It didn't take them long to find their old campsite. With Mantis' vague recollections paired with Hazard's Firestep scent tracking, they were able to avoid running into the Overtaken again and find the levelled out prison.
Hack's small stone chairs had been used as a foundation for a large arial cage suspended by what looked like strands of Cricket's Haze Trait. The floor was made from shards of condensed rock melted into slag and cooled rapidly for a sturdy mishmash of structures.
But the large problem with this prison wasn't its construction or Trait but the weather. As they travelled further into the entrance of the camp the stifling heat became a lot more humid to the point where the sudden rain could be cupped into their hands and offered the first drink of water in ages.
The group had split into two: Thea and Hazard on one side of the maze of rubble, keeping a lookout for the two Overtaken. Hawkins, Mantis and Gizmo on the other, trying to find a way in.
The corpses of the prior Enforcers were hard to ignore, littered and broken around the blooms of flame raised up on shards of driftwood stuck fast into the molten earth. Gidget was the only one spared but barely noticeable, hiding in the darkness of the furthest corner of his shared cell.
"Looks like Gizmo was telling the truth." Hawkins said, half expecting to walk into a trap as soon as they arrived.
The suave Tinker Mole sniffed haughtily in disapproval but was too wary of Hazard's intervention despite the distance between them. Hawkins didn't know everything about Truants but based on the large hole in their chest they had been imploded by something on the inside.
"That's a first." Mantis agreed, hiding her laughter in favour of a cough.
There was no doubt in his mind that they were dead but...why weren't they a pile of ashes? His eyes went wide as he recalled the solo fight between him and the Enforcers. Not one of them had a partner present.
More than likely they were all Agars considering the potential distance and lack of proximity. But even if Gidget and the unlikeliness of Gizmo were both Agars, surely they would've been told or even noticed? Even then, they were missing an Agar...another member of the Enforcers was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh shit. She's here." Mantis said, taking a peek at the situation behind a large crag of broken rock.
Hawkins could barely see what she was talking about, the waiting guard shrouded in darkness and a bottle blue cloak reminiscent of the Regent of Opalis. But instead of a fog surrounding the area it was a small squall of rain. Perhaps Mantis being a half elf gave her better eyesight, he had no clue.
"Who? Hornet?" Hawkins guessed, not sure of who would be wearing a cloak in the rain at night.
Mantis didn't seem to care about bickering with him, scarcely shaking her head as if even the slightest movement would alert her.
"No. Reina. Cricket's partner. No wonder we managed to distract the Overtaken while she's guarding this place. Damnit. She's probably been able to control it all along with her Water Trait."
He only half heard her, mesmerised by the Singfall siren in front of him and half regretting his words about needing a Water Traited. They were known for alluring others to benefit themselves after they betrayed their kin for more land. It was said they were banished from the sky from another race but that was only children's tales. The Griffinettes were rarely seen anyways.
Reina pulled down her hood and parted it, dressed in a mishmash of greens and browns as if not quite sure which clan she was affiliated with. But the torches above her made her sea green scales shine golden and alerted him to the sight above her. Her spell over him was broken once he realised her meddling. This siren had taken his friends hostage.
"We stick to the plan. Hazard and Thea, you need to distract anyone nearby and lead them away from here." Hawkins reminded them, more for himself than anything else.
"Whenever you are ready, Enforcer." Gizmo added, addressing Mantis at the same time.
"Mantis?"
The glazed look in her eyes only confirmed she was under the same spell, completely oblivious to Reina's sway over her. He clicked his fingers in front of her face before pointing up towards the clustered group of Traited.
Hack was pressed against the furthest wall, barely able to keep awake at the squinting light ricocheting off the bars. Next to him was a completely dejected Cull, his dishevelled hair hiding the sight of a black eye and a resolve that had been steadily beaten down and broken. But the person next to him was who he wanted Mantis to see.
Rin was absolutely furious. Not at Mantis or anyone in particular but in the fact that she had allowed herself to get chained up again after swearing that she wouldn't. She protected both Gidget and Blaize from the cold and the fear within their own minds by using her Triad to produce the very same ball of flame she had been so proud of. But most of all, the light in her eyes hadn't died out.
