Chapter 12: Chapter 10: Checkmate
Ever played a video game where you get to choose which path to take leading to a particular boss? Rhaegah felt like he had made the wrong choice again, and was about to pay dearly for it. This moment was when he knew he had a fear of plants. Roots rushed around like tentacles violently lashing out, eager to rip him apart when the order was given. "Curse your own foolishness..... For you have chosen death" M'hoku was no longer the calm approachable person he was earlier. His demeanor had changed to raging bloodlust. Bumping into someone, Rhaegah just now remembered that Herke was with him.
"What's the deadliest creature you can summon?"
"That would take too much time"
"How long?"
"With this situation I don't think-"
"How long Herke?"
"Fifty counts"
"You've got twenty" Rhaegah said sternly shaking Herke.
"What are you thinking?"
"We're getting outta here"
"You don't desire to reason with her?"
"That's not gonna happen....I didn't take the five counts as seriously as I should've. He intends to kill us"
"Do not liken this to hatred....But whomever angers my lady must pay with his life" M'hoku said and with a slight gesture, the mandalas he formed doubled in size shining brighter. Lightning cackles tore into the ears of everyone present, causing M'hoku to hesitate for a moment. The mandala that began forming around Rhaegah brought fear he did not understand, for he had never seen that formation ever. The mandala, having almost no content with the exception of a line of inscriptions along the bind he did not recognize. The light that shone from the lightning crackles blinded all present from noticing the earth mage performing a summoning ritual.
"Dragon Cry"
A wave of lightning cloaked mana burst out from the mandala around Rhaegah. M'hoku shielded himself from the blast in turn for destroying his mandalas. He had greatly estimated the power of the spell aside nothing major happened. But right after, he realized the purpose of that spell. Bursting forth from the centre of the previous explosion was a mordor, a large lion with razor sharp crystals for its mane and body of hardened earth. It's there eyes positioned in a triangle on its head. It's vine-like tails swung violently with the crystals at the ends slicing through the plants surrounding them as the rushed ahead racing for the entrance they came through. Rhaegah was banking on a hunch that Tierra would not attack him seeing as all she wanted was for him to leave. M'hoku being the one with the death grudge was intently sending more plants their way growing larger to the point of looking like tree stems.
The plants grew so thick that the mordor could not easily slice through them and was not relying on its tough hide to break them. The entrance was in view when their movement was abruptly stopped. The mordor had been captured by the ever growing vines which were aimed at killing it. "Herke!" Rhaegah yelled and Herke instantly dispelled the summoning not wanting the creature to die. The mordor dissipated and the moment they touched the the ground, Herke used his earth magic to cast a small platform under his feet to hurl him out and Rhaegah zoomed past with his lightning cloak, both rushing towards the exit they recalled with absolute precision.
Their hopes died in their hearts the moment they reached a dead end. They were sure this was the path they had taken and were in extreme panic now that they were blocked. The walls around them began crumbling and rock type people he already recognized as earth elementals broke forth from all sides trapping them in that corner. Rhaegah could see no way out and the sound of rustling plants gave him all the scare he needed.
The situation, he could see no escape from and at such a time, the gauntlet on his arm began burning at his arm glowing with eerie violet mana. The pain was becoming unbearable really fast and he could not think of a worse time for this, knowing that his state of mind was the main cause. Tiny streaks of mana flowed violently from the gauntlet as though it was being struck by something. A combo of many different plant types swarmed down the passage towards them and shortly after that, M'hoku could be seen driven by the plants headed their way.
The gauntlet shone even brighter making Rhaegah let out a scream as the sizzling of the burn was audible now. Suddenly a bright light blinded everyone including the one whose arm the gauntlet was on. The light diminished and Rhaegah, expecting to be hit by now was surprised that there was nothing besides the blaring of a siren audible. Feeling a hard grip on his shoulder, he opens his eyes to find that they were in a room much more modern that where they were a second ago. Red flashes accompanied the siren bringing this scenario to a much more mind shattering conclusion "Wait..... Are we"
CRONUS REACTOR ROOM - LEGION RESEARCH FACILITY: EARTH
'CRONUS REACTOR ROOM'
The words burned into his mind bringing a thought he did not want to believe "Herke, we have to leave this place NOW"
"Where are-"
"This is worse than where we left" Rhaegah cut in making Herke shudder at the thought. Herke had heard many things about the world Earth and given how Rhaegah was behaving, Nygel had underestimated the horror that dwelled here "Quick through that door" Rhaegah pointed at the only door in the corridor.....The reactor room.
