Trouble is Served

The floor was strewn with corpses as they walked past. Not even normal corpses as while maggots were eating the bodies it was only the eyes. The eyes were filled to the brim with maggots. This sight made him gag involuntarily.

"On the first night we didn't know. We were caught by surprise," Rebeca explained.

The camouflage was now stained with blood which did help it blend in with the floor in this room.

"It's only thanks to their sacrifice we survived." The Professor continued.

"How much do you have to eat?" Crusher asked.

The Professor was surprised by this question, "Are you hungry?"

"Of course," Phoenix retorted. "Why else would he ask about food?"

"Just like any teenager, impatient and a sharp mouth. That never gets you anywhere in life," Professor Collins spat back in disgust.

"I find it quite endearing," Crusher backed Phoenix up.

Meanwhile Silk started examining the body to find while the eyes showed the only visible maggots, under the skin was infested with them. The flesh was being replaced with the maggots.

"Have either of you actually seen the spirits?" Silk asked.

"No," Rebeca answered.

"I have a funny feeling that there is more at work than you know." Silk said. Concentrating his magical energy in his hands he clapped to disperse the energy. Now he focused on sensing the energy and sure enough demonic energy lined the machinery in the factory. It was faint so didn't portray much of an aura unless you looked for it.

"This factory has demonic influences," he confirmed to the rest of the party.

Crusher and Phoenix looked at him like he was an idiot. "Well no duh," Phoenix exclaimed.

"Factories are demonic things," Crusher explained.

The Professor was the one who spoke up to this. "It's common where we come from as they're efficient."

"Factories are uncommon throughout the universes?" Silk questioned.

"Yes and if we are to believe you it was your fault," Crusher answered. "You did create the workshop, didn't you?"

"Something so small had such a large influence," Silk murmured.

"There are legends surrounding the workshop," Phoenix nodded. "They are vague but still there. They influence artisans to pursue their craft."

"Are you talking about the second moon thing?" Rebeca asked.

"Exactly right," Crusher said.

"That's modern-day folklore," The Professor cut in.

The fact that Professor Collins and Rebeca knew about the workshop meant that Earth was closer to discovery from the demons than Silk thought. The other worlds were already leaking through.

"We need to get you home," Silk finally said.

"Yes," the Professor said in front of a large steel door. "But first we need to survive the night."

Professor Collins but his hand on a panel to the side of the door. After a flash of green light, the door opened.

One panel of metal screeched open painfully and slowly. Then a cylindrical panel in the middle went into the door and then upwards. The door then swiftly opened by splitting in half and then moving to the sides.

Rebeca took the lead and they followed. The door closed behind them as the Professor threw one can to each of them.

"Baked beans," Silk acknowledged. "This brings back memories of a long time ago."

Silk took out one of his knives from thin air and opened the can. Crusher decided to just out the whole thing into his mouth. Phoenix was boiling the beans in the cans and extracting beans and melted metal while eating it.

The room they were in was some sort of control room but the security seemed awfully tight until Silk saw the reactor in the middle of the room.

"Professor, do you know what that thing in the middle of the room is?" Silk asked in a frightened voice.

"No, it seems harmless though."

"It's a magic reactor. It must be powering this place, or was. This is bad, but if it turns on we'll all die" Silk exclaimed.

"Is it like a nuclear reactor?" Rebeca asked.

"Yes, but one hundred times worse." Silk murmured. "Hundreds of worlds worth of engineering went into this, ours included." Silk started whispering after that, "Even mine."

"So, magic is real." Rebeca said with a distant look on her face.

"Yes, but it's not all fun and games." Silk cut in before she could go any further with her questions.

"What sort of magics do you practice?" The Professor asked.

Crusher was the first to answer. "I'm a cultivator. I enhance my body and mind to be as sharp as possible." He said this while showing off his hulking body. "I have an affinity with the Earth. It means I can bend rocks and the earth itself to my will."

