"Tonight, we roll the dice."
Sasha's information has given CK an idea about what to expect from the lower floors. But the specific details were unknown. CK fixed her gear in front of the mirror and secured a mask over her face. Not only will it prevent any contamination, but it should also hide her identity.
"Guess we'll just have to gamble tonight," CK mused. She turned to her bed. She conjured a mannequin out of bedsheets to take her place since she was supposed to be 'asleep' at that time of the evening.
She turned to the doors of her dorm room next. The constant inactivity and boredom should have made the guarding officers sleepier and give CK a window of opportunity to escape.
CK flicked her glass pen and phased away from her room, leaving no trace of dust or sound as she disappeared. She arrived at the same catwalk she and Winslow took before. She looked at the administration building in the distance.
The sensors should be activated since it was night time. Using the emergency route from the side of the building, CK secured her mask and hid the rest of her head under a hood.
Although she doesn't have Winslow to hijack the security cameras, there was one thing she had imagined would work to prevent the patrolling officers from finding where she is. CK tossed out a small, round device when she reached the first floor, another on the second floor, then left the elevator once she reached the third floor.
She crept close to the door but did not step out into the hallways and dropped another similar round device on the ground next to her. She hid when she heard impending footsteps of the set of patrolling officers.
Silently, CK took out a detonator from her pocket and clicked it. The devices she tossed onto the first and second floors suddenly blinked before emitting a powerful ripple.
Fwoosh!
A sudden surge of Syntax energy spread out before thinning quickly. Though it caused no physical damage, all the energy sensors on the first and second floors began to blare. CK snuck a glance when the patrolling officers looked up in alert before breaking into a full sprint to get to the lower floors.
'Heh. The projects that Ms. Yvonna had us do last year finally had use,' CK's eyes glimmered as the officers disappeared from sight. She did not waste a second and triggered the device next to her with another click on the detonator.
The device activated with a beep, suddenly expelling large volumes of smoke within seconds. CK waited for a few minutes until the entire floor was covered in white fog. Once the surroundings was blurred with white, she stepped out and swiftly made her way to her destination.
The officers in the building should have gone to the first and second floors to find the source of Syntax energy, and the fog should protect CK from being caught by the cameras. CK occasionally hid as she sensed some officers passing by, but she successfully arrived at the elevator at the center of the floor.
Any authorized person could get to any floor using the central elevator. CK waited as the fog spread across the floor before approaching the elevator. She took out Kitmar's access card and placed it against the scanner. The scanner eventually blinked green: access confirmed.
CK's brows furrowed when she noticed the fog was slowly thinning out. It shouldn't be long until the fog clears out. She rode the central elevator and watched as the doors closed. The elevator smoothly descended, suddenly gaining speed as if planning to drop itself against the lowermost floor.
CK crossed her arms pensively. The entrance should be surrounded by guards and fighting her way through will be a big mistake. CK fidgeted with the glass pen in hand. She'll need to open a window of opportunity.
'I hope you remember what to do, Malphas,' CK thought. Malphas assured in her mind.
CK's heart skipped a beat when the elevator came to a pause. On the screen display was a notification that they were at the lowest floor, and CK squinted when the doors opened and revealed a dark passage.
CK hesitated before stepping out. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, where she finally made out her surroundings. Her brows furrowed in confusion and surprise. She wasn't in a corridor. The central elevator was at the center of an entire floor that resembled a panopticon; a round prison that could be observed from the central tower. In CK's case, the central tower was the elevator where she came from.
In a live footage from a separate security room, CK could be seen walking carefully and observing her surroundings. A figure stood over the footage display, their eyes a reflection of CK's mask while she looked around. She's resourceful.
CK felt shivers when she stared into the doors of the distant cells. Why does the lowest floor resemble a prison? CK's surprise came to new heights when she saw a few bodies sprawled on the floor.
Her eyes widened behind her mask. She swiftly approached the bodies and frowned upon seeing the uniform of the armed peace officers. She knelt down and inspected a pulse. She frowned and closed her eyes. There was no pulse. They already passed away.
Several more bodies made a trail leading down a corridor, triggering CK's instincts in horror. Someone killed the officers standing guard—and quite recently, too. Should she risk looking for the key and encounter the culprit?
'What's with this freaking floor?' CK thought as she continued to bask in the eerie ambience. It was a contrast from the surface world and almost seemed like an entirely different place.
Malphas warned. CK hissed, 'Shit, you're right. I need to hurry.'
She forcefully tore her gaze away from the trail of corpses and took a deep breath. CK summoned the [Maiden's Manuscript] into one hand and placed her other hand atop its cover. She closed her eyes and instinctively drew an inscription with her index finger. She finished the inscription, and it glowed before transforming into a compass in front of CK.
