AN: Hello! Here is my 2nd FF ever. It was inspired by a fanart, the link is in my profile. I looked at it wondering how they got into that situation and my brain couldn't stop. It became a journey to find out how they got into that room. A goal of 5 small chapters to finish writing in a week turned into 10 chapters with 86 thousand words finished 2 and a half months later. Needless to say, it kind of got away from me, but I'm really happy with the results. I wrote for all the Spartoi so that probably helped to make it lengthy. It's a long one you guys. So buckle in and relish in the fandom we love! I hope I did them all justice.I would love feedback. Don't be shy! Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I will get your notifications instantly! I love talking and I want to know what you think! Rated T for some language, brief nudity. Nothing graphic. ~ Cmay
CHAPTER 1 - The Spartoi and Saturday Sorcery - The Tomb
The day started with the group of DWMA students and staff making their way quickly through a thickly overgrown section of woods. This was the same forest Baba Yaga's castle had been in a couple of years ago. They had passed the hollow shelled remains of the building a few miles back, all crumbled, covered in moss and quiet. It was so much different than it once had been, no longer full of explosions and shouts of pain and death. It would almost be nice if they weren't headed towards another dangerous thing that could cost them their lives.
Still, the forest was much more peaceful now that all of the madness and nightmares that lurked in the trees had dissipated or been run out for good. That peace was broken as Black Star shouted high above their heads as he jumped and swung from the branches with Tsubaki in her ninja blade form held tightly in his hands. "Yahoo! Move it birds! Fear me squirrels! I am far better in the trees than you!" The other members of their group ignored him as they continued on, still keeping on their toes as the occasional random branch would drop down from above as Black Star used Tsubaki to slice through the boughs. She lightly chastised him each time he did. "Black Star, that's a little unnecessary don't you think? You're going to hit someone below!" Black Star cackled and sliced through another branch in answer to Tsubaki's question.
Patty and Liz rested easily in Kid's hands as he avoided the branches using his flying skateboard to maneuver around the falling debris. Maka was riding on Soul's handle like a witch's broom following Kid and his path to avoid being hit by the branches as well. She looked over to check on her professors. Stein and Sid, with Nygus, tucked carefully into the holster at the waistband of his pants, were running along the forest floor on the group's flanks. Maka briefly wondered how Stein could keep up with how much he smoked, and Sid for that matter too since he was, after all, a zombie.
"Professor Stein, how much further do we have to go?" Maka shouted as she felt Soul hum beneath her as she narrowly avoided another falling tree branch as her attention was diverted to look at the mad teacher. "Watch it, Maka!" Soul grumbled. Stein glanced her way, eyeglasses flashing in the sun's rays as they broke through the treetops in streaky bursts. "Not far now."
Sid jumped over a fallen decaying tree with all of the grace of a rhino and added, "We have another mile or so to go before we get there." They had been sent on a mission to a, long since dead, witch's tomb hidden deep within the forest. Once the Kishin Asura had been defeated and the witches and DWMA members had called a truce, the witches had asked for help from Lord Death. They needed their assistance to regain some sacred treasures that had been stolen over three hundred years ago by a particularly nasty witch.
The Spartoi members had been wary when the assignment was posted with each of their names along the main hall of their school as the year drew to an end. The items in question, they had been told by the head witch, Maba, during their briefing, were pure magic and could possibly help restore the moon and do away with the Kishins for good. However, she had said this mission would be difficult and potentially deadly as not only were there the pure magical weapons located deep in the tomb but booby traps set up to impede their attempts to get there and possibly even curses. The head witch had given a surprisingly large body count of all of the past witches who had failed in reclaiming these items over the years. Some had gone mad, some died, and others had simply disappeared. Maka and the others had a right to be nervous, but having Stein and Sid accompany them gave them a bit more comfort, though not much.
Soon the forest became darker as the light started to shift and dim through the trees. They knew it wasn't from the time of day, it was only about five o'clock so the sun still wouldn't set for a few hours due to it being summer. No, this loss of light was directly from the aura around the tomb. The growth of trees became more condensed and twisted. Roots protruded at every footstep to trip a wayward traveler and the bushes were covered in more thorns than leaves. The forest seemed to be telling them to turn back. The animals had also stopped their songs and skittering so Black Star's antics over their heads sounded thunderous from above.