It had been that tenacity, that pure unrelenting stubbornness that made Mantis remember why she loved her so much. Her face lit up, blazing red as the half elf slapped herself awake, gruffly cursing for allowing herself to get enamoured by the enemy.
"Ready when you are, Hawky."
She cracked her knuckles and slugged him in the face, sending him stumbling to the floor. Her grin was more than enough for him to know she had been waiting to do that ever since they met. But she wasn't done.
Her Air Trait wound around his arms and legs like an invisible rope as Mantis dragged him up and threatened him with a sharpened Trait-made dagger. It was the same one she had used to hurt Odi but despite it digging into his back its edge was surprisingly blunt.
"Move it, Mediator scum." She snapped a little too loudly, alerting Reina to their presence.
If Hawkins didn't know what was coming, he would've thought she was genuine in her betrayal. That was the signal for Thea and Hazard to split from the group, the Firestep giving them a determined nod despite the Thyraxians' growing anxiety.
Mantis' Trait hid their scent and quickened their pace, ducking and weaving around bits of rubble. Bits of chimney, roof tiles and broken plaster fell on them and helped conceal Hazard's dimming flames choked out by the brick dust. She didn't like that they were off to find the Overtaken but it was the best they could do with the time they had.
Mantis shoved Hawkins forward once her young partner and Hazard raced out of view, forcing the injured Mediator into the periphery of the Singfall siren. Gizmo trudged behind her, eerily calm but demure as if he was nothing more than a lowly sidekick. Hawkins had to hold in a chuckle, opting instead for a stone-faced look of anger.
A flash of blue was the only warning they received before Mantis tugged him backwards and away from the trajectory of a deadly weapon. The blade of a chain scythe embedded itself into the broken ground, the coiling metal wrapping around Reina's webbed hand with ease.
"Woah, woah! Hold it! I'm here to negotiate." Mantis said, raising her hands in surrender.
The Water Traited stalked forward, mildly enthused at the Enforcers statement. The chains on her Trait weapon shimmered like glass, made from the very rain she had summoned. Folding her arms, Hawkins noted how her chains loosened and tightened depending on her movements. It was encased entirely in Water Trait.
"She did not tell me of a negotiation taking place, Mantiscora." Reina confirmed, her voice cool and placid.
Hawkins had to stop himself from reacting to her full name, Mantis' wicked laughter echoed around the clearing, hiding her anger towards being addressed by her full name. It was obvious to note how annoyed she was but Mantis used it to fuel her plans and remained impassive.
"Of course not, Reina. After all, you know why Cricket needs the black grimoire, don't you? Unfortunately, this Mediator is the only one who knows where it is so getting it for ourselves is not gonna be easy."
"You'll never take me alive, Enforcer." Hawkins yelled overdramatically, pretending to fight against his binds.
Mantis winced at his bad acting, hissing at him unintelligibly to shut up but Reina's reaction was numb towards the entire situation. Slowly and steadily the Singfall siren coiled back her chain scythe as it removed itself from the ground in a sign of victory.
"Fine. I will kill him myself."
Before Reina had even finished her sentence her weapon was at his neck, flinching at his inevitable beheading but a sheer set of claws intercepted. The blade was caught between Gizmo's foreclaws as he shoved it back from the group with surprising ease. Casually brushing the grit away from his claws he bowed reverently towards Reina before speaking.
"Pardonne moi, mon ami. But I would not recommend killing our safe passage out of here, Mademoiselle Reina."
Hawkins blinked twice, barely recognising Gizmo's strength compared to what he had seen prior. Sure his Forger Craft was strong but he hadn't used even an inch of the physical prowess he had just displayed. Mantis' expression was just as dumbfounded but she held back her shock just enough to keep the facade going.
"After all, Lady Cricket was the one who requested I bring him here. It seems my...accomplice was a little too forward with 'er...tactiques."
