AN: Well HeliX Sol This takes place before Nino becomes Carapaces but after Alya becomes Rena Rouge. But since Alya has to return the Miraculous each time the mission is completed, she can't transform here. Wich just ads to her frustration
Oh and SLugTurtle where ever did you get the idea that the ink was done messing with Adrien and his powers?
Chapter 29:
Alice was unusually quiet as they arrived at her floor. Henry glanced up at the speakers briefly as he, Marinette and Adrain once more made their way to Alice's door. Henry was about to drop off the ax when a loud banging could be heard nearby. The three quickly turned to the source to see several of the Butcher Gang charging in.
"The disgusting wretches have wandered my halls, have gone unchecked!" Alice shouted over the speakers, her voice filled with pure hatred. "They're trying to drag me back to the darkness! Don't let them take your angel! Purge them one by one! Smash them into puddles! Kill them!"
They barely paid attention to the end of Alice's speech as several searchers also spawned and began crawling toward them with loud groans. The Butcher Gang toons were also closing in, having ignored those hiding in the elevator.
"Tikki! Spots on!" Marinette shouted, triggering her transformation. As soon as she finished transforming, Ladybug flung her yo-yo at the nearest Butcher Gang clone, causing him to stumble back into the others, while Adrian and Henry focused on the searchers trying to get them. There were a lot of enemies swarming them all at once, but the three of them were able to hold their own. Ladybug was able to keep the Butcher gang back with her yo-yo, giving Adrian and Henry the time they needed to finish of the searchers before helping her. By the time the last enemy melted into a puddle, all three of them were breathing heavy and covered in ink splatters.
"So quiet," Alice commented as the three recovered from the encounter. "Like a welcoming grave. I like the silence, don't you?"
The three of them glared up at the speaker before Henry sighed and dropped off the ax.
"I hate leaving work unfinished!" Alice said, sounding frustrated. "Fortunately, I have you to pick up the pieces. But you'll have to go even deeper. Down, down, down into the abyss. Take the lift down. Say hello to an old friend. You'll recognize what I need when you see it. Sending you a little present. A little firepower. Take good care of it. It belonged to someone very special."
The panel flipped around to show a tommy gun of all things. The three stared at it in shock before Henry reached out to grab it. No sooner did he have it in his hands then it turned into ink and melted right through his fingers.
"Oops. I forgot," Alice laughed through the speakers. "It's a little hard to get a hold of. Oh well. Better luck next time."
Henry ignored her as he and the others made their way back to the elevator.
"Man, that angel is a real jerk," Alya commented as they piled in. The three couldn't help but nod tiredly. Henry pressed the button for level 14 and the elevator began it's decent. They came to a vast room, larger than the Heavenly Toys room, but it was also very dark. Boris seemed to be scared of this floor and was curled against the back of the elevator. Alya and Nino tried to provide him some comfort, but they were nervous by his reaction. Cautiously, Adrian Ladybug and Henry left the elevator and towards the staircase. They went down a few steps onto a platform and lying in front of them was the corpse of a Butcher Gang toon, one that looked like Edger.
"Is that… is that a heart in his hand?" Ladybug said in shock once she had spotted the mentioned object.
"I… I think so…" Adrain agreed, feeling slightly nauseous.
"Is that what we're supposed to collect," Henry said in disgust. "Alice did say we would know when we saw it… but I would never imagine she would want something so horrifying. Why does she even… Never mind. I don't want to know."
Pushing past his own disgust and nauseous, Henry picked up the heart. Henry briefly wondered what do with it before reluctantly slipping it into his pocket. Whipping his hand on his pants, Henry stood back up and the three of them went along the balcony. A piercing screech sounded through the room. The three of them leaned on the railing, looking out over the inky abyss. After a moment, they could see a moving light coming closer from one of the doorways.
"Shhh… there he is," Alice spoke up as the monster came into view. It was the same one they had spotted before while collecting ink. "The Projectionist. Sulking in the darkness. You be sure to stay out of his light if you don't want trouble. Just bring me back the pieces I need."
They watched as the Projectionist wandered through the ink and into the next doorway. Even though they had only seen him at a distance, they could already tell he was a powerful monster.
"For once, I think Alice is actually giving us good advice," Henry said, staring at where the Projectionist had gone. "That is defiantly a monster we should try and avoid."
Adrain and Ladybug nodded in agreement as they headed down the next flight of stairs. Adrain paused right before the entering the lake of ink while the other two just walked in.
"Adrian, what's wrong?" Henry asked, noticing Adrian's hesitation.
"The ink veins react when I'm in a lot of ink," Adrian replied, keeping to his promise of telling the others what was happening to him. "It didn't do much last time, but it could be different now it's spread so much."
"Then you should stay back with the others," Ladybug decided immediately. "I'm already transformed, so we should be fine. Just take of yourself for once alright."
"Okay," Adrian sighed, handing Henry the pipe. "Just be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll look out for her," Henry promised, getting an eye roll form Ladybug. Adrian gave a small smile before heading back up the stairs. Henry and Ladybug watched him for a moment before resuming wading through the ink.