Kid had slowed his skateboard and Maka started to move to his left side as Black Star jumped from the canopy above to bookend Kid on his right as he came to a complete stop to hover a few inches above the dirt. Sid and Stein had also slowed and soon they were forming a straight line as they looked over a huge drop off in the forest floor. It didn't slope like a hill or valley or even look like a normal cliff from which you could climb. No, this was a giant ninety-degree drop off that was completely smooth and offered no footfalls or handholds. It definitely looked man-made or rather, witch made. About a hundred yards across was a matching cliff and floating above a large rushing river, with rocky spikes jutting up from the surface, in the middle of the ravine, far below their feet, was a giant gray stone cube. It had strange carvings and markings all along its surface that looked to be glowing with deep orange light and it was emitting a low thrum of energy directly from its center.
Kid frowned as he glanced at what must be the tomb, "How are we supposed to get in?" Black Star slammed his hands on his hips, "It won't be difficult for a star as big as me to get in! You just watch!" Maka rolled her eyes and Soul piped up from the inside of his blade, "Does anyone else think letting Black Star test that theory out first sounds like a pretty good idea?" Maka chuckled as his quip.
Stein tilted his head as he lit a cigarette and took a large drag, exhaling the smoke outwards toward the lip of the cliff. "Black Star is right." Stein was met with incredulous glances as Sid pulled his military-style backpack from his shoulders and removed multiple heavy looking metal objects that he expertly assembled and attached a length of thick black rope to. It was a grappling gun of some kind. Stein took another puff of his cigarette and removed his lab coat, revealing toned strong arms and torso. He let the coat fall forgotten at his feet as he continued to look at the tomb and reached up to twist the bolt sticking out from his skull twice. "Getting in will be easy. It's getting out you will have to worry about."
Sid nodded and looked at them all with a large toothed grin, "You kids ready for this?" Without their answers, Sid pointed the gun and shot the rope that he had attached a large scary looking arrow to and watched as it soared through the air to slam into the side of the tomb expanding its sharp prongs to give it hold. Sid then dug the gun portion into the ground in between his feet where he twisted it and more metal spikes emerged to cling securely to the dirt. "Let's go, once we are on top of the thing Stein, Nygus and I will stay back to make sure the door stays open and keep anything from getting out that isn't you or the artifacts.
The meisters gave each other nods of determination and gripped their weapons firmly. "Let's go Spartoi!" They all said in unison as Maka mounted Soul's scythe form and Kid took to the sky on his board once more. Sid looked at Black Star and offered him the thick strap of leather that was meant to carry him across the rope to the tomb. Black Star scoffed and looked offended as he took a few steps back to get a running start then launched himself and Tsubaki from the edge of the cliff into the open air of the ravine. Sid looked exasperated and Stein chuckled as he dropped his cigarette and stomped it out with his boot just as Black Star's toes landed on the very edge of the tomb's ledge. Kid and Maka made it with ease and they all looked back waiting for their professors to slide quickly down the rope to join them.
Once everyone was touching the surface of the tomb the humming of the energy spilling from the walls of the stone grew stronger and made their feet tingle as they stood looking around waiting for something to happen. Stein pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and looked around. He seemed to have found what he was looking for and he pulled Kid towards him about six inches then began to mutter under his breath. "Lateo janua patefacio dissero." The ground they stood on shot a large wave of energy up and around them as a small hole opened just where Kid had been standing.
Kid straightened his jacket and cleared his throat, "Well then, shall we?" Sid looked at his students, "You know what we went over. Do not touch anything other than the three artifacts we need and watch out for any traps. You're all going to have to work together to get out of there safely. You have an hour, if you aren't back by then Stein will come looking but we can't guarantee we will be able to keep the door open much longer after that. So you better get going and do me a favor. Don't die. I will fail you for the year otherwise. That's the kind of man I am now." Stein looked into the gaping entrance and looked at the Spartoi members, "Good luck."
