Kintovar's heart pounded in her chest. She stood face to face with this mysterious doppelganger of Roselle. She couldn't comprehend the unnatural power that had brought this entity into existence. The girl's appearance mirrored that of her beloved creation, but there was something fundamentally wrong about her.
"I saw when the people dropped from the sky," the person began speaking, "and they made a hole in the barrier. The CPU captured two of them, but the others remain hidden. I am the Dark whirlwind, the Ruler of Jancito above anyone else, and whatever I say goes."
Kintovar's brows furrowed in confusion.
The dark whirlwind continued. "You, in particular, seem to resemble a scientist we have a 'special connection' to."
Before Kintovar could react, the dark whirlwind reached out and grabbed onto her hair. She released a surge of dark energy around her. Kintovar's body tensed, and she found herself nearly immobilized.
"I can barely move," Kintovar muttered to herself. "But I can still draw my Bg-356 if it comes down to it." She shifted her focus to the device on her side which could summon the weapon of immense power that had served her well in the past.
The Dark Whirlwind's eyes gleamed with sinister intent. "I'm going to dispose of all of you who don't know your place," she declared.
A beam of dark energy formed at the tip of the Dark Whirlwind's finger and shot toward Kintovar. The scientist braced herself, but just before the beam could hit, her image flickered and vanished, leaving a small holographic device in her place. The beam struck the device, shattering it into pieces.
The Dark Whirlwind's eyes widened in surprise. She scanned the rooftop, searching for any sign of Kintovar. "Clever," she muttered to herself. "They have no magical energy, so I can't detect them. But I would see if they leave the rooftop."
Kintovar, hidden in the shadows, watched the Dark Whirlwind from her new vantage point. Her heart raced, but she knew she needed to stay calm. She quickly assessed her options.
The Dark Whirlwind began to pace the rooftop. "You can't hide forever," she hissed. "I'll find you, and when I do, you'll regret ever crossing me."
Kintovar, hidden behind a ventilation shaft, clicked a button on her belt to trigger her skyborne bombs. They materialized in the air above the Dark Whirlwind, precisely where Kintovar had pre-determined. With a swift command, she ordered them to drop and bombard her adversary.
The Dark Whirlwind glanced up with a smirk playing on her lips. She formed a black aura barrier around herself. "Weak," she muttered disdainfully.
The bombs exploded in a dazzling display of fire and shrapnel, but the barrier remained intact, untouched by the assault. Seizing the moment of distraction, Kintovar darted forward, drawing her Bg-356. She aimed the weapon and fired, unleashing a giant beam of concentrated energy at the Dark Whirlwind.
The beam collided with the barrier, shattering it in a burst of light and energy. Yet, the Dark Whirlwind stood unphased. She seemed almost bored. "Impressive. Your technological advancements are notable, but that's the limitation of its power, isn't it?"
Kintovar growled, unable to refute the truth in her enemy's words. The Bg-356 was her most powerful weapon, and it had failed to harm the Dark Whirlwind.
"Defeating the headmaster and the mages was one thing," she mumbled. "But this... this is a whole different battlefield. I don’t have any data on this enemy to use against them…"
Dark Whirlwind's form grew taller and the darkness swirled around her, Kintovar felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Tell me who you are and where the rest of your friends are," Dark Whirlwind demanded.
Kintova struggled against the dark energy that bound her, but replied, "Before I answer your questions, I need to know why you look like Roselle. She's one of my creations."
Dark Whirlwind repeated the name "Roselle" and seemed to remember something. She shrank back down to her previous size.
"I see… so you are Varta Kintovar….You're a fool, just like your mother," Dark Whirlwind said with disdain. "I thought it would be your father who made it back alive, but this changes things."
Kintovar’s looked at them with confusion. "What do you mean? Who are you?"
But before she could receive any answers, Dark Whirlwind retreated, vanishing into the swirling darkness as abruptly as she had appeared, leaving Kintovar with more questions than answers.
Dark Whirlwind echoed one last time while fading into the shadows. "I'll be back, Kintovar."
Kintovar was left in stunned silence, wondering how this being knew her name without her ever mentioning it. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a faint noise behind her. Turning around, she was met with the sight of a CPU agent moving stealthily towards the rooftop.
The CPU agents reached the rooftop, they fanned out, their weapons at the ready. The leader of the team stepped forward and pointed his weapon at Kintovar.
"The description matches perfectly," the leader said. "Varta Kintovar, you are under arrest for involvement with criminal activities. What was your meeting with the Dark Whirlwind about?!"
Kintovar's eyes narrowed. "This is not how things are done. You can't arrest me without proper evidence."
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"Your answers are unsatisfactory," the leader snapped. "We’re taking you in."
Kintovar smirked, her hand moving subtly to her belt. "I don’t think so."
In an instant, she triggered her skyborne bombs. The leader's eyes widened in realization. "Oh shi—"
The bombs went off, engulfing the rooftop in a series of explosions. When the smoke and debris settled, the CPU agents found nothing but the remnants of the blasts. Kintovar was gone.
ne member of the CPU team, his voice shaky from the recent explosions, turned to the leader. "How do we proceed from here?"
The leader's face was stern. "We have to inform the public Varta Kintovar is now a prime suspect in our case. She has connections to the Dark Whirlwind and is involved in activities that threaten our safety."
Another agent chimed in with tenseness. "Should we issue a warrant for her arrest?"
The leader nodded. "Yes, and increase security measures around the city. She’s dangerous and resourceful. Make sure everyone knows that Kintovar is not to be underestimated."
Meanwhile:
The elevator doors closed with a soft whoosh.Alden, Roselle, Risebelle, Runebelle, Becky, and Sybil stood among mages. Their presence drew curious glances and whispered conversations from those around them. "Should've taken the stairs, huh?" Becky grinned mischievously, earning a few chuckles from the nearby mages.
