Warning: this chapter contains backstories mentioning severe violence, torture and abuse with regards to certain characters. Proceed at your own risk. I'm happy to PM anyone who wants to know what happens without reading it.
Consider yourself warned.
......
"Why did it have to be bugs?"
The group snickered at Hack's loud complaining, the tension easing in Hawkins shoulders despite the impending battle. His mouth tweaked upwards as Hack couldn't help but avert his eyes at the sight of the mammoth sized creepy crawlies. The Thyraxian nearest him however, was anything but calm.
"Hey! I'm right here y'know?" Thea piped up, visibly insulted at the comment.
Hack's scales suddenly changed from an overconfident purple to a sickly lime green and the Smoke Traited couldn't help but feel guilty at his uncomfortableness. After all, he had helped cause such a phobia.
He snickered at the memory of a young Creatist Traited letting loose firebugs for the first time. The little critters scurried along the floorboards, scuttling on top of his chair while their guardian was asleep. Immediately they crawled all over his scales and caused Hack to erupt into yells and explicits until his Earth Traited snuffed them out completely. Not many Sand Wraiths could handle two chaotic kids let alone one.
"Don't worry, Thea. I'm sure grandad didn't mean it." Mantis teased, the Thyraxian still huffing over the situation.
"Who're you calling grandad?"
Hawkins winced at Sand Wraith's tone sounding less than friendly, fretting that they were gonna start bickering again. They had a little time to plan things thanks to Axis' intervention and Hack's quick thinking but they didn't have long.
"Er...guys?"
Hawkins kept a watchful eye on the Trait made bugs clambering over Axis' interchanging buildings, the crickets being knocked aside by pillars of stone only to re-right themselves immediately. Struggling to defend itself against the horde, Axis' movements became sluggish as they scuttled into the blocked off section in the alleyway. As the buildings began to judder and collapse in on itself in an attempt to shake them off but the crickets were undeterred.
"That's great grandad to you, little 'un." Hack said, grinning as Thea giggled.
She began to buzz around happily before disappearing into the night to scout out the area. Mantis couldn't help but chuckle, surprising Hawkins who couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head.
The Creatist bugs began changing size depending on the obstacles, rusty pipes, broken brick walls, even collapsing chimneys couldn't deter the swarm of crickets, locusts, wasps and a variety of different bugs. They were adapting like a dragon would but it wouldn't help with the lower sections of the desolate buildings.
Thankfully, the earlier scavenger hunt for food and shelter had caused the rubble to be shifted about into a kamikaze obstacle course that not even a Truant could clamber over. The Enforcers had packed the broken blocks of brick and metal haphazardly, causing them to warp and melt under the heat of the twin Fire Traited. After Mantis' outburst it had rapidly cooled into a makeshift barrier against the cold and more importantly, any intruders.
"Ready you two?" Odi called out from the back of the group, causing the twins to prepare their stance.
The group was surprisingly calm despite the looming army ascending erratically, knowing full well what was already in place. Odi's unfaltering Trait surrounded them in protective shadows, layering the ground as the twins allowed the blinding flames to strengthen their newly forged Triad.
The group was ordered entirely on Odi's plan to disguise the twins' new abilities until the last minute. Hack and Mantis acted as decoys while he kept the front stable and kept an eye on the arriving Creatist Trait creatures.
The adaptability of the different Traits working and clashing together was the crux of the Scale Shriekers plan. Based on how their previous fight went she paired the Triad behind his Smoke Trait since it could strengthen his while combating Cricket's tricky Air Trait.
Once the creatures had been taken care of they could clog the air with enough smoke to confuse Cricket and provide him with plenty of Trait to work with. If the others struggled to breathe, Mantis could coralle it in one place while Hack provided a defensive line that could work since he was used to being surrounded in thick smog. For a five minute battle plan it was more solid than anything he could come up with.
"Mark!"
Hawkins couldn't help but be startled by the Scale Shriekers commanding voice. Obediently, they all stepped to the side in single formation to allow the two Fire Traited and the slightly unsteady dragon to step forwards into the fray of inanimate soldiers.
Odi's eyes were fixed on the first line of creatures almost as tall as her as they finally came into their territory. Hawkins couldn't help but notice how Odi steadied herself, trying so hard to hide her injuries but the lolloping gait of a downed dragon was unmistakable.
Looking away from the gaze of the dragon as to avoid his own guilt, Hawkins busied himself by working in tandem with Mantis to gather as much smoke as they could. It seemed she was as worried about Rin as he was about Odi.
