Chapter 31: Jack; Shauran 45th, 344SR; 17:45
Iris and Jack descended through the sky for several minutes, they were still falling to the ground. The debris and dust of the city flowed like liquid, flooding through and between the buildings. Iris grunted as the red glow from her horns continued to fade, she had her eyes sealed shut as she tried to focus. Jack witnessed the debris spread over half of the city, green explosions rippled through the sky. As they reached a cloud of smoke they suddenly dropped faster. Iris landed on her feet and dropped Jack onto the rubble, she stumbled onto her knees and curled up as she grasped her head.
"Ah!" Iris groaned.
Jack rolled against the jagged rubble onto his front, rough pebbles stuck to his skin. He struggled to breathe as his lungs filled with dust, flooding his eyes the moment he opened them. Iris crawled out of the smoke and fell once more. The clouds of dust lingered in the air.
"Ah...!" Iris groaned while holding her head, "Banhu couldn't just wait a couple of minutes... Stupid idiot! Ugh!" she groaned in pain.
Jack stood up and looked at the field of debris around him. At the center of Cabac, where several large blue buildings once stood, was empty. Jack turned to the fallen building he was just at the top of. As his eyes observed the building he eventually turned all the way around and saw a large pyramid-like structure. 'We're that close to Anka?! And... that building is... That's where... The logorite goes...' Iris coughed, a light trail of blood slipped out of her nose as she huffed in pain.
"Are-"
Jack stepped away from her as she got to one foot, holding her head all the while.
"Are you okay?" Jack asked hesitantly.
"No! Fuck off!" she gritted her teeth as the blood fell from her chin. "Rgh!"
Jack shivered as she snapped, and he backed away quickly. Iris wiped the blood with her hand and shook it off, she looked at the building which once stood tall. Jack looked back to the center of Cabac, 'The others, are they okay...'
"Blaize! Get out here! Hurry up, dumbass!" Iris shouted.
Several seconds passed, but nothing happened. 'Does she really think he's still alive?' After several more seconds, a slice came from the fallen building. 'Huh...' Two bright red swords stabbed through the wall, the blades dragged in opposite directions, making an orange circle. The wall was kicked down and a pillar of smoke rose out of it. Blaize stepped out from the smoke, breathing heavily with sweat and cuts across his body. He sheathed his blades, then started patting his pockets.
"Banhu... Is... A total prick..." Blaize wheezed, he cleared his throat and spat out a glob of phlegm.
"Tell me about it, you still got the key?" Iris asked as she brushed the dust off her pants.
"Right here."
"How-how are you-" Jack uttered in shock, but turned as a large crash echoed in the distance.
"Alive? Who cares, look at this," Blaize observed all of the chaos, chuckling with a giddy tone. "It's pretty, isn't it, this is what these hypocrites deserve, to have the logorite they care so much about blown up in their faces. We'll wipe this city clean and build our own," Blaize declared.
"Logorite?"
"The green stuff, you should be well aware of what that is. See all those pillars of green smoke, all of that is from lines running through the city into the buildings, it's the energy from controlled logorite reactions happening there," Blaize pointed to the pyramid-shaped structure at the center of Andurill.
Jack turned towards Anka. There was a green square of light in the clouds of smoke that covered the sky. 'Geral told me about that building... Wait...' An idea that felt impossible before flashed through Jack's mind. 'It's... Right there... Who would stop me...' Jack felt a drive within him rise from the depths of his chest.
"Controlled logorite reactions..." Jack repeated blankly, "How is that possible?" a curiosity in his tone.
"Are you familiar with alchemy? The scholars of Andurill were the ones who originally discovered the effect salts had on logorite. The two combine to form a reactive substance, extremely high in energy, however, if that substance collects too much in abundance, it will explode."
"Stop wasting time nerd, we have a job to do..." Iris muttered with a hint of disgust.
Jack thought back to the day he destroyed the entrance to the mines. 'The logorite didn't explode immediately that time... It never did explode immediately...' The three of them had their attention drawn to a large quake that knocked the pebbles on the ground upwards. In the distance, a massive ape with red fur seemed to appear from thin air. It was crouched down on all fours with its back legs flexed. It jumped off the rubble towards the center of the clearing. Jack felt his heart skip a beat as the rubble rattled once more.
"What is that!? Was that a person?!" Jack asked, he had never seen a creature like that.
"That'd be the queen, Blaize, open the gate to Argol so we don't get outnumbered," Iris ordered as she drew her blade.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Blaize replied as he started towards Anka, it was the fastest route to the gate.
Jack looked towards the center of the city, the rubble had stopped just short of the path to the center. Iris ran in the opposite direction, towards the queen and Banhu. 'They're gone...' Jack looked down. Screams came from all directions. Despite this, a single thought lingered on his mind. 'They don't deserve that logorite... The logorite we worked for...' He looked up towards Anka, a determination in his eyes.
