Like the pounce of a frantic beast, Huntress leaps forward, blade in hand, and severs the vocal cords of the confounded academy guard unfortunate enough to be in the location that we had warped to.
Hand over mouth, Huntress silences the gargled groans of the now dying man. 'Quiet, my dear, it's all over now.' The crazed woman pulses chills down my spine as she slowly, almost tenderly, slides her blade into her victim's stomach. Twisting the knife on exit, she gently lays the man's body onto the concrete ground below.
Retrieving from her satchel a round clay pot, she sprinkles a fine grey powder over the corpse of her prey, decomposing his body on contact. Turning away from her work, Huntress skips towards me. From ear to ear, her red-painted lips spread across her face distorting her already unnerving clownish appearance into what I can only describe as the fevered night-terror of a haunted lunatic.
'That's warping for you. You never quite know where you'll end up.' If this woman was to tell me with conviction that the sky is blue, my distrust of her would compel me to the nearest window to see for myself. However, on this, she is right.
As a gift from her mother, Huntress had managed to procure a warp stone among other convenient resources for tonight's operation. Though my status as a student would have allowed me to have simply walk through the golden gates of this academy, doing so would have made me a fool.
While the exact details of how the academy grants entry to those permitted to be here is unknown to me. I am aware that all those who pass through the gates into the campus are traced in some manner.
Given that the academy's security measures would have been triggered by conventional means of infiltration, and given that this caper is best conducted with discretion, a warp stone was our only viable means of entry.
The random nature of warping, his bane, the now-departed guard we had appeared in front of, became a victim of his own ill-luck.
'Well, my love, you know what we're here for. Lead the way.' Scanning the vicinity, I attempt to determine our approximate location within the campus. Though the towering architecture of the buildings around us provide clues, as I've never explored this section of the academy, it takes me some time to relate our surroundings to my recollection of the maps Rachel had readied for me.
It would seem we arrived in a mortal residential sector. From here to the main campus is no short trek. Though perhaps, luck is on my side. Security should be relatively relaxed in this area. That guard must have offended some deity of fortune for him to be so accursed as to be on patrol in the exact location of our arrival. This campus is the size of a small city. The mortal residential zones usually go unprotected. For that man to be here, I can only assume some malevolent power coveted his head.
'Follow me.' As I begin to move forward, Huntress speeds towards me and links her arm with mine. Pulling my arm free from the madwoman's hold, I keep walking.
'And here I thought I was growing on you.'
She isn't.
Pausing my steps, I turn to face her. 'This should go without saying, but if we're to leave here alive, we have to go unnoticed for as long as possible. The Tower Breach might have lightened the security, but there are bound to be a few rank-four and five Tension Masters still here.'
'And it's not a good idea to get their attention. Yes, you've told me before.' Pouting her lips in a failed attempt to appear cute, Huntress whines. 'You're just no fun, you know that? Well, whatever. I'll listen to you for now, but don't be surprised if your lack of attentiveness to my needs drives me into the arms of another man.'
Circulating Tension through my body, I break into a sprint. With my enhanced hearing, I navigate through the campus, cautious to avoid the paths from which I perceive activity. Running through empty alleyways and abandoned streets, Huntress and I make our way deeper into the academy. Moving at speeds faster than the mortal eye can track, we reach the heart of the campus. Manoeuvring between two buildings forming an alley, our target comes in sight.
The Forge.
An imposing structure of black stone; the many rectangular faces of the palace jut forward. Forming its dominating maw, the entrance to the building protrudes further than its sides. Atop the base of the structure, a pyramid. Each layer of the edifice, smaller yet somehow more resplendent. At its peak, in place of a tip, the building wears a crown of gold adorned with jewels.
Though constructed for many uses, its primary purpose, the function it serves from which it derives its name is to forge.
Each level of the titan structure boasts a laboratory of incomparable design. Equipped with facilities decades beyond all competition, the innovations produced within are known to be the envy of the most prominent clans, sects, and guilds.
Replete with resources found only in the most generous of Tower floors, if there is a more desirable target for this night's activities, I am unaware of it.
With girlish laughter, Huntress orbits around me, hopping up and down as she does. With each full rotation, I catch the glimpse of her demented smile. If she could see the face behind my mask, I doubt she would act in such a jovial manner.
