Chapter 21: Bunker MO-5
Stella gave everyone a moment to finish sighing and groaning. "So..." she began. "Ready to hear the rest?"
"Yeah, yeah, what's he got on Valtor?" Musa asked, leaning back in the sofa and placing her feet on the table.
"Ever heard about the water stars?"
"Doesn't ring a bell," Bloom said. "Then again, I'm not exactly a fountain of knowledge regarding the magical worlds."
"It's not something I've come across either, no," Aisha noted.
"I'm tots not surprised. I imagined that it was, like, Aisha or Flora could have heard about it, but, like, it doesn't surprise me they haven't," Stella said. "See, we all know about dragonflames by now. They're totally powerful and super game changers. One magi with a dragonflame can easily be stronger than ten flame-less magi with the same amount of experience."
"Like what Daphne told us," Flora noted. "How her powers helped her achieve the position as nymph relatively quickly."
"Exactly. Because they're this mega powerful, they've been researched a lot. Including how to counter them." Stella began pacing. "One of these attempts at developing a counter was Project Water Star. The republic of Calisto was behind that. Called it that because, like, water douses fire. The project was successful, but required... Certain unethical experiments."
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but why were they unethical?" Bloom inquired.
"Because in order to test the countermeasures they had developed, they kinda had to test them on artefacts and people with dragonflames in them. Sometimes destroying the flame and what it was inhabiting in the process." The blonde looked very much uncomfortable. "Like I said, tots nasty stuff. Projects like that were banned at a big inter-realm conference some decades ago."
"Heard about that," Techna commented. "Some crazy guy with way too much spare time back home insisted it was a conspiracy between all the realms that had dragonflames to keep the ones without them down."
"I'm not saying that wasn't a factor," Stella admitted. "But it was also because these projects were often dangerous. Production of artefacts and weaponry based on these experimental designs were also forbidden. But, there was a loophole, which my dad informed me that Calisto exploited." She stopped pacing. "See, they were never required to disassemble what they had already produced before the conference."
"I'm somewhat torn between being frustrated at them pulling a stunt like that and being thankful because we now have something to throw at Valtor," Musa admitted.
"Yeah. They stored it in a big bunker complex called Bunker MO-5. Which happens to be here on Magix. It took my dad a long while to get this information out of them. Like pulling teeth, he said. If this gets out it could lead to a major scandal for Calisto. Which, totally unfortunately, brings me to why he contacted me. And by me I mean us."
"Here it comes," Bloom groaned.
"See, Father is sworn to secrecy about this. As such, he can only pass it on to certain people," the Solarian princess continued. "People like me, obviously. He gave me the codes for the bunker and asked if we could go pick up the water stars and bring them to somebody who can use them, like the Roccalucian Order or Red Fountain."
"Question. Why can you ask us if it is supposed to be a secret?" Flora asked.
"Well, I'm not sworn to secrecy," Stella pointed out, while shrugging. "But if it gets out that I've told you, well... Not sure a judge will buy it. Seriously, don't tell anyone unless you actually plan on involving them. It's a highly sensitive subject."
"Is it going to be dangerous?" Musa asked.
"Well, it's all the way beyond the Barrier Peaks, as far as I've understood," Stella said. "No realms have claimed the area, although the troglodytes own some of the ground beneath it. They've even found the complex, though they never managed to enter. They called it the Red Tower, because of its colour. Which I guess is a bit obvious. Anyways, I suppose there could be some wild animals and the like, plus security inside the bunker of course. But we can probably get the boys to help us with the former and the code should take care of the latter."
"Well, considering the threat posed by Valtor, I would not mind assisting with a pick-up," Flora said.
"Sounds freaky. Count me in," Techna commented, raising her hand in the air.
Bloom, Aisha and Musa also confirmed their willingness to go get the anti-dragonflame weapons.
"So, how exactly do the water stars work?" Musa asked. "Do we throw one at Valtor and melt him with it?"
"I'm not entirely into how it works," Stella admitted. "But according to the information I got, it works by dimming the dragonflame until it is almost non-existent. Thus the name. If we use it on Valtor, he'll, like, essentially be unable to use his flame and instead will have to rely on what magic he has without it."
"It will probably mean that he can't shift around as much," Aisha commented.
"Or survive having his noggin blown to red mist," Techna interjected. "You said something about the boys?"
"Yeah. I planned on asking Brandon for help after I talked with you girls," the Solarian princess confirmed. "And please, do remember to be quiet about this. I'd rather not have Valtor's defeat followed up by my entire kingdom being dragged to court."
The other faeries and the pixies swore they would be silent about the sensitive subject.
...
The next day at noon, a Red Fountain eagle landed on the grassy field behind Alfea. It didn't take long for the faeries to take notice of its arrival and hurry out the meet them.
"Brandon, good to see you," Stella greeted her boyfriend excitedly. "Thanks again for... Oh. Ehm, hello," she said, upon noticing that Cordatorta was following the boys out of the ship, pulling a large aircycle along with him. "Oh, so, ehm, why are you here?"