The arrow spun before it pointed south-east and CK followed the direction it pointed. She had weaved the energy from the [Manuscript] to compliment the key, so the compass should lead her straight to its location.
CK's heels resonated faintly within the halls she hoped would be empty. She passed by several doors, the glow of the enchanted compass casting a faint glow to illuminate her mask. Her curiosity had been dampened, and she was no longer interested to see what hid behind the doors she passed through.
CK now fully understood why the students had limited access to the databank. There are some things that are better left unknown by the general public. The grave realization that some people passed away while the students are sleeping soundly on the surface poured ice water on CK's spine.
<…This is the first time you've witnessed human deaths, isn't it, little miss?> Malphas said. CK's grip on the [Manuscript] tightened, and Malphas knew his answer from her silence.
Malphas had a curious look from where he stood in the Pillow Palace. CK never flinched when she kills her opponents, but witnessing the deaths of her fellow humans shocked her to silence. Malphas continued to wander around the dungeon castle idly. Perhaps she might learn a thing or two.
'I have a bad feeling,' CK thought as she felt a twist in her gut uncomfortably.
CK kept a watchful gaze as she continued to follow her compass. She passed by more doors until she came across patches of dark smog erupting from the ground. CK paused in alert; she was in the corrupted zone Sasha told her about.
CK adjusted her mask securely and continued forward. Each step she took made her venture deeper into the smog. Though she could not inhale it, CK felt as if the walls itself were closing in on her—a rather terrible feeling for those with claustrophobia. Syntax energy was 'rigid' in this area, and CK found the reason why.
"What the…"
Her eyes widened upon passing through an archway. The hinges where double doors should have been broken, and debris of the broken doors littered on the path leading into the archway. In the distance was room containing an obelisk ten feet tall, wrapped around in dark matter resembling tentacles.
There were large amounts of corrupted energy surrounding the obelisk. CK frowned when she saw several spatial tunnels surrounding the obelisk, leading from the obelisk and stretching out into several portals all around the room.
It was an insane amount of corrupted energy. CK took a few tentative steps closer to inspect the room. She watched as the smog would be sucked into the tunnels around the obelisk and flushed out into the portals. The images in the portals would often change. From the image of a ruined civilization to a desolate uninhabitable terrain, the flushed smog would be sent into the portals that could change again.
CK froze in grim realization. Those tunnels are flushing out corrupted energy from the obelisks into different places! Was the Nonaphrontistery behind this?
CK stared at the obelisk, where foreign runes she could not decipher were written top to bottom. It glowed eerily and was the only source of light in the room. She frowned. What was that obelisk for and how does it produce so much corrupted energy?
'The master would be alarmed by this situation. If word gets out…' CK's thoughts trailed off as conspiracy flickered in her eyes. She weaved her glass pen and made a few gestures, conjuring a frame written with energy threads.
The frame focused on the obelisk and flashed a second. The captured image transmuted into a physical copy, which CK stared at with a cold stare. If used appropriately, she can use it against the administration. She should keep evidence for now.
She dispelled the photograph and left the room. She summoned her compass again to locate the key. CK passed by several more doors until the compass changed direction and pointed at a door she was about to pass by.
'There,' CK thought and dispelled the compass. She approached the scanner by the door, a small screen display with details of the item hidden behind its doors.
[Key to the Maiden's Manuscript. It is the only way to open the book case without triggering the defense mechanism of the book. Use of both the key and the Manuscript is strictly prohibited unless given full authority by the administration panel and the Headmaster. Copies: 1.]
CK tilted her head at the description. The databank said that Professor Kitmar could also access it. She placed the professor's access card against the scanner and her eyes glimmered when it turned green.
The door slid open, revealing a small, plain room with a single display case at the center. The 'key' was a thin card inlaid in a cushion, its intricate design a complementary match for the [Manuscript]'s cover.
"Apparently, people can still take it illegally," CK mused. CK inspected the book in hand and traced a subtle gap on the cover. She nodded to herself. That's where the key is supposed to go.
She took her steps forward to take the key, but her eyes widened when she saw a blaring red dot on her hand. CK's eyes widened. Laser!
Pssht!
CK retracted her hand in time as a hot-white laser shot against the case she was about to hold. Thin smoke slithered from the freshly-burnt hole, making CK turn around in alert.
By the door frame was a slender, armored humanoid covered in bronze. A blindfold was draped over its eyes and its hair was adorned as a helmet of curved spikes. Hanging from its elbows were chains attached to a pair of scales, each scale containing orbs of energy. Sometimes red and blue, sometimes yellow and green.