Hawkins glanced up and saw Rin's livid expression illuminated from the torches, attempting to break the water made chains around her wrists. She yelped as Reina tightened her control over her Trait, Hack hovering over her just in case.
He gave Hawkins a worried glance and gestured to the short-tempered Fire Traited to move away from the precarious bars. Mantis avoided her gaze guiltily, clenching her fists before commiting to the role entirely in the hopes to rescue them.
"Of course, my apologies Lady Reina. Master Gizmo trusted me with this exchange so I would like to get this done quickly."
It was difficult to tell whether or not Reina was convinced by the Enforcers act, visibly unimpressed by the entire group. Regardless, she reigned back her Trait weapon away from the trembling Mediator.
"Fine. Name the exchange."
Hawkins waited for Gizmo to relay the phrase they agreed on but in her own version of payback Mantis interrupted him at the last minute.
"Rinelle for the Mediator. No exceptions."
“What’re you-”
Hawkins tried to whisper but Mantis rammed a fist into his chest, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground. He coughed, his throat burning as he fought to rein in his outrage, forcing himself to stay silent despite his raging Fire Trait.
Gizmo's eyes were wide with confusion but he couldn't say anything about the betrayal unless he wanted to get caught along with them. So he decided to laugh it off as an inside joke to try and alleviate the situation.
"What she means to say is-"
"Very well. I accept the exchange." Reina agreed, folding her arms like she had made a bargain on a very expensive deal.
The boys could only gape as the Singfall siren clicked her fingers, the webbing on her fingers resonating towards the shimmering Trait. The chains burst like an overflowing glass of water, shattering on impact as Rin was dropped clumsily away from their monstrous prison.
"No! No that wasn't-
Reina glared at the Smoke Traited, his anxiety finally getting the better of him.
"You are the ones who wished for a deal, no? Unless you are lying to me, Snakecharmer?"
Hawkins tore his gaze away from the conversation, seeing Rin shivering, soaking wet by Reina's dismantling of her chains as her Fire Trait flickered weakly. He struggled to approach her, her eyes wide with fear at the sight of his unfamiliar Fire Trait coiling around his arms.
"Never, my slippery friend. I know what your Agar does to liars. But there seems to be some kind of mixup…"
Reina's keen eyesight spotted Hawkins' unruly Trait and trapped him in her Water Trait's grasp, the weight of her chains tugging him upwards onto his feet.
"Then go about your business or I will enslave you too. Permanently."
She rolled her wrist, another chain coiling out of Hawkins' manacles like a snake to prove her threat was genuine. Hawkins tried to fight the Singfall sirens' chains but they still pulled him upwards as if gravity was merely an afterthought. He was haphazardly thrown into the cell, the bars jolting aside at the arrival of a new prisoner.
"Of course. Juste un moment, s'il vous plaît? The Mediator has something important to say." Gizmo said, fighting the urge to grin as the bars of the cell slid back in place.
Hawkins took a few moments to take a look at the contraption, his Smoke Trait slipping through the chinks in Reina's Water Trait and summoned his grimoire. There was something about seeing his dappled grey grimoire again that made his heart skip a beat.
No matter how long it had been or what had happened since, being able to see his grimoire safely in his hands made everything feel alright again. He was still alive, still able to do his job and was still undeniably a Traited. It didn't take long to find out the flaw in the impenetrable cell.
"I really hate being the bait when I can't swim!" He yelled down, the codeword clear only to those down below.
The group pounced into action, Gizmo igniting his Craft with a simple click of his claws. Reina's eyes went wide and finally recognised the glowing amber of his stored power but it was too late.
Her Trait-made chains began to explode in a sea of steam, Hawkins making sure to protect his companions with his open grimoire feeding heartily on the gaseous form. The group of Traited continued to drop the small pebbles Hawkins had smuggled in to create as much steam as possible.
Reina coughed loudly, the bath bomb like stones causing the rock floor to start crumbling as she struggled to see within the cloud of steam. In a matter of seconds, Mantis tackled the Singfall siren to the ground and pinned her just like she had done in Grimmordeals. It wasn't hard to forget that an Air Traited like her could breathe in the densest of air with how much she had bragged about it back when they were enemies.