Trying to direct it away from the protective shield of shadows was like separating oil from water. But the little control he had left was helped greatly by Mantis' combined power of both a Traited and a Caster. Whichever she was didn't matter to him as long as she helped in the fight.
In a matter of minutes the two had used their situations to create an army of smoke traps, similar to the noose he had used to trap Cullian. This time the twenty odd smoke coils had been tied to the roofs above them and were hidden by the rubble playground below. All it took was the slightest touch of unfamiliar Trait and it would spring unsuspectedly to ensnare any target.
"I think we have company." Mantis said curtly, slightly concerned at the idea of more intruders.
Hawkins barely heard her over the loud rattling, ever distracted by the numerous facets to his Trait in trying to keep it in check. Trying to contain the numerous threads, far more than he was used to, he asked a vague question to try and get a sense of how bad things had gotten.
"More bugs?"
He sounded almost bored, fed up with the army of inanimate creatures that continued to rise in numbers but strangely not distance. Mantis didn't reply at first, surprisingly hesitant as her hand rose to point out a hazy shape in the cloud of smog.
It was barely visible even with his ability to see through his own Trait but the deadly glint of the weapon was unmistakable. It was a large pair of tomahawks, bigger than the battle axe he had seen previously in many a bout. But despite only being able to see one he knew who the pair belonged to. Barnstormer.
"Worse than bugs. Enforcers."
It was like Mantis had knocked the breath clean out of his lungs. He staggered for a moment, the conformation of more than one wasn't enough for a single Mediator to handle. Instead of panicking, he allowed his mind to focus on the proof he had already seen and went through the information he knew about the infamous Earth Traited.
Barnstormer was the main muscle for the Gearloose gang, an ex soldier turned mercenary from Willowridge who got wrongly fired after being injured in a cave in. But that was only according to her, not her file. The Willowridge nobles had covered up the accident and blamed it on a lesser noble than them, a young girl of all people.
After that, Barnstormer disappeared after losing her hand and found her calling in the carnage and brutal rituals in Caldor pit fighting. Now she fulfilled that adrenaline rush and need for revenge by using her Trait weapon as a second hand.
Her ability over magnetism allowed the second tomahawk to be repelled or attached to the other so her vicious attack style became even more erratic and unpredictable. She got her name by using her Earth Trait to level an entire street in Pelt with a single swing of her axes. But the Swarm wasn't the only gang with a group of Traited.
With the structure of notable criminals becoming Enforcers being exceedingly common, more and more gangs had hired thugs and lone hires to deal with their dirty work. Of course, where criminals went the detectives soon followed.
The arrival of the Mediators and the Sixth Order soon developed a rivalry only for it to become far more hostile as the crimes continued. Eventually it escalated it to a murder spree, Enforcers laying traps for them even turning to full on kidnapping and torture.
Corruption within their ranks and brutality against workers caused the Mediators to doubt their own purpose. They vented frustrations against the criminal underworld, causing the cycle to continue. It was a miracle Mantis' group had agreed to a truce at all.
"How? How did they find us here of all places?"
The thought of Rin's conversation of how hard it was to track his Trait flitted into his mind, his heart sinking at the thought of such a devastating Traits capabilities. But Cricket was still nowhere to be seen.
"Hold!"
Odi's voice rang true throughout the darkened shell of her Trait, causing Hawkins to abruptly remember the real reason for standing here. It didn't matter about the Enforcers or lack of Cricket or even his fear of fighting. He needed to breathe and focus on one thing at a time.
Mantis stepped to the side, offering him a hint of a smile before they raised their hands and simultaneously commanded their Trait. With a sweep of their hands the condensed smoke and constricting winds halted and reversed its flow.
"If I had to guess, Hornet has more people hired to deal with you. More than I thought. She could've gotten us out of here easily but for some reason…our leader called them instead."
Hawkins nodded to acknowledge her, noticing the insulted but increasingly worried tone in her voice. It was like she had forgotten about her own Boss or perhaps, felt no allegiance to her after being stuck in a hole with her worst enemy. But he couldn't help but theorise about what Mantis meant about the Swarm leader 'getting them out of here.' The entrance had been blocked for days.
Odi's shadows began to lower like a slowly descending guillotine as the Culverin Twins began to envelop the abandoned lot with their heat. The Infernal grimoire floated between the two, cover already opened with pages flickering like embers before dissipating with every movement.