The room was filled with smoke and panicking personnel, so much that two obviously out-of-place individuals could go unnoticed as the made their way to a region of the room hiding behind a counter. Judging from the panic, Rhaegah knew that typical procedure meant they'd have to evacuate the room for a time. "Herke's gonna have to pry a portal open or we're screwed" looking at Herke he could see the shock still fresh in his eyes. "Get yourself together..... Can you open a portal here?"
"Right here? But I can't-"
"If they catch us here, we're never leaving this facility alive..... DO YOU GET THAT!"
"I can't..... I cannot feel my mana. I sensed something extremely dangerous when we came into this room.....something not of your world"
"Something from Valoren was here before we came? Is that what you're saying?"
"This is not some item any person can get their hands on even on my world. But I have been in the presence of one such thing....Aether's crystal"
"Pause...so you can't open a portal here?"
"We have to leave this vicinity so as to to escape the range of the crystal's effect"
This had gone sideways too dangerously for Rhaegah to even process. First they've been transported back to Earth to the worst place possible, and they can't use their magic. "Things can't possibly get any-" he shuts his mouth partway, well versed in the concept of a jinx. The door to the room suddenly slid open, but to Rhaegah's surprise no one came in and surely no one went out. The room had been cleared moments ago and now the door was open for no reason. Considering his luck until now he made for the door. He'd been in the most precarious situations lately but he was still alive wasn't he? Rhaegah was not the religious of even the spiritual type as his life had seen to that, but "guess there might be a god after all"
The blaring of the siren served as a suitable cover for their run down the corridor, stopping occasionally to make sure there were no surprises awaiting them. Door after door opened automatically making Rhaegah believe that someone was definitely on to them but since he hadn't been caught yet, the trap was yet to be set.....either that or by some miracle someone in the facility was on his side "Kaneko!"
"Could it be?"
"Is something the matter?" Herke asked wondering why they stopped so suddenly
"Nothing. We should keep moving" Rhaegah decided he'd tell Kaneko everything that's happened so far... Regardless of whether he was the one helping or not. This unfortunate situation made him conclude that having a man on the inside wasn't enough. The man on the inside needed to know just as much as he did. Going into the next open door, Rhaegah spotted someone he was hoping he wouldn't run into..... Anna. One look at him and that clip would make senses to her.
"Who goes there?!" a husky voice demanded from inside the room making Anna turn around but not seeing his face as he darted around the room with so much speed and stealth, the effects of Aether's crystal would not seem like a bother. His mobility was all well and good until two men in tactical gear shot rounds at them. Herke had been studying Rhaegah since they first met and was now somewhat used to the dragonborn's movements and patterns of manoeuvre. He was right behind Rhaegah but didn't necessarily take the same steps as Rhaegah did. He kept in tune with Rhaegah's movements and didn't fall behind even once.
The shots fired made him pause as a result of such loud bangs being foreign, and bringing a keen sense of danger. Rhaegah had taken a moment to check if indeed Herke was behind him, confirming this he simply guarded himself with his arms hoping for a miracle. The bullets hit a walls way off target, and Rhaegah opened his eyes to find himself covered in lightning "Shit" he reaches for Herke behind him and on grabbing a collar behind him he instantly bolts out of the room traveling down the corridor at the speed of a lightning bolt. Herke was almost weightless under the effect of the lightning cloak, Rhaegah figured he could literally run out of the facility and then home before having the need to even put him down. They reach the outside and Rhaegah scopes the area for enemies.
"So can you put me down now... There's no one but us out here"
There would have been no problem with that statement, except it was coming from a girl. He turns around sharply and gives some distance resting his eyes on Anna. His voice escaped him and his mind began to ponder the precarious situation Herke was left in.
"So that's what you've been up to" she said dusting herself from the ground "I was beginning to wonder how long it'd take you to come clean with me"
Not on his life could he leave her now. He had to straighten this out or the worst could become very possible very fast.
"I guess I should rephrase my earlier question now. So, would you consider working for me?" Anna's eyes were the definition of checkmate and Rhaegah could only think of what Herke was facing in there knowing the earth mage could not use his magic.
*This is another very short chapter. I'm working on some other projects this period and they're really cutting my writing time. The weekly chapter continues but they'll probably be just as short. Apologies to anyone still reading.
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