I wake into complete darkness, my mind still a scramble of images and voices. My hibernation dreams have never been so vivid before. A desiccated world, a beast of gray so large it could swallow this world, and me standing there as the inquisitor before the mighty creature. The last I recall is flame and magma and a mighty explosion and a call for vengeance.

Coming to, I feel constrained in the darkness and silence and scramble bringing my arms forward so I can escape. Not again. They trapped me again. I have to get out. As my hands move up, they make contact with something hard and a small “clink” sounds as my skin makes contact.

Vic? Vic, are you awake?. . .

My panting slows slightly as I hear a familiar voice in my mind. “Jo?” I say out loud. It is muffled in my prison but I hear it. I can hear. My breathing slows further. I’m not back there. I’m free. But what’s going on?

Vic, Aria needs you. We’ll catch up later but Aria requires assistance right now. There is still time if you hurry. . .

That hits me like a crack of lightning Magica. An azure glow lights my surroundings and I see a glimpse of some sort of faceted crystalline structure just before I discharge a profusion of compressed air and a clap of lightning. Whatever is surrounding me explodes outward, shattered by the force of my need to reach my love.

I roll onto the floor ignoring the crunching of my feet on the shards, trusting my unique skin to protect me.

The flier is prepped on the roof with priority access granted. Your various arms and armor arrived but you do not have time to equip them manually. I recommend wearing at least a layer of clothing though. . .

I jog naked to the infusion pad and, just before stepping onto it, azure blue sweats, t-shirt, and sneakers materialize around my body.

That works. . .

***

Their position is close to being overrun, you will need to be fast if you wish to avoid injuries. Aria is in the process of healing one of her team members so he will likely return to combat shortly. It is unknown whether she will be able to return immediately or require rest. . .

Jo guides my flier to where Aria and her team are apparently defending against a corrupted ant beast breakout. Fucking corrupted ants? Was the entire colony corrupted or just the queen and her spawn were therefore also corrupted. Either way, this is a rather horrific portent to what could be coming for humanity.

[Have you alerted Shield to the invasion of corrupted beasts?]

Not yet. I felt I required your authorization given how the last KH meeting ended. . .

[Do it. She’ll make the connection for further risk to humanity and begin taking precautions. Any news on the ant colony itself?]

Negative. There has been no communication about it. . .

[All this death is going to be strengthening our enemy to an extreme degree. I need to find that mana stone. See if you can look up a way to trace back to the colony home.]

Affirmative. Approaching drop zone. . .

I stand from the pilot seat and walk to the opening side door.

Jump in three. . .

Two. . .

One. . .

Jump. . .

I dive from the flyer head first with my arms to my side, my legs straight behind me and my toes pointed. I begin to build up mana and an azure and slightly purple glow radiates from my clothing construct. I can see a mass of large spiky brown ants expelling black flames close to a group of humanoids. With a slight forming of mana, I use the air to adjust my landing to be a little closer to the defenders.

At 3 meters I use an air bubble spinning at close to 150 kph to slow my descent, reach my arms out and let loose the electrical charge I’ve been building during my dive into the air bubble. It bursts out in the mass of ants with a flash of purple, a crack of lightning and bolts and sparks that storm through the army of insects causing them to shudder. As I drop to the ground, I follow through with all my fingers splayed out and another crackling of light purple lightning aimed towards the front line of the ant force.

As Jo told me they would, every ant explodes into ash as I turn my stream of slightly plasma-charged lightning sweeps through the remaining ants. Having disposed of those near Aria’s defense team, I turn towards the remains of the mass of corrupt insects and stomp on the ground. A hundred sharp spikes of earth and stone are ejected from the ground beneath their feet and into and through the ant carapaces. Immediately, nearly the entire ant army flashes black and becomes ashes floating in all directions.

Breaking my focus, “Dragon’s balls!” sounds out from behind me. Turning my head I see a blond-haired human male of medium height and around my age holding a single-handed mana projector. I also feel a warmth from my ring and smile, happier than I can express that I made it in time.

That individual is Samson Georgia, one of Aria’s original patrol team members and now one of her fellow post 33 defenders. He and Aria have a cordial and somewhat friendly relationship now, although it started with quite a bit less positivity. They have been a good team and have watched out for one another since their crash and Aria’s healing of him. He prefers the name Sam. . .

Briefly glancing back at the remaining ants, I launch a handful of blue flame spears and complete the extermination. I walk towards the human with a grin still on my face and say, “Sam, right?” I hold my hand out and he is still frozen with his mouth open. I clear my throat, “Sam?” He jerks and reaches out to shake my hand hesitantly. “She was right,” is all he says.