"So, do we have a change of plans to deal with them and Cricket or…"
Hack had sidled over, one eye on the commotion beyond the rubble laden Creatist Trait insects unable to move. The smoke laden wind and invisible obstacle course was preventing them from moving an inch. But Hawkins knew Hack could see the situation as clear as day, after all Sand Wraith's eyesight improved with age.
"Already working on it. There's at least three of 'em."
Hawkins blinked twice, trying to process how she knew how many without being able to see through the smoke. He racked his brains, trying to think of a book or tome about Air Traited in the Halls of Mediation. The only thing he could think of was being able to tell depending on their breathing. But pinpoint breathing was harder than him being able to separate his Dual Trait into air and smoke.
"Fire!"
Before Hawkins could even utter a word, he heard the snap of a grimoire being slammed shut and immediately closed his eyes, grateful for Odi's prior warnings to be as far away as possible. The flash of flame only lasted for a second but Hawkins knew once he opened his eyes again he would see the end of Cricket's army.
The swarm of crickets line of sight had been cleared as they narrowed in on the cluster of people but by then it was too late. They filed in one by one only to be met with a precise blast of flame no dragon could even hope to let loose. It could've levelled the entire Undercity.
Mantis held onto her grimoire as much as she could, her face tense in exertion as she tried to limit the damage and tighten the path of the flame. Completely the opposite of what she had done against him mere days ago.
Hawkins couldn't help but feel a rush of pride at the once reckless Enforcers using their power not to destroy but to save. The flames veered past the already damaged buildings, targeting only the fleeing insects made from solid, emerald mist.
The twins stood steadfast, visibly exhausted as the tails of flames scorched the ground into a shape of a chimera. Mantis eyed the horizon, unable to see any other stragglers before collapsing onto the ground, laughing from sheer fatigue.
"Looks like we don't need to call an exterminator anymore, sis." Cull quipped, grinning at her like a fool.
Hawkins smiled in relief, grateful for Odi's quick thinking and everyone's agreement and timely reactions to such a crazy plan. The smoke and shadows had provided a smoke screen and shield to distract and hide the power of the Triad.
The air had expanded the flames and rid the area of oxygen to lure them in and guide the flame to the centre of the swarm. The earth had provided an immovable obstacle and delayed them however long they could. All of it, planned and executed in a matter of minutes.
"Look out!"
Odi's eyes went wide, barely able to react despite the clearing smoke and her impeccable night vision. But Hawkins was ready. Seeing past the collision of Traits, the brass handle of a tomahawk flung towards him at rapid speed. He dodged, a desperate attempt at a threat but he had just enough time to react.
Gathering his Trait towards him, Hawkins flung a noose over the returning axe and entrapped it in his Trait. Since the tomahawk was now unable to magnetise with its twin, the lone axe was now left dangling helplessly in midair.
Giving a determined look towards his mentor, Hack nodded and allowed his apprentice to 'mediate' the situation alone. The three Enforcers had used the smoke and the night sky as cover and had begun a counter attack. But with the Axis in this state, no one could use the smoke better than him.
Barnstormer gaped at him in fury and charged him head on through the smog, brandishing her second axe with two hands. The ground rumbled threateningly but this was nothing compared to the daily tantrums of a Sand Wraith. Hawkins stood his ground, smiled evenly and goaded her to throw the second axe.
With his hand enveloped in Trait, he watched the axe fly towards him and looped another noose around the weapon, side stepped and brought the momentum of the axe back into Barnstormer's face. She staggered backwards, losing her equilibrium and consciousness in a surprise attack not even his allies could have expected.
Hawkins could hear the uproar of shock and laughter from his comrades but he only smiled. Carefully, he maneuvered his Trait noose off her axe and onto her leg before she sailed upwards, the first Enforcer entangled by his trap.
The glint of a barrel soon followed suit with an assault of burning projectiles. A sniper. Not affiliated with Gearloose as far as he knew but still difficult to deal with. Attempting to avoid his fire, Hawkins gathered the smoke towards him for cover but not before it provided him with a surprise of its own.
The smoke parted as a crazy wide eyed woman with sickly tendrils of black hair began to fling whips of pure red liquid at him. He fought Trait with Trait but somehow hers was slicker and far denser than his smoke. The stray shots of Fire Trait were steadily being turned to steam as he led her directly into the path of the sniper's view. All the while her hands dripped with blood.
Hawkins didn't know whether she had been hit by her ally or the sniper had stopped shooting but still she continued to scream nonsense. Whether it was to unnerve him or just to make herself heard he didn't know but it was working.