Black Star shouted and pumped his Tsubaki laden fist into the air as he jumped and vanished into the hole, "Yahoo!" Kid looked at Maka, "Ladies first." Maka took a breath set her watch timer for an hour and clenched Soul tighter, "Ready Soul?" His disembodied voice rang out, "Let's do this Maka." Maka soon fell through the entrance and Kid glanced over his shoulder at the professors with a nod. "Patty, Liz, remember, go to sleep if you get scared." Patty and Liz responded with a short "Yeah." and "You got it!" as he mounted his black skateboard and ollied into the tomb's entrance.
Stein looked over at Sid as he lit another cigarette, "This should be interesting." Sid huffed, "I just wonder why a witch wouldn't come. Seems a bit odd seeing as this place is chock full of magic." Sid reached back to grab Nygus from the Kevlar knife pouch from the waist of his pants and she transformed back into her human form with a frown on her face, "I don't like it either."
The DWMA students were falling for what seemed like forever. Surely the tunnel the opening was connected to didn't go this far. Maka gripped Soul a bit tighter wishing she had some light to see where they were headed. Black Star could still be heard shouting his random 'Yahoos and Yeahs!' from below Maka's feet. Kid yelled down to Maka, "Can you see anything yet? Do you feel anything?" Maka looked up and even though Kid sounded close she couldn't see him above her, only the four glowing wheels from his skateboard. They continued to drop as she hollered back, "No, I don't feel any souls and it's pitch black I can't see a damn thing! Doesn't sound like Black Star has made it to the end yet."
Just as the words left her mouth she heard Black Star cuss followed by a thud and a scraping like feet trying to cling to stone. Maka braced herself for an impact of some sort but instead, her arm was gripped tightly as she was yanked roughly to her left. "Kid! Left! Now!", shouted Black Star and Kid made a hard left turn just to slam into Maka which sent her flying to the ground. "Ow!" Her face skidded against the hard stone floor and her skirt flew up and over her hips. She growled as she yanked at the material and regained her footing all the while never letting go of Soul. He called out to her from his blade, "You okay?" Maka grunted and stood to wipe at the tender spot on her cheek, "Yeah, fine." Kid had not so gracefully landed either and got up to dust off his clothing as he made his board evaporate into non-existence. Black Star was standing there laughing and he glanced at his friend in scythe form, "Thought meisters always landed on their feet huh Soul?"
They all took a moment to look at their new surroundings. Black Star had pulled them into an alcove that was only a few inches taller than their heads and not much wider than four or five feet. It was still dark but the orange glow from outside seemed to be leaking from the walls to cast a slight glow around them and gave them just enough light to see by. Liz piped up from the barrel of the gun Kid held at is side, "Black Star how did you know where to go? We couldn't see anything!" Black Star threw his head back and laughed, "I am the great Black Star! Of course, I knew where to go!"
The blue haired ninja turned and started to stomp down the tunnel. Liz huffed in anger, "He's going to get us killed." Kid lifted her and Patty into a standby position and started to follow Black Star, "Maybe, but he got us in. Come on Maka, Soul." Maka carefully twirled Soul up and around her shoulders so that his blade was pointed behind her and his hilt rested along her right shoulder. She hoped they wouldn't run into any trouble in these tight quarters as she didn't have much room to maneuver him with how tall he was in weapon form. It seemed Soul was thinking the same thing, "Maka, maybe I should transform, just for now?" Maka gave his hilt a squeeze, "Not just yet, let's see how long this goes for. Just relax for now."
Maka accidentally hit his hilt against the wall which created a loud metallic screech. It hurt their ears as it was deafening in the cramped space, "Oh sorry!" Maka barely had time to feel embarrassed as a shuffling sound met her ears from above where she stood and she had ducked just in time to see a large piece of stone jut down from the ceiling intent on trying to break her skull. Maka had screamed, "Watch out you guys! The ceiling!" Two portions of stone on either side of Kid smashed together inches from his nose, he had jumped back and started to whip his head all around trying to find the next attack.
