Chapter 70
Early the next morning in the clouds high above in the sky some where above the sea.
"Clear skies, warm sun, what a prime flying weather this is." Rook sang.
"Uh yeah sure." Epel muttered half distracted.
"Hm? You seem a bit distant Epel, are you feeling fatigued from our long distance flight?" Rook asked as he glanced over at him.
"Well there is that, but I'm still floored." Epel confessed.
"About what?" Rook asked his head tilting to the side.
"Your family villas were spectacular." Epel gushed.
"Oh, that's what this is about? Well, you're always welcome to pop by for a visit." Rook said.
"Those villas were mighty fine, I couldn't imagine just swinging by on a lark. You know what I mean right Odette?" Epel asked looking over at Odette who was riding with Rook again.
"They were incredible, I would love to visit them again." Odette spoke up.
"Perhaps I'll invite Vil and the rest of the tribe over for a pj party. My siblings do use them at times but I'm sure they'd be happy to let me use one as long as I notify them in advance." Rook chuckled as he glanced back at Odette.
"Oh you've got siblings Rook? How many do you have?" Odette asked.
"Five, two older than me and three are younger." Rook answered.
"Oh so there are six of you? Wait six is kinda of a lot." Epel said.
"Yes we're rather a large clan we only get together about once a year as it's difficult for everyone's schedule to line up. But things get quiet lively when we're together." Rook laughed.
"It's strange the more I learn about you the more mysterious you become." Epel sighed.
"Oh! Epel, Odette. We're approaching the area where my mark has faded." Rook announced.
"And that's where the Island of Woe is?" Epel asked.
"Yes, let us descend." Rook said as he pointed his broom down.
They descend to just yards above the surface of the sea, nothing about this part looked any different from any other part of the sea.
"Huh, I don't even see any sandbars much less an island. Are you sure this is the place Rook?" Epel asked as he looked around.
"I'm certainly of it. There's no question Vil's group is here." Rook answered.
Meanwhile in the control room hundreds of feet below Rook, Epel and Odette.
"Well we've got half a day left. The next thing we should do,…" Idia began but was cut off by an alarm and red flashing lights.
"Acting director." A technician's over came over the intercom.
"Yes, Idia Shroud speaking what's happening?" Idia asked as he spoke into the control panel.
"Our facility is under attack by an unknown assailant." The technician informed him.
"What do you mean under attack? Is the invisible shield down?" Idia asked.
"The shield is operating as normal it should be impossible for anyone to see us from the outside." Ortho said checking on it.
"Team Charon Hepta is ready to scramble we have already dispatched a recon drone." The technician said.
"Got it, connecting to drone's external monitoring systems I'll put up the fed." Ortho said as he pulled up the video feed.
The feed showed Rook, Epel and Odette on brooms above the shield.
"Bonjour, Islanders of Woe. I am a seeker and defender of beauty. They call me Rook Hunt le chassuer d'amour. One of the people you abducted was my boon companion. Now I have come to rescue VS from mortal peril." Rook greeted.
"Bwuh! R-Rook! What's he doing here? How'd he even get here?" Idia sputtered.
"Team Hepta is in position removing assailant now." The technician announced.
"Whoa, hold up! I'd love to remove him but don't remove him. Just uh secure him." Idia ordered everybody.
"We've got visual on the assailant proceeding with capture." The Trooper announced as he approached the trio.
"Ah! It's the armored guys that took Vil and the others. I guess that means you were right Rook. Ye signature spell is something else." Epel said.
"Listen up both of you. We'll go through the motion and fight for awhile then promptly surrender. Remember our goal is not to win." Rook whispered.
"We want them to take us prisoner and bring us inside right?" Epel asked.
"Oui, we are at a tremendous disadvantage against their troops. First I will secure us a battlefield." Rook said as he fired a spell at the water below them.
The water began to freeze in a giant circle.
"You froze part of the sea, and formed an island of ice. Wow!" Odette gasped as they landed.