"Help! Somebody help!" a voice cried out from somewhere behind him.
Jack turned. 'The others...' Jack took a step away from Anka, the thought still lingering in his mind. 'They don't even know what we go through for them...' A massive smack echoed through the air, Jack looked to the center of the district, and several more of the same noise echoed. 'What is that?' A purple beam darted into the sky. 'Ajal... Even before the city was destroyed he fought... There is no hope for the non-unified... Unless... Unless I...' He looked up and watched as the clouds spread away from the city, the force colliding in that fight was clearing the sky.
Blaize crouched down and jumped to the top of the tower which had fallen on its side, his figure became smaller the further away he got. Jack turned and started to sprint over the rubble toward the center of Andurill. He looked up and watched the clouds moving in the same direction, 'They don't deserve it... They don't deserve any of it!'
Jack didn't stop, with grit teeth and clenched fists he ran over through the ruins of the north district. 'The guards... Could there be guards?!' He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, the guard's map Ajal had stolen earlier. 'Assuming I was near the center of the north district... Then I should be around here... Checkpoints between Anka and Cabac should be destroyed by the attack from earlier... That leaves the checkpoints surrounding the center of-' Jack quickly crumpled the paper and hid it behind himself, a black-haired hybrid with torn clothes ran right past him. 'Huh...' A brown-haired woman followed, she wore the red sashes from Welis, however, it was slightly worn down.
"There are people trapped under the debris! Save them!" a hybrid with tight green clothing commanded the others.
Despite listening to the impacts of combat in the distance, the hybrid civilians ran over the rubble to save their own. Jack simply stared. A hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him around.
"Are you okay?" A tall woman asked.
She crouched down and observed Jack, she had brown hair and a long face. A faint scent of perfume lingered on her. Her sleek black clothing and golden jewelry told him she had been from Lemen. Her deep black pupils peered into Jack. As much as he wanted to deny it, she was concerned for him.
"You're not injured, right? Are you from Welis? Where are your parents?" Jack didn't reply, he stared blankly at her concerned expression with wide eyes. She looked down and then looked back up towards Jack. "You can move, right? Come on, head towards the shelters in Rea, it's furthest from the danger. You'll be safe there!" the woman hastily assured Jack that things were okay, then tapped his shoulder and followed the other citizens further through the field of debris.
A hint of anger grew within him as he continued to stand there, he didn't move a single inch, his hand shook behind his back as it crumpled the map. 'They... They don't... Deserve it...' Jack shook his head, trying to shake away the anger which grew even more intensely. He turned and continued towards Anka, reaching the edge of the debris field. Jack slid down a slanted piece of concrete and landed on flat ground. Hybrids all around him were wounded, bruised, or simply unconscious. The cries of women and children grated at his ears, Jack continued forward trying not to look at them.
'They don't deserve it-' Jack walked past several hybrids running the other way, he didn't recognize the clothes they wore. The golden arm told Jack they were descendants of Wilo, but they didn't wear the same fancy clothes. These hybrids wore thick white robes that covered their feet. They also had masks with large beaks over their nose and white robes with silver streaks. The two of them were both quite fat as well, they wheezed and huffed as they struggled to keep up a slow jog. They stood out from the other hybrids just from how different they were, even amongst the various outfits he saw today. Red stains had littered both of their collars and sleeves, and they reeked of a foul scent that made Jack's head throb even more.
Jack ran down the road, all the while looking up at the facility where the controlled logorite reactions took place. Up ahead was a guard, Jack focused his spirit into his fist as he ran towards them. His spirit started to pulsate at his fist. The guard's back was turned, he seemed to be focused on something else. Jack charged as fast as he could as his spirit started to swell.
The guard turned as he heard Jack's footsteps. The guard had blonde hair slicked back and yellow eyes, he was slim. He wore a grey robe over his left side. But under the grey robe looked to be a white dress shirt, and underneath the shirt was a black skin-tight suit, the loose collar was pulled up and acted like a mask. 'Spirit!' Jack jumped. The guard had a worried expression, however, their eyes lit up as he noticed Jack
"Huh, You-"
'Ignition!' Jack slammed his fist into the guard's face. The guard's head crashed into the wall, then straight to the ground, unconscious. Jack looked at his hand, 'I didn't think I'd hit him that hard... He didn't seem very strong... I have to keep moving!' He looked back at the guard once more, 'He's pretty scrawny for a guard...' Jack didn't give him a second thought, and walked onto the prominent street of Anka, noticing what had the guard so concerned. Down the road, multiple guards ran after somebody. Jack watched a row of them fall as a red slash sliced through the crowd.
"That's a resistance commander! Don't let him get away! " someone shouted in the distance from within the crowd of guards.