Black Star flung himself to the floor as another assault came from above. Maka wasn't fast enough as she tried to move forward and a large chunk of rock had slammed into her shoulder causing her to stumble and slam into the other side of the passage, "Crap!" Soul shouted, "Maka!" Maka grasped her aching shoulder, "I'm okay!" Black Star avoided another stone attack and he darted up to somersault ahead, "Get low! All the attacks are shoulder height or from the ceiling!" Kid and Maka instantly dropped and started to crawl toward where Black Star stood apparently now located in a portion of the hall that was trap free. Once they all had reached him he tossed back his head and laughed, "That's right! Grovel at my feet my loyal subjects!" Maka swiped at his ankles with Soul's handle for the comment and he easily avoided her attack, "Jerk." They took a moment to catch their breath, straighten their disheveled clothing, and continued on.
They followed the strange orange lit tunnel that seemed to twist and turn but had no other outlets to any new part of the tomb. Tsubaki was held gently at Black Star's side when she spoke up, "Do you think there are hidden doors somewhere?" Kid shifted and looked around at the walls, "I'm sure there are but being as this place was created with magic, being non-magical beings, it will be difficult for us to find them." Maka piped up from behind when her watch had beeped, they had already been inside for ten minutes and didn't seem any closer to getting to the artifacts. "Guys I know this is nerve-wracking and we do need to be careful, but we need to get a move on."
Black Star apparently took this as a challenge because he immediately started to run full speed away from them. Kid shouted and started to run to keep up, "Black Star you imbecile! Not so fast!" Maka groaned and began to run as well to make sure she didn't lose the group. Just as Black Star had begun to laugh, as though they were simply playing a game of tag and not in a witch's death trap he accidentally kicked a loose rock that looked quite out of place in the smooth hall. It went bouncing back and forth off the walls then a loud disembodied shriek sounded and Black Star grunted as he was thrown back into Kid.
Ominous red tendrils of light had hit Black Star in the chest, leaving holes where they had touched the cloth. The red ribbon like things were now snaking around in front of where Black Star was being helped up by Kid. Maka shouted as she caught up to them, "Get down!" She swung Soul around as best she could to shield the two meisters as the red ropes of light shot forward at them trying to wrap around their limbs. Another loud unnatural cackle was heard and continued to gain in pitch as Soul's blade vibrated under the strain to hold his place as a barrier. 'I will get you! My madness will claim your souls! I will get you! Eat you whole!' Maka strained to keep her balance, bent at the waist as she was behind her two friends. Kid pulled Black Star fully to his feet and they quickly jumped into action.
Patty and Liz's soul wavelength beams shot in quick staccato as Kid fired. Black Star twisted and twirled in the air as he commanded Tsubaki to transform to her uncanny sword form, he swiped down cutting away at the ropes of red. He yelled out in pain when multiple tendrils had attached themselves to his bicep and neck, "Goddamn it! That stings!" He swiped at the red ropes with Tsubaki and they melted away from his body leaving dark purple welts that looked very much like an acid burn where they made contact with his skin.
The cutting and slicing seemed to help so Maka took to swinging Soul's blade in quick small motions in front of her, like a weed whacker, to cause as much damage as possible in the cramped space they were in. Kid stood directly behind her, his pistol laden hands on either side of her face as he fired at the strands closer to the ceiling that tried to dive down and find flesh to wrap around and singe. Soon their efforts paid off as the maniacal voice they were hearing started to falter and warp. 'I ill etou…mahd…soools. Eeet yuuh…' They continued their attacks and soon the threat was gone and all was quiet again. They each took a breath and Black Star let out a loud HA and had Tsubaki transform back into her ninja sword. Maka growled and gave him swift Maka Chop to the cranium for his behavior. "Damn it Black Star, stop being so reckless!"
As Black Star rubbed his aching head and continued to chuckle, he quipped back, "Says you, miss cranium crusher trap trigger-er." Kid pushed past him, rolling his eyes, to take the lead. Something, Maka thought, as the next Lord Death, he should've done at the start. She wondered briefly if he really had taken Soul's comment to heart and used Black Star as a guinea pig. She couldn't help but chuckle but then her watch chimed again reminding her of the seriousness of the situation. She lowered her hand from trying to deliver a second chop to Black Star's head and stomped her way forward behind the other two meisters.
