For the second time in recent memory Sebastian wasn’t happy with the gang. He had spoken with the gang leader about the idea of a snatch and run when one of the team was vulnerable… and then explicitly said why it was a bad idea and they had decided not to do it. He had regretted voicing the idea at all, wishing he could just take it back. He even considered killing the gang leader at the fireside but he figured he could get some more use out of the semi competent gang of idiots.
He was currently making his way back to the small town that Miss Beatrix ruled. The gang had come to him like a puppy with a chewed up toy to show proudly. They had lost four members of the gang just grabbing the big acolyte of Hero, and he wasn’t even one of the four family members! He resisted the urge to smack them on the nose and put as much distance as he could between himself and them. Rushing to report what had happened.
………
Magnus was the leader of the gang. For now. He was clinging on by his fingertips. Every decision he made around these outworlders seemed to bring him more bad luck.
One of his most useful members, known for his talents by the name ‘Breaker’ was dead.
Magnus had figured that Sebastian hadn’t taken his gang’s skills into account when he said it was a bad idea. For a smash and grab Breaker was ideal. He had a power that allowed him to move so fast, building so much power it was like he sucked a part of the world and hit another part of the world with it. His Juggernaut powers had never failed them before.
He had launched from the far side of the canyon, sprinting at the edge forming a blistering shockwave in front of him. The other six members of the gang were waiting at the edge and he drove through the middle of them. He burst into a human comet, the edge of the canyons rocks and the other gang members were picked up and were his tail. He smashed into the wall of the Mitchell team accommodation obliterating it and planning to smash the lone adventurer they had been spying on against the wall. When they all got to their feet they saw the giant bearded man standing on his feet behind a huge kite shield with its tip jammed in the floor, as he came around the shield his double headed axe smashed into Breaker in his moment of weakness after using the power and he decidedly went from breaker to broken.
It had taken the rest of them to subdue the big man losing two more in the process. The fourth gang member had been lost trying to transport the big man. They had tied him up then got out of the canyon back to the far side by magical rope powers another gang member had. As soon as they stood him up on the far side he demonstrated he wasn’t done resisting even after being soundly beaten. With wrists tied behind his back and knees and ankles bound he had surprised them with a jumping two footed kick to one of the members chest, sending her off the edge of the cliff to plummet to her death with no essence ability or item to prevent it. Magnus had demonstrated a lack of patience with one of the surviving snatch team when he joked she shouldn’t have kicked him in the balls so much when they were beating him by smacking the joker, further alienating himself as the leader.
The gang member with the rope powers had an ability that could suppress powers of another person. He had to know what the powers were and use it each time to suppress an individual power. It lasted a few hours and had around a twenty minute cool-down which meant he could use it in rotation locking down the most important powers.
Magnus was surprised and disappointed at Sebastian’s reaction when he showed him the trussed up adventurer and had been shouted at and told to run.
He had tried to convince the rest the he had a plan and they were currently racing across the rocky ground at a breakneck pace, heading to ‘somewhere’. Magnus had no idea what he was going to do when the gang realised he had no idea where he was taking them. He knew he couldn’t just dump the adventurer alive or dead he needed to salvage something from this or he would lose the gang, what remained and they would not be kind to him when they did.
………
Ragnar has been deep in prayer just before being attacked. He kept no idol or shrine to Hero when he prayed but he was becoming fast attached to the shield Theodore Mitchell had made for him. The fact that it reverberated with him personally with a tenuous link to his god meant Ragnar was kneeling behind it praying to his god at the moment of the attack.
The impressive shield had attenuated most of the force, still ringing his bell but Ragnar lived for battle. He never enjoyed killing people but didn’t shy away from it, he had traveled extensively doing his god’s work and people were often evil against other people and needed to be stopped.
He felt the casual cruelty in these people, the evil lying in their hearts and it strengthened his resolve and his swing. Even if they took him he would be doing his god’s work by taking as many of them as he could with him.
………
The Mitchell’s stood around the body amongst the rubble in the street. With them was Orcnig, the council and Stonewaller guards.
They looked up seeing where she had come from and all thought that must be a horrible way to go, a few weeks earlier they had all felt some of the panic when they jumped off and their powers had stalled.
“Do you outsiders recognise this deceased woman?” One of the council members asked solemnly.
They all shook their heads.
“It is rare for us to get outsiders in Stonewall. We did not want to disturb the festival and so left it until now. We believe that as you are present in our town this will be your responsibility. We will leave this mystery to you to uncover.” Then the council member stepped back to talk in hushed tones to his fellows.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Aww jeez, thanks.” Kyra said. “Teddy any chance this new armour came with a smoking pipe and magnifying glass if we need to play detective?”
“It’s a near unbreakable set of diamond armour that fixes itself, it self regulates temperature and is even self cleaning. All that and you’re complaining it’s no gogo gadget?! James get in there.”
James was their obvious choice for looking for clues, his animalistic tendencies could spot things none of the rest of them would. He looked for clues, Kyra looked at her condition and Lucy tried to piece it all together. Other than directing the others Teddy was just trying not to fall asleep on his feet.
When they had gotten all they could they all decided they needed to loot the body to get the most amount of clues.
They weren’t cavalier, whether she deserved it or not she had once been a person. The stonewallers had supplied a sheet to cover the body from the rest of its population. They covered the body and James looted. There was a slight sink as all the equipped items disappeared into their storage.