"He actually bends particles at the subatomic level, I think," Silk translated for the Professor

"I burn things," Phoenix snorted.

"She does, the flames defy reasoning but I am grateful for that." Silk continued translating.

When Silk didn't answer the Professor coughed loudly and expectantly.

"Oh, I practice enchantments. The current suit I wear focuses on enhancing my magical power because I am pitifully weak. Particle manipulating but only for gases, energy manipulation and a bit of space magic. It focuses on manipulation and not defence or attack. It lacks in speed of spellcasting compared to my other suits."

"It's fascinating," The Professor confessed.

"Do you have a pen?" Silk asked.

"Yes," The Professor handed it over.

"And paper," Silk looked at him like he was an idiot.

The Professor while looking irritated at the attitude found the paper and handed it over.

Silk quickly drew a quick magical circle on the paper. "Hold your hand out," he ordered.

Silk put the paper on the Professors hand.

The paper became smaller and became metal.

"You're a particle magician. You specialize in turning anything into metal but if you expand that power you can do so much more." Silk nodded happily.

Silk took out one of the four keys from his pocket and handed it to the Professor. "Everything you need to know to become a great magician is in that key, use it wisely. If you don't succeed pass it on, it's important."

Silk took his knife and started engraving the metal and created the same magical circle and handed it to the ready and waiting Rebeca.

"Thank you," Rebeca said happily.

The metal seemed to shrivel in her hands. Until all that was left was a husk of metal which blew into dust. This happened in a matter of seconds.

"No, no, no," Silk chanted in disarray. "I'm sorry, so sorry. I awakened something horrible."

"What is it?" Rebeca asked confused.

"Pestilence," Silk answered.

"What are you saying?" She asked in a hollow voice.

"Professor, have you touched this girl?" Silk shouted.

"No, never. I make a point of never touching anyone if possible."

"A bit weird but we'll come back to that." Silk said. "She's cursed with pestilence. If you touch her you'll get a horrific disease which will kill you, and I touched her." He was already starting to sweat.

Putting the metal plate on her hand had meant they had touched but he never thought that the consequences would be so bad.

"You have one of the curses of the horsemen of the apocalypse. One touch equates to death, you can never touch anyone again. It is an uncommon magic which has no cure. I'm sorry."

"Calum… he," she said in monotone.

"I'm sorry," Silk said again.

Knocking was heard from outside. It was rhythmic and on the door.

A dent suddenly appeared on the metal door.

Silk picked up the tin can back up. "Fun," Silk said while scooping out the beans from the bottom of the tin. He tossed the tin to the side to ready himself.

"You haven't eaten all your iron," Crusher shouted picking up the tin and throwing it back at Silk.

"Phoenix, Crusher, can you hold off whatever is on the other side of the door while I escort these two out of here," he said while catching the can. "While eating some metal."

Silk focused his magic on the air around him and felt for any gaps. There was one.

He started climbing the reactor. "Follow me, quickly."

"That's funny," the Professor called.

Looking down he could see why it wasn't possible. He was climbing an impossible wall.

"Shit," Silk exclaimed under his breath. "You're right."

Jumping down he grabbed the Professor. "What is this?" He grumbled.

"I'm going to give you a quick magic lesson," Silk started explaining while placing the Professor's hand on the reactor. "Focus, you need to create a hole by literally moving the atoms."

"That's not possible," he exclaimed annoyed.

"It definitely is. Magic is a force of nature, an energy, a fundamental essence of the universe. Use that power to force the atoms to move. Feel for the magic and use it." Silk explained.

"I can't… I can't feel it." The Professor stuttered.

The door burst open behind them.

"I don't have time for this," Silk shouted.

Putting his hand on the Professor's he exerted his magic through the magic amplification in his suit and through the Professor's hand.

The Professor jerked his hand but Silk kept it firmly on the metal.

"Focus on imagining the metal moving to your will." Silk shouted.

The Professor was sweating profusely and had his jaw clenched but squeeling from the pain of having foreign magic pumped through his hand.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day."