Her blind gaze made him hesitate, thinking Cricket had been turned into some kind of Truant beast but the more he thought the more the woman gained an edge over him. Her tendrils slashed at his neck, nimbly avoiding his own attempts to trap her until he finally realised how her Trait worked. It was feeding off her own life force: A Blood Traited.
Hawkins swore as she dove back into the protection of the dark, noticing how less frequent the snipers shots were. He rubbed at his neck before giving himself a moment to think within the protection of his Trait. All of the Enforcers that were picked were based on unpredictability and brutality.
Barnstormer was the muscle. The sniper was the controller. The blind Blood Traited was the loose cannon.Two Swarm Enforcers and only one from Gearloose. The numbers didn't make sense but the Traits sure did. Fire, Water and Earth. That meant Cricket made up the last member: Air Traited.
They could have included a wildcard like a Lightning Traited but the continuous storm over Opalis would've been too much for any power hungry Enforcer to ignore. One of each was a lot more reliable and that's why the Fire Traited had stopped shooting. He was afraid of his own partner.
Hawkins could almost picture the young teen hunkered down in the dirt and grit, trigger finger shaking just as much as his gun was. He could barely manifest it but still, he'd rather aim potshots at a Mediator than have to deal with Organa in a bad mood.
Hawkins knew who they were now, thanks to Memorium. He knew her name and he knew his history. Deadeye had grown up by being tortured by his own family of Water Traited puritans after breaking a long held tradition when his flames emerged. He hated his Trait but most importantly he was terrified of any Water Traited that came his way.
Organa had obviously mentored Cricket but as for who she really was took a lot of studying old case files. She had only been mentioned once in passing during his Sentry days of helping his mother do her paperwork but her Trait was unmistakable.
She was Morgana Cardinalo. The one responsible for the Cardinal Street murders.
It was said her Trait had been undiscovered by Specialists for some time only for it to emerge at a very late age in her life. But while staying with her parents to help them move, she was unknowingly pregnant at the time.
Unfortunately, her Water Trait caused her to miscarriage and in her grief she had rid herself of her sight too. Her Trait had allowed her to see the baby's life fade from its eyes and she was never the same again. It was the last thing she saw.
With a lot of investigation and witness statements the truth soon emerged from her own dragon, Agared and traumatized to the point where she broke the contract with Morgana days after in exchange for another partner, a Trollian. Her parents had blocked her grimoire and in turn her Trait to experiment with necromancy and in turn, her unborn child.
The reason for all the paperwork was to document the lives lost. Soon after the case was pronounced closed, Organa broke out of witness protection and orchestrated the mass murder of fourteen orphanages, the staff and those who lived there all slaughtered.
Her parents were left tortured on the doorstep by the very Blood Trait they created. Only the Trollian was spared, still waiting for its owner to return. The only thing Organa ever wanted was to be reunited with her child again and it had driven her to madness.
This was one of the first cases providing the deciding factor to ban the practice of necromancy.
Hawkins winced, knowing full well the black grimoire had intended to use his sorrow to show him the full extent of Organa's pain but he had clamped it down. He had to if he was going to fight them head on. Then and only then would he see what their own kind had done to them.
Reassessing the situation, Hawkins noted Deadeye's position before Organa swooped in for a sneak attack from behind. Blocking as best he could with a makeshift smoke wall he moved it to shield himself from the incoming flaming shots.
Deadeye's aim was veering right, nowhere near the smoke wall or where he was hiding but it helped him to figure out where Organa would strike next. The Blood Traited veered left in another attempt to surprise attack him but still Hawkins waited for the right moment.
Eventually he could feel the flames on his back, the shots becoming closer and closer now but each seemingly more sporadic and frustrated. Then, Hawkins saw it.
The gold tipped sniper barrel being hastily disassembled and the sight of a soot covered teen attempting to reposition to avoid the smoke wall or more likely, Organa. But Hawkins was faster. He surrounded the Blood Traited in the smoke wall like tying a dead body in a curtain and bolted for the young kid.
Poor Deadeye was so startled that he dropped his Trait weapon and that's exactly what Hawkins was after. He used the same noose to loop his weapon and around his waist before gently letting him get caught up beside his still unconscious companion.
Organa's eyes went wide, her fury doubling tenfold as she seared through the smoke with her blood whips. Hawkins watched how she had used her Trait vertically, ducking and dodging every cut and slash against the red streaked ground.