Kyra held up a hand mirror, they didn’t know where from, she had a potion belt and a leather belt of small pouches around her waist but none of them were big enough for the old fashioned hand mirror. She looked at her other hand held high and the long leather riding jacket the woman had been wearing appeared. As soon as it did James sucked his teeth audibly. He was facing the back of the jacket and recognised the patch sewn there immediately that they hadn’t seen as she had landed on it.
“Bandit gang, ran into them before the silver rank monster. Me and Ragnar had them at stalemate until they were saved by a much bigger threat.”
“Ragnar…” Lucy said looking at the sheeted body then the loose rocks and boulders fallen onto the street from high above then looking up to where they must have come from. She walked over to the assembled council urgently. “What else happened? Where did all this rock come from?”
“There was an explosion high above. The upper levels have received some damage…” the council member trailed off as Auster ran up to them, her long stick legs covering the ground quickly.
“Mitchells! Your accommodation!”
Lucy turned back to her family with wide eyes.
“Ragnar!”
They all burst into movement, James transformed into a Thunderbird, still growing into shape as he burst upwards into the canyon. Kyra launched herself up on a pillar of stone, explosively thrusting her upwards at an angle, when she ran out of momentum an angled pillar would thrust out from the nearest wall to send her upwards again, pinballing upwards. Lucy released Lechuza who shuddered under the array but launched herself upwards following James. Teddy drew his dimension blade and Lucy drew her sword and they both blinked out of existence, Teddy teleporting them both.
Kyra was the last to arrive by seconds. Teddy was standing like a vengeful shadow of death, his black cloak billowing around him as he stood in the broken remains of the wall to the canyon.
“FIND THEM!” He shouted out to James who keened loudly, making the rubble vibrate, if they still had the biology of ears they were sure their ears would be bleeding. There was no sign of his weariness now. He looked ready to kill.
Kyra pushed past him touching his arm lightly. She saw three bodies on the floor, a huge man who’s head had been cloven in two from the top to the neck and two nondescript bodies also with axe wounds. Lucy was already investigating.
“No excessive blood. No body parts, good news our boy might be alright.”
Kyra nodded and looked around. There was no saving the three bodies, they had been there for most of a day now. She flipped the bodies unceremoniously, seeing the same gang patches on their clothing.
Teddy walked back in. “The chase is on, we’re behind so they have the advantage. For now.”
[Very light aura trace, almost completely dissipated on the far side of the canyon, get on it, it’s faint. I’ve left Lechuza to guide you.] James put on the interface, they had full functionality now they were this high out of the array.
[Do not engage, keep your distance, if they grabbed Ragnar they may have help we don’t know of yet since you last saw them.] Teddy said matter of fact.
Teddy launched off the edge of the room, his weight reduction and high speed meant he flew supernaturally fast across the span, most of the way across he split the air in front of him and went into his rift portal.
Kyra launched the slab she and Lucy were standing on. The trajectory had them most of the way over, she grabbed her sister in law and pulled her close as she shielded her with her body, she activated her diamond armour power and exploded the rock they were soaring on, the small pieces of dust would be no danger to the inhabitants below and the force carried them up and to the far side of the canyon. They landed and immediately saw the rift portal hanging in the air. They didn’t pause and pulled out one of the buggies from inventory, expanding it to its full size.
Then they looked about. There was no sign of Teddy and they realised his portals closed after he used them. After a few puzzled moments he stumbled out, he frantically closed the rift behind him. His aura was in turmoil and Kyra saw his mana and health were severely depleted.
“Shit.” Was all she managed before she grabbed him as he fell unconscious.
Lucy pulled the second buggy from storage. She flattened the seats on the left hand side so they could lay Teddy down and Kyra could keep an eye on him and heal as she drove.
They both drove hard, spreading out slightly to cover more ground for tracks.
After a few hours Teddy came to. He looked up and saw Kyra’s hair on his face. He scrabbled it off and she looked down seeing him move.
“Are we winning?” He rasped.
“I think so, we haven’t found any trails, James keeps us on track but he’s had to correct us a few times and he doesn’t have long left on his transformation. He’s pushed Lechuza ahead and she’s searching but they’re wily. What about you? Are you winning?”
“Yeh I’m fine.” Teddy said, pushing himself up with a wince. He felt like an army of tiny hand size people had beaten him up with scale sledgehammers.
“Sure you are. Do we need to talk to someone about this power?”
“We talked about this, not yet, not till we have the power to tell someone no if they decide to lock me away and study me.”
“That was before you got hurt.”
“I was hurt going in. I made a mistake, it won’t happen again.”
She looked at him seriously.
“Kyra, it won’t happen again. I stumbled off the path.”
[Hey guys, you’re way off. Come about thirty degrees to the right.] James interrupted.
“Gods damn it.” Kyra spun the wheel to adjust. “We’re losing loads of ground like this.”
Teddy reached behind his back and pulled the crystal into a seat. “Where’s Lucky?”
Kyra looked at him confused and whipped her hair at him. “Where do you think?”
“Weeeeell. Wouldn’t he be a good tracker for this?”
“Aww crap. Why didn’t we think of that.”
She released Lucky. As a familiar attenuated to life force he scanned around, doing his best impression of a bloodhound. He took off, on the angle they had already adjusted to. He was slower than the full speed of the buggies but they would make time not going off track.
A few hours later they caught up with James running, his transformation power had timed out. He slipped into Lucy’s buggy and relaxed back into the seat.
“That’s so annoying. I can push longer but diminishing returns you know. Get Lucky back here and crank these up.”
With James on board after his transformation power went on cool-down they could track close up and go faster but Lechuza was struggling to pick out anything ahead.
They caught a break when Lechuza found a body.