Daniel surveyed his followers, and although no one explicitly agreed with Elijah's challenge to Daniel, no one challenged him or disagreed. They stood there in silence.
"So through that portal is a mercenary." Daniel pointed at the island's center. "A mercenary that's so powerful it will be able to do our bidding without putting ourselves at risk. And it completely absolves us of any trace. We can send in this warrior and just sit back at my house and relax. Meanwhile, it could do a job like the Hartsera Central Bank, enter the vaults, and even protect itself if needed and come away with a fortune. And if anyone can stop the mercenary, which I don't think is possible, he will not be able to communicate a thing. He will do our bidding to the word. We just have to go through that pit and send out a beam of iox magic. While this is new to me, it will work," Daniel said.
Elijah furrowed his brow. "If it's new to you, how can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm using a book that has not led me astray once during my journeys and explorations," Daniel said, sharp and firm.
"Can we see this book?" Elijah said with attitude.
"No. You can't, but that's because I don't have it with me. It is the book on iox magic and its history. People will say it's all mythological, but it's not." Daniel's voice calmed down. "Please, I would like to go to this portal now so we can stop wasting time and start earning the wealth I promised you all. Unless you have any other questions?"
No one responded, and Elijah shook his head but sighed.
"Let's go then." Daniel stepped down to the bottom of the bowl-shaped island, everyone else followed behind him and let him lead the way.
Although it was challenging to navigate the steep slope, everyone managed to descend safely without any falls. Once they reached the bottom, the terrain became flat and easy to traverse. Upon arriving at the circular divot, a soft white glow emanated from the center, accompanied by a veil of fog.
"I know it might seem scary, but don't worry. I'm going to hop inside the hole first. All of you will join in after me, but Jonathan will be the last one here just to make sure everyone has entered," Daniel said.
The group exchanged uneasy glances before ultimately agreeing with Daniel's suggestion.
"Very good. I'm going to go first." Daniel turned around and approached the white entry, he stared at it for a moment, there was no sound coming from it like he had suspected. The whole island was silent at the bottom of the bowl. No sound of any birds and no sound of any waves. Daniel took a deep breath, hoping to calm his slight tremble, but the anticipation of what lay beyond the portal excited him too much. He vaulted inside, feet first, and disappeared through.
They all paused and gazed at the gateway. There was no splash or anything that came up from it. It was as if it was untouched.
"Okay, let's keep it moving. Who's next?" Jonathan asked.
"I am," Patrick said as he moved forward. Without taking much time, he jumped into the portal.
Everyone else followed, but Hawthorne and Elijah hesitated the most before jumping through.
Jonathan was the last to approach the portal, and he took the longest before holding his breath and plunging through.
Upon crossing the threshold, a shared, paradoxical sensation gripped each of them. The bizarre sensation of their skin simultaneously seething and freezing made the passage feel like they were walking through a spectral doorway. Emerging from the other side, they stood before an infinite, white void stretching out in an arch behind them.
Their surroundings had morphed into a solemn stone chamber, which was seemingly carved from the bowels of the earth. Its only centerpiece was a mysterious shrine that stood majestically in the heart of the room. Absent were any doors or corridors that might hint at an exit; instead, the room was home to seven stone spheres intricately connected to an imposing, humanoid figure.
Towering over them, the figure stretched to an imposing height of at least 12 feet. Crafted from the same smooth, pale stone as the rest of the chamber, the figure was intentionally left devoid of elaborate details. Yet, it was sculpted skillfully enough to depict a pair of hands, broad shoulders, and muscular legs. The sheer simplicity of its form was its greatest charm, emphasizing the raw power that radiated from its stony physique.
"As you can all see, we just need an iox bolt per person to aim and shoot at one of the seven orbs. And then, we free our mercenary who will do our bidding," Daniel said.
"And what exactly is our bidding?" Elijah asked. "And why weren't we warned ahead of time of the pain we all just went through. Did no one else feel their skin burn for a flash of a second?"
"Before you accuse me of withholding information, I didn't even know it would feel like that. Had I known, I would have warned you all." Daniel shrugged.
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"Fine! But answer my question, what is our bidding? How are we going to use the mercenary?" Elijah demanded.
Daniel took a deep breath. "I know we're all eager to know, and we might be afraid of what's to come when we unlock this mercenary, but just know that I have a brilliant plan. Once we unlock our friend here, we will send him to Attleton and wreak havoc on one of the empty campus buildings. Our friend will not stop his destruction until he is paid off handsomely. At which point, he will return to us at my island home."
Everyone paused.
"So that's your plan?" Elijah asked.
"Yes. Since we know the ins and outs of Attleton thanks to Jonathan, this is our best plan, especially since that school has an insane reservoir of money. Really it's a victimless crime. What are they doing with that money? Certainly not using it for the students." Daniel folded his arms. "Just like any institution, there's a layer of greed, and that's what we are taking advantage of -their own corruption. Not to mention it is currently spring break on campus, there won't be nearly as many students around, not even teachers. No one will be harmed."