"That should do. Now let the curtain rise upon our battle for beaute and lamour." Rook announced as the troopers landed as well.
"I can't go now." Rook sighed as he fell to his knees a few minutes later.
"Oh no they got me." Epel said taking a knee.
"Alas." Odette gasped as she fell to the ground.
Back in the control room Idia was connected to the video fed of the Charon.
"Dude talk about wild, NRC put out another banner of SSR Epic Troublemakers?" Idia sighed shaking his head.
"Acting Director what should we do with the assailants? Sending them back to the school is an option." The technician said over the intercom.
"But why did Rook Hunt and his group come after us? It'd be one thing if they'd brought the faculty or more students with them but the recon data shows no other bio readings in the area." Ortho wondered.
"Hepta Team is Rook uh I mean is the assailant carrying a trackers or coms?" Idia asked.
"He only has a smartphone all three of the assailants phones are turned off." The trooper answered after they searched the trio.
"So they disable GPS themselves?" Idia muttered.
"Before engaging the Charon soldiers Rook Hunt said,… 'one of the people you abducted was my boon companion. Now I have come to rescue Vil Schoenheit from mortal peril. If I were to hazard a guess I would say he's not referring to Vil's abduction." Ortho said.
"Huh? But what else could it be?" Idia asked.
"Maybe Vil Schoenheit suffers from some kind of physical or mental distress. He is a celebrity it's possible he has some big secret that even the school doesn't know about." Ortho theorized.
"No way there's nothing that major logged in the Styx's record. …. The rule on this island is to return the living back to where they came from alone. We can't be too careful I'll hear what Rook's group has to say. They'll all go down the River Lethe anyway There's no real difference between sending them back now or later." Idia said.
"Yeah true." Ortho commented.
"Ortho transfer Rook's group to the Hecate sector via the monorail." Idia ordered.
"Roger commencing entrance airlock depressurization. Opening the Oceanus Gate." Ortho said as he began to unlock the Oceanus Gate.
Back on the surface of the water near the 'ice rink' the ocean began to swirl, forming a circle and the water began to funnel down, soon the roar of the water began to be overwhelmed by a difference noise.
"I hear wails of lamentation from under the sea." Rook whispered.
"Wait, is the Island of Woe underwater?" Epel asked.
'Is Woe this feeling coming out of there?' Odette wondered as the hair on her arms began to stand on end.
"Starting transfer employing blind and stun spells on targets." A trooper form behind the group said as his baton began to buzz.
"Huh? Whoa?" Epel screamed as they tapped him with the baton.
The trooper tapped them all.
Once Odette passed out she had another weird dream. She saw the mirror in her room and the surfaced rippled like water. On the other side she saw a small group. The tall Hades and a slender woman and two demon like creatures at their feet.
"It seems Wonderboy hits every curve ball you throw at him." The woman chuckled as she walked away from Hades.
"Mh maybe I'm throwing the wrong curve balls at him my dear Meg." Hades said as he followed behind her.
"Oh no, I swore off man handle." Meg swore as she made an X with her hands.
"Funny since that's why you work for me in the first place. What if I give you carve more than anything else in this cosmos, your freedom." Hades said whispered the last part in her ear making her gasp.
The scene faded as quickly as it appeared. 'Is it really freedom through if it costs you so much?' Odette thought as she felt herself waking back up.
Odette opened her eyes then winced as she closed them again against the bright blindly white light. She could hear foot steps.
"Serious guys This isn't a video game you don't respawen IRL." Idia muttered as he appeared in front of the group. Odette opened her eyes back open.
"Remember that the next time you wanna do something so boneheaded. You're lucky I'm the one in charge right now if it were anyone else you'd be gone." He continued.
"Woe it is a whole underwater city." Epel gasped as he looked around.
They were at the center of what looked to be a beautiful old world style city.
"Yes we truly arrived at our destination, the Island of Woe." Rook said as he did the same.
'It looks familiar, what city back in my world looked like this? Was it Athens? Rome?' Odette thought as she looked around as well and up.
