Chapter 27: Infiltrated
The intense rumbling settled.
Silence fell over, Kairas watching the dying violet light with wide eyes. Raia clutched Nana tightly, thin tears streaming, mouth agape at the sheer display of power. Both pairs of eyes fell back on Takabi, who gave them a weak thumbs up from the crater he lay in.
His body was emitting an intense steam, open wounds slowly healing shut.
No one moved for a long time, until Nana stirred in her friend's arms. Her brown eyes opened up, vision blurry, fingers lacking any strength. She felt like she took a train head on and barely won. "Damn… I feel like shit…"
She picked her head up, looking from Raia and Kairas, then around and down into the valley. Spotting her boyfriend, she jumped to her feet and hopped over the edge, wind gathering under her as she approached the ruined ground and her feet touched it like a feather.
Hesitant, the remaining pair glanced at each other before hopping over after her, landed a bit heavier than she had. Nana dropped to her knees, helping Takabi sit up.
His injuries had finished healing, and his body returned to normal. Exhaustion was evident from the dark bags under his eyes.
"So, where's Shink," She asked him.
No one answered her verbally. The three just pointed at the dug up soil, then towards the air to the last of the dying light.
"Nova is… Such an awesome spell," Takabi commented weakly.
"You used Nova? And got it to work?" Her voice had a hint of pride in it. "That's great!"
"Except the fact I used it to kill again." He said somberly. "And against Shink too, of all people."
Nana wrapped her arms under his and helped him stand. Wobbly at first, he kept both feet planted to the dirt and took another look around at their surroundings.
So much destruction from that battle. He could hear the faint wails of the dinosaurs in the distance.
"Did I do most of this? My memory is a bit hazy." He touched his head, running a hand through his hair to check for any bumps.
"Most?" Raia said, voice harsh and dry sounding. "You and Da… Shink," She corrected, "Did all of this. I haven't seen anyone actually… Ya know, force him to use this much magic at once."
"I'm gonna try to not let that fact go to my head. I don't think I can replicate that level of ability right now anyway." Takabi said.
Nana touched his shoulder. He latched onto her hand and smiled, before looking up in the direction of the wail.
"We should go back. The dinosaurs should calm down once we leave." He rubbed his ear with his free hand. "Which one is the loudest?"
Raia squinted her eyes, slowly rolling her hand into a fist. "I don't think that's just the wildlife. We should hurry back." Her voice was stern as she brushed past everyone, stomping into the stone under her and shooting off into the air.
Takabi looked at Nana first, then the two at Kairas who shrugged and remained silent. Nodding, the three followed after the succubus, a strong stone of nervousness and fear settling in the twin's stomachs.
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"What Happened here?" Raia questioned.
Takabi stared into the compound's red glare from the elevator. The group stepped inside, bodies of their comrades scattered along the hallway and in some rooms.
They passed Takabi's room, Kairas glancing and looking around. From what he could see, no one was dead, just heavily injured and unconscious.
"What a mess," Nana said, stepping into the computer room.
All the monitors were smashed, glass littering the floor with the faint traces of someone's blood. A hand reached up from behind the table, slamming on the metal structure as he pulled himself up. His ears twitched, and his breaths were shallow, even as he spoke her name.
"Nana."
"Beowulf," She muttered, carefully moving over the glass and helping him into a chair nearby. She knelt next to his arm rest, looking over his injuries slowly. Her hand ran up his side, making mental notes of each spot he winced at from contact.
"From what I can tell," She said finally after a long couple minutes, "Just a few broken ribs. Nothing life threatening. What happened here?"
The alarm shut off, and the red light faded slowly into the iridescent bulbs. Raia entered the computer room then, careful to step over the glass.
"Someone busted in clearly." Beowulf kept his voice calm and tried masking the pain. "No idea who they were… They just… Came in and rushed to the prison unit.. No idea what they wanted, and the younger one knocked me in here before I could check."
"The older one," Raia asked.
Beowulf bit his lip, attempting to stand. The pain in his ribs roared heavily, so he settled for sitting up straight. "Never seen the guy before in my life… I mean, he looked familiar, but I have no idea why."
Takabi checked the cafe, helping anyone who was conscious to their feet. When he reached Mia, she reached for her broken glasses on the floor and looked at him, smiling through the cracked lens.
"Thank you."
