The days that followed were filled by their new routine, all under Sxeiva's guidance. They continued their lessons, and after lessons resumed their basic routine with Sxeiva.
Lwyn found herself still needing to wear silly dresses during the ordinary part of the day. Being no longer alone had it's upsides, but not being allowed to help her friends in their work came at a harsh counter. At least, she was able to be around as they worked, and in a few space occasions she managed to find time to lend them tips in how to sweep efficiently, how to quickly fold clothes, and how to sort a broom closet. She was, however, still then bored for most of the day.
Thanrie had found that the three of them didn't have as much opportunity for themselves as they used to, now that the three other maids were also present. When not left with chores to complete or lessons to do, they found all six maids left to one space to figure out what to do, which classically was to just pretend to be social with the three they didn't feel fit in with them. Mhyl herself had found it extra difficult, being stuck with only speaking Izhaethyx. The result make her look exceptionally anti-social, only being able to provide single-word answers with enough clarity.
However, when the time came for their lessons, it was a considerable relief for them all. They were fortunate that a good portion of the day, including almost all of the afternoon, was dedicated to lessons. For a regular person, this might have been very tiring, but in their case, it was far better than the alternative.
"Thank goodness her injuries had safely gotten better." Thanrie had been worried, the one maid who had been selected for laundry duty that one day had came back with massive purple bruises on both arms, and a slash on her forehead. All of which had been healed, even if Mhyl had been required to secretly ensured that there would be no scars at the same time. Thanrie had pleaded with her upon the matter.
"Injuries, who got injured?" "Oh, one of your maids had been injured for a while now, though I guess she did work hard to hide the cuts and bruises. I'm happy Mhyl made sure there wouldn't be any scars." "Wait, really? I never learned about that, what happened?" "Oh, it was because she had to do laundry.." Lwyn was still confused, how could laundry cause serious injury? Thanrie herself seemed pretty scared talking about it, clearly there were little things about being a maid around here that even Lwyn didn't understand.
Having finished setup for their lesson, the four of them resumed their exercises. The biggest lesson they were working on right now was control. Thanrie tossed forward her blade overhead, which planted against the ground and froze there, not having penetrated the ground. While the blade was locked in place, she compelled it to release shock-waves in regular bursts, with a very controlled intensity. She had to make sure there was a burst, but that she herself felt nothing of it. For the first while, this had proven challenging, the first shock-wave throwing her backwards instead.
Qheria planted a fist into the ground below her, and a force-field expanded from where she stood. She was working on controlling not only it's size, but it's influence. Lwyn's practice similarly involved her, as she took shots that flew around the forcefield, and every second shot was allowed to pass through it. Lwyn's shots were also being controlled for complex maneuvers in flight, though her gift usage was bit more complicated than before. She had long ago actually ran out of the blades she had carried, not having been given a full 800 clip set. Instead, she was firing blades of her own creation, laser discs of a similar shape, made completely from some variant of energy. Sometimes the discs got blocked or passed in the wrong frequency, sometimes they didn't exactly complete the path she gave them before firing, and went somewhere else. Sometimes, she fired nothing at all.
Mhyl's biggest lesson in control was simply the usage of her own stamina. Her own abilities with the gift seemed the most varied, being able to simply manipulate her surroundings. However, a lot of what she did ended up very involved, being nothing as simple as the others, and thus itself consuming more stamina. The more complex her manipulation, the more stamina it consumed. She had a great ability to over-complicate things, and so wasn't used to taking enough shortcuts in her gift so as to lighten the load it induced upon her. Being an elf, this problem was even worse.
In a sense of irony, Mhyl had settled upon a practice that simply involved telekinetic manipulation, to literally use her mind as a hand to move something around from a distance. Lwyn had already told her that all she needed to remember was that there was no spoon. The symbolic similarity wasn't exactly lost upon her either. She had chosen to have her book be her tool in this exercise, to have it float around by her will, maybe even do tricks in the air. All the while, her goal was to try and not control the entire book, but only influence touch locations of it, to have it do what she wanted it to do. Once she no longer needed a location for an action, she would release it and switch to something else. More than a few times, she had instead dropped the entire book.