"Sorry to rain on your parade but this isn't some tourist destination. You can't just roll up on your broom like 'me and the boys looking for classmates' You guys got a screw loose or something?" Idia asked.
"Whoa, Idia's really here." Epel gasped.
"So the Roi des Dragons spoke the truth. He claimed that Idia Shroud was the Watchman of the Island of Woe who governs Styx. Goodness, I truly am shocked." Rook said.
"That makes two of us how'd you get here?" Idia asked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Before I answer that might I have confirmation of one thing? Are those who were abducted safe?" Rook asked.
"I'm getting sick of this cloak and dagger act, so sure, I'll tell you. Yes they're all full of life to an annoying degree." Idia sighed in annoyance.
"Wonderful, I've been so worried I thought I might burst." Rook sighed in relief.
"But like the Charon troops trounced you back at school. Why did you follow us when you knew you couldn't beat them?" Idia asked.
"I told you, Vil is in mortal peril." Rook said,
"Mortal Peril, my searches indicate this is a state of grave danger involving the risk of death. You said this a few times now Rook Hunt is Vil Schoenheit afflicted with something that endangers his life?" Ortho asked.
"No, but he might given time we have come to avert a terrible crisis for Vil. I care not what happens to me as long as my dear friend is safe. Please I implore you, could you deliver this to him?" Rook asked as he held up a purple circular make up bag he opens it to show Idia and Ortho the bottles inside.
"What is all this stuff? Doesn't really look like medicine." Idia said raising an eyebrow.
"Scanning bottle ingredients. Main ingredients water, vitamin C, collegn essential oils wait these are…" Ortho listed off as he scanned the bottles.
"Indeed they're are dear Vil's skincare products." Rook smiled.
"They're not life saving medicine! What it's really just a bunch of creams and stuff? You're not like trying to smuggle in some dangerous potions to help them break out?" Idia asked.
"I've just finished scanning the whole set there are no corrosive fluids or any other toxic ingredients. Whole they do contain moisturizing agents and cantrip level enchantment they appear to be honest to goodness homemade skincare products." Ortho confirmed.
"Dude I don't even know where to start. It's clearly not worth risking your life over skin creams like ever." Idia sighed.
"How can you say that Roi de sa Chambre? You are right there is nothing more scared than life? However some of us hold aesthetic principles in such high regard we're willing to stake our lives on them." Rook snapped making Idia jump.
"Yeah, you're just saying that cuz you don't know how scary Vil gets when you skip yet skincare routine. It's bad new I tell ya!" Epel shouted.
"Okay you don't have to shout. So you guys don't have any other demands that's it?" Idia asked rolling his eyes.
"Oui." Rook answered.
"Wow attacking the Island of Woe just to deliver cosmetics. Even with Styx's supercomputer system. Your behavioral patterns are impossible to predict. We should probably save this data as an edge case." Ortho said.
"Okay I get why Rook and Epel are here well I don't get it but I get it. But that doesn't explain why the Prefect of Ramshackle dorm came along. Are you here to deliver some cat food to Grim? Or like a grooming brush?" Idia asked turning to Odette.
"That would have been a good idea but I'm just here to talk to Grim." Odette confused.
"Sorry I don't think I heard you right you mind running that by me again? I must've had a chunk of brimstone wedged in my ear or something." Idia said.
"Trickster is here as the prefect of the Ramshackle to retrieve Grim, the one other student in said dorm." Rook repeated.
"I wasn't actually asking you to repeat it. I obviously heard every word is your sarcasm detector broken? I guess some people let their emotions get the better of them and they pull wannabe hero stunts even when they got no real skills. Well unlike you guys I'm busy. I've got better things to do than listen to speeches about friendship." Idia sighed.
"Should we ship them back to NRC then big brother?" Ortho asked.
"I'd like to but Ortho c'mere a sec." Idia whispered as he pulled off to the side.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I feel like we're finally getting to the meat and potatoes of this Arc. Thanks for sticking around.