, not used to this,> Root muttered, speaking for everyone present.

<So, he showed up as Lightning. The field of silence kicked in and the moment I turned around, he stabbed me.>

<Stabbed? Are you alright?> Josh blinked.

<I’m fine. It still hurts… but I have taken some measures to keep me going.>

<What’re those scales?> Raffina asked.

<It’s a patch,> was all Vic said on the matter. He wasn’t going to go into that matter right now. While he didn’t say it, the sentiment must’ve been felt as the others relented. <I just hope it holds up.>

<Give me a second,> Root thought as he knelt by Vic’s wound. Reaching into his bag, he produced a couple of seeds and covered them in between his hands. As energy flowed down there, suddenly green began to spill out between the gaps. Leaves and vines that seemed to have a realistic fragrant scent.

<Aloe Vera and some vines to keep everything in place,> he said as he quickly pressed the leaves up against the wound and wrapped them with the vine tight and fast. His magic made the plant knot and tighten itself around Vic’s torso.

<Thanks…> Vic took some deep breaths.

<This isn’t safe. You should stay here,> Josh thought.

<Here? We’re in a base that has been taken over,> Raffina chided. < There is no safety here!>

<Raffina is right…> Vic conceded as he pushed himself up, wincing at the constraint around his torso but appearing to manage. <We’re in trouble! We can’t stay idle.>

<Now that we can “talk”,> Root noted, guiding them back to the table at the center of the room. <Could you explain what you saw again?>

<I’ll try to be as brief as possible.> Raffina grumbled inwardly as he set the manual on the table, back on the map page. <Alright, listen. I exited down this path and moved down the corridor before taking this flight of stairs…>

With thought-speech, Raffina’s recounting came clearer and much more expedient. They even had flashes of moments from Raffina’s point of view during the fight, such as when she found Leslie and Censer, or when she was held by the neck.

A couple of minutes later, she was done with her retelling.

<So, the base is taken over. There’s two men trying to cut their way into the boss’s office… probably to steal something. And there’s at least two individuals with powers,> Root summarized.

Raffina nodded. <One of them is an exemplar woman who is insanely sturdy.>

<And the other is a power mimic who, hopefully, won’t be able to disguise as us.>

<Even if he did, it’d be useless with your mental link,> Josh assured.

<Yeah,> Vic said, though he couldn’t just let go of the anger he felt towards that man. A painful stab… the fear of death… everything he experienced he just wanted to pay it back. He clenched the little water that hung from his arm as he promised to deliver a lesson.

<So… What’s our first stop?> Root asked, looking at Josh. <You need your tools? Should we go back to the barracks?>

<I’m fine with just my gun. Think it’s probably the only weapon I had ready in my pack,> Josh noted.

<Then we climb.> Root pointed to the northern door. <That should be the fastest path towards the VIP lounge you saw. There we can release Lightning, Leslie, and Censer from the closet and turn off the silence machine.>

<No,> Raffina interjected as she pointed at the east path. <We’ll take this one… The stairs there will take you to the VIP lounge as well.>

<Why the detour? It’ll take us longer to get to where we want,> Josh noted.

<Just a couple of turns and long hallways… And there’s even an elevator there you can use. No, my aim is this part here,> Raffina said before pointing at a spot in the kitchen that she traced upwards to the second floor, located right under a place labeled as ‘security room.’ <If they have taken over the base, odds are that there is someone stationed there feeding them intel. We have a better chance if we make sure that is no longer the case.>

<I see your point…> Root thought before adding. <Fine, can you handle it?>

<I hope I can.> Raffina’s thoughts reflected her doubts, but also that she was feeling daring.

<I was wondering…> Vic inquired. <They’re stealing stuff from the base. I assume this stuff isn’t anything as small as a thumbdrive, right? How did they plan to get it out? It was snowing when we got here, and don’t think that has eased up…>

<Maybe the hangar?>

<My thoughts exactly,> Vic agreed. <Just something to keep in mind.>

<Alright. We’re set to go,> Root decreed as he turned their attention towards the east door.

<One second…> Raffina said, as she used her phone to snap a picture of the map’s layout before sliding the book towards Josh. <Think you’ll make better use of this.>

<Thanks,> Josh said.