At a point, the four of them had discovered that they had been at the Fortress for a whole lunar cycle. They had improved a lot in their stay here, but they still needed a way to escape. Lwyn was especially worried, she had found that her old room was almost judged to be cleaned enough for her return, which would take her away from her friends again. Making further progress could be almost impossible, if she was sent back to that room and locked away again. They needed to find a solution before that happened.
Later into the afternoon, Sxeiva returned from where ever she typically goes during the afternoon. Lwyn had learned that she went typically to tend to her mechanical needs during the afternoon, and even Lwyn had been asked to give her mother privacy in the process. She had complied, even if she had remained curious. As she returned, all four of them stopped, to hear her evaluation of their progress so far, and any recommendations for them to work on going forward.
"All four of you had made great strides in your lessons, and have even learned to shape your gift to your will. Today, we will be doing something different. It might be a bit sooner than expected, but not only are we lacking on time.. it wasn't exactly my choice. For today, I will only be your assistant teacher, your real teacher it seems will be the flow of the world itself. I have found that the world moves again today, something big will happen. Make sure everything you want to keep is assembled, and everything you want done is done. We will even be having an early dinner, arrangements have already been made. Then, meet back here once our dinner is concluded, weapons ready. Consider it a test from the world itself." Sxeiva it seems had heard from the world again, which wasn't something she talked about frequently. She still seemed very relaxed and composed about it as well.
The four of them packed up, calling off lessons early, in order to prepare. It wasn't missed by any of them, Sxeiva was hinting that tonight was they night they escaped from the Fortress. Mhyl wondered if this oracle-like ability was something even her own mother possessed. It was most likely, which made her extra thankful she had managed to escape initially, without her mother even aware at all. The world clearly did not share all of its secrets.
The four of them in truth didn't have much to pack, most of it was in the bag they had ready anyway. Lwyn no longer had any of the stuff she had brought initially, and had little want for most things around here, but she did have one thing she wanted to preserve. She snatched a handful of discarded blossoms from the flowers that had been her company for a while before, a source of comfort and a symbol of her friends. She had been told that she was here as an icon, but for her, it was these blossoms that were an icon of their own unity.
Meanwhile, Thanrie got back the book she had let Lwyn borrow, having never having found an opportunity to return it. Thanrie decided to keep it, but she also spent a lot of time in closure with Lwyn's maids. She made sure to not say anything that might betray this being their last day together, but she wanted to wish them luck in their routines going forward. Most likely, the moment Lwyn was found missing, all three of them were going to be in big trouble, a fact Thanrie was already feeling guilty of. She wanted to make sure they would be okay. Even if the Fortress was going to be a nest of enemies in the future, it wouldn't mean they would be all evil.
Mhyl and Qheria personally had nothing they felt need of worrying over, not beyond what both Lwyn and Thanrie were concerned about. They both simply helped to make sure everything progressed smoothly, that dinner would occur as planned, and that things would be ready.. whatever that might require. They also made sure Sxeiva was ready, her own stuff was packed, and that she was wearing something that could best suit their escape. They concluded dinner and made their way back downstairs, getting the final of their stuff together. With no place to put the clothes they were normally wearing, the four of them decided to pack such as well, as a final memento. Back in their regular gear, weapons ready, they relaxed and waited, saving their stamina for when it would be demanded.
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Without any warning otherwise, an siren started resounding across the halls of the Fortress. Sxeiva returned to report what was going on. "That siren would mean that the Fortress is under attack, it's actually not an alarm we've ever heard before except during regular testing. The fortress' defense systems are turning on at the outer ring of the ninth spire. That would mean that whatever is attacking the Fortress, its in that direction. That's where we're going too." Sxeiva lead them out the door, rushing down the hall.
As they travelled, they intercepted an aethyrnz, which Sxeiva confronted personally. The thing confirmed the same thing Sxeiva told them, and saying that all staff were prohibited from leaving the central area of the Fortress, where all of the Spires were, for any reason. It seemed that in such emergencies, Sxeiva's position was not enough to have any influence in the matter. They would then have to avoid being spotted going forward. Qheria realized that this would end for them much like it had begun, sneaking along the halls in an effort to not be noticed. This time, however, they had two additional people, and a lot more training.