"Hurry up!" Mantis called out to them, trying to grapple with the Singfall siren.
The two Traits began clashing, torrential rain and wind battling each other to try and get the upper hand. Reina managed to resummon her Trait weapon with the small puddles in pockets of uneven gravel but Mantis wasn't fast enough.
The chain sickle cut through the lingering steam, jerkingly stopping midway without its usual length and fluidity. Despite cleaving the large cloud as intended, Mantis utilised her familiarity with the similar Trait and pushed the steam towards her in an attempt to entangle her in its grasp.
"I'm working on it!" Hawkins eventually called back, looping the last noose off the partially dismantled prison.
The Tinker Mole stumbled into the dirt, hoisted up by a much bigger one who stared at him displeased before Gizmo ruffled his nephew's fur and sauntered off to try and help. Gidget stared at his uncle like he had abandoned his money grubbing ways and donated it all to charity before scuttling after him.
Rin was still struggling with getting herself warm with her Trait, slouching against a pillar Hack had created for her. The Sand Wraith was still in a deep sense of shock at the drop or perhaps it was seeing them all working together. It wasn't until Hawkins helped Cull down that he noticed how much Mantis was struggling against the Singfall siren's attacks.
Looping the last smoke noose around his arm he hooked the other end around a far away platform, his grimoire helping to dispel Reina's strings of Trait before returning to the void. Taking a deep breath he vaulted himself off the platform and aimed straight for the Singfall siren.
The prison collapsed behind him in a sea of broken rubble still smoking from the effects of Gizmo's limestone bombs. The weak welding used on the rock had broken apart like glass, the blunt trauma from Gizmo's Craft cracking it open like an egg. Reina looked around to see the devastation only to receive a good kick to the face.
Desperate to reright himself he clung to the straggling clouds of steam and forced it into a tangible rope to help him steady his clumsy landing. He ducked as the chain sickle soared in his direction but was dispersed by another of Mantis' cleverly placed air shields.
"What the hell was that Mantis? We agreed to exchange for Odi!" Hawkins yelled, still frustrated by her last minute change of plan.
They both immediately began chipping away at Reina's strength, using their Trait in tandem with each other as Reina attempted to bat them aside with her Trait weapon.
"What? You said in case it didn't go as planned we would pick the best outcome! Rin is part of half a Triad for Laia's sake!"
They both ducked and dodged the whip-like chain before flinging a series of air daggers and smoke nooses to try and lure her or trap her in place. Reina kept her distance, allowing the rain to fuel her Trait as she spun her chain scythe with deadly precision.
"Hack is a Mediator! He's the best choice!"
It didn't take long for them to notice how bad a matchup Reina was for all of them. Her movements were confident and fluid while Earth and Fire Traited struggled to ignite their Trait long enough to attack her.
"Against a Water Traited like Reina? Are you crazy?" Mantis retorted, getting tired of her daggers missing.
Hawkins noticed how her footing was slipping, how she stumbled and lost her breath so easily. Obviously his healing could only do so much for her stamina but constantly being buffeted by the rainstorm frustrated him even more.
"Oh and a Fire Traited is worse is it?"
Hawkins folded his arms, completely focused on the argument instead of the Singfall siren fighting like a demon.
"Don't you talk about Rin like that!"
Mantis' anger rose to the surface, her Trait slamming into his back and almost toppling him over. He scrambled to keep his footing, his smoke coiling around her feet.
"I'm not, I'm blaming you for your dumbass choices!"
Reina's scythe soared in the air but Mantis lazily flicked her hand, her wind redirecting it back at her as if to say 'I'm busy, wait your turn.'
"My choices? You wanted to choose a genocidal maniac of a Sand Wraith against a storm-wielding ninja! What's he gonna do, throw mud at her?"
Hawkins tossed his smoke noose, tripping the Singfall siren easily and dodging her Trait weapon only to completely invest himself in Mantis' baseless insults.