Jack turned to the building in the center. 'The guards are all focused on Blaize, he'll lead them toward Bellos....' The central district of Andurill was about twice the size of Logos, every building was large and unique in design. The one to the right was a casino. To the left was a spa. Jack ran between both, his sights set on the pyramid in the center, there appeared to be some smoke stacks behind it, however, nothing came out of them. Many buildings around the fence also seemed like office spaces or warehouses judging from their mundane design. However, multiple other buildings had signs with varying colors to attract the eyes. 'Korra calls this place dirty Andurill... '
The building was in the center of a wide courtyard surrounded by a tall fence made of black bars. Patches of stone were cut all around the structure, in an evenly spaced pattern. There were small trees planted all around the structure with flowering buds. At the top of a slope of stairs was a blue door. Jack focused his spirit on his feet, and to his surprise once more, his spirit flowed much faster than before. 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack jumped upwards over the fence easily with great speed, 'Woah!' Jack tried to brace, and his spirit collected back immediately. He landed and tumbled forward, quickly moving his spirit to his shoulder before he hit the dirt, and rolled forward. Jack rolled over onto his rear and stopped on the grass.
"My spirit ignitions feel much stronger... And it flows smoother..."
Jack looked up toward the building and jogged toward the building, glancing at the distracted guards who were after Blaize. The square of green light plastered on the face of the clouds shone brightly in the sky. Jack walked up the steps around the pyramid-shaped facility, every five steps the path reached a flat level that stretched around each side, and the next set of stairs led further up.
Jack reached the top of the path and was right next to the wall of the building. He walked around the corner to the rear end of the pyramid. He found a part of the wall cut vertically and not on an angle, with a lateral running door installed. Jack leaned on the cold and rusty rail of the catwalk as he peered down the west courtyard.
"This is... A strange building..." Jack whispered while observing the sloped ramp in front of the garage door.
'It reminds me of the outposts near Helios... But this is at least ten times bigger...' Parallel to the side he stood on, across the courtyard was a large open fence. To the left, on the road just past the bars, the last few guards charged after Blaize. 'All of their attention is focused on him... I have some time...' Jack made his way across the catwalk, each step rumbling the fixed steel underneath him. He reached a blue-painted door at the other side of the catwalk, sealed shut, rust eating away at its edges. Jack looked at the door for a moment in confusion. 'Huh...' The door had no knob, or anything to grasp, just a flat blue rectangle. The edges had hinges on this side of the door.
"This... Is a door... right?" Jack nodded as he asked himself.
Jack felt the surface of the door and pushed against it. The door didn't move. He took a step back, 'Spirit...' the aura flowed to his fist, 'Ignition!' His fist struck the door, making a pathetic thud that only resulted in throbbing knuckles. 'Ah...' Jack looked around.
"How can I get in..." Jack murmured.
"Hey! Stop!" A voice in the distance called out, it was extremely quiet from that far.
Jack turned to his left, the skinny guard from earlier that he had knocked out was awake, he was standing outside the fence. The guard waved his hands as if trying to get his attention. Jack quickly darted around the corner. He suddenly noticed another section of the building with smoke stacks connecting it to the primary one. The path Jack was on connected to it and surrounded it as well. 'Shit shit shit! I was seen... How do I get in? Should I give up?' Jack's heart pounded heavily. 'Why did I come over here... That's- That's right. I need to take away the Logorite... How...'
Jack pondered and then looked up at the clouds. 'Wait...' The green square of light in the sky shone brightly. 'That window is above the logorite...' Jack looked to the top of the pyramid, then gulped as he peered towards the descent he would roll down if he messed up. 'There has to be another way... A spirit ignition won't get me up there... But the smokestacks are closer. If I jump from the roof of the smokestacks... Maybe, just maybe... I can make it from there...' Jack sprinted across the catwalk toward the external pyramid with the smoke stacks. He huffed in and out as he looked at the city to his left, stopping to catch his breath as he made it halfway across. 'This building is massive! How much Logorite is in here? What'll it be like when it blows...'
Jack reached the end and stopped once more to catch his breath. He looked up to a part of the roof where the smoke stacks connected to the separate section. He focused his spirit to his feet, 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack jumped to the roof and grasped the ledge, he grunted as he hung on several feet above the ground. Jack breathed in focused his spirit to his arms, then slowly pulled himself up enough to get his foot on top. 'I need to keep going up...' There was a ladder that led up to the smoke stacks a few feet above the roof's level. Jack focused his spirit as he vaulted over the large pipes. 'Spirit! Ignition!' Jack jumped off the pipe, kicked off the wall, and grasped the ladder. He climbed up slowly until he got his foot onto the ladder and then hurried to the top. Jack pulled himself up to the second highest level of the roof and saw a staircase leading upward.