The dragonhandler cleared his throat and rather exaggeratedly declared: "Obviously since you requested a Red Fountain eagle for your 'vacation', it was natural that the staff would wish to learn about it. After hearing about your 'vacation', Saladin agreed that it would be helpful if you all 'got a moment to relax'. That is why the boys here got the weekend off. Saladin further wished me to inform you that he really approves of your 'vacation' and wishes he could send more people on 'vacation', but 'scheduling concerns' prevents him from doing so."
"What?" Aisha asked, tilting her head.
"He said that Saladin thinks Stella's father's plan is great and that only douchebag politicians prevent him from sending more than a squad out to help us," Riven commented.
"If I was allowed to confirm or deny that, I'd say he was right," Cordatorta commented stoically. "Now, with that out of the way, I shall return home. I expect a full 'vacation diary' once you get back." With those words, the dragonmaster jumped up on his aircycle and sped off.
"Okay. Good to know we've got support," Musa commented. "So did you boys get any info about the area?"
"It's rather undocumented, I'm afraid," Brandon replied. "The area is known as Mistvale Forest and is almost always covered in, well, mist. That combined with the very swampy environment means that we'll have be careful. Local wildlife can be quite troublesome I hear, but we shouldn't be too exposed if we just land close to the bunker."
"There are of course concerns about us running into more griffins, since we'll be going across the Barrier Peaks again," Timmy offered. "Not to mention the weather reports for the area are unreliable at best. So we'll have to play this one by ear."
"The part I'm best at," Sky declared.
"Like that one time you impulsively abandoned you squad leader in a desert?" Bloom innocently asked.
The prince visibly deflated, commenting with a sigh: "I am never going to be allowed to forget that, am I?"
"We've got basic supplies for the trip, but if you have anything you want to bring along we can wait," Brandon offered.
"What sort of clothes should one bring for something like a swamp?" Aisha asked.
"Not shorts. Trust me on that one," Stella commented. "I think we can probably get Flora to help us out with wardrobe choices."
"I will gladly do so," the Limphean brunette confirmed.
As the group split up to small talk and such, Aisha followed Stella and Flora back towards the school. She stopped when she heard something cooing and turned around. A pigeon sat on top of the parked vessel, curiously eyeing her. As the princess of Tides tilted her head, the bird seemed to do the same.
"You coming?" Stella asked, shaking the brunette out of her fascination.
"Oh, what? Yeah, yes, I'm coming." She threw one last glance at the curious bird, before following the two faeries back to Alfea.
Not long thereafter, as the others talked, they suddenly heard the characteristic whoosh of an incoming aircycle. They turned, noticing the slender form of Helia hopping off the vehicle. "Hey guys. I'm not late am I?"
"I... Don't think so," Brandon said confused. "What are you here for?"
"My uncle told me about what you were doing," the artist said, unloading his bag from the vehicle. "Asked if I was interested. So I said yes."
"Really? Well, that's great," the squire said, still a bit surprised. "Well, I am not one to turn down help. Just unload your gear and we'll be with you in a moment."
"Great." With an excited grin, the black-haired painter hurried into the vessel.
"Well, I've never seen him be this excited about military missions before," Sky noted. "Maybe Saladin will get his wish after all."
"I hope not. I've got a lot of money riding on him failing at getting Helia into the family business," Riven commented.
"You bet about things like that?" Musa asked, eyebrow raised.
"Red Fountain soldiers bet about all kinds of things," Timmy noted. "It's easy excitement without having to find a large hole in one's schedule. I'm not the gambling type myself, but I do occasionally throw a couple of nummi into some of the more tasteful betting pools."
"I suppose so." The musician turned her head. "Ah, there they are. Didn't take long."
"No. Stella already had clothes I recommended her and an older set of mine fit Aisha," Flora reported, as the fairy trio returned.
"That's great. By the way, Helia is joining us," Bloom told her.
"Hmm, that is surprising. Then again, he has gotten himself involved a lot more recently. I wonder what caused him to change his disposition."
As the group entered the ship, Aisha took a look at its top again. The pigeon was gone. Shrugging, she followed the others. The hatch to the ship closed and seconds later, it rose into the air and jetted off.
As the group took position inside the great vessel's front, they found Helia already there.
"So, where are we going?" he asked as the others joined him.
"Mistvale Forest. Beyond the Barrier Peaks," Brandon informed him. "How much did Saladin tell you?"
"That you guys were having a vacation and that he would be happy if I would consider joining you."
The others exchanged confused glances.
"It's his voice," Riven stated. After noticing the others looking at him, he elaborated: "You know, Saladin's? Guy sounds dead serious all the time. It's not like Cordatorta where you can hear the finger quotes."
"Finger quotes?" Helia asked, an unfortunate suspicion sneaking into his mind.
The others elaborated on what the 'vacation' was actually about. This led them to learning two things. First of all, Helia's disinterest in the military had not waned. Second of all, the gentle painter knew a surprising amount of colourful curse words.
...
Hours later, the eagle began crossing the Barrier peaks. Helia, while not blaming his companions for the misunderstanding, was still visibly miffed, a feeling he was channelling into a strongly worded e-mail he was composing to his grandfather.
"Riven. What are the scanners saying?" Brandon asked as he made his round in the vessel. "No snow this time, right?"
"Nope. Weather seems fine so far," the magenta-haired soldier replied. "No griffins either."
