- 10th August 2138, Student Apartments -
Waking up much later than usual. I experienced a burning pain in my head and experienced waves of fatigue crashing against my body, almost as if I hadn't slept at all.
Looking at the face of my grandfather's old pocketwatch, I saw that it was already 11am. I had slept for almost 12 hours!
I got out of bed and took a brief shower before getting dressed and heading out.
There was so much for me to do. I had to collect my reward from Eliora's father, report to the Order and fit in a little training.
When I arrived at Eliora's house, her father was already outside waiting for me.
"Thank you for coming, Erik," he said warmly. "I have your reward here."
He handed me a small leather pouch, which clinked when I took it.
"There's a little extra in there for you," he said with a wink. "I hope it helps you, anything for the boy who prevented my beloved daughter from dying."
Thanking him, I bid him farewell before trudging my way to the Order's local headquarters.
When I arrived, it was a surprising sight to see that the lobby was bustling with activity. There were people running around everywhere, the social atmosphere was one of urgency. A juxtaposition to the regular peace and quiet I'd grown used to.
I made my way to the reception desk, where a younger woman was busy fielding questions from a line of people.
"What's going on?" I inquired of her.
"There's been a bullish breakout at the North GC Prison," she replied. "A group of prisoners have taken hostages and are demanding to be let out."
"Do they have any other demands?"
"Not that we know of. We're still trying to establish direct contact with them."
"Is there anything I can do to support?" I said.
Though my genuine intentions were not of justice, but of personal gain. More people to confront would mean more training, more renown.
"We could use all the help we can enlist," she replied. "But be careful. These are ruthless criminals we're dealing with."
I acknowledged her and made my way to the armory, where I suited up in some thin armor and snatched a few standard weapons. The substantial part about the Order was they cared more about getting things done than bureaucratic processes. So I could easily just join in on a present issue and benefit from it.
Before setting out to the scene, a thought in the back of my conscious mind urged me to check the bag Eliora's father had granted me. Loosening the drawstring, I found the space inside the bag seemed to weave in and out of view, akin to a perceptual illusion.
I'd heard about this remarkable phenomenon. It was one of those storage bags that utilised some vein of spatial casting to deposit a much larger number of goods than should be possible at such a size.
Worth it.
-------:-
Making my way to the prison wasn't extraordinarily difficult. It was almost right next to the headquarters. This made me feel as if prison escapes were more common than I'd initially thought.
When I arrived, I could see that the prison was in a state of violent chaos. There were people running around everywhere, some shouting orders while others were trying to flee the violent scene.
Traveling to to the official entrance, I was ceased entry by a guard. his station being a small room compared to the sprawling complex before me.
"Halt! This area is restricted!"
"I'm here to help," I said. "I'm a member of the Order."
"The Order?" he said, skeptically. "Aren't you kinda young?"
"I can help," I gently insisted. "Let me through."
To assist him with his decision, I instantly summoned a set of 4 stormblades beside me. Admittedly, I was getting better and better at this spell, but it'd be capital to learn something new, eventually. Especially if I were to encounter a Mineral caster.
He thought for a moment before finally stepping aside.
"Be careful," he said. "These people are savage."
I nodded approvingly and made my way inside.
The prison was in complete disarray. There were battered bodies everywhere, both guards and prisoners. It was explicit that there had been a lot of fighting. Whiffs of iron filled my nostrils. How could anybody let such a violent escape happen?
I heard hoarse shouting coming from deeper inside the prison and followed the noise.
As I turned a corner, I came face to face with the group of prisoners who had escaped. There were about a dozen of them, all armed with improvised weapons.
In the middle of the group was a tall, brooding man. Ab initio, he looked relatively mundane. Though under closer inspection...
================
[Name: Dog Ragton]
[Age: 29]
[Mood]: Bloodlusted
[Singularities]:
-[Morale]
-[Natural Leader]
[Attribution]: Conjury
-[Rank]: B
-[Affinity]: Mineral
[E-Signature]: 315B
================
This clearly explained things.
I was about to step out and confront them when I overheard someone behind me. A girl's familiar voice, rather recognisable.
"Erik! Didn't know you'd be here!"