Qheria motioned everyone into a familiar storage room, as an aethyrnz patrol walked past. Mhyl was back on watch duty, using her headset finally once again. Sxieva was finding it slightly disorienting, while Lwyn wasn't used to it anymore. Lwyn was adjusting fairly quickly though, a grin on her face. This was much more like it, she was finally doing something fun and useful again. At one point, they actually felt the ground tremor with impact as something big was slamming against the Fortress. It was obvious, whatever was doing this, it wasn't far away.
"This is the outer wall, though I don't know where an exit might be.." Sxieva looked around, as another vibration caused the neon filaments to flicker. "Awesome, I was getting bored again. Clearly, we need a shortcut. Qheria, my idea is going to be pretty dangerous, can I trust you to make sure we're all protected. Emphasis on all, you included. Don't make this like last time. About last time, Thanrie, remember last time you played with the neon filaments? If we seriously juice them up, inside the wall, the pressure could get pretty big, right?" "Lwyn, that's still not going to cut it.." "No, but we know the lights are wired into the power grid. Overload it, the defenses go down. That explosion out there would roast right through this metal, I can hear it, there is something else blocking shots. Take down the barrier, it will open a door." Lwyn's idea really was dangerous, because if her idea worked, they would be faced with explosions that could 'roast right through Fortress metal'. Mhyl was worried that Lwyn's idea wouldn't work, but was now getting more worried if it might.
Qheria plunged her fist into the ground, setting up her own barrier. Thanrie launched her blade into the wall, having it stick, then focused on super-charging the lights. The lights shone with a growing glare, as the metal started to warp under pressure, and pipes started to burst. A waterline ruptured within the walls, starting to flood the room with water. Qheria's barrier held against the unrush of water, but Mhyl was really starting to dislike this plan. Suddenly another burst resounded, colliding with the wall proper, and the entire wall started to warp under the force. Another round later, and the roof crashed down upon the barrier.
Qheria braced hard, the control required by the process putting a strain on her. She had no way to move the wall pinning against them. Mhyl knew this was a bad idea, but no, they did it anyways. Mhyl grinned, despite her criticism. The wall was all but gone, if only all this annoying water around them turned to rush against the metal braced upon them, in a torrent of inerrant force. She surrendered control to the chaos of the moment, doing nothing more than reversing the flow of water as a single vector. The waters spiraled around them and surged towards the wall, sundering apart what was left of it.
Outside, they found a score of destroyers firing upon a very familiar sight. It seems, rather than waiting for them to come to it, their home had came to visit them. The smith had finished all of the upgrades, gotten the entire facility armed and mobile, and was now taking fire on the Fortress itself. The surging blast of spherical inferno started to itself become all too familiar.
That same blast came and connected with Qheria's shield. In an instant, the entire heat from the blast was cancelled, and the shield didn't even ripple. Qheria's initial training in heat cancellation had indeed saved the day in the most invaluable way. Lwyn however was pondering the opportunity before them. There would be another shot in nothing more than moments, while there were far too many Destroyers around to advance. Everyone else had pitched in for their part, it was her turn.
Lwyn concentrated on her crossbow, and fired twenty shots into the air. All of them spread out, seeking their target. On arrival, the small bundles of energy detonated, rupturing the cannons they each hid inside, simultaneously causing all Destroyers to explode. The shot being prepared by the Facility charged down, obviously suddenly alarmed by the sudden turn of events. Qheria took to the signal and made her move, urging all of them forward with a motion. Her barrier went down in the same process.
The five of them arrived safely at the facility as a storm gathered overhead. Khaexyn himself materialized over the fortress, an electrical barrier pulsing around him violently. "As if I didn't have enough to worry about. You really picked a bad time to make me angry. I'll show you what happens if you make me angry." Khaexyn was seething in rage, but didn't seem to notice the four escapees. A loud whirling sound started up somewhere near the Fortress, followed by a very loud popping sound.
