Untitled

Author: Magix


She could identify who was making what noise. That was the twins. That was Blitz. Shouting at the twins. Probably because of the laxatives they’d slipped into his dinner last night. He’d sympathize with him if she didn’t feel so darn annoyed right now.

Shadow. Asking weird questions. Rai, moving his mechanical arm- god, just yank it out of its socket already- Gryff and Raine- the ones talking the softest. Cake and the annoying whine of some stupid game he’d found on the net. She couldn’t hear Inferno and Ravage. Not that she’d want to.

“-on’t deny it, I know it was you guys!”

“Hey, you wound us Blitz… now why would we have done that?”

“Because you’re a pair of sadistic idiots that are nearly as bad as him!”

“Ouch. Low blow.”

Enough. She’d had enough.

She got up.

-

“Guys, it’s only seven, Aurora’s still-“ Gryff was interrupted by the vicious slam of a door, though it was really the door coming off the hinges that had made the noise. And some very angry growls, both human and canine.

Aurora stood at the doorway, water swirling around her, and her loyal wolves at her side. “I. Am. Trying. To. Sleep.”

The venomous hiss was enough to send a pair of twins, three Panthryans, a healer, and one of the Gryphos Clan and one gatekeeper back to the safety of their rooms. Even Inferno and Ravage backed off, knowing full well the horrors of waking up the resident Bean in the morning.

Aurora went back to her room. And it wasn’t until eight that Ravage pulled nine members of Battalion 5 together for a meeting.

-

“This’ll be a challenge,” muttered Tatsuen. They’d had experience with theft, but not with breaking in. The Tamagos weren’t that bad. At least, he thought so.

“Nothing’s too hard for us! C’mon, they’re waiting over there…”

Shrugging, the younger followed his sister to a ledge sheltered and hidden by wild foliage. A hand pulled him into the bushes and he stared right into the face of Blitz. Kyuusei joined them a second later.

“Got the plan?”

“Yeah,” Tatsuen nodded and Kyuusei took over. “Inferno and Raine stay here- Inferno to provide long-range backup and Raine’ll be ready to get down there and heal. Rai, Gryff, Shadow, Aurora, you and Ravage distract the guards- although Ravage would have been enough.” A laugh. “We infiltrate the enemy structure. And we’ll give to signal to get the heck outta here when it blows.”

“Alright.” Blitz gave one of his signature grins. “Just try not to get too injured. There’s a limit to what Raine can do, you know.”

“Who do you think we are?” Kyuusei looked offended. “We’re too awesome to fail. Right, let’s go ‘Tsuen!” She started down the ledge. Shaking his head, Tatsuen followed her lead, pausing only to smile in acknowledgement at Raine’s muttered comment of “Good luck.”

And they were gone.

-

He so was not cut out for this.

The amnesiac gave a weary sigh (he hadn’t gotten a very good night’s sleep thanks to the twin’s prank) and turned his attention on his fellow Trifecta member. “I’ll start it off.”

Blitz’s hands cackled with electricity as he raced downwards, to the front of the castle. It wasn’t crumbling- there were signs of it being newly built, the odor of paint drifting towards him due to the wind direction and his instincts. Wait, what?

Trust his instincts. That sounded right.

Blitz flexed his fingers, watching the current wrap around them like string- very deadly string. He sent the signal for the operation to start, a bolt of blue lightning through the air and the half-screams of the guards as they fell to the ground, dead.

-

Rai grimaced. That stupid arm of his was rusty and they’d run out of oil somehow. What did everyone else want oil for? They didn’t have a mechanical limb.

Nevertheless, he drew his katana and slashed one of the unfortunate reinforcements that were pouring out of the gate like Ahos to Aurora’s hair. He grinned mentally at that thought and took down a few more foes.

The castle forced shivers down his spine. It didn’t look very menacing at all, but there was this… aura that screamed at him to get away and that he was being stupid. Stupid castle. The four towers seemed to be leering at him somehow, their one eye/window staring down at him. Rai suddenly felt a little worried for the youngest of their group.

Of course, he’d worry more about them than himself if his arm wasn’t choosing that moment to be a pain in the ass and be creaky and unresponsive. Another pained grimace as pain shot up the left side of his back.

One second is all it takes for a casualty in battle.

-

“Hate to admit this, but I’m getting the shivers.”

The Tamagos sprinted down the hall, flattening themselves against the wall as more soldiers rushed to defend to castle. Only when they were out of side did the siblings resume their quiet conversation.

“Yeah… Darn, why don’t they light up these corridors with something better than candles? I thought they would afford lights for this gigantic place.”

“All the better for us, lil bro. Dim corridors equals awesomeness… for spies and horror games, that is.”

“I think you’ve been spending too much time with Cake.”