CK nearly turned pale behind her mask at the appearance of the newcomer. "A Juris Vindicator," she muttered in horror, "Fuck."
They were warned heavily about the Juris during lectures on Martial Defense. The Juris detested wordsmiths, but their power ranking was equivalent to the Syntax Levels used by wordsmiths for power scaling.
In the upper ranks of the Juris were a listed ranks from least to greatest: Juris Enforcer, Juris Adjudicator, Juris Vindicator, Juris Magistrate and the Judge. A Juris Enforcer was equivalent of Syntax Level II (Abraxas); an Adjudicator to Syntax Level III (Saltare), a Vindicator and Magistrate to Syntax Level IV(Rudimentus).
The theoretical position of Judge was the highest and most dangerous rank, belonging to the Juris' leaders and said to be equivalent to that of a god's. Some even say it was accurately equivalent to that of an Archetype itself. However, no one has ever encountered a Juris Judge, so this position remains a mystery without evidence.
Putting it shortly, the Juris Vindicator before CK was on a power level equivalent to that of Professor Erzem and Professor Kitmar. They were also the frontliners in war, only showing that Vindicators were made specially for battle.
Although blindfolded, the Vindicator's face turned to the book in CK's hands. "You…have the [Manuscript]," it said, its voice a hypnotic soundwave, "The key and [Manuscript] are in one place… That makes it easier."
"Hell no, you aren't taking anything from me," CK glared and dispelled the [Manuscript] in hand. She was about to snatch the key when another laser shot at her, causing her to hiss in annoyance and dodge.
The Juris Vindicator muttered incoherent chants, and the orbs in its scales began to channel several lasers towards CK. The young woman dodged swiftly and was forced to put distance between her and the display case.
CK adjusted her footwork and was about to retaliate when a shadow loomed over her. Her eyes widened when a large laser struck the ceiling, causing ceiling wreckage to violently crash upon CK's location. CK gritted her teeth and raised her forearms, letting herself be buried in the debris.
The Vindicator stared at the pile emotionlessly before standing close to the display case. The ground beneath the display case and the Juris Vindicator shook violently, where crystalline spikes shot out violently between the Vindicator and the case. The spikes damaged the case in the process, causing splinters of glass to shatter and scatter.
The Vindicator paused when the key was flung mid-air. It got ready to pounce on the key, but a glass pen shot in-between like a sharp comet and transformed into a glaring young woman. She extended a palm mid-air, where a tiny magic circle was inscribed mid-air.
"Leucosis: Third Passage. Photon eruptio!"
A large burst of blinding light exploded violently. CK took this chance to swiftly toss the key higher up, where a golden-eyed crow darted quickly to catch the key in its beak. The Vindicator did not flinch. It stared calmly once the light disappeared, watching as CK escaped through the broken walls.
Malphas said. 'Good. Retreat. I'll catch up,' CK said. Malphas disappeared from sight while CK conjured a sift opening in front of her, preparing to flee.
The Vindicator made a dissatisfied grunt and gestured a long, slender finger forward. CK jumped through the sift, only to emerge mid-air at the same place. CK's eyes widened in shock.
She was supposed to land at the main island. Why did—!
CK watched in alert as the Vindicator appeared before her and harshly grabbed her by the neck. "Pitiful," the Vindicator spoke sleepily and threw CK down unto the ground.
"Agh!" CK cried out upon harsh impact, suddenly crying louder when several claws emerged from the ground and latched unto her limbs, holding her down while the claws dug into her skin. Trickles of blood soaked through her clothes and CK gasped heavily.
Her vision was blurry. Ridiculous… Could the Vindicator have tampered with the sift's destination without a single incantation? The Vindicator's power is greater than she anticipated.
"You… You killed those officers, didn't you?" CK spoke. The Vindicator's long fingers flickered idly as it drew close, "Unworthy beings do not last long. This is a truth of the universe."
CK then judged herself unable to win against the Vindicator. She needs to get away.
She watched warily as the Vindicator descended towards her. CK glared, "Why are you here?"
"Little being…you know the reason why," the Vindicator spoke, "Turn over the [Manuscript]…turn over the key. Such precious items…shall serve better in the hands of those with conviction not bound by greed."
"Hah! In that case, I better keep them with me," CK grinned viciously and tilted her head to the side arrogantly, "Conviction? Sure, I'll show you conviction."
The Vindicator watched curiously when CK's blood began to glitter. "Vivamus metamorphosis," CK chanted, her emerald eyes glowing violently, "Cruentum amplexus!"