They continued down the dim passageway, their adrenaline pumping and fists gripping tightly on their weapons. They looked all around them trying to watch for the next booby trap when Maka felt something. A tug at her soul. She stopped and looked around. Soul, feeling the shift in their connection asked, "Maka?" She held out a hand and took half a step back from where she came from. Kid and Black star had stopped when she called out to them, "You guys, wait a sec." Kid came to stand next to where she was staring at a blank space along the wall of the tunnel. "What is it Maka?" Maka's brows furrowed as she closed her eyes and lifted a shaking hand to the wall. "It feels…like a soul. Except…not a whole one. It feels like it's only a fragment of a soul…no that's not right. More like… like a shadow of one."
They all watched in tense silence as her hand pressed gently to the wall's surface and it began to glow a gentle shade of blue around her palm. A new voice was heard, but this one was much smaller and much more gentle and soft. 'This way. This way.' Maka's hand suddenly went through the side of the wall as the barrier of stone gave way to the pressure of her hand. Maka couldn't explain it, but this felt like the soul of a witch who had tried to reclaim the artifacts but died, except she wasn't completely gone nor was her soul truly there. It was like a mirror image, a memory of the soul that once was.
As each of them passed through the invisible door, a cold washed over them like the stone was still there and they were pressing themselves into it, though it gave no resistance. Once on the other side they each blinked as the enormous cavern they stepped into was more brightly lit by another magical and invisible source. It was like they had stepped into daylight after being in such a dark hall for so long. Once their eyes had adjusted they each looked around at the scene before them.
The room was filled to the brim with treasures. Glittering gold and jewels laid strewn across every flat surface, strange objects of different shapes and sizes were perched on the stone floor or on the multiple ornate pieces of furniture that lined each of the four walls. In the center was a large marble sarcophagus encrusted with colorful jewels and pearls. Even the stone of the tomb itself seemed to be embedded with gems of varying colors and sizes. This place was more draped in treasure than any tomb in Egypt.
Liz and Patty quivered in Kid's hands at the sight. His grip tightened and he gently reprimanded, "Girls, this is not what we are here for." Patty whined and Liz started to cry at the sight of all of the riches before them. Black Star was uncharacteristically soft-spoken as he said, "Woah…look at all of that gold. I could become the biggest star and the richest one!" Maka stepped forward, "We can't touch anything but the artifacts, but how are we going to find them with all of this stuff here? Assuming we are even in the right place?"
Soul responded as he glanced around as best he could from his blade, "The head witch said they'd be with the old dead hag. So assuming that coffin is hers…we have to be in the right place, right?" Maka nodded, "I think so. Can any of you see any of the artifacts from here?" She didn't want to move further into the room for fear of anything being touched. The problem was there were so many things crammed into the space that items were stacked on top of each other and if one of the artifacts were under something they now had to figure out how to get to it without moving anything else with their hands.
Maka strained her eyes as she scanned the room from the top stair, but she could not see any of the three magical items that they were supposed to collect. They all knew exactly what the instruments looked like as they had spent the better part of two weeks preparing for this mission. They each began taking small steps down the stairway to make sure they didn't disturb the items perched precariously on the edges with their toes. Kid made it to the bottom and looked around, "Don't touch anything, take careful deliberate steps, keep your guard up and stay aware of your surroundings."
They each split up to cover more ground cautiously peeking under tables and through the empty spaces between objects to see if they could find any of the three items. Most of the things in this room were gold and jewel encrusted. The articles they were so eager to find had been made of silver with no jewels or crystals of any kind. They would, or should stand out like a sore thumb in this place but they were nowhere to be seen.
Maka's eyes kept coming back to rest on the large coffin in the center of the room as Soul's words played in her head. Maka took a deep breath, "Guys, I hate to say it, but I think those special artifacts are going to be in the one place we can't see." Kid looked at her profile and groaned, "You don't mean…" Black Star looked at Maka as well, "What? What do you mean? I can see everything!"
Maka sighed and pointed to the large casket in the center of the room. "I think…I think they might be in there. Soul said it, they'd be in with the old hag, and well, they are probably inside that. Literally with her." Just as the words left her lips the tiny orb of blue light from earlier weakly bobbed above the lid of the coffin she was pointing to. Maka sighed and dipped her head, "Why did I have to be right?" She knew this soul remnant was helping them, she felt no ill intent emanating from the tiny thing. Maka wondered if helping them would somehow bring it peace. She hoped so.
