They all began to walk forward. Kinae slid a mag into each of her twin automatic pistols, twirling them around and holstering them on her hips. Joker opened a small portal by his head, looking into it checking his tools inside; nodding for an all clear. Fren opened his hoodie slightly, looking inside and checking the vials inside, smiling with excitement. Netz wrung his fingers around, forming his black webs with a creepy, toothy smile. Terra adjusted the collar of his shirt, then tugged on the holster for his bat to adjust it. Finally, Celeste pulled down on her glove, tightening it, and staring forward with a glimmer of fight in her glowing eyes.

From the dock, a single man in a suit was looking out towards the ocean and smoking, letting out a long puff of smoke from his mouth as he pulled the cigarette away. He faintly heard the sound of footsteps. One pair. Two pairs. Three pairs. He gulped, slowly turning his head towards them while a hand rested on the revolver on his hip. It's then that he noticed who they were. Plague Doctors. Trying to quick draw his gun, just as he undid the holster, a single black line shot out towards him, cutting his arm off from the shoulder. His eyes shakily looked down at his now missing appendage, seeing blood shoot out in spurts from the severed veins. Letting out one last attempt to scream, the same black string tied around his head, covering it from the scalp to the chin, keeping any sound silenced.

"It looks like they only had one guard tonight." Netz said with a smile, tossing the man into the ocean with a flick of his arm. "Are they that bold?"

He turned to Terra, who was frozen in shock from seeing the man killed so easily, before shaking his head and gulping the anxiety back. "N-No... Usually they have half a dozen men out here at least. There must be some sort of meeting in there or something."

"It could be a trap." Celeste chimed in, looking around suspiciously. "They like to fight unexpectedly, if his story is true."

"Oh, oh! Let me scout ahead!"

The three of them turned to Kinae, watching her practically jittering in excitement for danger. Then, turned to each other, and shrugged.

"YIPPEE!!!"

The shrug was all she needed, sliding a neon-magenta and green respirator over her face and running forward, carefully tip-toeing and hopping around the dock as she notices traps. Just as she makes it to the end, she waves to them.

"There's tripwires along the dock! Watch out, or you may be blown up or something!"

Joker looked at the rest of the group, then opened a portal next to him, sliding into it. At the same time, a portal appeared next to Kinae, where he slid out of and faked wiping sweat off of his forehead.

"Phew... That was tricky as hell."

Fren groaned, walking across the dock carefully, taking big steps between the wires. "Mierda... Just my luck, eh? Tripwires on a thin bridge."

Seeing this, Terra looked over at Celeste, with eyes that said "Is there anything you can do?"

All she did was glare down at him back.

Letting out a sigh, he joined Fren in crossing the dock. Just as he began, both her and Netz jumped across, swiftly hopping across the poles connecting the dock to the ocean's floor. Terra growled under his breath, beginning to speed up and pass Fren.

"I have to prove myself... I have to prove myself..." he thought, paving his way through the dock with haste.

On the other side, a group of four Suits began to step out from the main entrance of the frigate, seeing Joker and Kinae.

"What the—?!" one gasped out, then pulling out an SMG swiftly, "PLAGUE DOCTORS!!"

All of them one by one whipped out their firearms, pointing at the two of them. Playing along, Kinae and Joker raised their hands, as if to surrender.

"Don't shoot!" Kinae cried out, seemingly sobbing immediately, "I'm just a girl! I have my whole life ahead of meeee!!"

The Suits pulled the trigger down, but all they were met with was the metallic clicking. Jammed. They froze in place, stepping back in fear. Kinae's sobbing then turned into laughter, looking at them while wiping the tears away.

"Ahhh man, that never gets old! Coooooome to mama!" she announced, raising a finger. Just as she did, all of their guns barreled toward her, and Joker opened a portal as they approached, sealing all of their weapons away.

Joker grinned, swishing his cane back and forth as he approached the Suits. "That's awfully unfortunate for y'all, isn't it?" he teased, before suddenly dashing forward and hooking one with the top of the cane around his neck, pulling him down into a heavy knee right to the face, knocking him out instantly with a broken nose. One on the left went for a hook to Joker's jaw, but was met with a volley of bullets from Kinae, who was giving him covering fire. The Suit fell to the ground, bleeding out.

"Aha, thanks for the support sis."

"Nooooo problem!~" she chirped out, blowing the smoke out from the ends of the barrels.

The other two Suits were frightened, stepping back in fear, but were stopped by the silhouette of Celeste, who grabbed one by the neck and crushed it instantly. The other let out a scream, trying to jump into the water as a last ditch effort.

Just as Terra had made it across the bridge, the Suit shoved him out of the way, leaping into the ocean. Before he could react though, Celeste raised her hand, making it resemble a finger gun as a bright red light began to glow around her finger tip.

"Ciao." Celeste simply muttered out, blasting the Suit with a flare of flames. His charred corpse let out one last gasp of air, before sinking into the ocean. A red flame still lingered on his body as he sunk, making a scarlet light slowly fade into the dark.