“Whatever. Is that the room?”

Silently, one of them moved to pick the lock, and they both slipped in.

“I hate libraries.”

“Let’s just look for that book…”

Each twin searched in cautious silence, keeping within seeing distance of each other as they scanned the bookshelves.

“I see it! Here…” Tatsuen mumbled as he pulled down a moderately- sized book, dusty from unuse and the edges curling up. There was no title on the dirty brown book and Tatsuen quickly slipped it into his egg bag.

“Why’d Ravage want it again?”

“Something about something 300 years ago… boring, but it’s orders.”

“Second phase of the plan. Ready?”

“As always.”

And they broke the tense silence with giggles that spelt trouble.

-

… And he would have been dead, had the Bean not interrupted at the last minute. “Thanks,” he nodded. Aurora gave a half-smile and left to do more damage. He’d appreciated the help but seeing someone’s head being torn off by an ice wolf was not a pleasant sight.

Looking around, Rai saw his one-eyed companion taking out dozens with speed. Where were they all coming from? Shrugging, he turned his attention on an overconfident man.

-

Blitz was grateful that the others hadn’t come near him. He might’ve accidentally shocked them.

He wasn’t exactly dyeing the grass red like the others (especially Ravage, he was literally swimming in the crimson liquid), but he killed. The blonde was getting edgy. No one had told him there was a river to the side before and he hadn’t seen it till he was below. Shuddering, he cleared a way through a group and tried to get away from the stupid water body as much as possible.

A look of understanding passed through the soldiers like a current of his electricity. They advanced, pushing him back, and it wasn’t until he heard the soft telltale rush of the river did he realize that they’d found out his hydrophobia. Blitzen cursed loudly and tensed his limbs, ready to fight his way out.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Didn’t notice the frikkin’ archer and the glint of his metal-tipped arrow until the object sank into his right shoulder and the whoop from one of the castle’s towers. He fell backwards.

And he hit water.

-

Inferno twitched. “Raine,” he called softly to the Bairoku healer.

She nodded. “I saw.” A grim undertone seeped into her voice as she continued, “Is it really very severe hydrophobia?”

Inferno nodded, his dark eyes never leading the land below. “Ask Gryff. He’s closest.”

The red-haired woman gave the outcast a look- one that told him that she knew he was worried for the Panthryan. She sighed.

“Cover me.”

-

Water stinging his eyes and his arms and legs flailing helplessly- damn was this river deep- and bubbles from his mouth and no noise entering his ears and wild panic taking control over his mind and body.

Oh god oh god oh god water water water there’s water everywhere I’m gonna drown water-

Uncontrolled electricity is electrifying the water, making certain of death to anyone who dared to jump in- why aren’t I dead yet- and surely, everyone would be too occupied to help a drowning hydrophobic.

He opens his mouth to suck in one more mouthful of water, or to give a silent sob of despair-

- and he gulps air. Not much air, really, because water’s taking up the space in his lungs where oxygen should be. He’s trying to breathe but not much is coming in.

And it hurts. There are images flashing through his mind, ghostly whispers filling his head. They’re softer than the sounds of the battle, but they stand out for one reason or another.

He’s also aware of a throbbing pain in his shoulder, but it ebbs away, as does his consciousness.

-

“The signal?”

“You do it. And then we’re getting out of here.”

The white-haired twin carelessly fired the flare gun out of the window, and then lets it clatter to the floor. He preferred katars.

“Let’s move!”

-

Gryff hauled the half- conscious boy onto the grass and turned him over. Raine should have asked Ravage for help instead- Gryff could’ve died thanks to the amount of electricity in the water. Even now he could see the last few sparks flicker and fade.

His childhood friend turned Blitz over as he fought off the other idiots who were trying to get close. A flash of red and orange and he knew the Tamagos had succeeded. Gritting his teeth, he yelled over his shoulder, “Let’s get away from here!”

Raine frowned. Blitz had fainted, and she couldn’t carry him. Gryff was busy keeping the soldiers at bay. She looked around, her gaze settling on somebody who really irked her, but he was a comrade. She signaled for Rai to come over and help.

- - - - - - -

For a while, he left his eyelids closed, but they snap open as he remembers that he should have died in the watery tomb. The pain in his shoulder was still there but it was dull and not sharp like it was before. Blurry shapes were forming in front of his eyes, and he blinked to make them clearer.

“Blitz!” He’d never heard Aurora sound so relieved before, not even when he’d pulled Kaba off her hair.

“… How did it go?”

The Bean blinks, puzzled. Then understanding dawns upon her face. “It went well. The twins blew up the castle with that bomb- funny how something so small can be so lethal.”

“Like you.” He grins weakly.

“… You’re going to get it when you get better.”