As he walked up the metal steps, he looked over the top of the building and saw the front courtyard. Jack saw the blonde-haired guard run around the gate, he wasn't very fast. 'Shit! Why is he so persistent!' There was a squad of angels approaching the facility. A girl with pink hair and twin tails wearing white pants and a black shirt. Another girl with short black hair wore black a dress with what looked like a red band on her arm. One angel caught Jack's attention immediately, one with white hair. 'That's... No...'
Jack turned as he suddenly felt extremely anxious. 'I-I-I-I don't have much time!' Jack ran up the stairs and onto the same roof as the smoke stacks. 'Time? Time to do what? What am I doing...' Jack turned away, 'Idiot! You can't be seen!' Jack quickly scrambled behind the large cylinder.
His eyes glanced over to the right and paused, the entrance was right there. Even if he jumped he wouldn't be able to see the window. The distance of the jump had to have been at least three meters. The strong winds made him even more nervous, a sudden flash of green light lit up the sky as a thunderous roar startled him down to his spine. Jack looked around at the sudden bright green setting, confused for a few seconds before a thunderous explosion ruptured and shook the facility with its impact.
"Wo-Woah!" Jack stumbled forward and quickly stepped backward as he almost fell off the edge. "Did that come from Ajal's fight?!"
Jack breathed in and focused his spirit to his feet, he took deep breaths, 'What if I go over?! A-Aim for the wall!' Jack breathed out through his mouth and his mind cleared. The bright green sky returned to normal. He stepped back, then started forward slowly before picking up speed. He reached the edge, landing on both feet as he finished his inhale, determined not to waver.
'Spirit Ignition!'
Jack exhaled and jumped towards the higher roof, his spirit ignited at the same time and launched him forward, the wind blowing by his face made it hard to see. At the peak of his height, he was higher than the window, he could see the glass. 'I'm gonna make it!' Jack started to descend, he was falling towards the side. 'Ah!' As Jack landed he angled his feet to slide against it, immediately focusing his spirit on kicking his way up the slanted side. He slipped after the second step, made a desperate reach for the top, and grasped the rough stone.
"Aah!" Jack cried, loud enough to be heard.
Jack's face was planted against the building 'Ow!' He pushed himself up with his knee. He focused his spirit on that entire arm. His breathing was extremely concentrated as his heart pounded. The rough winds made Jack worry, he focused his spirit and started to pull himself with one arm and managed to get his other hand up as well. With all his strength Jack pulled himself on top of the facility. He pulled himself further and further and got his knee over.
Jack rested his back against the glass as he huffed and puffed heavily, uncontrollably. His left ankle had twisted and the pain was unbearable, 'That was a really strong spirit ignition too...' However, Jack was drawn to the image up in the sky, his shadow covering the square of green light. He turned and looked down, he couldn't believe his eyes.
There were miniature tanks of logorite all over the room, connected to a large tank filled with pure green logorite. The machine almost looked like a creature, it had four primary tanks. At the bottom of each, multiple pipelines stretched all over the room with individual glass tubes embedded along them. Even distributions of Logorite were collected in them, cleansed of all impurities. Each little bulb of logorite was so bright it was what caused a large amount of light to spill from this window.
"Unreal... It's not exploding but it's bright... A lot of the lights in the buildings work because of this?" Jack pondered to himself.
Jack stood upright on the glass and focused his spirit. There was a steel grated surface above the logorite he would land on. 'Can I do this? I've never done anything on my- No... Whether I'm alone or not doesn't matter!' Jack's spirit started to collect, his legs started to vibrate. 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack jumped and stomped down with both feet as hard as he could, and the glass shattered.
Jack fell through and landed on his knee, his legs immediately suffered from the impact, the pain causing him to shake. The room was large and very spacious. Jack unintentionally backed up into the railing, it was harder to believe from the inside. The whole room reeked of a rotten, overpowering, and familiar scent.
There were four massive cylindrical tanks full of solid logorite chunks. Jack looked up and down in amazement, he stepped back just from being overwhelmed.
The catwalk around the devices had a single pathway to an exit at the other side of the room, Jack looked down below through the holes in the metal grate. The system of pipes below obscured the area behind it, but Jack was certain he could see light under it. He followed the circular path till he got to the bridge which extended to the exit, he turned around and observed the system once more.
Around the ceiling were four sets of large pipes on each corner of the room, they were large, bigger than Jack himself. They seemed to be made of a black metal similar to the one worn by the soldiers from Baltin's military. All four tanks had multiple glass pipes shaped like coils. Those small pipes lead to small bulbs, each connected to a convoluted set of wires.
