"Move, now! Back to the room!" Cal's voice sliced through the cacophony, a sharp command amidst the growing pandemonium. He pulled Greg up from his hiding spot and pointed at the cavern entrance.
The urgency in his call spurred the group into motion, a wave of bodies surging toward the elusive safety of the cavern.
An ominous rumble crescendoed into a deafening blast. The ground shuddered violently beneath their feet, as if the very earth sought to swallow them whole. A shockwave of force erupted, hurling shards of the unknown into the air, though it was mostly lava. Dust and debris filled the chaos.
Cal could feel the familiar force of a spatial anomaly. This time was sure not to bring a mysterious space door.
Cal peaked behind to dodge the assault of the remaining airborne attacks. Cal knew the art of survival was not just in the fight, but also in the flight. "Keep your heads down!" he barked over the roar of destruction, his voice grounding the group’s scattered thoughts. Panic clawed at their composure, threatening to unravel the threadbare fabric of their courage.
“Fucking heavens, Cal! What was that?”
“That… was the vase.”
“Really, bro?”
“Was this your master plan? To blow up the whole trial zone!?”
“What a shame, but good riddance. I hope that Tobin guy took it head on.”
“Amazing! Marvelous. I thought we were dead! Grand play there, Cal!”
The explosion's echo hammered in their ears. Danger was not far behind as they could hear and feel the lava coming down around them. But ahead, the cavern offered a fleeting promise of refuge at least from the lava itself.
Cal's pulse thrummed in his temples as the world around him threatened to shatter into chaos. His hand reached for the nearest shoulder, guiding, pushing—his team a single entity racing against an unseen clock.
"Keep moving!" His exclamation sliced through the disarray. Above the cacophony, something primal stirred—a voice not of this earth.
"JUNIOR! YOU DARE!!!," it boomed, each syllable a thunderclap that vibrated the air. "YOU DARE BREAK MY ALCHEMY CAULDRON!"
His heart skipped. “What fucking cauldron.” Cal couldn’t think of anything, yet necessity had driven them here.
Then came the sound of shattering porcelain—sharp and final. Cal had thought that the prior explosion was from the vase breaking on impact, but clearly, there was more.
Cal's eyes flicked behind him.
"YOU’RE COURTING DEATH!" the booming voice called, but he could not look back, could not afford the distraction. They were exposed, vulnerable.
Water geysered behind him, clear as crystal yet in a volume that threatened to overflow the cavern. The cavern, given its proximity to the impact site turned liquid, reality bending with the surge.
The deep voice lingered, an accusation echoing in the wet void. Cal dared, though he didn’t know how. Yes, he dared—for survival, for loyalty, for a glimmer of hope in a world that offered none.
"Watch out!" The warning was futile; the torrent claimed them all, indiscriminate in its wrath. Cal's lungs fought for air as water filled his world, the cold grip of the flood dragging at his limbs.
The flood was only beginning, so they had a chance to push through the spurting water. With the cavern’s air acting as a regulator for the flood, they would only have moments to get to the door.
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"Quick!" he choked out, though the word was swallowed by a surge.
Cal lunged forward. The corridor ahead flickered with the promise of refuge, a narrow passage to their only chance. His team—a ragtag cluster of determination and fear—flailed ahead of him, gasping for air in the relentless tide.
Each step was a battle as water filled to the rim, the slick floor beneath them treacherous with unseen threats.
"Open the door!" he shouted, his voice barely cresting the waves that sought to silence them.
The room loomed, a gaping maw in the tempest's face. Jaxon reached it first, his hand slapping against the frame for purchase. One by one, they stumbled in, sodden and panting, their eyes wide with the hope of survival, with water gushing in after them
"Shut it! Now!" There was steel in Elena's tone. They obeyed, hands slippery as they forced the door against the onslaught. The wood groaned, but it seemed indestructible. It held firm under their collective might.
It took Cal, Jaxon, and Jenna to push the door in. The door thundered shut with a finality that echoed through their bones. Darkness swallowed them whole, thick and unyielding.
“Well that explains why the system offered us a giant space vine. Would have been great with a side table.”
And then, silence—a heavy blanket after the storm's rage. They stood, chests heaving, in the precarious sanctuary of four walls and a door steeled against the flood. It was as if they were isolated from whatever was happening outside the room.
"Everyone here?" Cal's voice cut through the silence, sharp and clear.
A series of grunts and breathless affirmatives met his ears. He nodded, though no one could see the action.
"Sound off," he ordered, a roll call in the void.
"Here." One voice, followed by another. A litany of survival.
"Any injuries?" Elena followed. The darkness couldn't hide the concern lacing her words.
"Scrapes... nothing serious," someone replied—a voice tinged with pain but steady. It was Greg. Classic Greg.
"Stay put. Don’t move until we have light." Cal’s words were a tether in the darkness. “And Elena, don’t use your electricity.”
"Cal?" The query was soft, edged with fatigue. It was Jaxon
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Save it. We're not clear yet."
Heads bobbed unseen, but he felt the shift in air, the collective nod of agreement. They were alive, together, and for now, that was enough.
Cal opened his spatial treasure and pulled out a crystal. Cal's hand closed around its cool facets, a small but potent crystal. He tracked the position of the light switch from the door, swiping his hands to search for the slot. With deft fingers, he slotted it into the waiting socket. A flick of his wrist and the world transformed. The light switch was already turned on. Light cascaded from above, stark and brilliant.
"Heavens above," Greg muttered, his usual scholarly demeanor giving way to awe. His eyes gleamed with the reflection of sudden illumination, mirroring the light that banished shadows. “Cal, you. You? You! You are now my favorite person!”
The rest stood motionless, their faces stark canvases of shock. Mouths agape, they stared at Cal. The stark room, once veiled in darkness, now revealed its secrets—walls lined with intricate patterns, a testament to a bygone civilization.
"What..." Jenna's voice trembled, a whisper barely carrying over the hum of electricity.
"Hi Jenna, I’m Cal," Cal said, his tone light, betraying none of the tension coiled within him.
[Escalation, stage 2: Escape the entrapment of hungry predators. (1/1) - complete]
[Why am I not surprised. This is really quite a good outcome though - great job in screwing over Cageman. We were worried about his wacky experiment. I’m also supposed to give you another suggestion to consider coming back to the negotiating table - my boss really wants you to… so uh, yeah, this is the reward...]
[Escalation quest reward: Consultation with Law Cats – system attorneys for vagabonds, miscreants, and general elite upstarts]
[Escalation, stage 3: You've survived the predators! Now survive the planet itself]
[Escalation, stage 3: Survive the volcanic eruption. (1/1) - complete]
[This one was a surprise. I have no idea how you survived breaking the vase. That was way too strong of an item for a mortal reward… someone at treasury must have branded it a broken spatial treasure. Rest assured, an inquiry will be made.]
[Investigation protocol JE-1291 initiated]
[Escalation quest reward: Portable hub crystal – single time use]
[Hidden escalation, stage 3: There is an egg hidden at the center of this conflict, with gestation interrupted, there is now limited time to leave a mana imprint on it before it is born.]
“Did you all get those rewards?” Elena asked.
Everyone nodded, then stared at Cal.
“So. I think I might have pissed off Cageman. Anyone know him?" Cal paused, then continued, "Also I think now is a good time to tell everyone about what Jerry and the rest of the cervidians were up to… I think they were all after this egg.”