Helia looked up from his laptop, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Let us just say our last trip didn't go that well," Bloom commented.
"Timmy. Everything online and functional I assume?" Brandon asked.
"Yep. Propulsion engines one to twelve are all in the green. Nothing to worry about so far."
"Good. Sky?"
"A clear horizon and beautiful snow-covered mountains as far as the eye can see," the blond pilot responded. "So all in all, it's great."
"A shame we can't take a break here. Would make for a beautiful picture," Helia noted.
"By the by, how goes the poetry?" Flora asked. "You seemed interested in learning the craft not so long ago".
"I think I'll stick to painting for now," the artist embarrassedly admitted. "Poetry is not my... Strong suit. I'm still trying to get a hang of it, but I'm not quite ready to publish yet."
"I'd say," Riven snarked. "I read one of them. How was it that tortured jumble of letters went?" He paused, before reciting: "I admire you for so many reasons. Just look at what's happened in four seasons."
Helia blushed.
"Oh, didn't know you've become some big shot art critic," Musa teased, resting her chin on Riven's head.
"Didn't know your neck muscles had ceased functioning," he countered, before suddenly noticing something on the screen. "Huh. Well, that's odd."
"I don't like odd," Brandon groaned. "What is it?"
"According to the radar, the entire area that should have been Mistvale Forest is gone."
"Gone. Gone how?"
"As in 'the entire world will come to a halt right there' gone," Riven elaborated. "Is our map software up to date?"
"Should be," Timmy said. "And I don't think the scanner's broken either. Might be some sort of cover to prevent people from locating the bunker."
"You'd think somebody would have, like, mentioned that detail to my father?" Stella commented slightly annoyed.
"So what do we do? I presume landing with so little info is dangerous," Flora said.
"Yeah. Might land in the middle of a troll village or something," Riven pointed out. "Maybe if we can get the decoder attached, we can get an actual scan and figure out the lay of the land."
"Right. Hey, Musa and Aisha. Could you two go get it from the cargo bay?" Brandon asked. "It's clearly marked, so you should easily be able to locate it."
"Sure. Come along," Musa said, as the princess of Tides followed her.
The two faeries walked along the length of the ship and entered the cargo bay, where dozens of boxes were securely fastened.
"Right. Decoder, decoder, decoder," Musa mumbled, as she began looking through the area. "Where are you?"
Aisha too began inspecting the boxes. She moved some out of the way and said: "Oh. I think it's this one."
"Does it say decoder?"
"Yeah."
Musa turned away from what she was looking through and walked towards the brunette. She paused for moment, a strange expression on her face, before she continued towards Aisha.
Suddenly she leapt to the left, in between some crates. There was a bump and a triumphant: "GOTCHA!"
The brunette left the decoder behind and hurried over to her friend, hoping to assist her with whatever she was doing. Much to her confusion, she found Musa sitting with Ophir's leg locked in her grip, the rest of the magi lying on the floor with a slightly surprised, if bemused expression.
"You know," he started. "I am kinda used to women throwing themselves at me, but I must admit you do it with such unprecedented gusto."
"Can it," Musa said as she got up. "What in the abyss are you doing here?"
"Admiring the interior structure of military vehicle design."
"Try again."
"Looking for a contact lens."
"Again."
"I'm actually lost and in dire need of a bathroom. Do you have one?"
Musa paused. "You are making fun of me, aren't you?"
"A bit, yeah," Ophir admitted. He turned to look at Aisha. "Ah, but it is so wonderful to be in your company again, milady. So sad we had to separate rather suddenly last time, but I am a rather busy man."
"Oh. Ehm, that's okay," Aisha mumbled, turning away to hide her blushing.
"For the love of..." Musa groaned, rubbing her temples. "Alright, get up. Aisha, get the decoder. You, Ophir, turn around."
"Okay. But I must insist that my front is my best side," the intruding magi noted.
"Now hands behind your back where I can see them. And move towards that door," the musician commanded, as Aisha returned to them with the boxed decoder. "Once we're back with the others, we can get you handcuffed."
"Already? But you haven't even invited me on our first date yet," Ophir protested as he was marched out.
"Spirits above and below," Musa cursed, rolling her eyes. "I bet Techna is gonna love this."
...
"Okay, so how did you sneak aboard?" Brandon demanded.
"I didn't sneak," Ophir protested. "I waltzed right in. You were all just too busy to notice me." He paused. "Which is rather surprising I admit. I didn't consider myself the easy to ignore type."
"Right," the squire mumbled unimpressed. "Why are you here?"
"Well, I couldn't help but notice the lovely company you all keep," the magi explained. "And I thought to myself, 'Ophir, you sly fox. You gotta get in on that'."
"I suggest we hurl him out of the back hatch," Riven added. "Bonus points if he hits a mountaintop."
"Is that really why you came on-board?" Brandon asked, slightly annoyed.
"Of course not." Ophir grinned. "Or maybe it is. I got other reasons if you want more."
The brunette groaned as he massaged his temples.
"I like him," Techna chirped.
"I figured you would," Musa said. "So what now? Turn around and haul him to the police?"
"Well, we got cells on-board," Sky pointed out. "No reason to fly all the way back. We've got pairs of enchanted handcuffs that suppress magic in the security case on the wall. That'll make sure he doesn't pull any funny business."