"Well at least I came up with ideas instead of making it up as I go along and letting a Tinker Mole save your sorry arse!"
"Oh, will you both shut up!"
The two spun round as Mantis' soaking wet hair thwacking her in the neck as Hawkins stifled a laugh. He hadn't realised the box-like shelter surrounding Gizmo, Gidget, Blaize and Cull as they huddled together from the rain. Only Hack and Rin remained standing, the same fury in their eyes as if both had been personally wronged by the warden of the Swarm. Knowing their reputation, they probably had.
"Let us deal with this, boyo. Unless you don't think Rin and I can handle it?" Hack said, clapping a claw on Hawkins shoulder before he could even reply.
"He has a point about the matchup, Hackerby. If we had a Lightning Traited it could even the odds but...we'll just have to do it ourselves." Rin replied, her wolfish grin starkly reminding Hawkins of a certain Firestep wolf.
The Fire Traited advanced towards the siren, quiet and calm as she weaved and dodged every rain soaked attack Reina could muster. Her chain scythe swung like a battering ram, dissolving into thin air and reappearing seconds later to slam into her. Rin didn't move.
A column of stone appeared right where the blade had tried to strike flesh, the ground already dry by Rin's efforts. The rain pelted down but never hit its mark as it became steam long before Reina could make something out of it. The Singfall siren grit her teeth, visibly annoyed by her advantage being taken away so easily but Reina decided to change tactics.
She split her chain scythe into two daggers and charged straight for the Fire Traited, leaving Hawkins speechless that a Trait weapon could change so fluidly. It had only been rumoured back when he was an apprentice but it was said to be more likely during the demon wars when Traited had no choice but to adapt to any situation. Did that mean Reina fought and learned as far back before Shuriken was destroyed?
Rin darted backwards as a deadly slash cut through the air and was met with another pillar: Hack's Armoured Transference. Momentarily stunned, the siren was halted in her attacks as the ground became slippery with wet gravel before Rin seared it once more with her overcharged flames.
"Why do you fight for her? You can see how much pain she's causing for so many people yet you still ignore it."
Reina simply scoffed impassively, aiming another strike at the defenseless Fire Traited. Hack continued to deflect strike after strike, not even denting his darkened scales. Hawkins had almost forgotten about his mentor's more defensive Transference, struggling to find an opening to join in and help them but a wave of Rin's hand was enough to tell him to rest.
"You'll never understand, Sand Wraith."
Hawkins took a few steps back, a few metres away from the makeshift cover but still close enough to keep an eye on Blaize helping to heal Cull of his injuries. He turned away from the first aid station and focused on the horizon in case a familiar tawny wolf and sprite came into view. But there was no sign of them.
"Try me, siren." Hack commented, slamming a claw laden fist into the ground.
Reina smiled, her chain sickle forming once more in a flash as it halted his Trait and cut the pillar into rubble, sending it flying towards Rin who had attempted a sneak attack. But she was prepared for it, forcing the siren back into a waiting geyser of flame.
"You've forgotten. You've forgotten how the world used to be and Memoriam...the black grimoire itself is the answer to why."
Rin's eyes widened but Hack remained strangely undeterred, blocking her incessant attacks and led her towards the Fire Trait inch by inch. The Sand Wraith gave Rin a curt nod and the flame spread into a circle of fire. Reina attempted to back off towards the edge of the ring to try and douse the flames but Rin's grip on her Trait had grown a lot stronger since then.
"So you'd ally with a dragon torturing maniac to achieve that?" Rin yelled, her ring of Trait rising with the stifling heat.
Hack gave a noncommittal grunt, not appreciating the interruption but Rin was already wielding her Trait and forging it upwards into thin rungs of flame. Hawkins marvelled at how much she had improved in such a short time but he couldn't help but notice Hack was struggling.
"They were worth the sacrifice. They wouldn't have been strong enough to know the truth."
