Luther, Sol, Sami, and Kilo moved swiftly through the HQ, their movements synchronized and purposeful. The locked door in their path barely posed a challenge as Luther raised a hand, a concentrated beam of light energy blasting it open. The Unodoz stood huddled inside, their faces pale with fear as the four mages entered, their auras oppressive and menacing. At the back of the room, Ragra stood still, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of anger burned in his eyes.
Sami stepped forward, her voice sharp. "So, which one of you is Ragra?"
Silence.
The mages exchanged glances, and Kilo sighed. "Looks like we'll have to make an example." His hands moved, vines erupting from the floor and walls of the meeting room like a swarm of living snakes. They coiled around three Unodoz, lifting them into the air by their necks. The captives struggled, clawing at the vines as their faces turned red, but their lips remained sealed.
The sound of their choking filled the room until it was replaced by silence as their lifeless bodies fell to the floor. Kilo, unfazed, moved his vines to the next set of Unodoz.
"No!" Ragra's voice rang out, cutting through the tension. He stepped forward, his confidence radiating despite the danger. "I'm Ragra."
The mages turned to him, a smirk forming on Sami's lips. "I don't know why we didn't notice sooner. You look pure Nordian. So proud, so defiant."
Kilo wasted no time, his vines snaking around Ragra, binding him tightly. "You're coming with us," he said coldly.
The mages began escorting Ragra out, their path direct. As they moved through the hallways, Sami clicked her radio. "Ember, we have him. Making our way to the front entrance now."
Suddenly, their progress was interrupted as four figures appeared at the end of the corridor—Honor, Maria, Sakina, and Rose. The triplets' fiery inner energies flickered around them like dancing flames, their eyes burning with determination.
"You're not going anywhere with him," Maria said firmly, stepping forward.
Luther laughed, stepping in front of his team. "You think you can stop us? Brave, but foolish."
The air exploded with motion as the two groups clashed.
Maria and Sakina advanced together, their fiery weapons blazing. Maria's batons spun in a blur of light, while Sakina's double-bladed spear carved arcs of flame through the air. They targeted Luther, who responded with radiant beams of light that sliced through their attacks with precision. Sparks and flames erupted as their weapons clashed. Luther's superior power slowly began to overwhelm the two sisters, but they pressed on relentlessly, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Rose's nunchaku spun like fiery wheels, and she attacked Kilo with fury. His vines lashed out at her, trying to ensnare her, but she moved with incredible agility, cutting through them with each fiery strike. Kilo growled, summoning thicker vines to entangle her, but Rose burned through them with a ferocious intensity.
Honor, with his water-based inner, engaged Sol. Sol wielded his dual elements—fire and ice—with precision, launching streams of both to keep Honor at bay. Honor dodged the attacks skillfully, closing the gap with bursts of water-powered strikes. Each punch he landed was amplified by jet-like streams of water, forcing Sol to retreat momentarily.
Sami held back, guarding Ragra, her stone-based powers forming barriers and projectiles to fend off any who approached.
The battle raged on, a chaotic storm of elements. Luther finally landed a devastating light-infused strike on Maria, sending her crashing into a wall. Before she could recover, a deadly beam pierced her chest. Maria gasped, blood spilling from her lips as her flames flickered out. She fell lifeless to the floor.
"No!" Rose screamed, her voice raw with anguish.
Sakina, enraged, charged at Luther with reckless abandon. She managed to land a flaming strike across his arm, but her opening left her vulnerable. Luther retaliated with a concentrated blast of light energy that engulfed her completely. When the light faded, Sakina collapsed, unmoving.
Rose froze, staring at the lifeless bodies of her sisters. Her hands trembled, her fiery nunchaku falling limp at her sides. Her breath hitched, and her grief transformed into pure rage.
"You… you'll pay for this!" she roared, her flames flaring uncontrollably.
Kilo stepped forward to intercept her, vines erupting toward her. Rose's flames surged, burning hotter than ever. She dodged his attacks with feral precision, closing the gap and striking with everything she had. Her nunchaku smashed into Kilo's chest, the flames searing through his body. Kilo stumbled back, gasping, before Rose's flames consumed him entirely. With one final, anguished strike, she severed his head from his body.
As Kilo fell, the vines around Ragra dissolved, freeing him. Ragra stepped forward, his calm demeanor belying the storm brewing within him. Water surged around his hands as he joined the fray.
"Let's end this," Ragra said, his voice cold.
Rose and Ragra fought side by side, their elemental attacks perfectly complementing each other. Ragra's water doused Sol's fire attacks, giving Honor the chance to land a series of devastating blows. Luther and Sami regrouped, their combined light and stone abilities creating a powerful defense.
Despite their efforts, the mages were relentless. Rose's grief clouded her judgment, and her attacks became erratic. Ragra, though powerful, was struggling to fend off both Sami and Sol.
"Fall back!" Honor shouted, realizing the fight was a losing battle. He pulled a smoke bomb from his pouch and threw it to the ground. The room filled with thick smoke, obscuring everyone's vision.
When the smoke cleared, Rose, Ragra, and Honor were gone, leaving the remaining mages standing amidst the wreckage of the battle.
"Damn it!" Sami shouted, slamming her fist against the crumbled wall beside her. The frustration in her voice echoed through the wrecked hallway. The acrid smell of smoke and scorched walls filled the air as she scanned the empty room. "We lost him."
Luther wiped a streak of blood from his face, his expression cold but tense. "This mission was supposed to be straightforward. Now it's turning into a disaster."
Sol gritted his teeth, his hands still glowing faintly with residual flames. "We can't keep wasting time. Ember's already going to be waiting for us at the entrance with the rest of the group. He's not going to like this."
Sami turned sharply to face them. "Forget about it. We don't have time to track him down again. The assassins might regroup, and we've already lost Kilo. We need to cut our losses and get out of here."
"Agreed," Luther said reluctantly. "The priority is regrouping with Ember. If we stay here any longer, we risk getting cornered."
Sami nodded, her jaw clenched. She cast one last glance at the destroyed room, the corpses of assassins and the burned remnants of vines scattered across the floor. Her anger simmered beneath the surface, but she forced herself to turn away. "Let's move."
The remaining mages quickly made their way down the halls, their footsteps echoing ominously. Though the mission was incomplete, they knew retreat was the only viable option now.