Terra watched in shock, stumbling back on to his feet. He quickly turned his head to Celeste, blinking twice.

"That fire... stayed lit in the water...?"

Celeste walked away, and towards the entrance of the frigate, seemingly not hearing his question. It was clear she was determined to complete the mission. Fren, who just made it through the tripwires, patted Terra on the shoulder with empathy.

"Don't worry niño" he said with an understanding sigh, "She's always like this on missions. More than anything, she wants to rid the world of the Plague for good."

Terra grimaced, shaking his head. "I've always heard stories about Plague Doctors, but this amount of gore is crazy..."

"Scared of a little blood, eh?"

"No. Just blindsided."

They followed the rest of the group into the frigate; the giant rusted metal doors closing behind them with a loud echoey creak. Then, all light left the inside as it finally slammed shut.

. . .

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

With a single light coming from the lighter Celeste was holding up, the group traversed the molded halls. It was clearly waterlogged, but seemed to be slowly and surely getting repaired by the drug-dealing residents. Rust coated the grated floor and algae was along the hallway itself, painting it a dreary orange and green that was if nature had took over this boat. Water dripped from the ceiling and on to the floor, breaking the silence along with the footsteps walking along. Dark. Darker. Darker. And darker. Even the lighter couldn't illuminate clear enough for them all to see.

"Kinae." Celeste simply said like a demand, prompting the energetic girl to jump in response.

"Ah, right! Here!" Kinae squeaked out, handing Terra a standard-issue respirator mask. It had two filter tanks on either side of the mouth, with a triangular part that covered the mouth and nose. Quickly putting it on, Terra worryingly glanced at Kinae.

"I saw you put this on earlier in before crossing the docks. Is something up around this area here to need it?"

"Yup!" Kinae answered, pointing over to the walls, "Everywhere around here it looks like... Plague Spores are all over the place. If you breathe in too much, you'll become an Afflicted!"

Terra's eyes widened, strapping the respirator on even tighter. "Oh hell no... I'm NOT gonna be Afflicted today, no sir."

Kinae let out a laugh, walking with her hands behind her head casually.

"So... I saw everyone's powers, for the most part. You guys have some crazy Arcanes. That portal thing Joker has, your magnetic abilities, Netz's strings... I guess I just don't know what Fren or Celeste's are exactly."

"Fren? He actually used to work for a Rat a long time ago! After coming across us though, we got him to join our team. He's really sweet now! His Arcane is linked to the Plague; you'll see."

Kinae looked over at Celeste, smiling under her mask.

"As for the Captain... She's really cool! Her power is pure heat, like a star!"

"Like a star?"

Terra looked over at Celeste, staring at her as he walked behind her. He would have kept staring, if it wasn't for Kinae nosing closing to him, snapping him out of it.

"Sooooo? What's your power? You sure know a lot about ours already it looks like!" she asked, looking up at him with curiosity. Terra hesitated, scratching the back of his neck meekly.

"W-Well, you see—"

Before he could continue however, Celeste raised her hand, signalling the team to halt instantly.

"We have movement. Take cover, and wait for my signal." she ordered, prompting everyone to duck down by the walls, hiding in the shadows. From around the corner of the hall came out six Suits, noticably more Afflicted than the others outside. Speckled with mutations. One seemingly had cactus needles coming from his right side, another had half of their face covered in stone, and another... made almost completely of glass. They conversed, chatting about plans for a "brighter future for the business".

"On my mark, everyone focus one each. Use your Arcanes to confirm kills."

They got closer.

"Steady..."

Closer.

"Steady......"

Closer.

"Now."

In one fell swoop, everyone used their Arcanes at the same time, causing a bright flash of light to fill the hall for just a moment. Black string cut one Suit into ribbons, flames set another ablaze until all that was left but ash, metal crushed the next from the metal floor, and two more were each knocked right upside the head by Fren and Joker alike, killing them instantly.

Everyone let out a sigh, looking at the carnage they caused. As Fren went to wipe his sweat however, another Suit suddenly jumped out from the dark, going to stab him in the stomach.

"Huh?!" Fren gasped out, not having any time to react. Just before the blade could puncture him however, the metallic clang filled the area. He opened his eyes, seeing Terra right after swinging full force against the adversary.

He was panting. His face, covered in the blood that shot from the Suit's scalp. Shaking, he watched the man on the ground closely.

"Terra..." Fren mumbled out, grinning. "You saved my life. Thank you, niño...!"

"Don't... Don't mention it."

He was still shaken, but finally snapped out of his instinctive trance, stepping back. Just as he did however, a sharp black string pierced through the Suit's head, killing him instantly. Seeing that made Terra stumble back, quickly looking at Netz in shock.

"W-Why?! He was out cold!!"

"We leave no survivors if they're Afflicted. No chances." Netz simply replied, grinning sadistically, and pulling his string back into his hand.

Terra panted, trying to regain his breath from the jump of violence. His nerves itched, making him scratch his arm anxiously.