'What are these things?' Jack squinted at three solid white circles on the tank, they were each about the size of his hand, with a red dial pointing to a number. Each of them had a different set of numbers and differing letters next to the final number. The first circle had numbers between zero and five hundred and the letters 'kg', the red pointer was at two hundred. The second circle had numbers between zero and fifty thousand and the letter 'ml', the red pointer, was at zero. The third had numbers from zero to fourteen and was currently pointed at seven, there were no letters around this one. 'What the heck are these... How are they moving?'
The scent in the air was difficult to handle, similar to the one Jack remembered from when he and Carol had closed the mines. 'I'm guessing the catalyst falls from the pipes above and into the tank... They've controlled the logorite reaction with this much logorite? Incredible...' Walking beneath the glowing red exit sign, he leaned forward as he pushed against the silver door handle. Jack crept through the door slowly.
The small corridor was empty, with nothing but a flight of metal red stairs. Jack made his way down and pushed through another door with a silver handle. He entered a narrow corridor this time that had a path on the left and right, they led to paths that curved around the larger room. Jack turned left and walked down the curved hallway, glancing behind himself occasionally as each of his steps echoed through the room. As he followed the wall, he came to a glass window that observed the large room from earlier. In front of the glass was a glossy red wheel connected to a pipe that led upwards. Across the room, Jack could see another window on the same floor on the other side of the circular hallway.
Jack noticed a label on the sealing, it said "ACID." 'Acid... He said Logorite reacts with salt... They must pour this stuff in though...' Jack glanced to the right and noticed a red sign with a skull on it, a label under the skull said "DANGER." Jack gulped nervously, stepping forward and putting his hand on the red wheel. He breathed in and out, the smooth glossy surface of the wheel felt slippery from the sweat on his hands.
Several seconds passed. Jack continued to gaze at the red wheel, his hands trembled. He gulped nervously. 'What are you doing... Turn it...' Jack breathed out to try and calm down, but he wouldn't. 'I came all this way... Just turn it! Blow the fucking place up! Destroy it all!'
"Ah!" Jack yelled as he tried to push it forward, "Huh?" Jack huffed.
The red wheel didn't move despite how hard he pushed it. He looked at the panel of levers and buttons. A glass box seemed to cover a part of the panel with a strange shape resembling a leaf embedded into it. The words above it were, "LOCK." He didn't think much about why it didn't turn, but a flood of euphoria fell over him. Jack stepped back, his back hit the wall and he slowly lowered, curling his knees while holding his head. 'What the hell are you thinking... You can't do this...'
"Just... I just need to take away the Logorite... I can't take it anywhere though... My only choice is..."
It started to sink in, a strange sense of dread in Jack's stomach, his head wasn't throbbing but he held it. The devastation an explosion this much Logorite might cause. People burning in the hell fire just like how Alexander Rael did. The thought of Marina's home being destroyed. Jack's consciousness continued to battle with itself.
'This explosion will be unlike anything else... Can I even survive this... How many people would die if I do this, can I even get away in time? If I die here... I'll probably kill a lot of people... I would stop them from using the logorite...' Jack felt the water in his eyes. The tip of his tongue could remember the savory taste of the food he ate, the fun he had up until now. His lips quivered as his jaw felt numb. Warm tears ran down his cold skin.
"I can't do it..." Jack repeated to himself as he teared up. "If I do this... How many people would die..."
The thoughts of everything being over after this flashed through his head, the little time he enjoyed. 'The time...' Jack thought back to his childhood, learning and working all day from as far back as he could remember. Being transferred to Logos, watching Carol die, waiting for an entire year for Ajal to wake up. 'Everything I can remember before meeting Carol was terrible... Being lonely, afraid, an obedient slave who was meant to live and die for someone else. For the time I spent free, I felt happy being with the others...' A smile cracked on Jack's sobbing face. 'I can't do this.'
Jack stood up and walked back towards the window, wiping the tears from his eyes. He looked down to notice a faint light from a level below the spiraling pipes. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, the soft fabric pulling the tears right off. Jack leaned over the panel to get a better view, between the pipes Jack thought he could see a floor, but very far away. 'What's down there? How big is this facility? I should probably get out of here... I need to find the others...' Jack walked back through the hallway. 'Better to take the left, the right is a dead end...' He opened the door to the left rather than the way he had come.
The edge of a balcony was the first thing that came to view, a glossy wooden railing with glass panels spaced out between black metal bars. White marble tiles separated by thin shining lines of silver. The corner of the wall to his left and right was painted with light green and white stripes, as Jack walked forward through the hall passed two doors on either side. The lines of the wall turned to a full white as Jack got halfway through the hallway. On the floor just outside the last green stripe, the floor read: 'RADIATION SUIT REQUIRED BEYOND THIS POINT' written on a green arrow.
"Radiation suit? For Logorite?" Jack murmured.