"You know, this is probably the most well-armed and well-protected vacation group I've ever seen," Ophir continued, as Musa ripped a pair from said case. "You must really like your hide-away to protect it with so much effort."
"I think he's playing dumb," Timmy suggested.
"I think he just is dumb," Riven added.
"Ack, good sir, you wound me so," the intruding magi protested, as Musa locked his wrists together. "Speaking of wounding, while I don't mind a degree of manhandling, those are awfully tight. You risk cutting of the flow of blood."
"Good. Maybe if I can stop it in your wrists, then sooner or later you'll stop yapping," the rather frustrated musician commented.
"Such wit. The beautiful sharp angles of your body match your quick tongue and razor words."
"For the record, I'm still willing to hurl him out of the ship," Riven commented.
"That makes two of us," Musa mumbled.
"So you're really not going to tell us?" Bloom said, as she eyed the dark-skinned magi. "You do realise that with how things have been lately, you really just end up seeming like another one of Valtor's minions, right?"
"I do. I mean, I'm not, but you have no reason to believe so," Ophir admitted. "And I'm not going to tell you why I'm here until I want to."
"And when is that?"
"At some point."
"Just... Just get him to the brig," Brandon groaned. "I'm going to go look at status screens until I don't feel like punching something anymore."
"Alright then. March," Musa demanded and pushed the magi towards the door.
"How could I ever say no to such a beauty as you?"
"Quit it."
"Hey, Musa, can I come with you?" Aisha asked.
"Huh? Why?"
"Well. I'm... Well, I'm curious," the princess of Tides admitted.
"About the cells?"
"About him."
"Oh come on, don't tell me you're falling for that," Musa groaned. "Seriously, he's just oozing sticky charm because he wants to spin your head around."
"Just because I'm a charmer doesn't mean I'm lying," Ophir insisted. "By the way Aisha, I love the way your hair looks, framed by the noon sun."
Musa began pushing him along, the brunette princess following behind them.
"You know," Stella began, busy filing her nails. "It's almost a shame that Musa has already decided to go after Riven. Ophir's got so much more charm and people skills."
"Captain..."
"No Riven, we do not throw people out of the ship mid-flight."
Towards the back end of the ship were several cells designed to keep prisoners of war or unruly crew mates. Magical forcefields generated by the ship kept people inside. They were rather sparsely decorated, with only a bed and a small shelf. Ophir looked at them, before commenting: "Can't I at least get one with a carpet?"
Musa hammered the console button and, patience at an end, pushed Ophir inside with a: "GET IN!"
"Musa, there's no reason to be so rough," Aisha pleaded, as she followed the black-haired girl into the cell.
"I'm just... You..." The musician took a deep breath. "You remind me of every slimy politician and royal asshole who's ever wormed his way out of trouble by playing the crowd. And I know you're trying to play me, so quit it."
"Ah, I see. I genuinely apologize, I had no idea," Ophir said, sounding like he really meant it. "For what it's worth, I really do find both you and your companion beautiful and smart. That part was no deception on my end."
"Right." Musa turned around and tried to walk out, only to smash into the forcefield. "Huh? What?"
"Oh, they turn on automatically," Aisha noted. "That's unfortunate."
"HEY!" The black-haired musician knocked on the forcefield with her clenched fist a couple of times. "HELLO! WE'RE TRAPPED!"
"Well, in that case I bid you welcome to my humble abode," Ophir said, causing the musician to grit her teeth. "I'd shake your hands, but I'm currently handcuffed."
"Should we uncuff him now that he's in his cell?" Aisha inquired.
"Are you serious? Of course you are, why did I even ask." Musa sighed. "No, Aisha, as long as we are in here, he's a danger to us. We should keep him like this until we get out. Whenever that will be."
"So, now's a good time to get to know each other," Ophir began. "I'll start. I have a soft spot for jazz music and I also find some pop music to be good."
"I'm still a bit inexperience with different music genres," the Princess of Tides admitted. "Was used to only certain types being 'correct' for a princess. So I've been trying to expand."
"Hmm, I pick you as somebody who would like Mermaid Passion," Ophir suggested. "They're actually fairly good. What do you say? I would love to take you to one of their concerts."
"Oh, ehm..." The princess eyed her black-haired friend, who was now beating her head against the forcefield with a frustrated expression. "I'm... Not sure. I don't think I should. I am already promised to someone."
"Ah. I see." Ophir sighed. "What a shame. It could have been fun. But now that you've brought it up, who's the lucky guy who gets to marry the princess of Tides?"
"His name is Nabu... Something."
"A peculiar last name or an admission of ignorance?"
"The latter." Aisha sighed. "I did intend to meet him before the marriage, but he's on vacation. Though I do not imagine said vacation will last until our wedding, so I think I'll get to meet him soon."
"You'd be surprised," Musa commented.
"I agree. Don't expect common courtesy from those types," Ophir advised. "Just because a person is noble doesn't mean they are, well, noble." He smirked. "As I said, while you still have a lot to learn, I genuinely meant that the multiverse would be a lot better off if more royals took after you. At least you are willing to admit fault and learn new things. Truly admirable qualities."