"Just how brutal are these people...?!" he thought, looking down at the executed man across from him. Celeste passed by Terra, tapping his shoulder.

"You. Why didn't you use your Arcane?" she asked, staring at him with piercing daggers for eyes. "I said to use it when I told you to. We almost lost Fren because of your negligence."

Terra snapped.

"You didn't let me tell you sooner...! I don't have an Arcane!!"

Everyone collectively stopped and looked at him, flabbergasted. He stared back one by one at the team, his expression showing fear despite his outburst.

"I... I don't have an Arcane... I tried to tell you all, but whenever I was about to—"

"What the fuck you talking about?!" Joker yelled out, shoving him against the wall. "What the fuck do you mean you don't have a goddamn Arcane?! Everyone does!! It's part of your soul, y'hear me?!"

Terra shivered, looking down.

"Did you never unlock that shit?! You were put through a near death experience, and you're telling me you never got it?!"

Fren stepped forward, suddenly separating the two harshly. His eyes were brimming with a bright orange light, staring down Joker with a defensive anger.

"Maldito!! Get your hands off of him! He saved my life! Chúpamelo!!" he yelled out, poking Joker's sternum repeatedly, before Celeste stepped forward and stared at the three of them. Her eyes were cold.

"He's a danger to himself, us, and this mission." she simply stated. "Terra. Leave, now. You will only get in the way."

"Only get in the way...?!"

Terra grimaced with frustration, shaking his head.

"I'm not going anywhere. What'll that make me if you all shove me to the side, huh? Over some shitty magic?!"

He grabbed his bat and rested it on his shoulder, storming away.

"I don't want to be scared. I don't want to be dragged around on a leash to get by anymore. I'm going to prove myself worth the trouble. You understand?!"

As he stomped away however, he had stepped on a thin— almost invisible— tripwire at the end of the hall. His eyes widened, stepping back slightly, as the sound of mechanical cogs filled the hall. Turning. Cranking. Rust breaking off as the machine began to spin again. Everyone looked around, keeping an eye out for anything appearing from the walls. The ceiling. No, just one had thought to look down.

Terra's eyes widened, looking back at the team with a silent anxiety.

"Don't... move..." Netz demanded, looking around for a way to escape the contraption, wherever it was. Just as he began to search however, a Suit had appeared from behind the corner of the hall, seeing the Plague Doctors. Pulling the hammer back on his revolver, the click made Terra snap his attention towards the Afflicted man.

Bang.

A shot echoed throughout the hall, but as the team recoiled from the sound, not one of them was hit. Terra, last minute, had jumped in the way of the bullet, taking the hit for Celeste. Blood leaked from his arm as he let out a cry of pain.

Before anyone could react however, the floor suddenly slid down into a ramp, sending them all tumbling and barreling down in pitch black darkness. The sounds of flesh, pounding against the metal trapdoor. As they all grunted, screamed, or cursed out in anger, it all seemed to wind back and forth like a pipeline.

After what felt like an eternity falling, a glimmer of light finally formed at the horizon of the darkness. It grew brighter. More, and more. Finally, the whole team was blinded by the sight of a metal platform, surrounded by water, and elevated enough to keep them afloat. They fell from the pipe, slamming into the platform with heavy thuds, one by one.

"Shit!!" Joker cried out, slamming on to the ground head first, flopping over. Right after came Kinae, who landed on his ribs.

"Ouch!!! Are you alright bro?!" she asked, looking down at him while still sitting on his torso.

Netz and Celeste tumbled down, catching themselves just barely before landing. Fren and Terra followed just behind, though both of them collapsed like dead weight.

Immediately getting up to his feet, Fren looked over at Terra, seeing the wound on his arm still leaking. With a worried look in his eyes, he crouched down quickly, helping Terra up to his feet.

"Are you alright, niño?"

Terra let out a growl, breathing heavily as he looked at his arm.

"It's not the first time I've been shot at..." he said with a chuckle, "Though, it's definitely not a good feeling still."

Netz walked up to Terra, gripping his ear with a pissed off eyebrow raise.

"Owowow!! Hey!! What the—?!"

"What did I say about staying on the tripwire?! You had one job, you frog." he said through his gritted teeth. "Now look what happened... Where are we?"

They all looked around, checking their surroundings. All around the lit platform was pitch black darkness, with the gentle sound of water sloshing around them. All was silent for a moment... until a voice boomed from a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome, to the abode of the greatest Plague Transporter in the world... Me."

Suddenly, all of the darkness was broken by a flash of light; spotlights lit all around the ceiling, blinding the Plague Doctors.

"You...!" Terra growled out, staring up at the wall across from him. He stepped forward away from Fren, pointing his bat up at him with fury in his eyes.

"That's right! Me." the Suit said with a grin, the light shining off of his familiar waxed bald head and sunglasses. The ring of lights revealed the spectators. Afflicted, forming a ring around the walls to cheer on their entertainment below on the platform.

"The Debt Collector. The Oversees Plague himself: Basilis. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."