The three meisters and their weapons encircled the coffin and stared at its lid. Liz wailed, "Well if we can't touch anything, how do we open it?! Kid I want to go home!" Kid shushed her with a quick, "Then go to sleep." Liz whimpered but stayed alert. Soul looked at Maka, "Maka, can you pry it open with my blade? I'm not in human form so maybe it won't count as touching?" Maka nodded in thought, "That may work, but we can't know for sure. I'm sure this is the most magically guarded thing here though so…I don't know if I want to risk that." Tsubaki chimed in, "Well, we have to try something. Maybe…maybe if Patty and Liz go back to their human forms then you and Soul open the coffin while the three of them grab the items and we make a run for it? That will leave me and Soul in weapon form to help protect us on the way out."
No one spoke as they mulled it over. It did seem like there was no getting out of this without touching the coffin. Maka just hoped they could get out in time. Her watch had already chimed twice more since they entered the chamber. They still needed to make sure they had enough time to get out and had spent so much of it finding this room and searching it that she just hoped they could finish their mission in time. Kid looked down to his weapons and with what seemed like a final decision tossed the twin pistols into the air as he stated, "Human form, please." With a flash of pink light, the girls were standing on two legs again on either side of their symmetrical meister. With twenty minutes left to get the artifacts, back out of the tomb and up to their professors each heart in the room, maybe save for Black Star's, began to beat more quickly with apprehension.
Kid glanced back at the doorway they had come through and thankfully from this side, he could see it was still open to the tunnel they left behind earlier, "okay, I want everyone on this side of the casket. Liz, Patty stand next to Black Star. Black Star, you will be in the lead to get us out of here, but do not leave anyone behind!" Black Star clenched his fist, "I can get us all out of here no problem! It will be easy!" Kid rolled his eyes, "When Maka uses Soul to open the lid Liz, Patty and I will grab an artifact and run. Maka, I want you to run like hell behind us okay? You and Black Star will be the only ones with weapons at this point so you will be taking care of the group and protecting the magical items if needed." Maka nodded firmly and she and Soul said in unison, "Right."
They all seemed to take a breath collectively as they readied themselves for the next few moments. Maka caught a flicker from the corner of her eye, she turned to look at the dim blue orb fluttering a few inches behind her shoulder, "Are we right about where they are?" The little blue orb flickered out and back in weakly and whispered, "Yes." With a breath of relief Maka swooped Soul's blade up with a swoosh to hover at the lip of the coffin's lid, "Everyone ready?"
They all stared at her then down at where Soul's blade almost touched the coffin's edge not saying a word. The cavern was silent as Maka's hands began to slightly tremble. Soul looked at her, "We've got this Maka." She nodded and moved her feet further apart to gain better footing on the smooth stone floor, "Right! Okay, guys, like Professor Sid said if we die we fail the year and I am not okay with that. I'm a straight A student!" She thrust Soul's blade into the crack of the coffin lid and shoved with all of her might, it slid off and hit the floor with a loud bang and then all hell broke loose.
Liz, Patty and Kid reached into the coffin to grab the three silver objects lying next to a withered mummified like form that reached its crusty hand out to grab at them and the artifacts they now grasped tightly in their hands and turned to run. Black Star had sprinted up the stairs to the doorway with a loud "Yahoo!" then turned to wait for his comrades. Maka turned to run but a vibration like an earthquake began and each of them fell to the ground as their footing became unstable. The witch sat up from her coffin and shrieked so loudly that Maka felt like her ears would bleed. The voice added to the frequency of the vibrations and Maka gasped for air as she tried to regain her footing and make her way up the stairs towards the others. The vibrations from the witch's screaming and the earthquake were so intense that her vision was becoming blurry and she was having trouble focusing. She shook her head trying to clear her vision.
Smokey purple shadows of all sizes started to swirl and raise up from all of the nooks and crannies of the large cavern. Black Star went through the doorway just before Liz and Patty had a chance to make it to the top step with the bulky items they were holding onto for dear life. "Damn you Black Star!", Kid yelled in frustration. Kid shouted at Maka from halfway up the steps, "Maka faster damn it! Run!" Maka wiped at her nose, which had started to bleed, with her forearm and got back up to her feet with a grunt.