"Oh... Ehm... Tha-thanks," Aisha mumbled, completely flustered.
"Would you stop playing her?" the black-haired musician asked annoyed. "What exactly is it that you want?"
"Well, I do have some long-term goals that I am not at liberty to discuss. But in the short-term, I'd like to be able to feel my hands again." He rattled the cuffs. "They've fallen asleep."
"Musa, can't we just loosen them a little bit?" the princess of Tides begged.
"No. I am not trusting him. Especially not with how he's constantly trying to charm your panties off," Musa insisted. "There's far too much funny stuff going on with that guy. How did he sneak in? Why is he really here? And until I'm sure about those things, I'm not trusting him."
"It's okay. I know you both mean well, so I don't hold it against you," Ophir gently said. "It is admirable that your concern for your friends manifest so strongly. It says a lot about you. A lot of good things."
"Are you ever going to stop trying to woo me?" Musa inquired dryly.
"It is but part of my humble and honest nature that I feel I need to make sure that the virtuous among us don't overlook their own strengths."
"Aha." The musician did not sound convinced.
Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the ship, sending all three of them tumbling to the floor.
"See," Ophir groaned. "This is why a carpet would have been nice. Also, ow my chin."
"Everyone, this is Brandon," came the squire's voice over the ship-wide intercom. "We've been hit by anti-air weaponry. We're making an emergency landing."
"Oh crap," Musa groaned. "Quick, Aisha. Brace yourself.
"Ehm, could I get some help with the bracing," Ophir asked from his position on the floor. The entire ship tilted and they could feel how they were quickly approaching the ground.
"Fine. Here," Musa said, as she hoisted him up and pushed him into a corner, positioning herself so as to prevent him from falling. "But any smartass comments from you and the eagle crashing will be the least of your worries."
"Understood."
With a rumble, the ship roughly landed on the earth, cutting a deep furrow in the ground. The lights inside flickered and went out.
...
At Red Fountain, the doors to Saladin's office opened and Cordatorta walked in. "Sir. I have news from the water star retrieval mission."
"Oh. That was fast," the warlock noted. "Have they arrived?"
"Well, no. According to our GPS data, this was sent from above the Barrier Peaks." Cordatorta coughed. "The text within... Well, I gotta ask, sir. Did you or did you not inform Helia of what he was being sent into?"
"As well as I could," Saladin replied. "You know we cannot discuss these things openly. But I am sure I did hint at the true purpose behind the journey."
"Right." Cordatorta cleared his throat again. "The thing is, according to this letter, then no, Helia does not feel like he was properly informed. I gather that he took you at your word."
"Hmm. I would have figured that somebody who works with poetry would be able to gather subtle hints." The old magi rubbed his chin. "But at least this does explain the uncharacteristic enthusiasm. I cannot help but be disappointed that that's the case, but oh well."
"He also seems to think you deliberately deceived him." The dragonmaster sighed. "Sir, permission to speak frankly."
"Granted."
"Thank you, sir. I have brought this up before, but I seriously think you should reconsider trying to convince Helia to join the military. It is fostering a lot of bitterness. He genuinely believes that you were willing to deceive him in order to get him on a military mission."
"Hmm. I see." The warlock was silent for a moment. "Even so this is merely a pick-up mission. I find little for him to be bothered with."
"And yet he still has strong feelings about it."
"How strong?"
"I'd rather paraphrase things." The muscular man eyed the printed e-mail. "It is rather harshly worded and I imagine it was written in a moment of anger."
"Cordatorta, give it to me."
"Yes, sir."
The dragonmaster sighed as he watched Saladin's eyes scan the paper. After a long while, the warlock put the printed paper down, his face falling into contemplative and melancholic folds.
"Sir, I believe it might be best to look at the sentiment behind the letter and not the words themselves," Cordatorta suggested.
Saladin shook his head. "No. No, it's okay. I understand." He was quiet. "I've always seen the military as necessary. Guardians of nations. Defenders of the people. Protectors against all that is evil and foul. And I've always felt pride about my role in it. My child's role in it. And Helia, he has talent." He paused. "But perhaps he is right. Perhaps I am a... Let's see, what did he call me? A stubborn, old, violence-glorifying, single-minded, tunnel-visioned, bearded goat with more medals than brain cells."
"For the record, I have always believed that your intentions were good, sir." Cordatorta paused, before adding: "But yes, this focus on getting Helia into the military has been a less than fortunate development. The kid is happy doing what he is doing and art is important too. Culture as a whole is, if you want my opinion."
"I suppose so. I'll never understand why though, but I suppose so." The warlock sighed. "You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir." Cordatorta turned around and left the old warlock to his thoughts.
...
"Well... This is a mess," Sky commented, as he eyed the smoking wing of the eagle. "Riven, what happened?"
"I didn't get a good look. Radar started bleeping like crazy, then two seconds later we're hit," the magenta-haired soldier replied.
The ship had landed at the edge of Mistvale Forest, mud and grime splashed against the vessels sides by the impact.
"Timmy, is there reason to suspect our radar was not functioning?" Brandon inquired.
"No. In fact, I think the only reason we even got those two seconds was because of the decoder," the bespectacled soldier replied. "I can of course not be sure until I've had some time to go through the data log, but I think the anti-air defence started targeting us the moment we arrived over the forest."