The Sand Wraith's footing began to stray as Reina's speed became a furious blur of movement. She wasn't giving him an opening to use his Trait, Rin's flames overwhelming him with her abilities while he fought to keep up.
Reina weaved out of his grasp, luring him forwards as the chain sickle shimmered into a long staff made entirely of the rain hissing against Rin's Trait. She struggled to keep her Trait cage intact but it was all she could do to help keep the area dry.
"That wasn't your decision to make." Hack bit back, gasping for breath as Rin directed her cage of flames into Reina's path once again.
Grateful for the few seconds Rin had given him as the stone pillars began layering upwards, not even his Armoured Transference could handle this Singfall siren alone. She dodged with ease, the flames barely making contact with her scales as her webbed feet darted off the stone plinths.
"You would know all about that, wouldn't you Kinslayer?"
Hack growled and attempted to grapple her but Reina vaulted over him with her staff and flung it directly at him. Hack swore, covering his eyes but it had returned to nothing more than water. It trickled off his scales and immediately threaded together into a cage of her own design, the hidden ends of her Trait clinging to his stone like glue.
Despite struggling to clear his vision, the Sand Wraith lunged forwards one last time but his cursed leg made him stumble and Reina seized her chance. Flinging herself off the stone-made cage, she kicked the Sand Wraith square in his chest, her Trait stretching to its limits and became taught just as their stone cage was complete. Hack was flung backwards, the sheer force of Reina's Trait combined with her kick sending him sailing into the stone shell with an almighty crash.
"Hack!"
Hawkins' feet moved before he even realised it, yelling out for the Mediator. Rin tried to fall back and help him but Reina had already cornered her and Hack was already struggling to his feet. Hawkins offered a hand but Hack waved it away, his Armoured Transference no longer viable now he had lost concentration.
"Close it now!"
Hawkins was startled, Rin's voice as clear as day despite her predicament but the look in Hack's eyes was what scared him the most. It was the same glare he had seen in Memoriam's memory and it meant only one thing. Hack knew exactly who Reina was.
"But-"
"Just do it!" Rin yelled, her flame cage foundation wavering a little alongside her voice.
There was a large, gaping hole in the hollow dome and despite Rin's efforts to get in Reina's way and stop her from escaping, she was struggling. Hawkins could see how shaky her movements were but her Trait was still burning bright. If Hack closed the gap, he would trap Rin along with it.
"Now!"
Hawkins watched helplessly as Hack forced his Trait upwards but he could see the regret on his mentor's face. The smoke poured out of the Hack shaped hole that caused the support to start crumbling as the gap got smaller and smaller.
"No!"
Mantis was being held back by Blaize and Cull but it was as if everything was slow motion. Reina coughed and sputtered as the buildup of smoke and steam began affecting her breathing but she still charged the barely conscious Fire Traited with everything she had.
"Rin! Grab it!"
Hawkins flung his arm towards the smoke, coiling it around Rin's waist before dragging her out of the gap in the wall just as it closed. But Reina wasn't finished yet. She sliced at the newly hewn stone, Hack's strength waning as it turned into mud and his grip on his Trait slackened.
"Mediator!"
The Singfall siren screamed, causing even the ground to shake in fear at the guttural sound of the Wavecaller clan. The semi-hardened cage began to shatter from the impact but Hack held firm until the steam hissed out of the cracks in the walls and he finally let the weight go slack.
The shattered dome collapsed outwards, the rubble cascading down naturally like a wave crashing against the dock. It wasn't a large display of power but Hawkins couldn't help but marvel at his mentor's control with his Trait.
The rubble could've crushed Reina flat with the way it had keeled over but Hack had clung to every speck of dust before the dome swayed towards the Sand Wraith and he could safely let it go. Reina's unconscious body crumbled on top of the mud streaked ground, still breathing and showing no signs of fading to dust.
There was no Eternal Death but Rin wasn't satisfied. It only took Hawkins a matter of seconds to feel the flash of fire brush against his face and veer towards Reina. He moved before he could think and grasped desperately at the flames in front of him, the sudden image of Mantis using her Trait to lessen the blaze.