Turning on my heels, I spotted Toni, who looked confused. Her tomboyish attitude still shining through. She wore a loose-fitting black hoodie with her hair tied up, as if she'd just come out from lounging around at home.
"What are you doing here?" I inquired. "It's too risky."
"I could say the same for you," she countered. "But I'm not going to waste time. We need to stop these criminals before they escape."
She was correct. Our combined efforts may grant an advantage over just the individual.
"I'll take the one on the left," she ordered. "You take the one on the right."
Without the time to argue. I prepared my violet blade and charged.
Defeating the first two was akin to child's play. A direct slash from my blade sorted that. Toni seemed to employ some novel type of Spark Casting I hadn't seen hitherto. It involved whips carefully constructed of electricity. I believe she chanted SparkLash or something along those lines.
The leader of the group, Dog. He was much more menacing.
"THIS IS WAR! PIG." He shouted, akin to a battle cry, summoning a mighty hammer of earthen rock. Study, probably cable of blocking my electricity. I'd have to play this smart.
Dismissing my stormblades, engaged in close combat with him. allowing Tony to deal with the other stragglers.
Dog was incredibly adept with his hammer, swinging and spinning it as if to taunt me. With a gust of fervent wind, he brought the hammer down, aiming accurately for my head. Within a split second, I dodged out of the way, distinctive sounds of crushing rock and emanating vibrations filling the room.
That thing was massive.
I prepared my gleaming sword in a more adversarial stance this time, aiming to parry his next strike. Which seemed to be more of an upward sweep. Inadvertently catching the shaft of the hammer on my blade with a cacophany of rock and steel, I slid down to his hands, scoring them to ribbons in a dazzling flash of violet.
The critical issue was that, no matter how much I wounded him, he wouldn't go down.
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He cried, a sanguine aura veiling his body.
Frozen in fear, I couldn't move. The hammer was swung down upon me, akin to a boulder falling upon a climber, helpless to move. Was I going to die here?
Just in time, I felt a body thrust me out of the way, as fast as a bolt of lightning.
It was Toni, though she looked altered. Her hands looked like bestial cat's claws, with two silky ears protruding from her head. Upon more detailed inspection, her face possessed whiskers and her eyes had straightened down to narrow slits. Her entire body sparking with bestial lightning.
"Sorry for lying to ya'" she breatred, obviously fatigued. "This is my singularity. It's embarrassing, don't look." She said, frantically overing her rear. A tail had formed there.
Tomboy cat girl? Pretty sure that was an internet trend back on earth.
Seizing the opportunity, she'd give me a good chance. I snuck behind Dog, as he was far too occupied with Toni to perceive me.
Deciding to try something new, I summoned the power of gravity. It yet again ebbing and flowing against my hand, a purple mass of senseless, eternal power.
Picking up my sword, I stocked it full of Spark EX-Energy and flung it as hard as I can straight into his chest. Using the gravity anchored in front of him to direct the blade.
In a splash of blood, his heart had been removed from his chest, impaled on my sword. Ironic for the Mauve Allure to seize the enemy's heart.
In a ultimate spit of blood, Dog mouthed his last words.
"don't... trust.... GEI"
Interesting.
-------:-
In the end, we'd fought tooth and nail against the criminals, though in the end we emerged victorious. The leader of the group lay slain at our feet, slaughtered by my blade. Though we'd both been injured in the process, it was worth it.
"That was quite the fight," Toni said, breathing heavily. "But we did it."
"Yeah," I replied. "We did."
Just at that moment, the guards arrived to take control of the situation. They thanked us for our help and offered to escort us out, but we declined precipitously.
"We should probably get going," Toni said. "Before they start asking too many questions."
I nodded in agreement and we made our way back to the entrance.
"I'm surprised you showed up," I said. "I didn't think you cared much for justice."
"I don't," she replied. "But I do care about you. I didn't want you to get yourself killed."
"Thanks," I said, feeling touched by her words. "But I can take care of myself."
"I know," she said with a smile. "But that doesn't mean I can't worry about you. You're a nice friend" as her face slowly morphed to a more human-like look.
I was certain the Order would have ample rewards for such an accomplishment... Though it was nice to have more people relying on me.