The Colossal once again landed nearby, and turned to face their base. All of them raced inside to lend a hand. "Qheria, you're in charge of defense, try to predict and intercept whatever move that thing makes. We're counting on you. Thanrie, go find Ehryinae. I'm sure she is charging this thing's weapon, and I've figured out an improvement we should make use of right away. Go and supercharge the cannon, boost it with everything you have. Mhyl, you're the backup plan.. probably the best plan. Figure out how this thing is moving, make it move us out of here. I'm going to figure out how this thing is aimed, I'm pretty sure I can improve on it." Lwyn was again building a strategy right away, and having been taught how to give orders as a lady of the fortress simply made the role all the easier.
The four of them split off to their given roles. Rhyde and Yuxzn were shocked when Lwyn and Qheria suddenly barged into the room. "Cannon, where are the controls?" "It's in the upper room. When did you guys get here, we came to save you." "Thanks for that, actually. I guess it's our turn." Lwyn ran off to where Yuxzn said the controls were. Rhyde started after Qheria, then decided against it. He would just have to save his questions for later.
Mhyl burst into the Smith's workshop, finding Chyurae there helping him. "How to make this move? We must go now." Mhyl started talking to the Smith directly, startling even poor Chyurae, who for once had no idea what Mhyl was saying even though she wasn't using an off-world language. He still didn't know an ounce of Izhaethyx. The smith clued into what was being asked, and showed Mhyl into the basement.
Ehryinae took a few deep breaths, trying to conserve her energy for more fire blasts. She was really having fun with this sort of destruction, though she still had no idea how all those Destroyers suddenly went up in smoke. Facing off against the Colossal wasn't going to be easy either. Zyuixqs was handy nearby, giving her some water to keep her from overheating herself. "Hold it." "Ah!!!" Thanrie's sudden arrival sent the tense Zyuixqs into a torrent of fear, being startled so suddenly.
Thanrie took one of the waters Zyuixqs carried and gave him an appreciative nod, herself a bit thirsty. "I know you like your fires blazing hot, and it looks like you've got that down really well. However, I think the only thing that could be better is if we gave your flame a bit more of a.. boom. I'll let you know when everything is ready." Thanrie patted down on the intake Ehryinae was working with for her flame, before following it along to find the right place to involve her own gift.
The colossal surged forward, coming down upon the facility with a hail of missiles from a case revealing itself upon its upper shoulders. A bright light expanded near the point of impact, as a force-field intercepted each shot. The colossal then surged with steam, as it prepared to itself charge the facility in a tackle.
The facility seemed to shift subtly, as the cannon aimed itself. Once it had gone stable, Thanrie took that as the queue that Lwyn was ready. "Okay Ehryinae. Let loose the flames of destruction." Thanrie was having way too much fun with this. Ehryinae begun charging the cannon, and Thanrie started to boost the effect, accelerating the process within. Heat was just particles moving faster, so if they moved even faster, it would lead to even more heat. She had moved near the end of the entire system, so that the heat wouldn't damage anything. The heat would also move much too fast to cook anything near them anyway, she would make sure of that.
Lwyn, having made the whole system aim itself correctly, then turned her ability on the firing process. She was used to doing this not from where the shot originated, but from how it was aimed. In her mind, the aiming gave all the directions, it made the most sense to her. She laid a path for the surge of flame, fully aware that after Thanrie was done, it wouldn't look anything like it had before. She was counting on it.
Once again, the main gun of the facility let loose, but instead of the usual ball of red inferno, the whole thing blazed with a white plasma photon, moving at the speed of light. The light danced in the air in the span of an instant and crashed into the Colossal's right leg. The entire thing crumpled under the force of the blow, but was not seriously damaged. Regardless, it wasn't exactly designed to be knocked over, so it was having some difficulty standing up once again.
Khaexyn was visibly enraged, having been unprepared for this level of onslaught. However, he still had the upper hand, they still had no way to win. Thanrie stood up, basking in her own pride. "What's that? You don't think we have a chance? What could we possibly have that could stand up to your giant 'tin can'? How about a 'Siren'?" Thanrie's pop culture retort was rewarded by the entire facility shaking. Then, shifted around, the entire facility made a hasty retreat, the ground shifting to ease the motion of the entire structure. Thanrie shrugged, this wasn't exactly teleportation, but it was good enough.
Before the colossal could find any opportunity to rise and give chase, it's enemy was already gone. Khaexyn decided to withdraw, repairs were more important, let alone ensuring his family was still doing well inside.