Elijah wrinkled his nose. "I'm sure those funds are going somewhere eventually, maybe Jonathan isn't privy to all those discussions. But nevertheless, I'm surprised that's the plan."
"Oh? Why is that?" Daniel tilted his head.
"I don't know, I guess I was expecting something a little more grandiose. This just feels like the bank job but a little more immoral." Elijah scoffed.
"Hardly immoral. They're sitting on a mountain of money. They can spare some of it, and maybe it will teach them to act with some urgency for once. What's here today isn't always there tomorrow."
"I don't know, it still seems weak to me that we are preying on a school that-"
"Enough!" Daniel shouted.
Everyone pretended to stare at the ground, but Jonathan was watching.
"I'm so sick of answering all of these questions," Daniel said calmly. "Just follow my instruction, and everything will be okay. Why even be here if you're going to insult and delay the process for everyone else? You're impeding yourself as well! Have I lied to any of you so far? No! I've always been truthful. None of you have been seriously hurt, and especially after unlocking our mercenary, we will be far from danger. Now, I will assign each of you a circle to aim at. I will aim at the top center." Daniel gave everyone their mark. "And it's as simple as shooting off an iox bolt. That's all we have to do. Are there any questions at all?"
No one said anything.
"We shall go from left to right. Begin!" Daniel clapped, and the sound echoed wildly.
Patrick was the first to shoot an iox bolt all the way to the left. He struck the sphere with perfect aim, but a string of light reached out to him from the globe and held his hand in place. Although Patrick was anchored and practically frozen, he didn't say anything. The stone glowed a bright white while the rest remained gray.
"Why can't he move?" Elijah asked.
"Elijah! It's part of the process, I too will be frozen!" Daniel snapped.
Elliot was next, following Hawthorne.
Daniel was the one to go in the middle, and then it was Richmond.
Elijah was second from last and paused after Richmond was done.
"What's going on, Elijah? Don't hold up this process any further, we've all been working very hard for months on this project!" Daniel shouted. Although Daniel couldn't move, he could still talk.
"Come on, man, you can do it, it's not that bad," Richmond said politely.
But Elijah remained firm as he squinted at the orb.
"Elijah, please," Jonathan began, "we are about to unlock a great power and use it for the benefit that we've worked so hard for. Don't worry, all of our plans are well thought out and crafted. I know there was some weariness about the Attleton plan, but it has been discussed at tremendous length. Everything we've done has been perfectly constructed, you, of all people, should know that with how well the bank mission went."
Taking a deep breath, Elijah aimed his palm at the second to last sphere and shot off his iox bolt, striking the target in the center.
Jonathan smiled and was the last to take aim and shoot an iox bolt.
A stream of white light flowed from each sphere into the massive humanoid figure. The chamber shook like an earthquake, but nothing fell and crumbled except the stone over the bust. It cracked and crunched, black lines covering the figure.
Daniel howled with laughter as the stone chipped away, revealing a purple-plated armor, but once the hands became free, everyone could see the lava-like texture from the fingers. Finally, the dome of the stone figure blasted open, revealing a head made of lava and an active flame at the top like a head of hair. A scowling face made of bright yellow emerged from the lava dripping from the front.
"Marauder! You have been freed once again!" Daniel screamed.
The white stream of light from the spheres disappeared, and everyone was once again free. Elijah, Hawthorne, and Richmond took a few steps back.
"Is that... The great... The mythological... Molten Marauder?" Elliot asked.
Daniel responded with a nod. They were captivated by the mythological warrior standing before them. The Molten Marauder also inspected each person in the chamber.
The Molten Marauder focused on Daniel and pointed at him. "This entity possesses a power of impressive magnitude." The Molten Marauder's voice was far deeper than any voice they had ever heard, even from a gargoyle.
Daniel was starstruck. His lips fumbled as he tried to form words. "I'm so flattered to hear that. It truly means a lot coming from a legend such as yourself."
The Molten Marauder continued to stare. "Undoubtedly, you must be the orchestrator, the preeminent authority in this assembly."
"Yes, That is correct. These are my disciples," Daniel said.
The Molten Marauder bowed his head. "I deem you worthy of my unwavering allegiance and dedicated service."
Daniel beamed. No one had ever seen him so happy before. "This is a tremendous honor and a dream come true. I have an objective I'd like for you to help us with."
"Listening."
"We need you to go to Attleton, the school filled with mages. We need you to cause as much destruction on the campus as possible. Do not hurt anyone unless you're in immediate danger. And do not leave until you are paid at least $7 million."
The Molten Marauder bowed his head once.
"So that means you can do it?"
"Yes. And after payment is received?"
"Meet me at my island, it's located on The Manticore Rock. Do you know where that is?"
The Molten Marauder bowed again.
"I have a mansion there!" Daniel said. "You can't miss it. It's near the center of the island. I shall meet you there. Please, feel free to go to Attleton now and meet me back at the island whenever you can."
The Molten Marauder took a step forward and spread its wings made of drooping lava. It floated off the ground as the wings slowly flapped. Hovering ahead, the Molten Marauder disappeared through the wall, a wave of heat was felt by everyone as he passed.