On the other hand, Sybil felt overwhelmed by the close proximity of so many people. She clung to Becky for support.
A sudden explosion rocked the entire hotel, causing the elevator to shudder and lights to flicker. The mages inside exchanged alarmed glances. The shockwaves from the blast went through the building.
Roselle clutched onto Risebelle’s arm. "What was that? Is everyone okay?"
Runebelle looked upwards, "I hope nothing bad happened up there to Kintovar..."
The elevator finally reached the 5th floor. Some of the mages inside began to speak their concerns.
“I-I don’t think we should go to our rooms anymore. Let’s head back to a different hotel guys.”
Risebelle, however, stepped forward with a glare. “Hell no. We're not going down," she stated firmly. "We're going to the roof."
The mages gasped with lost words. One of them found theirs though and stammered, "You... you can't be serious! Didn’t you feel that explosion just now?! Going to the roof is crazy!"
Another mage chimed in after, "Yeah, we should just get out of here! This hotel ain’t safe no more!"
The third mage added on, "I'm with them, going to the roof is too risky!"
Becky spoke next, "Well, you see, we're on an elevator, and it's not like we can just change our minds now and magically teleport to the ground floor. We’re almost there, so, I guess the roof it is!"
Alden chimed in, "We'll make sure you're safe up there. Just stay close to us."
The elevator continued its ascent, carrying the group towards the rooftop where the mystery of the explosion awaited.
When they arrived to onto the rooftop, their eyes scanned the area, and it was immediately clear that something had occurred here. The signs of an explosion were evident in the scattered debris, scorch marks, and the remnants of a shattered door.
Alden's gaze swept over the scene. "It looks like there were more than one explosions up here," he observed. "But where's Kintovar?”
Becky responded with her hands behind her head. “Guess the doc threw a rooftop party and didn't invite us."
Sybil, on the other hand, remained on edge, darting around the rooftop nervously.
Roselle's sharp eyes caught something in a corner of the rooftop. Her instincts led her to a small, intricate device. It was a tracking device. The device had a blinking light indicating it was still active.
Roselle picked it up and turned it over in her hands. "Hey, look what I found," Roselle exclaimed, holding up the tracking device for the others to see. "I think this belongs to Dr.Kintovar. She must have dropped it here."
Alden's eyes widened. “Is that what I think it is, Roselle? The fact that it is here means that Kintovar was here, and she might still be nearby."
Risebelle snatched the device out of Roselle's hand. "Let me see that”.
Roselle raised her hands in protest, "Risebelle, you shouldn't do that!"
Ignoring her sister's warning, Risebelle examined the device, turning it over and pressing a lot of random buttons. After a few moments, she scowled. "This thing is too complicated. One of you figure it out". Risebelle threw it aside like it was trash.
Roselle's jaw dropped so low it seemed like it might hit the ground. "Risebelle! That's important!"
Runebelle caught the device with a gloomy face. She began shaking it around, trying to figure the device out.
"Wait, that's not how it works!" Roselle exclaimed.
Runebelle's frown deepened further. "I can't figure this out," she mumbled.
Alden stepped forward, taking the device gently from Runebelle's hands. "Let's not break it, alright?" He examined the device carefully, his analytical mind quickly discerning its purpose. "This looks like a sophisticated tracker….”
Risebelle's eyes suddenly lit up with realization. "Oh, wait. I remember now why that tool's pretty complicated..."
Just when spoke, the device buzzed to life in Alden's hands. Lights flickered, and a soft hum emanated from within the gadget. Alden's brow furrowed in confusion at the sudden activity. "What's going on?" he murmured.
Before anyone could answer, a feminine robotic speech came from the device itself. "Kintovar's voice not detected. Access denied."
Roselle blinked in surprise. "Did that thing just talk?"
"Yeah," Risebelle replied. “Kintovar mentioned she made some of her tech voice-activated to me before. Looks like this one needs to hear her’s to work properly."
Alden sighed in frustration. "Great. So we have a tracker, but we can't use it Kintovar being present…."
Risebelle stepped forward with her own analytical mind at work. "We need to find a way to unlock it," she said. "We have to figure out how to override it. Fortunately,” Risebelle smirked, "Runebelle and I have learned a very unique magical ability."
Alden's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "You have magical abilities?" he exclaimed. It was an unexpected revelation, given that Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle didn't possess the typical magical abilities found in this world.
Risebelle nodded. "It's not the kind of magic you mages use," she explained. "What we can use is a hacking magical ability. We use it to manipulate technology and systems. You remember that, right Roselle? When we had to disable the mana extractors in the mystical forest and thwarting the headmaster's plans."
Roselle’s mind drifted back to the stronghold of the mages in the mystical forest. The memory was vivid: towering magical devices leeching the life force from the forest itself. The headmaster's plan was insidious, draining the forest to fuel his own dark ambitions.
Risebelle and Runebelle had discovered their unique magical ability during that situation. With their hacking magic, they had managed to manipulate the mana extractors, destroying them and thwarting the headmaster’s plans.
"Yeah, I remember," Roselle said, snapping back to the present. "You two were amazing back then! We wouldn’t have saved the forest without you."
Risebelle’s smirk widened. "Well, let’s see if we can do it again."
Runebelle stepped forward. "Let's get to work," she said, though her sadness persisted.
Risebelle and Runebelle focused their magical hacking abilities on the tracking device, attempting to override its security protocols and identify Kintovar's location; however, in doing so, they were met with a powerful counterforce which pushed them back, thwarting their efforts.
Risebelle looked bewildered and frustrated. "But why?!" she shouted aloud. Their magical hacking had proven effective in the past, but now, it wasn’t working.