Maka felt Soul hum as he sprouted wings and yelled at her to get on. She hopped onto his hilt and they flew up towards the exit. Kid followed suit on his skateboard and they made it through the thresh hold just in time. Or so they thought. They had made it back to the tunnel, but the smoky threat followed them into the passage. Even though the wall appeared solid once more, it was as open to the billowing smoke as it was to them. "Go! Go! Go! Go-go-go-go-ahh!" Soul shouted as he felt the cold tendrils of smoke touching the wings that stretched out behind him.
How did you fight smoke with guns and blades anyway? A wispy purple and black shadow hand reached out toward Maka as she dismounted Soul's handle, pulled him in front of her over her shoulder and began to run. Soul yelled again, "Maka! Are you okay to run?" Maka nodded, "I'm fine!" Kid hovered low on his board trying to make it further to the front to join his weapons. Maka felt the cold sensation of the smoke reaching for her as her feet hit hard at the ground like hammers. Her head pounded as she jabbed and pulled Soul back and forth behind her through the cloud of black making no real impact. She tried to thrust again and a third time, nothing happened. Even if she were able to make full strokes with his scythe blade she was sure it wouldn't work. Her vision became obscured as the smoke curled around her face but she continued to barrel towards the sound of running feet that were her friends. She was trying to hold her breath, but running made that almost impossible.
They all continued to run hoping the previous traps wouldn't re-activate as they passed. They knew the tunnel would end at some point. Then how the hell were they supposed to get everyone back up to the surface when they were carrying artifacts too large to stick in their pockets and had weapons in human form? Maka began to panic, they hadn't been fully prepared for this mission after all and it could mean their deaths. The smoke was all around them now burning their throats and noses and making their eyes water.
Black Star started to laugh and then for some reason stopped running. Everyone each took a turn crashing into one another as he dug his heels into the stone. Through small openings of the angry black clouds blocking most of Maka's vision, she saw that he had his arms crossed. She took a deep breath and screeched as her voice cracked, "Black Star what the hell?! Move! Go! Go! GO!"
Black Star continued to laugh, "Don't worry you guys, it isn't hurting. Nothing is happening." Maka and Soul stopped their fruitless weapon attacks and were in disbelief when he turned out to be right. Other than the slight tightness in their chest from smoke being shoved into their lungs and stinging eyes that watered slightly, their heads weren't exploding, their bones didn't break and skin wasn't melting and they weren't going mad. Confusion set in at his words but they each nervously dropped their arms and let the smoky clouds fall over their forms as they looked around at each other through the breaks of smoke.
The smoke swirled at their feet and smelled strangely sweet and earthy, like patchouli mixed with brown sugar. There was no pain, no weird feelings, nothing. Liz looked around as the swirls lazily floated around their bodies, "I thought this place was full of deadly traps and curses." Maka swatted at the smoke billowing around her feet, "Maybe it has something to do with how old this place is or something. Maybe it was just to scare us. We don't really have time to sit here and ponder it. We need to keep moving."
They continued to jog forward trying to reach the lip of the tunnel and soon the smoke stopped following them altogether. It quickly dissipated as if it were being sucked back into the cavern they just left. Maka and the others choked and sputtered a bit at the bad taste the smoke left on their tongues as they tried to collect fresh oxygen into their lungs. Maka may not have been in any real pain, but the smoke worried her. It couldn't possibly be just to scare them. This smoke wasn't normal. This witch, they had been told, had been infamous for her tricks and life-altering spells and curses. She sighed and coughed but still marched forward not saying anything as not to worry her friends.
They had walked only a short distance more and finally reached the lip of the passageway when Maka's watch jingled again. They only had ten minutes left to get out of the tomb before the door Stein and Sid were keeping open would start to shut. They were still all wheezing and coughing from the smoke. Liz was crying as she tightly clutched the artifact with white knuckles to her chest looking back and forth down the passageway. Black Star was stretching his muscles and Kid was rubbing at his eyes. Everyone seemed okay for the most part, but they didn't have much time so Maka had to break up the moment of respite, "We have to get out. Now. We have less than ten minutes and we fell probably for a few minutes before getting to the edge of this passageway. How are we supposed to get back up with these damn things?"