Jack saw just a bit over the balcony and stopped. Papers spilled all across the white floor, there was a corpse of a man in a red robe in the middle of the lobby. The glass door was opened and closed repeatedly. A corpse in white and red kept the door open. Steel clashed from somewhere else in the lobby, echoing through the large halls. Jack crouched immediately, his heartbeat jumped, his back now shivering as he realized he wasn't alone.
"How- do I get down... Down, down-" Jack noticed a staircase to his right, and he quickly ran to it.
Jack looked at the two corpses once again, he noticed the streak of blood leading to their bodies, they weren't wearing red. They were descendants of Wilo, similar to the two he had seen earlier in white robes painted red with slashes. The corpse in the door didn't get it as bad as the other. The one closer to Jack had a gash across the middle of their face, a stab wound. Their beak-shaped masks rested near their bodies. A golden ring was on the body of the bloodier corpse.
Jack turned as he breathed out heavily, he had held his breath the whole time he gazed at the two bodies. However, he looked down and noticed where the trail of blood came from. The double doors to a room adjacent to the exit were left open, he put his hands against them and walked through. He was immediately met with a scent different from the rotting one up above, it reeked of blood. He walked into a similar hallway to the one above, but a door where the trail lead was in front of him slightly lit by the light from outside. The scent of blood was stronger the closer he got to the door. 'Did Blaize come through here? No... That can't be, he went for the gate... Someone else? Geral?'
Jack walked past the broken-down door, into an office. The walls were stained with blood, and paintings of little birds were all over the walls. The paintings were graceful, but suddenly melancholic considering the grim blood stains. Jack looked around the room and noticed a desk angled toward him. 'This is an office... Where was that room under the logorite? What even happened here...' Jack walked around the room, observing the blood on the ceilings and lights causing part of the room to glow red.
As Jack walked around the table, he noticed why it had been pushed out of the way, there was a hidden path underneath it. A staircase down into darkness, he stepped back nervously. 'Don't go down there... Don't go down there...' Jack told himself repeatedly, however, his curiosity was growing. He took the first step, and then the next, continuing down while telling himself not to. At the bottom of a flight of at least twenty steps, he reached a cold wall and looked around within the darkness, a light further down was to his left. Jack slowly crept towards it. 'All the corpses on the way here... All of those people were running away from here... What happened...'
Jack looked through the light and pushed the door open, it was heavy, and it felt like it was caught on something. The room was full of white tables, and white chairs. They reflected the green light from Logorite above. Jack looked up and noticed the spiral pipes from before, the green light of the logorite could be seen through the gaps. But his attention was immediately drawn to the center of the room, where a twelve-foot-high stage was surrounded by seats.
"Huh..."
His mind went blank, his mouth hung ajar in shock as he witnessed something he wasn't supposed to. In the center of the room, five bodies hung from the ceiling by chains and pipes lodged into their bodies. The area around where the pipes entered their bodies dripped with liquid logorite. Some of their bodies morphed and distorted by something. The room was full of chairs and tables that surrounded a stage, the bodies hung from the roof.
Two hybrids of races that Jack had never seen before were hung amongst the non-unified. One of them had a long pointy nose that curled upwards like a horn, his jaw was massive. The other had a very long neck, their head had gone limp causing the neck to bend forward. Both chained men wore blue pants. One of them had a long mustache trailing down the sides of his mouth, but it was drenched with his blood. Jack started to shake, 'They're... Hybrids... And non-unified... What... What did they do to them...' Jack shivered at the thought of what had happened to them.
Each body was shirtless, they had been starved before they were hung up like a decoration. Jack looked around the room, at one end there was a man in white robes with a sword stabbing him into a table. 'What is this... What happened here... What kind of twisted place is this...' Jack felt his head throb as he glanced at the pristine cutlery and almost perfectly arranged white tables. But then back to the stage in the center and the non-unified displayed above it. Jack looked at a blonde woman who was hanging off the stage, she looked like she tried to escape. Her blue eyes looked lifeless. Jack turned, he could barely handle the sight. It smelled foul, and the faces of terror on some of them were horrific.
"I should have left, I should have left, I should have-" Jack stopped. His heart came to a standstill. 'Wait...'
Jack turned and approached the stage, looking at the woman's face carefully. She had blonde hair. Her feet were scarred and barefoot, and she wore black pants which were covered in stains of dirt. 'That shirt is... What farmers from Logos wore...' The back of her white shirt had been thrashed by someone. Her face was slim, she had long golden hair soaked in the dry blood that fell from her corpse. It was Lydia.
'Huh...' Jack's thoughts came to a sudden halt. 'Why... Why is Lydia here...' Jack asked himself as he felt his throat dry up. Jack just stared at her face, his eyes widened, and his jaw felt tense as it shook. Dread, fear, and rage all flooded his mind at once. His heart beat rapidly as he panted faster.
