The words filling Steven’s view were punctuated with screaming. People rushed around them, charging for the closest exit like there was a fire on their heels.

“What the hell is the Warlord Trait!?”

“You can make an area claim with no build up, and the people currently there need to protect it or give it up. But in exchange, you don’t have protections usually afforded after a claim. No grace period or protection, anyone can challenge you for the claim at anytime. It’s the option for thugs who want slugfests. It’s great, right!”

“So if we run, these people immediately get the mall?“

“Yep.”

He looked to the others. Lilly was swearing up a storm and texting someone, while Markus and Micheal stared at the rushing crowd.

“What’s the play?” Margie asked.

Del bit her lip, her eyes darting back in forth.

A boom sounded from deeper in the mall, and Steven sighed.

The Corners had a reputation for a reason.

Steven’s heart warmed as turned to find the others already moving towards the sound.

Lilly groaned. “Are kidding me?” Despite that, she fell into step beside them as they ran down the hall.

“Why are you following us?” Micheal asked, his eyes narrowed.

She grimaced, her fur coat trailing behind her. “Because my friends are this way, don’t tell me your reason, it’s just going to annoy me.”

They pushed through the rushing crowd and reached the split in the hall, a path leading to the left and right. A set of escalators and a stair case led up to a movie theater and a few stores.

Another boom, and it was coming from up there.

Lilly looked like she’d bitten into a lemon. “That fucking dumbass just had to go into the Dave and Busters, I’m going to kill him!”

She charged up the stairs, and Steven followed.

The movie theater had a large section of empty space in front of it with a wide set up short steps leading up to it. They reached the top of the steps just in time to see a man fly back from the theater steps, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop near the door to the Dave and Busters.

It was the tall pale man from Lilly’s group. Steven had never caught his name, but he had that water ball Skill.

Across from him was a woman slowly walking down the steps.

She was short and thin, with plaid skin and dark brown hair pulled back into a braid.

She had soft features marred by the vicious light in her dark eyes.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

She taped the railing next to her a moment before the man hurled a water ball.

It raced towards the woman, screaming through the air much faster then when Steven fought him.

She raised her left hand and the air rippled.

The orb hit the ripples and vanished, only to blast out of the railing a moment later. It flew straight for the man. He threw himself to the side and the water orb compressed, squeezing in on itself before bursting out.

Boom.

Steven threw a Hand-Shield up between the man and the orb before it burst, and the force instantly shattered his shield.

Pain lanced through him, but he shook it off.

The woman turned, noticing them for the first time.

“Oh.” She didn’t look upset at seeing six hostile strangers, she looked overjoyed. “Well I guess today won’t be boring after all!”

Lavender light lit up around the woman, and Steven felt the power of the Skill. It pushed against his senses, making his skin tingle and his ears ring.

She slammed her foot down, and spots of lavender lit up all around the room.

The spot of railing she had touched, a nearby wall, and the railing right next to them.

“Enjoy the ride!” She winked, and# Steven’s vision lurched.

~<>~<>~

Steven landed on the ice rink and nearly ate shit.

Lilly landed next to him, catching herself with more grace then he’d managed.

He glanced around, his heart pounding.

Lilly groaned. “She can teleport us? The hell kind of Class is that!?”

Steven shook his head. “Fuck this. This is like the third time some bullshit has separated us.”

He fished his phone out and made a group call. It rang twice before everyone answered.

“Where is everyone.”

“Ulta-Beauty,” Markus said.

“Chili’s,” Margie and Del said in unison.

“I’m in the fucking kidy pool in the Y.” Micheal spat. “About gave me a heart attack!”

Steven made a snap decision and started running. “Me and Lilly are in the ice rink. I’ll grab Micheal, then we all meet up at the Old Navy.”

“Roger,” Markus said, then his line went dead.

“Avoid fighting if you can, just try to group up so we can fight them as a team.”

Just before he hung up, Margie spoke. “Wait, who has the boys?”

~<>~<>~

Noodle surged down the hall, scents filling his nose, overwhelming his thoughts.

The sharp stink of alcohol sunken into the carpet there, the tasty call of grease there. Strange boxes surrounded them, flashing with bright lights and loud noises.

Noodle was smart, much smarter then before. But he still didn’t know what these contraptions were. He might be able to understand now, his thoughts so much more than before, but that didn’t give him the knowledge for free.

Buford ran beside him, his brothers hackles raised as he raced for their humans.

Margie was close, they could both feel it in the power racing through them, but she was too far to see.

Before the moose his thoughts had been more sluggish, but then something had changed, the wave of power had gone through Noodle’s mind like a brush, and instead of picking out thoughts through a fog, he could see them clearly.

He wasn’t sure how smart that had made him, but he was smart enough to understand what was happening. The others were in danger, and they weren’t with them.

The two hounds raced through the strange room, and Noodle realized with a sinking feeling that he was smart enough to feel desperate.