'This is going to be so much fun!' Grabbing her arm, I pull Huntress to my chest and hold my hand over her mouth.
'There are five guards over there. Two of whom are true rank-three Tension Masters. Contain yourself. Surprise is our most valuable asset.' Feeling the puckering of lips and the dampness of her tongue on my palm, I release my hold.
'I can't say I disliked that. No. I think I quite enjoy it when you're a little bit rough with me. You're so serious though. I prefer my boys to have a bit of a playful side.' Ignoring her absurdity, I turn my attention to the five guards in front of the Forge.
There's no other entry point except for the one ahead. From the energy radiating from two of the guards, there's no question as to their status as rank-three Tension Masters. Even still, if taken unprepared, it should be relatively simple to dispatch them quickly. They shouldn't be able to detect my presence while I'm wearing my mask. Even if they could, they have no reason to suspect I'm anything other than a wandering student, somehow exempt from the Tension beast suppression effort.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Fury ignites in my blood as my thoughts are cut short by the frenzied sprint of a madwoman towards the five Tension Masters guarding the Forge. With two knives in her hands, Huntress rapidly approaches the guards. Flinging her blades at two of the men, a soft thud carried by the wind reaches my ears. To the sound of manic laughter, the two guards fall, the hilt of Huntress' knives protruding from their heads.
You lunatic! What have you done?
Forced by circumstances, I charge towards the three remaining guards. Leaping to the side, I narrowly avoid a torrent of translucent spears rocketing towards where I had just been. With a wave of my hand, I retaliate with three spears of my own, targeted at a single guard. In an impressive display of Tension Control, the guard layers five barriers together, neutralising my attack.
'Isn't this way more fun than what you had planned?' Singing her delight, Huntress throws knife after knife towards our opponents. They bounce harmlessly, repelled by the guards' defensive Arts.
Instinctively, I pool Tension into my lower back. Cancelling the Art before it forms, I come back to my senses. My tentacles, unique in this region to me, would no doubt reveal my identity.
Behind my mask, I grit my teeth.
Shit.
In a continued exchange of attacks, the battle rages on. Though in my mind, I'm aware that not much time has passed, each second of this conflict stretches out into eternity.
Corruption accumulating through my continuous use of Tension, I probe my body and determine I have fewer than twelve Arts remaining.
It seems I don't have a choice.
Surging Tension through my arms and into my hand, I allow the tide of energy to carve internal patterns within my limbs. Dark-blue fur materialises over the back of my hands, and my nails elongate and harden into claws. Though covered by a mask, I feel my teeth grow into fangs. Like the irritation of a head infested with lice, the sensation of my rapidly growing hair fills my consciousness. In less than a heartbeat's time, my usual raven-black hair dyes a deep blue and runs down my shoulders and back.
Vicious arcs of electricity course over my body. Channelling the energy to my fingers, I release a searing bolt of lightning directed at one of the guards. Foolishly, he attempts to block the attack by once again layering barriers. His efforts are futile, the lightning shatters his defences and burns a hole through his chest.
'Now we're talking!' Morphing her features to mimic the appearance of a snake, Huntress slithers towards a fleeing enemy. Breathing purple fumes from her mouth, the man engulfed in toxic smoke corrodes until nothing remains of him but a pool of frothing reddish liquid on the ground.
With his allies dispensed with, the final guard attempts to surrender. Disregarding his pleas for mercy, I dash towards him, grip his throat between my claws, and pull. Gushing from the cavity below his jaw, the man's blood spills from his neck and stains my hand red. Releasing my hold of the man, he drops to the floor, dead.
Dispelling the manifestation, my nails and fangs retract, and fur evaporates from my hands. Walking towards me, Huntress retakes her human appearance. With a curtsy she lifts her skirt before raising her head, smile locked on her mouth.
'Wasn't that fun, my love?' With our battle undoubtedly noticed, I ignore her words.
I walk through the open mouth of the building. Reaching the door, I turn the handle. It opens. With the sound of Huntress scurrying behind me, I walk through the colossal halls of the ground floor. Locating a metal door, I open it to find the stairs to the basement of the Forge exactly where Rachel had told me it would be.