"Lydia... Hey..." Jack croaked. "Lydia! Lydia!" he desperately called out.
Jack stepped back hesitantly and then bumped into a table. He looked down around at the fancy food and drink. 'Lydia was in... Ulkay... She was-' Jack remembered one of the last things she told him.
'The angels will find us all...'
"Why... Why are you here!?" Jack sobbed, inhaling sharply with each breath.
Jack's throat became harsh, and he struggled to inhale. He stumbled back as his hands shook, he fell backward and landed on his side. He tripped on the mask which resembled a beak. Jack panicked and crawled away from it with a horrified face. 'Why...'
"Aah!" Jack screamed out a cry of sorrow and rage, It echoed through that part of the facility.
All of his trauma coursed through his head, and the fact he even hesitated started to feel like a stupid decision to him. After sitting with his thoughts for several minutes, Jack stood up. 'They're unforgivable...' Jack turned and dashed for the stairwell in a frenzy. All of the motivation Jack once felt to destroy the facility, returned in an instant, heaving from the sudden shock and rage.
"Unforgivable! Destroy it! Destroy all of it!" Jack muttered, breathing heavily with both dry and wet tears on his face as he ran up the stairs in a hurry.
The smell stopped making his head numb. 'They deserve to die! Every last one of them! Destroy it... Destroy this place! Destroy everything!' Jack reached the top of the stairs. He ran out of the office and slammed into the doors to the lobby. He turned left for the stairs.
"Stop right there!" A young woman ordered with a commanding tone. "Who are you? A non-unified?"
Jack glanced to his right and a woman that was his height walked forward down the hall. He started to focus his spirit on his core the moment he noticed it was an angel. She wore a black full-sleeve dress shirt with the red insignia of House Pendragon over her chest. She had soft pink hair, but a mean face and vicious red eyes. Jack's attention was drawn to the blood-stained rapier she held. Her red eyes locked onto Jack's, he didn't break eye contact. 'An angel... An Angel!' Jack glanced at the stairs up to the balcony. 'Focus!'
"That bald guy with the mustache went this way... Are you with those two masked ones?" She asked.
Jack glanced towards the stairs.
"Don't move. Who are you? How'd you get in here?" The pink-haired woman asked.
"I'm- I was lost... and-" Jack stuttered.
"I've been defending the entrance for the past few hours, I don't remember you getting through," Hana replied as she walked towards him.
"I didn't see anyone, I got lost I said-"
"You're non-unified, that guy who slipped past was also a non-unified... Don't play games with me," Hana walked forward with her blade raised.
"I-"
Jack's spirit collected at his foot, he turned to the stairs and crouched down. 'Spirit-' A pink light zoomed past his ear. A thin beam of light struck the staircase. Jack froze as he stumbled forward, the beam had left a steaming hole in the step.
"I said, don't move, Freiya! Everyone!" the woman called while keeping an eye on Jack. "Now, answer my question."
Jack turned to her, his spirit still collected at his foot. 'That's a thin blade... I might be able to break it...' She pointed the blade to Jack, he could almost see the thin tip. The sword's guard was decorated with flower petals. Despite the blade being covered in blood, her fair skin was spotless. Her ruby-like eyes glared at Jack with disgust. 'An angel deserves to die the most...'
"Stop glaring at me like a dazed fool and just answer the question-"
Jack ran forward and threw his foot up, 'Spirit Ignition!' He threw his foot for the blade but she stepped back and pulled the blade back. Jack smashed his foot into the ground and used his spirit ignition to lunge forward, with his spirit transferring to his clenched fist. The flower petals on the guard of her blade glowed bright pink.
"Fool!" she spat.
The pink-haired angel jumped back and swung her thin blade, releasing four small pink beams in a spread. Two missed. One pierced Jack's right shoulder, the other through his left thigh.
"Ah!" Jack grunted 'Bear the pain! It's not much-'
Her heel pressed into Jack's stomach.
"Agh!" Jack grunted.
Jack stumbled back and curled forward, he struggled to catch his breath. As she pulled it back Jack grasped her foot and spun around, 'She's light!' Jack pulled the woman all the way around and threw her across the room. She landed on her back but rolled onto all fours. Jack closed the distance quickly. 'Spirit Ignition!' He slammed his foot down on the flat edge of her rising blade as she tried to stand. The blade fell from her grip and ricocheted off the ground. Jack exhaled as he stepped forward with his spirit focused on his other fist. Right before his fist could connect with her jaw, she pivoted to the side. Jack's fist barely grazed her. Her elbow came all the way around, striking Jack in the side of the face. She spun in the opposite direction on the foot she pivoted on.