Kid leaned over the edge of the tunnel to look up into utter darkness, "I can take Liz and an artifact on my skateboard, Maka, can you take Patty and a second artifact?" Black Star, you can try to ride on my shoulders, but it might be too much for the board." Black Star scoffed, I can climb my way out! No way I'm piggybacking you, dude!" Maka was worried that Soul wouldn't be able to carry that much weight. She stepped up next to Kid and thought to yell to Stein, but with how long they fell she was certain he wouldn't hear, and what would he do anyway? She didn't think Sid's grappling gun rope would even come close to where they were.
From behind where she stood she heard Patty exclaim, "Oh, look!" Maka turned to see the blonde girl pointing at a small space at the bottom of the hall they stood in. The little blue soul fragment was floating softly, like a deflating balloon and almost completely transparent now. Maka ran over and tucked Soul long ways behind her, "Is this a way out?" The soul didn't respond but melted into the wall. Maka touched the space with her hand and felt it give way under her touch. "Thank You! Thanks so much! Soul, transform!" Maka glanced at her watch, they had seven minutes to get out. She looked back at her comrades, "Let's go!"
They all had to get on hands and knees to make their way through the small space. The stone dug harshly into their knees, scraping and cutting at their flesh as this hall was not smooth like any of the other structure walls of floors from before. It gave Maka hope as they scurried as fast as they could through the tiny dark tunnel. They had no idea where this passage would lead them and they had no light to see by. It didn't seem to be going directly up towards the door Professor Stein had opened for them almost an hour ago but Maka had trusted the little shadow of a soul that had already helped them multiple times. This had to be the way out! It just had to!
Maka smacked into something solid and grunted as Soul's forehead bumped into her butt. "Eep!" She squeaked as he shoved back against the others who had also created a pile-up of limbs and metal relics. Maka's hands reached forward and groped at the wall desperately trying to push her way through. She heard Kid from somewhere behind, "Maka, what is it?" She slammed her hand against the rock and screeched in frustration, "The tunnel ends here!" Tsubaki gasped, "Oh no!" Liz cried out, "What do we do?! What do we do?!" Kid gave a sharp command, "Stay calm Liz." Black Star growled from the back of their line and yelled, "Break through it, Maka! Everyone move! Let me through!" Black Star started to try and force his way to the front of the line with many grunts and shouts and curses directed his way as he was careless to where his hands and boots landed. Tsubaki grabbed at his ankle to try and stop him once he passed by her in the dark. "Black Star no! You are not helping!"
Soul pushed himself forward against Maka's form to get closer to the wall. He reached over her shoulder to press his own hand against the stone as if he could help find a secret opening. Maka had tried to look at Soul, who was pressed quite firmly against her backside to give him a piece of her mind at his closeness when her watch beeped loudly in the dark indicating their hour was up. "Shit!" Black Star cursed and again tried to make his way, clawing and pulling, to the front of the line.
Just as he was trying to paw his way over Soul's body which still covered Maka's a bright white light filled the space causing everyone to temporarily go blind. Panic ensued at the sudden threat with shouts and grasping hands. Maka screamed as she and Soul were suddenly yanked into the light and disappeared. Patty and Liz screeched in unison and Black Star shouted, "Give them back!" His fists reached through the square of light to punch at their attackers.
A calm but still urgent voice came in through to command the rest of them, "Kids, it's us, let's get you out of there. Take our hands." Black Star gripped the big blue hand that suddenly formed in front of him and he was yanked through the light as well. One after another were pulled from the small crawl space and put to stand on their feet. It made their heads spin to one moment be on hands and knees moving forward parallel to the ground then as soon as they cleared the tunnel they were then being pulled directly up as gravity shifted and they were pulled through the door they first had jumped into by means of their strong teacher's arms.
AN:***Lateo janua patefacio dissero in Latin means something like Hidden, door, reveal, unlock. (patefacio also means dissect…fitting for Stein I think)***