The [Maiden of Prayer] has two Muses to symbolize the two forms of knowledge: Magna Alkemia for the physical world and substance, and Wiseman's Philosophia for the spirit and mind. Those who practice Magna Alkemia like CK are granted the ability to transform anything in the physical world, whether it was living or not. Blood was one example.
CK shut her eyes as the blood seeping out of her wounds stained the claws restraining her. Each claw turned bloody red before melting into a puddle of blood, the pungent smell of iron in human blood drifting in the air.
The Vindicator grew alert when it wrapped CK's whole body, weaving a bloody cocoon before disappearing into the ground. Its attention turned to the ground as it shook violently, a sudden fountain of blood shooting out from the ground.
CK reappeared a few meters behind the Vindicator, causing it to turn around and blast several lasers at CK. CK sketched inscriptions in the air with her glass pen and quickly chanted as the lasers drew closer by the millisecond.
"Et fluctum vada litoribus!"
Several streams of blood solidified as a wall to catch the laser beams. A large ripple of Syntax energy spread all throughout the floor, but nothing else happened. The Vindicator sneered at this and turned to CK, "Foolish wordsmith. Your spells are nothing."
"I wasn't aiming for you," CK replied. She swiped her glass pen sidewards, a small stream of energy shooting towards the red button at the central elevator like a crazed butterfly.
It struck the red button. Not long after, the lights all across the floor blared red. Deafening sirens rang out the corridors, spreading anxiety-inducing sound waves that numb the ears. The Vindicator stared in confusion, then it understood.
"Conniving human spawn," it said as it stared at CK condescendingly. By triggering the defense system of the floor, she just alerted the armed forces about her presence in the lowermost floor.
CK gritted her teeth as she conjured a smokescreen before making a run for it. She might get into trouble, but better in the hands of the school than die miserably in the hands of a Juris Vindicator.
The young woman's pace broke when the Vindicator appeared before her. CK swiped her glass pen up, causing a surge of hardened blood to strike the Vindicator. It easily dodged and swiftly retaliated with a lash of its long fingers.
CK groaned in pain as it struck her stomach, leaving deep cuts of red. The Vindicator struck out another claw, but CK managed to dodge it. Energy threads clustered at the tip of her glass pen before she swung it out, causing a whip of bright energy to strike the Vindicator from the side.
Slap!
It struck the Vindicator successfully, causing it to stumble. CK's brows rose when a small item fell out of the Vindicator's clothing. She struck her whip a few more times against the Vindicator, taking the item swiftly before the Vindicator noticed.
Enraged by the attack, the Vindicator grabbed the whip of energy and crushed its fingers, causing the energy to turn into black. CK grew alert and immediately broke away, jumping a few meters back.
The Vindicator was about to strike when a large missile suddenly flew from behind CK. The surprise attack caused the Vindicator to target the missile instead, causing a violet explosion right above CK and the Vindicator.
BOOM!
CK grunted as she shielded herself with her forearms. Once the explosion died down, she dropped to her knees weakly. Marches of boots echoed as a sudden flush of armed officers came through each entrance and corridor, pointing their weapons at the Juris Vindicator.
"Fire!" a command boomed. Not a second to waste, a series of energy-fueled artillery went off. The Vindicator blocked each shot with a transparent barrier. It faced CK, who was assisted by a pair of armed officers.
"Hmph…" it said and morphed away. "Cease fire!" another command echoed from the captain before he turned his attention to CK.
"Hey, you're safe now. Can you stand?" he asked. "Barely," CK muttered a reply. The captain assessed her bloodied clothing. His brows furrowed as he touched his hologram earpiece.
"Report to HQ: A Juris Vindicator breached the restricted zone. Requesting back-up immediately," he stated and looked at CK, "We also have a student with mild injuries. Send paramedics…"
The voices around CK drowned as CK's head began to feel light. The officers were unbelievably quick to respond, but that wasn't her concern.
In her hands was an invitation card to attend the school's graduation rites. It was the same thing that the Vindicator dropped. CK felt her blood run cold.
"That can't be right…"
Someone in the school gave access to a Juris Vindicator to enter the school and is most likely part of the audience. CK frowned. This wasn't good. Something may happen during the graduation rites!
CK groaned, her frown disappearing as she lost consciousness. The nearby officers took notice of this and quickly performed first-aid while the paramedic officers came through.
Having witnessed the entire scene, the figure watching from the live footage sighed heavily. "Well, that's that," they said and turned to the side, their side profile still a silhouette, "Delete the footage of the incident."
"Delete? Don't you want to use it as blackmail?"
"As if it would serve any use. Now delete it. Make sure no evidence will be retrieved from the security footages."
"Fine."