'What did she just-' The woman jumped as she spun, bringing her leg around and kicking Jack across the face with her heel. Jack spun, the hit made him dizzy as he spat droplets of saliva and blood. The woman planted her foot into the back of Jack's leg as he stumbled, falling onto all fours.
"Agh-" Jack coughed.
She raised her other boot and stomped on Jack's back. His face landed against the smooth ground. The floor felt cold, he could feel blood oozing from his shoulder and leg. She lifted her foot and pressed it down on Jack's leg to keep him on the ground.
"Stop resisting, you don't stand a chance against me," Hana spoke in a condescending tone as she ground her heel into his back.
Each wince of pain Jack felt made him angrier, to the point he stopped feeling the pain.
"Get off of me!" Jack cursed. "I'll kill you!"
"Hana! Did you find him?" Another woman called from somewhere else in the lobby.
"If you didn't I swear I will be, I will... be very upset," a man spoke calmly as he turned the corner, he sounded flustered at first but then calm.
"You damn angels! I'll make you pay!" Jack threatened viciously.
"Hana?!" The black-haired woman called out with a worried tone as she saw the fight.
Jack focused his spirit and pushed himself up. Hana raised her foot to kick him once more. 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack burst his spirit right where her foot had been pressing his knee down. She stumbled backward with a confused expression, unaware of what he did. Jack quickly curled his legs in and got to a squat position as he turned. Jack lunged forward, 'Spirit Ignition!' He tackled Hana with his shoulder, she grunted as she blocked, but got launched into a wall
"Who the hell is- Woah- Hana!" the male angel suddenly expressed concern as well.
Jack turned to the two who had shown up. The one he didn't recognize was a tall and somewhat bulky-looking angel, he had a wide face and large facial features. He was taller than Hana. He wore a black shirt and white pants as well. The woman he did recognize had black hair, a black sleeveless dress, and strange red feathers on the side of her left arm. 'I saw her in Logos... I don't know what those two can do... And the other is getting back up... I need to set off the Logorite!'
Jack dashed for the stairs.
"Agh!" Jack winced as he heard a quiet whistle and then a sharp pain through his leg.
Hana had shot another high-speed petal at Jack as she got back up. 'Ah!' Jack quickly ran forward limping as he ran for the stairs. Blood trailed down his leg and tickled his ankle.
"Jack..." A familiar soft voice suddenly caught his attention.
The angel's white hair was combed back, but still short, just like his height. He wore the pendragon jacket over his shoulders, but he didn't put his arms through the sleeves. His bright blue eyes lit up with both shock and concern. A breeze from outside shifted the orange sash on his waist. He had been wearing a white shirt and black dress pants.
"Eos! Quickly! Stop him!" Freiya ordered.
"Huh... But-" Eos suddenly started to shake, he was visibly shaken.
"What are you waiting for Eos!" the taller angel shouted.
Jack scrambled up the stairs, 'Don't look back! Every angel needs to die! Don't hesitate!' Jack slipped and stumbled into the wall, he limped as fast as he could towards the doors and fell through them. Slamming onto his side and quickly getting back up.
"Damnit Eos!" Freiya shouted as she started up the stairs.
Jack quickly got to his feet and kept stumbling, the mental and physical pain was unlike anything he'd felt before. Part of him just wanted to fall and give up on everything. 'I have to make things right!' Jack reached the wheel, he tried to turn it. But was immediately reminded that he couldn't. 'Ah... Damnit...' He heard the door to the small corridor open. Jack turned to the left wearily as Freiya came around the corner, she stopped as she saw him. His head waved back and forth. 'She's in heels... I can win- easily...' Jack put his fists up as he glared at her, he could barely keep himself up straight.
"You- Please stop," Freiya recognized him, she reached for the red feathers on her shoulder and plucked one off.
Jack charged forward and her eyes went wide with fear. She quickly ducked to the side, stumbling due to her heels.
"Wa-wait!" Freiya realized her disadvantage quickly.
Jack's fist slammed into the wall. She stumbled as she turned, and Jack ran forward and tackled her. Freiya shrieked as she fell onto the ground. Jack got on top of her and grasped her neck. Her expression turned to panic as Jack's grip tightened. Her loose and short hair spread out across the floor
"I'll kill you all! All of you angels deserve to die!" Jack cursed.
Freiya grasped Jack's collar and pulled him, then stuffed the crumpled and dried feather in his face. Maroon smoke with red sparkles spilled out of her hand and smothered Jack's nose. 'What is-' Jack tried to pull away but he couldn't, the sweet scent of flowers had already filled Jack's head and he immediately became light-headed. 'What- what was...' He felt extremely drowsy, he fell backward and his head hit the ground. 'I... What's going on... It's getting hard to...' Jack couldn't lift his head, he was too drowsy all of a sudden. 'I'll make them pay...' Jack's consciousness faded, he had fallen asleep in a matter of seconds.