Rin stood metres away from him, her anger clear as day but Hawkins remained in front of her, shaking from head to toe. The flames had missed the Singfall siren by inches and Hawkins wouldn't let Rin past.
"Whatever she's done today, whatever she did to you prior and whatever she might do in the future is not worth risking your Trait, your whole life over. The Mediators will do what they can to rectify the damage but not if she isn't alive to do so. You're tired. You need to rest."
Hawkins tried to keep his tone calm, his hands up in surrender despite how close she was to him. His gaze drifted over to Mantis' stunned expression, eyes wide not in anger but in shock. Fighting the urge to laugh nervously, he couldn't help but wonder why she reacted so suddenly considering she was the one who helped him unlock his Fire Trait.
"It's not up to you to decide what I need, Mediator."
Hawkins flinched at her tone, her gaze drifting towards Mantis and Cull hovering behind them. Catching her hesitance despite her tone, the Mediator waited to let Rin make up her own mind without trying to sway her. Her Trait did not dictate her choices: no matter how powerful the Triad had made her.
"But if you say she will get what's coming to her then I'll wait til we're all out of this mess to keep you to your word."
The flame bowed to the creator's will, stoic and fierce with an edge of danger that fed into Rin's mind as she lowered her flame with a hasty breath. Her frustration burned into the footprints left behind, barging past the neutral Smoke Traited before he could say a word.
"You did good, boyo."
Hack clapped him on the back, stumbling forwards as the fatigue finally caught up to him. Hawkins grimaced, clinging to the Sand Wraith as he wordlessly helped the limping Hack over to his own shelter. He didn't need a lecture about his cursed leg and they kept a gruelling silence all the way to the stone shelter.
Blaize monitored the eclectic group of her patients as Gizmo and his nephew animatedly chatted, her partner Cull watching intently as if he was waiting for something to happen. His black eye seemed to have gone down a little but his sharp eyesight kept a wary eye on the newly reunited Tinker Moles.
"Indeed. It looks like le Vulcan's teachings have not quite left you just yet, Jerimiah." Gizmo chimed in, mildly intrigued by the new topic of conversation.
Hack growled at the Tinker Mole's casualness at using Hawkins' first name but he barely even reacted to the very Sand Wraith he had ranted about. Hawkins was too tired to be grumpy about his first name, nudging his mentor with his shoulder and making sure to make his glare was undoubtedly received.
"What are you on about now, Gizmo?" Hawkins said, sighing at his typical gossip mongering nature.
Rin had settled into the idea of taking a rest and Mantis remained glued to her side as ever. They had crafted a few earth hewn mugs thanks to Gidget's Craft and Reina's rain to help provide something to drink. Despite Rin's initial disgust towards the Singfall siren's Trait, she sipped at the first drink she had in a long time. Mantis, however, decided to interject before Gizmo could provide his dramatic effect.
"You used your Air Trait." Mantis said simply, the cup now empty as she set it down onto the ground.
Before Hawkins could even respond, Rin's stomach began to rumble, causing her to blush embarrassingly. The others stifled a laugh, smiling shyly as Mantis squeezed her hand gently. Cull however, simply tossed over another bag of Insta Puff rolls and said nothing.
"What? No, I…"
Hawkins began to falter, unsure of what to say in defense of her blanket statement. His focus went to smaller details from Cull's fading black eye to Reina's unconscious form to the side of the stone columns. The Air Trait wound around her wrists was undoubtedly Mantis' with a blue tinge as Blaize hung around to help heal her and keep her alive so no one tried anything.
"If you two are done with the heart to heart we have a bigger problem."
Cull was barely audible, casually leaning against the stone chair and pointing at the advancing figures in the horizon. Hawkins attempted to follow his line of sight, taking a few minutes to recognise the large, lumbering forms of the Overtaken.
They were partially obscured by the aftermath of Reina's prison but the blazing fur of the Firestep wolf was the guiding light in the dusty streets. Thea was clinging behind him like a stunt double doing acrobatics while being chased by an army of Truants.
