Hannah stole along, the dust undisturbed by her silent tread. The walls of the guild tunnels flew past her as she sprinted. Her shadow danced along the walls, illuminated by the lantern light.
The complex of the Guild was incredibly extensive. Truthfully, while the Battlefront liked to claim in as their domain, its reaches were known to none of them. The tunnels had existed under Elihu the Young Acadamy when they had arrived, a vast network running in all directions. Anything could be hidden, deep in the earth.
Left, Hannah felt, and she darted down a side tunnel. The stiff concrete was gradually replaced by cool stone, encompassing her.
The Battlefront was faced with an unpleasant mystery. Some form of entity had supplied Albert with the tools he had used to stage his uprising. The Battlefront had an enemy. Some being possessed powers beyond their knowledge, as well as advanced knowledge of this world.
Hannah grit her teeth. There was one obvious suspect. It seemed, at long last, this world's creator was making his presence known.
With her every footfall, she felt the ground beneath her. Her senses, trained to their limits, listened through the ground, and heard. Hannah heard vibrations, distant motions sending small shudders through the earth. She-
With a gasp, Hannah came to an immediate halt. Dropping to her knees, she pressed her palms into the rock. A tremor, greater then she had ever felt, raced up her arms, sending her hair on end.
And, barely decipherable, with that tremor came…
The Battlefront walked in one, dense pod, casting glances over their shoulders as they wound down the hill to the river. Mike walked a few paces behind them, and a few paces in front of Angel. After every other step, he'd glance back at her, to make sure she hadn't slipped away.
"Um, hey," Mike spoke up suddenly. "I just realized, how are we going to fish? All we brought was our weapons. Don't we need tackle and bait?"
Winnie didn't look back at him. "It has all been provided for."
Sure enough, at the river's banks waited a loaded cart, stacked with poles. A sun-burned guild member was just finished unloading the bait as they arrived.
He straightened up, flashing them a confident grin.
"Everyone, you remember Saito," Winnie introduced. "He's the Fishing Maniac."
"The Fishing Maniac?" Mike wondered. "What in the world is a Fishing Maniac? And how the heck is this guy tan, the guild is underground!"
The Fishing Maniac strode up to his interrogator. Sea-blue eyes gazed out from beneath a battered cap, one stuck with a menagerie of lures. His lean arms crossed. "I am Saito Windfellow. The motion of the waters flows in my veins, the call of its inhabitants sings in my soul. Yeah, I'm in the guild. I know how to create tools of value."
He spat in the dirt. "I can make and use the highest quality instruments for the art of fishing that you will ever set eyes on. My life is dedicated to this sport."
"Whoa,' Luke breathed.
"So, he's basically another moron," Julie whispered.
"I…" Saito began to continue, then trialed off. His lips froze as he caught a glimpse of the figure standing at the periphery of the crowd.
"Angel!" he gasped, pointing at the intruder. "What, what the hell is going on?
Winnie crossed her arms. "Beats me. It followed us here. We haven't been attacked though."
"Yet," Jake muttered, aiming his halberd at the girl.
Saito frowned at his nemesis. He swallowed. "Um, Mrs. Angel… What is your purpose here?"
"I am here to fish."
"Oh. Well that's all right, then."
Several minutes later, the poles and tackle had been distributed, and the Battlefront was strewn across the rolling riverbank.
Through unspoken movements, they set up a good distance from the former Student Body President. Mike glanced around; Angel was just standing, gazing into the clear blue waters. With a groan, he stepped out to her.
"So… do you know how to fish?" he asked cautiously, twisting the line between his fingers as he reached her shoulder.
"No," he heard her utter. "I don't believe I ever got the chance."
Mike snorted. "What? I thought everyone at least knew that! Come on, it's easy. I'll show you."
He handed her a slender wooden pole, and carefully handed her the hook, and the wriggling worm.
"Right, first you have to hook the worm. You stick the pointy bit through one end, wrap the worm around the metal, hook it again, then wrap and hook it again. Careful, it's pretty nasty, always grossed me out. If you want, I-"
"Done," she said, holding up the baited hook.