"Can you move," He asked, firm grip on her arm and voice gentle. "If you can, you should help everyone who can't or isn't awake."
"Casualties," Mia asked, and Takabi shook his head. "Good… As soon as I'm feeling better, I'll start nursing everyone. God, I feel so useless."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
Mia brushed her hair behind her ear. "Riki… And now. I haven't, couldn't, do anything to turn the tide of this fight. Two people just walked right in, looking for someone we had in the cells. When no one did anything, they just went ballistic and started knocking everyone out they could." She looked at her book, the pages scorched and opened, yet the words were still readable.
"Two people," He muttered, touching his chin. "Wait, you said they went for the prison cells?"
Mia nodded, and Takabi's face went devoid of color. He released her, and jumped onto the second floor, racing past the computer room and Nana's call for him. He slid around the corner, feet carrying him forward and through the metal door, down the steps and into the cell units. The guards they were posted inside were frozen to the walls, but still breathing somehow.
Heating his hands, he touched the ice of both guards, watching them thaw for a moment before checking each cell. Most of them were untouched and empty, yet when he got to the one at the end of the hall, air left his lungs in a quick gasp and heavy fist to the wall, shattering the stone.
The cell was covered in copious amounts of blood, and there was evidence of someone melting the bars from the outside in.
The two guards picked themselves up, looking at Takabi as he approached them and he asked the pair, "Who came down here?"
"No idea. Some man and kid. Both were too strong and we couldn't do much to stop them from taking the Huntress."
"Damn it." He bit his lip, another thought settling in his mind. It was one he subconsciously didn't want to think about it and tried to keep from the front of his mind, but the feeling in his stomach hadn't passed at all since they got in the Bunker. Biting his lip, he took a deep breath and asked, "Where's Aqua?"
"The little girl," The guard on the right asked. "Well… I didn't see much, but when they got upstairs, I heard her screaming."
His eyes widened, and Takabi clenched his teeth, flames erupting around him in intense anger. "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS!?"
He dashed up the stairs, back around the hall corner and stopped just before he bumped into Nana, her face holding a grave expression.
"They got Aqua," He told her, and she shook her head.
"Takabi… That's the least of our worries right now."
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"Let me go!" The Huntress yelled, struggling against the man's hold.
His brute strength was unreal. So much, and from the simple contact, she could tell he had a lot of power under his belt. Between him and the boy, she couldn't tell who was more dangerous at the moment.
Her salvia gathered, and she spit in the man's face, just over the burn scars on his cheek. He stopped walking, looking at the Huntress over his shoulder and he threw her down, foot coming up quick against her ribs. She cried out in pain, counting this as injury number ten that she had gained from him.
Her resolve would not break.
She wanted to escape, and something in her told her she had to take the girl with her.
The little blue haired girl was in the boy's hold. He looked around Takabi's age, but he had none of the intimidation or power. He was evil, yet there was a lingering light in his eyes. Something that clunge onto the idea of being a good spirit.
"What is it you want with us!" She paused, watching the man peer down at her. "The Goddess. She sent you, didn't she?"
"That's what you call my wife? Pretty fitting." He knelt down, multicolored eyes simmering gently. His aura was that of an Angel's. Someone so benevolent and pure, yet there was nothing but evil in his intentions. "You were captured and I collected you for termination. Once we reach the Cathedral, you will be executed for being worthless."
"Fine," She agreed, "But leave the girl. She's merely human, and a young one at that!"
"Oh no," The boy spoke up. "She has a Gem." His lips rose in a twisted smirk as he leaned close and sniffed her blue hair. "A clean water smell."
"But," Was all that left the Huntress' mouth before the next punch knocked her from consciousness. She hit the soil, and the man picked her up, looking at the boy.
"Let's hurry, Carlos. The longer we linger in this realm, the faster they'll find us."
"I understand that." He looked down at the girl in his hands and sighed. "I just wish I could fight him."
"Soon. Takabi will come collect the girl there. For now, we return."
"Yes, Girston."
Girston watched Carlos, waving his hand down and opening up a blue light. "Please. I told you, you don't have to address as such. We're family now."
Carlos bit his lip, looking up as his eyes flashed a gentle violet. "Yes. Father."
The two stepped through the portal, the light shutting with a heavy snap, leaving the human realm behind them. One of the many big steps Carlos was more than happy to take.