Vic, I cannot find Aria on any available surveillance at the moment. She may be mixed in with the civilian crowd but I do not feel that likely. . .

Odd. “Excuse me, Sam. I need to find Aria. Thank you for being a good partner to her in a tough time.”

I walk past him and feel him follow. A number of other humanoids with equally shocked expressions pass some “Thank you’s” along with other exclamations of awe. Whatever. I didn’t put on a show to sell tickets. I came here to save my elf and that is what I intend to do.

I call out, “Aria!”

An elf jogs over and points to an area covered with blood but empty of my elf. “She was just over there healing me.”

“Is that your blood from her healing you?” My voice is a little growly and I begin to worry. He steps backward with his hands up and says, “I believe so. I was severely injured. Her healing was efficient.”

I relax slightly as I send mana into my ring of connection. It is one half of a set of rings I made for us so we would always know the other is alive. Recently we also learned it is possible to send emotions through but that is as far as we’ve gotten. My ring says she is alive but her light is not as bright as I’m used to. Shit.

[Can you check the surveillance from when I arrived?. . .]

Vic, all the devices monitoring this area and further back into the alley stopped functioning while she was healing the elf, Hynoda. There is no evidence as to why. That seems very . . . timely. . .

I turn to the defense team. “Did you see Aria leave?” They all look around baffled. Hynoda says, “She was right there when I returned to the line.”

I turn and run to the civilians and yell quite loudly. “Excuse me!” Only a few hear me and turn their heads. The rest are talking, hugging, crying, calling out, and are overall too distracted to hear me.

I charge my right hand with lightning and then point it straight up, releasing it in a resounding crack and flash of purple. There are a few screams and a lot of ducking but everyone looks towards me in short order, many with terrified eyes. I find that I don’t really care. My emotions have transitioned from concern to relief, to excitement back to concern, and now to dread. And also I find myself struggling to find control. I hope mana isn’t leaking everywhere.

I call out loudly, “Did any of you see the elven healer? She was right there.” I point at the bloody spot.

She was wearing her healer armor including the face covering. . .

“She was wearing green armor, hood, mask, and cloak. Anyone?”

They look quite scared now. I try to tone down my agitation when I ask, “Please? I need to find her.”

A large woman carrying the broken wooden handle from an unknown something steps forward and with an accent matching Katarina Volkov’s, my Vice Chancellor of Financial Affairs says, “She was a good girl. She went off with that bald man she knocked around.”

To my left, Sam speaks up with obvious surprise or disbelief in his tone. “What? She went with Charlie? Willingly?”

Charles Atkinson is a Special with a positive reputation as a merc but a very poor history with women. He and Aria clashed numerous times over her place on the defensive team and she was eventually put in a position where she had to use force to prevent him from physically accosting her. She threatened to relieve him from duty and, while he did participate in the battle, his presence and combat prowess vanished in the final minutes of the battle. He was extremely antagonistic to her and I find it exceptionally unlikely that she would willingly walk off with him alone. Particularly when you had just arrived. . .

A gnome walks up shaking his head and saying, “No way. He was a troll’s ass and she wouldn’t be so stupid to be alone with him. Walk off with him? I highly doubt it.”

Everyone takes at least one step back from me as azure flares out and surrounds me. I turn back to the woman with the stick and growl out, “Which way did they walk.”

Without an ounce of fear, she points to the building wall directly behind all the civilians. My light dims and I ask with a little confusion while pointing the same way, “To the wall?”

She nods. “I didn’t watch more since they were walking together and she seemed fine.”

I give her a “Thank you”, turn to the defenders and say, “Take care of the civilians,” and walk towards the wall. I feel Sam following me on my left and I turn my head with a questioning look.

“Mr. Victory, you don’t know me but Aria and I have become partners and maybe friends even though I was a troll’s ass to her at first. I hope you will allow me to help?” His last statement is more of a question.

Based on what I observed, Aria appeared to trust him at the end. . .

I nod and turn to face the wall we have just arrived at. A large structure with stone blocks broken up by wide steel beams, this wall appears to have no doors, windows, or any other form of entry.

[Why does this building just have a blank wall with no manner of ingress or egress?]

This building is a facility that temporarily holds accused criminals. Searching for building schematics now. . .

[Are you telling me Aria is with someone she fought with, who hates her, and tried to assault her and they disappeared together into a prison?]