<Now we can get going…> Raffina towards the east door, only to stop and look up at the ceiling lights, shining bright just before the door. <First things first… I need the lights turned off.>

<On it.> Root stepped forth, magic flowing into his hand. A couple of seconds later, wood grew between his fingers. Like watching a tree grow in a fast forwarded video, it stretched upwards, retaining its straight form and not growing any branches until it finally stopped at about a meter in length. And from there, the thing’s form began to polish itself, molting the bark off as it disappeared into wisps of the same green mana that fed it until the resulting form began to resemble a polished stick, a billy club or a wooden sword.

<Wow…> The sentiment came from both Vic and Josh.

<Thanks.> Root mentally smirked as he jumped, swinging the thing up against the lights. They shattered easily, getting the other kids to back away from the rain of glass.

<Wait, why are we doing this?> Vic asked as light faded from that side of the room.

<Oh, right, you weren’t here… Raffina–>

<Best if I show him,> Raffina said as she stepped around the glass and towards the door. Her body coated itself with the darkness in the air as her form shifted back into shadow, bouncing in her step as her leg structure changed slightly. She rested her hand on the door’s surface and, with a little bit of focus, a pool of black formed on the surface, in the space between her hand that began to expand enough to make a narrow gap. <There’s light on the other side… It’s getting tricky to keep it open!>

<On it,> Root said as he walked up and squeezed himself through the gap, disappearing entirely. Raffina couldn’t hold whatever ability she was using and released it, letting the dark pool disappear.

<Can you guys hear me?> Root asked a moment later.

<Yeah, we still can,> Vic noted, starting to realize that he’d never used this ability at a distance and wondering how much of a strain this would put on him.

<Good. I cleared out the lights. It should be safe for you all to step through.>

<Oh good…> Raffina said as she repeated the process, creating the same gash as before. <It’s really draining me to keep gaps open for others… so this’ll be the last time I do this. Okay? Otherwise I’ll run out of mana.>

<Understood.> Both Vic and Josh nodded as they followed in, stepping through the gap. After a small trip through pitch darkness, they emerged on the other side of the portal, finding the hallway cast in shadow as Root had shattered the nearest lights and was in the process of getting rid of the one down the corridor.

<Good, this should do,> Raffina sighed relieved as she stepped through the gap after them.

<The route should be… there,> Josh said, walking forth, consulting the manual, though was admittedly having some trouble doing it under the low light. <I think…>

Raffina chimed in, looking over his shoulder. <Yeah… walk forward and then turn to the right, the stairs should be the first ones to your left.> They reached the intersection and she stopped. <I’ll be heading the other way. The kitchen should be past the mess hall.>

<Raffina, wait…> Root said as he reached into the pouch..

<Wha-> she halted herself as she saw Root pull out the same trick he did with his wooden sword, watching the trunk grow out from his fingers, growing wider and shorter when compared to the one he held.

<Here you go,> He said offering it.

<A stick?> Raffina asked as she studied at the sculpted plant in her hands. It might’ve started as a seed, but it had taken the rough shape of a combat knife. While its edge was as dull as one might expect, she felt it could still pack a punch. It was better than nothing. <Thanks…> Raffina said.

<Alright!> Josh said as he held out his fist. <We get Leslie, rescue Censer and Lightning, turn off the silence device, and hopefully manage to catch the criminals doing this.>

<We’re Syndicate,> Raffina said, rolling her glowing eyes. <We’re supposed to help the criminals.>

<You know what I mean,> Josh said, moving his fist, asking for the others to humor him.

<These guys are certainly no heroes,> Vic said as he put his dry fist against his friend’s.

<I honestly think we’re in way over our heads.> Root shook his own head before putting his fist into the salute. <But we don’t have another choice.>

All three pairs of eyes turned towards Raffina. Her tail swished as she looked away for a moment. She sighed, putting her fist up along with the rest. <Don’t make me look bad, bozos.>

<Alright, let’s get them!> Josh said as they shook on it and broke.

<I’ll try to keep the link active as long as I can…> Vic noted.

<Report on your progress, Raffina,> Josh added.

<Yeah, yeah,> Raffina replied as she turned around and sprinted down the corridor. She headed up north with hastened steps as the three boys moved south, turning left to find the stairs.

To Be Continued