Hazard bore a manic grin, his canines flashing with the promise of the hunt and the Thyraxian seemed to have warmed up to his infectious euphoria. They charged closer and closer, skidding and weaving around large blocks of rubble and uneven roads.
"Well...who wants to go first?"
Hack stood up, his joints cracking as he stretched and begrudgingly finished his drink and crumbled the earthen cup with a clenched fist. Hawkins was still dazed by Mantis' observation and struggled to react quickly enough to organise a plan.
"I could try another jailbreak. What do you think, Rin?" Mantis began to joke, attempting to make light of the situation.
Hawkins heard the slap and flinched, Mantis' red mark on her cheek enough of a sign that Rin was still angry at her. He tried to turn away and focus on other things but the gnawing anxiety about Rin's earlier burst of anger forced him to stay close.
"That's for pulling that stunt with Reina earlier."
Hawkins took a wary step back, the air turning stiflingly hot as he swore he saw Mantis' eyes turn red. Until she leaned in and kissed her. Rin's reaction mirrored his own, the boldness of the half elf stunning them into silence. Hack grinned at the two of them as if he had personally meddled in their relationship. Knowing him, the Sand Wraith probably had.
"What about that?" Mantis said, breathless as her hands were visibly shaking with nerves.
Rin's glare was enough to stop her heart but her expression softened and the breath Hawkins was holding expelled in a quick burst. Finally, he could breathe.
"Better. But I'll kill you later."
The muggy air clinging to Rin's grimoire turned cool and refreshing as Mantis helped calm her down despite the looming threat of the Overtaken. She hadn't even noticed her emotions affecting the heat around them but there was no doubt Mantis had.
"Yes, ma'am." Mantis replied cheekily, before Rin swatted her over the head for good measure.
Cull rolled his eyes at the two of them, shrugging reflexively as Mantis couldn't help but make herself heard.
"What?"
The red-haired Fire Traited could only smirk at the sight of his twin's disheartened face.
"It's about damn time, sis."
Rin snorted, before breaking out into hysterics despite the dire situation they were in. She hugged her brother, grateful to see he wasn't broken yet and his old self was still stubbornly making himself heard.
Blaize nudged her snout against her partner's arm and received a grateful burst of flame in return that surged through the trio and summoned their Infernal Triad in front of them. She huffed before turning her head towards the oncoming battle and the Firestep wolf began to lead as Vargar for the first time.
"I'll need time to heal them properly as soon as they cross the threshold. It won't help with renewing their stamina but with those things added to the mix we'll need to keep the Overtaken busy long enough to get them to safety."
Just as she'd finished speaking her brother skidded behind them, crashing into Hack's shelter as the exhaustion hit them and their legs gave out. Hawkins fought the urge to chuckle as Blaize rushed over and helped Hazard up, the others ambling at their own pace.
"The Overtaken might be slowed by the rain but I doubt it'll last long. We'll use the cover to help the wounded and take shifts to defend the camp." Hawkins suggested, roughly taking note of how far away their targets were.
The Truants were several minutes behind them, the prospect of a hint of Trait driving their march ever forward but the speedy pairing of Thyraxian and Firestep had been too crafty for them to follow. But now they were in his sights and their sullen, empty eyes turned wide and their heads reared in unison and sniffed the air. They had found Hawkins' Smoke Trait.
"What about the Truants? Or Cricket?" Mantis asked, his anxiety spiking along with her own.
Hawkins didn't know what to tell Mantis but her Trait was already forming in her hands. It wasn't that she was afraid but simply wanted to know the facts so she could react to them. He let out a breath of relief as Cull decided to answer for him.
"Can't worry about something that isn't here. I'd charge right in but...those two big brawlers behind them are a hassle. I don't think just being in a Triad could help fight those two alone."
The Truants had begun to dig against the harsh gravel while the Overtaken hung back as if supervising them, their focus entirely on the Mediator in front of them. But the condensed air closed them in tight as the half elf stood up and kept her focus on her Trait.
"I might be able to help with that."