"They never said, like, anything about this," Stella angrily added. "When I get hold of my dad, Calisto better start hiring a good lawyer."
"But why would they neglect to inform us?" Bloom asked.
"Hard to say. A missing piece of mail or a misunderstanding could easily lead to a situation like this." The squire shrugged. "We won't know until we ask. But that will have to wait. For now, I suggest we try to activate the emergency beacon. Once the decoder has been fixed, hopefully we can send a signal past the scrambling."
"And what about the water stars?" Musa asked.
"Given how important they are and the suspicions of foul play that naturally come with such an incident, I'll have to say we should continue on foot. Timmy and Techna, you two stay behind and try to get this thing working again."
"Yes, sir," Timmy responded.
"Okie dokie," Techna replied.
"So what do we do about Chuckles here," Musa asked, indicating the still handcuffed Ophir with her thumb.
"Well, the cells do require energy to work and the engine is out." The squire rubbed his chin. "Plus, Techna and Timmy will be busy fixing this place. I suppose the safest thing to do will be to bring him along so we can keep an eye on him."
"How fortuitous. I was just thinking how amazing a woodland trip like this would be," Ophir happily noted. "Especially with such lovely company. This will give us a chance to really get to know each other."
"Joy," Musa groaned.
"So where exactly is the bunker?" Aisha asked.
"Well, we still have the coordinates of where we are and the rough location of where to go." Brandon unfolded a rough map of the area. "Seems like we have to go north from here, but the terrain can be a bit dangerous. I suggest sticking together and keeping an... An... What is making that noise?"
Everyone went silent and peered into the surrounding fog. With the conversation gone, they could hear it. A strange slithering sound, as if something was pushing its way through the muck. Except, it seemed to come from every direction.
"It may seem redundant to point out, but I sense multiple beings coming at us from several directions," Flora said.
"Spectacular," Helia paused. "What should I do?"
"Probably seek cover."
"Seeking cover."
Through the fog, bulbous shapes began to show. They moved on a mass of tentacles that pulled and pushed them along the swampy ground. A massive mouth dominated the centre of their body and from the top sprouted several stalks, each of which ended in a massive eye.
"Great. Beholders," Brandon said, as he drew his massive sword. "They must have been attracted by our landing."
"These things. I've heard the wizard clan down by the coast has some issues with these," Sky commented, drawing his blade.
"Any advice?" Bloom asked, fire already enveloping her hands.
"Yeah. Don't hold back. These things are ferocious and hungry almost twenty-four seven," Timmy said, raising his rifle. His arms jerked as he fired, the shot tearing through one of the approaching beasts. With a pained roar, it tipped over in the mud.
As the others got closer, one of them started swinging its eyes at Riven, who danced back and cut one of the offending limbs of with a swing of his sabre. "How dumb are these things? They're attacking us with their eyes."
"Actually, those aren't eyes. Just eye-like knots of muscle tissues," Timmy informed him, as he fired again. "They serve the dual purpose of scaring larger predators and..."
"Save it for later, Timmy."
Bloom unleashed another wave of flames at one of the creatures. It howled and dove into the mud, desperate to soothe its pain. She charged another flame for when it got up, but before she could attack, the stalk of another suddenly wrapped around her midsection and hoisted her in the air, the tentacle quickly beginning to squeeze her. She coughed as she felt her lungs being forcefully compressed and her ribs ached at the sudden pressure.
Suddenly, it loosened completely and Bloom was unceremoniously dropped into the muck. She turned around, just in time to see Sky swing his blade again, cutting the monster in half.
"You okay?" he inquired.
The redhead coughed again, replying: "Yes, I'll live."
Techna rapidly fired her gun, the bullets digging into several of the creatures. "Persistent buggers, aren't they?"
"Well, yes. Beholders take down larger prey by swarming them, then using the extra energy gained from consuming their prey and the fallen to breed a new generation." Timmy fired again, downing another beholder. "So they're not afraid to take some losses."
"Huh. Neat."
Elsewhere, Brandon swung his massive blade in an arc, holding back several of the monsters at once. Suddenly, three of them surged at him, deciding to finish him off for good. With all his might, the squire swung his blade again, slicing through two of them. However, the mighty swing left him momentarily off-balance, enough so that the third one could smash into him. He stumbled back and the monster rushed forward again, ready to bite him in half. A shockwave hit it before it could do so, hurling it back.
"Funny how it didn't see that coming," Musa quipped, readying her fans.
Directed by Aisha's swift movements, a crashing mallet of condensed water smashed one of the beholders to a pulp. With another swift movement, she sent it crashing to the side, smacking another multi-eyed monster through the air.
Suddenly, she heard Ophir yell: "AISHA! BEHIND YOU!"
The brunette turned around, only to take one of the monster's false eyes to the face. She fell back and stumbled into the muck. The creature roared and got ready to pulp her with its tentacles.
"Now that's no way to treat a lady, is it?" Ophir asked, now suddenly behind it.
He placed a hand on it and the monster suddenly froze, its skin turning grey as the beast was transformed into stone. Satisfied with his work, the smooth-talking magi dusted off his hands with a look of satisfaction, before asking: "Are you okay?"