Mike blinked. "I, I mean…Uh, don't worms and stuff gross you out?"
She regarded it. "It would not seem so. And besides, I do not know if these invertebrates possess a sufficient nervous system to fully expense the pain of severance."
"Uh. I don't really know either."
Mike fidgeted. She wasn't exactly the easiest person to talk to. I guess she just doesn't really have much experience being with people.
He glanced over at her. He knew she had enough power to take out most of them, if she wanted. But, why didn't he feel frightened anymore? How come, whenever he was around her, he felt safe?
"Um, OK. Next up, you grab the line with one hand. Then, you carefully flick the pole toward the water-"
A howl broke out as Angel suddenly followed Mike's instructions. A terrified Harry tumbled through the air, a small hook seen around his shirt collar. Mike flinched as his friend slammed into the river.
"Hey-blub-blub, you crazy!" Harry bawled, breaking the surface. "Watch-blub-blub-where you're casting!
"How'd you do that?" Mike asked, gazing at her in awe.
"My Overdrive Guardskill is in passive mode," Angel replied, her brow creasing. "It enables increased capacity of strength. Do not worry; I will free him from the river. Swimming is dangerous."
A dog-paddling Harry's face turned pale. "Wait, no-blub-blub, I'll just swim, I-"
Harry catapulted out of the surf at the tug of Angel's pole, coming to a stop face-first in the sand.
"Gramph-Grafflesplah!" Harry mumbled venomously, spitting out sand.
"Harry, you all right?" Mike worried, helping him up.
The other members of the Battlefront gazed at their comrade tensely as he replied. "Mmph. Not cool, man. I-"
"That was my error," Angel spoke suddenly. "I should have been more vigilant, I apologize for my negligence." She stepped forward, her hand reaching towards Harry's face. "I f you wish, I can use a technique to remove the sand."
Harry coughed. "No, that's fine. It's definitely not the first time I'm gone flying." He trailed off, gazing at Angel's face. Something caused him to soften. "It's fine, I'm all right. You just need to watch your strength, got it chica?"
Angel nodded solemnly.
"All right everyone, let's get going!" Winnie called sharply. "This is all you guys will be getting to eat, so get it in gear!"
With Mike's guidance, and Harry jokingly ensuring that no one was in a 50 yard radius, Angel cast out again.
They waited for minutes on end. Around them, someone would occasionally think they had a bite, but it would always end up fruitless.
"What's going on," Winnie grumbled, turning to Saito."We're not that bad at fishing!"
But the Fishing Maniac said nothing. He just gazed out over the river, a shadow crossing his face as his jaw tightened.
Mike didn't mind though. He plopped down in the sand next to Angel, letting the river run over his bare toes.
"So, Miss Robinson, now that you don't have to watch over the school anymore, I guess you have a lot of free time, right?"
"Our time is mean to be invested in our studies," Angel reprimanded.
"Will you two quit," Jake growled. "You must be what's scaring the fish away."
"Actually," Elly replied from down the riverbank. "I have examined the handbook of Elihu the Young Academy. Certainly, as a school, it has the usual schedule of classes. History, Math, English, as well as Gym, Art, and music classes. However, equally stressed by the school is the importance of involvement in other activities. This school is flooded with clubs; there are hiking trails, sport tournaments, and social events."
Elly glanced at Angel coolly. "It would seem that the creator of this place made it to be a paradise for youths. Almost as if the purpose was to mold people through order. To take rebellious spirits, and make them obedient, "normal." Would you say that is accurate?"
Angel was silent for a moment. "This is a school. The purpose is for its students to learn."
"Whoa!" Luke yelled, standing up. "Miss Robinson, your line!"
With a snap, the wire plunged into the deep water. Mike watched in shock as Angel's pole was bent in half.
"Let go of it!" Saito gasped, running up to her. "It's him! Quick, before he pulls you in!"