Walking down the long, marble staircase, I arrive in a subterranean foyer. Looking around, I see no sign of the hallway purported to lead into the Forge's storage.
Did she make a mistake? This isn't the layout I memorised. I don't have time for this. Even with the academy's limited security, it won't take long before the rank-four and five experts remaining on campus show up. If I'm still here when that happens, I might not be able to escape.
Walking to the far side of the hallway, I examine with my palms the wall that shouldn't exist.
'There's isn't anything down here, Reaper! I'm not going to be the one to tell mummy dearest that I wasted a warp stone for nothing.'
'Shut up. I'm thinking.' Returning my focus to the wall, I block out the obscenities spewing from Huntress' mouth. Feeding Tension through my hands, I close my eyes and see a web of energy running through the wall.
So it's like that?
Delicately, I probe the web. With my internal senses, I scrutinize its design. Sending a stream of energy into the wall, I disentangle portions of the web, just as Father taught me. Taking care to avoid pitfalls, I exploit the lock's imperfect composition. With a final tug, the web unravels.
Churning from within, the barrier before me lowers into the ground. Lips tug to a smile as the storeroom greets my eyes. Rows of shelves line the room. On each shelf, a collection of materials of varying worth. Taking no further time to marvel at my gains, I turn my head towards the woman standing beside me.
'Split up. Grab what you can. We can't stay here for long.' Uncaring for her reply, I enter the storeroom. Shovelling random treasures into my satchel, I wait until I'm sure that Huntress is out of view before retrieving my spatial storage ring from around my neck.
Engulfing the shelves around me with a green mist, I plunder everything I see, uncaring of what it is. What's most important right now is taking what I can and getting out of here. Conscious of my time restraints, I forgo deeper exploration of the extensive warehouse and return to the entrance.
With a satchel as hefty as my own, Huntress joins me. Together we make our way up the staircase and towards the exit of the Forge. We Burst through the same door we had entered from. Our escape, however, is halted.
As if the sky had fallen on my back, an irresistible weight bears down, forcing me to my arms and knees. With all my strength, I'm only able to move my head up to see a man standing, arms crossed, in thin air.
Lucas XI.
Shit.
'Did you really think you could pillage Sapphire Academy and leave here alive?' With all the Tension raging through me, I strain against the Art pinning me to the ground.
Nothing.
'I'll admit that it was clever to attack while we're somewhat distracted. I can't blame you for taking opportunities when they arise. Even still, this is as far as you go.'
'You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!' Huntress' words met with a chuckle, the force of gravity surrounding us increases. The concrete cracks along my arms and knees. No longer able to even look up, I spew blood from my mouth through my mask as I feel my organs, unable to bear the strain they're under.
Groaning under the pressure, my mind races to find an escape.
Nothing!
Nothing!
Nothing!
Lucas is a rank-five Tension master. The peak of the mortal world. To compare my power to his is to compare an ocean to a single glass of water. The only reason I'm not already dead is that he hasn't yet decided to kill me.
It's over...
No!
Am I not the one who will stand above all others? Can I allow myself to be killed by a man who is yet to even surpass the mortal realms?
Never!
Tension burns through my arms. I form the pathways to my hands and morph my body into a hybrid form of the Three-Eyed Lightning Wolf. Fortifying myself with electricity, I claw the concrete beneath me and strain against the gravity above.
Pushing my muscles beyond their capacity, slowly, I lift myself from my knees and stand to my feet. Facing the monster floating in the sky, I channel energy through both of my arms and release a stream of lightning in his direction.
With a single hand, he blocks my attack.
His laughter follows.
'That was very impressive. Maybe with another hundred years of cultivation, you'll be my opponent. Sadly, we'll never get to find out.'
Unable to maintain my Art, I revert to my human form. I crash to my knees.
No…
In the distance I see it.
Tearing through the sky at inconceivable speeds, a monstrous winged serpent soars towards our location. With an almighty roar, the monster shatters an invisible barrier above the academy. Eclipsing the moon above, the serpent hovers in the air. Atop the beast's head, a young girl drenched in blood. From the snake that she rides, and the rank-five aura emanating from her being, there's no question in my mind as to her identity. It could be none other than…
The Dread Mother.