"Uhm... Yes," the brunette began, as she was helped back on her feet. She could feel her eye slightly swelling from the bruise. Around them, the remaining beholders retreated back into the misty swamp. "Weren't you in handcuffs?"
"Yes."
"But now you're not handcuffed."
"Indeed."
"Why?"
"I took them off."
"Wait, what?" Musa asked, as the others walked over to the two. "How?"
Ophir shrugged. "What can I say? I've got nimble fingers." He paused. "I can put them back on if it'll make you feel better. Or if you just think I look better in handcuffs." He winked at her.
"Brandon..."
"No, Riven, we are not feeding him to the beholders. Now stop letting his flirting with your girlfriend get in the way of your professionalism before I feed you to a beholder."
"No, just... Just keep them off," Musa sighed. "There's really no point to it. So what do we do now? I still don't trust him."
"But he did just save me," Aisha argued.
"Which might either be a genuine attempt at helping, or a clever ploy to gain our trust," Timmy pointed out. "We still don't know anything about him."
"Is it safe to bring him along then?" Sky asked, eyeing the petrified beholder. "I mean, when we thought he couldn't use magic, at least it seemed like we had some degree of control."
"On the other hand, he's, like, clearly skilled," Stella pointed out. "If he truly intend to backstab us, leaving him with Techna and Timmy might be what he wants."
"And if we bring him along, he might stab us in the back the moment we're occupied with something," Riven argued. "Like if we run into more beholders."
"I feel so uninvolved in this conversation," Ophir sighed. "Does nobody care about my opinion?"
"No," Musa replied annoyed.
The charmer seemed to mull it over for a second. "Okay then."
"I say we should bring him along," Aisha argued. "I think he's clearly demonstrated that he wishes to help."
"Wishes to help for now," Brandon pointed out. He sighed. "Alright then. Ophir, you're coming along. We will be keeping an eye on you, so no funny business. I'm grateful for your assistance, but due to current circumstances, I cannot afford to trust you. Especially given how shifty you have been."
"Well, I do suppose that is fair enough," Ophir replied. "I cannot blame you for finding me suspicious, what with me sneaking aboard and obviously trying to get into your good graces with my honeyed words."
Musa starred at him. "Admitting it doesn't make it better."
"It doesn't? Oh." The magi sounded quite disappointed at that.
"Okay then. Everybody, move out. Flora, this is your area of expertise. Can you lead us through the swamp?" Brandon inquired.
"With ease," the brunette said confidently, studying the map. "This does not tell me a lot about features like the depth of the lakes and such, but that is basic training. Follow me."
...
An hour later, Timmy and Techna were still not done with trying to get the eagle working again. The scarred girl was elbow deep in electronics, trying to replace burned out wires and broken connections, while the bespectacled soldier was hard at work struggling with the decoder.
"Any luck getting a cry for help out?" Techna inquired through the headset she was wearing.
She could hear Timmy sigh. "Negative. Doesn't help the rough landing damaged it. I've only got half the code here. What about the signal array?"
"Most of the thing is completely fucking smoked." Techna pulled out a mangled mess of wires. "I think it took a direct hit. From the shit-ton of shrapnel I'm digging out of its guts, I'd say we were hit by a missile." She pulled more stuff out. "Innards are completely shattered. Not to mention the hull breach. I hope you brought some spare parts along, because this is one big fucking mess."
"We did. Field repairs are to be expected." Timmy paused. "I don't suppose you could just magic it back to working?"
"Nope. Remember how much that stunt last year took out of me." She opened a box of spare parts and began riffling through it. "And this is even worse. Though at least the maintenance is easier. Glad to see they've improved on that."
"Well, the colourful seven page self-reading email you sent to our entire tech department did prove most enlightening."
"Still, you should probably have these innards cleaned once in a while." Techna coughed a bit, before fiddling with some screws. "It's still complete frickin' dusty in here."
She heard some beeping noises through the headset. "I got it working," Timmy said relieved. "The registered code is almost completely gone, but as soon as we get the transponder, antenna and such working again, we can start re-translating the code. How's that going by the way?"
"Gonna take me some more time." Techna groaned, as she sucked on a bleeding wound on her thumb. "I tried to sense through it and the system is completely shattered in several places. Downside of technology I guess. Shit's fragile."
"Well, fragile when cloaked armour-piercing anti-air shrapnel missiles are used," Timmy pointed out. "They must be quite protective if they've got such heavy weaponry ready to fire out here." He paused. "So what do you think of Ophir?"
"Dude's funny. Also, capable of stoning people." Techna paused. "But I'm not sure what to think. He's clearly up to something, but just because people are behaving weird and planning something is no reason to suspect them of foul play."
"Speaking from personal experience?"
"Don't make me come over there and ruffle your hair, Databoy." Techna groaned as she pulled out of the maintenance hatch. "Alright, I'm parched. What do you say we take a break and go grab a beer or two?"
"Techna, this is a military vessel. There is no alcohol."
"I figured as much." The scarred girl smirked. "Good thing I smuggled in my own supply."
Timmy sighed. "Do you even care about protocol?"
"Nope. No fucks to give."
...
"I must admit, the interplay between fog and nature does provide for an inspiring view," remarked Helia. The group was slowly and carefully making their way through the tall and shrouded swampy woodland. "I would love to immortalize the view."
"I can most likely bring you out here at another date if you want to," Flora remarked, as she tested the spongy earth with a stick. "Though I am curious. Why did you come along? You could have stayed behind in the eagle."
"Perhaps, but knowing how dangerous it is, I figured my skills could come in handy," the artist offered. "I still know a great deal of first aid, for example."
"I see. That is very courageous of you."
Farther behind them, Aisha and Ophir were talking. "So, I notice the fellow with the sabre keeps giving me the good ol' stinkeye," the dark-skinned magi noted.
"Well, he's probably miffed that you keep trying to charm Musa," Aisha remarked.
"So they are in a relationship?"
"Well, they are dating. And the others are sure that they will probably become an official couple soon."
"What do you think?" Ophir asked.
"Me? I don't know much about that." The princess of Tides shook her head. "Ever since I got to Alfea, my worldview has been turned upside down. These days, I am not sure what to think of many things."
"Why this confusion?" the magi continued. "You seem to be such a confident and gracious lady."
"Ehm... That's... Thanks," Aisha managed, looking away from him. "Ehm... Well, it's just that I'd had to reconsider much of what I've learned. Especially thanks to Musa." The princess paused. "She reminds me ever so much of an old friend of mine."
"It's only good to have such amazing friends," Ophir noted. "No person is an island and getting some support is only good for you. I think it will only help make your ascent to the throne an even greater boon for your kingdom."
"STOP TRYING TO GET INTO HER PANTS, ALREADY!" Musa called from somewhere behind them. "AND FOCUS ON THE FRICKIN' MISSION!"
"It seems the peanut gallery also has an opinion on the subject," Ophir mused.
"She means well," Aisha said.
"Of that I am certain."
"I believe I have found the bunker," Flora declared and pointed with her machete.
In the distance, the curved and crimson entrance to the complex could be seen. The group approached the structure. An iron door kept unwanted intruders out, a small, grimy panel by its side.
"Doesn't seem like anyone's been here for some time," Bloom commented.
"Well, you don't want regular traffic to your secret weapon storage," Musa said. "Might cause people to actually ask questions, which would be such a shame."
"Stella, you had the code, didn't you?" Brandon asked.
"Of course I do." The blonde seemed apprehensive. "But after that mess with us getting shot down, I must admit I, like, don't trust it to work."
"We'll take the risk."
"Alright then." The Solarian princess approached the door. "Here goes nothing."
"Wait," Flora suddenly said, sharply turning towards the surrounding area. "Several entities are approaching."
"Again?" Musa groaned. "More of those eye freaks?"
"No, I do not think so."
Slowly, the waters of the swamp billowed, as several shapes broke the surface. They looked like the horrid amalgam of horse, lizard and human, primitive weapons clutched in their hands.
"Great. Kelpies," Brandon groaned, as he drew his blade. "Vicious carnivores. Stay away from the water's edge or they will pull you in and try to drown you."
"Hey, Stella, are you sure those guys from Calisto aren't trying to get us killed?" Riven asked. "Because for a simple pick-up, there sure is a lot of shit going wrong."
"I know," Stella groaned, as her ring transformed into a staff. "There better be a good explanation for this."
"So, can I presume that I should just start helping?" Ophir inquired.
"Yes. If you could do whatever it is you do, that would be appreciated," Brandon noted, as the group slowly pulled together. The amphibious creatures had surrounded them on all sides and were slowly creeping closer.
The faeries immediately opened fire, blasting the approaching creatures with various elements. The kelpies responded by breaking into a sprint, charging the surrounded people. Brandon, Riven and Sky immediately went to business keeping the creatures at bay, but the sheer weight of numbers threatened to overwhelm them.
Seeing an opportunity, Ophir backed away and scrambled on top of the bunker.
"Hey, where are you going?" Riven asked, cutting down one of the creatures. "I swear, if you run away now..."
"I'm not," Ophir replied, as he stood on top of the fortified position. "You told me to do my thing. This is my thing." He closed his eyes and focused. Great amounts of magical energy poured through him, as his body changed shape. Within a few seconds, he had become a giant bird of prey. The transformed magi screeched as he set off. He flew up into the air a bit, then swooped down claws first, ripping through the back ranks of the kelpies.
The charge broken, the soldiers quickly turned the tide, slicing through their opponents as the creatures tried to regain momentum. Between the Red Fountain soldiers cutting them, the faeries blasting them and the sudden appearance of a giant raptor, the kelpies were quickly convinced that this food was more trouble than it was worth. They quickly broke rank and charged back into the swamp.
Ophir landed again and quickly resumed his original human shape. "Oh, a little detail," he mentioned, a smile on his face as he turned to the surprised group. "Remember when I said I just walked aboard. Technically, I flew aboard." He paused. "Because I was a pigeon at the time."
Musa sighed. "Figures. I guess this explains why he's such a birdbrain."
"Great. Well, once again, you have managed to assist us in a dire situation," Brandon said, as he walked up and shook Ophir's hand. "I still don't trust you, but thanks."
"No problem."
"Now then," the squire began, as he turned and eyed the bunker. "Let's get inside."