The ground became slippy under his feet, his Trait being severed and scattered in flecks everywhere nowhere near tangible clumps. Despite the draining Trait, Organa showed no signs of slowing down and Hawkins didn't have much smoke left. He barely noticed the Tinker Mole creeping up on him.
He casually sidestepped, another bolt of Blood Trait veering towards him a lightning speed. In a matter of seconds, the Tinker Mole was struck in the head by his own partner and barrelled backwards like he was skidding on ice, completely drenched in blood.
He let out a girlish shriek and Hawkins couldn't help but snort and easily hooked the stunned Blood Traited and the disgusted Tinker Mole before they could do anything else. Once they were all confined within his Trait did he turn around to greet his audience with a smirk.
"What? I'm a Mediator, not an idiot."
Mantis immediately began cackling, leaning against Odi for support as if she was about to collapse into hysterics. Hack was smiling, nudging the two twins who had a mix of awe and annoyance on their face. Whether it was due to the less than honourable dispatching of their old allies or the company that had promptly arrived to ruin their evening it didn't really matter.
"Good job, boyo. You took down four crazy, eejits." Hack commented, causing even Odi to snicker a little.
It was a bit of a lacklustre finish but in total there was an unconcious, terrified, deranged and blood soaked bunch of Enforcers hanging from the rooftops of Axis. Regardless, Hawkins gave a short bow in response to his mentors snark before reuniting with them.
Hawkins stood beside them, accepting the praise and jibes of the group. But he couldn't help but worry about Rin. She had said nothing since the encounter with the Enforcers and her expression was anything but happy.
Her eyes flitted back and forth between the different Enforcers, a mix of anger, worry and fear as if expecting them to escape at any moment. Her Trait flared ominously within her fists, the Infernal Triad tentatively floating up to her as if wary of its owner.
Rin ignored her grimoire and stalked towards her ex gangmates, red streaking her vision. Hawkins could almost feel her Trait heating the air and surrounding him in an inferno of fury. Whatever she had against the Enforcers, it wasn't good.
"We might need to exterminate this lot, brother." Rin hissed, her breath expelling in short bursts.
Cull remained with the rest of the group, watching their captors spin around and around much like he had done when he was entangled by the same Trait. Hawkins rolled his eyes, the Fire Traited face looking like he pitied them but would not want to experience that kind of dizzying height again.
"Traitorous wench. How dare you speak to me like that? You partnered with the enemy? Mediator filth." Organa spat, blood hitting the pavement as she stared unblinkingly at the Smoke Traited.
Rin's expression changed from fury to disgust, Hawkins still surprised the Blood Trait could speak after her animalistic fighting style. He couldn't help but be unnerved by her stare, the rumours of Organa being able to see through her Trait becoming more and more apparent.
"On second thoughts, I say we exterminate just her."
Rin's anger was now at the front of Hawkins mind, scared of how much it had been heightened by the Triad. Cull however, was acting far more reserved and timid as if they had swapped personalities. But it was obvious Rin was struggling to stay calm.
"There's no need for that, Rin." Hawkins said, faltering at the sight of the enraged Fire Traited.
Hawkins barely noticed Odi nudge herself between the two, shrouded by the darkness but visibly concerned by Rin's unstable Trait. He knew from the vague descriptions and diagrams from old journals about them sharing a core now the grimoire was merged. But Odi wasn’t done.
"No. Not only is she not worth wasting your Trait on but we can find out where Cricket is. Despite her obvious intentions, we base things on the truth. Not speculation." Odi said, addressing the Fire Traited with a clear but firm tone.
Rin blinked, suddenly aware of the flames smouldering around her palms. Startled as if only just experiencing her Trait and temper at the same time she backed away terrified and positioned herself at the back of the group. But it wasn't her Trait she was terrified of.
The sound of someone clapping permeated the night, the smoke lingering ominously like an icy fog surrounding a stage. Hawkins couldn't help but do a double take into the gloom, still unsure he had truly missed a potential threat. But as the sound of claws clicking against one another he knew that the threat in front of him was far more...eccentric than any other Enforcer he had fought before.
"Well said, Odiphilis. No wonder my brother chose you as his Agar. But it's not like either of you had much of a choice…"
Hawkins didn't know what to make of the statement or the dapper looking Tinker Mole in front of him. But Odi certainly did. It was as if all the confidence had been sapped from her scales. He had rarely seen that expression before but there was no doubt. She was frozen in fear and overwhelmed by her thoughts.
"Gizmo? You're here? But...how?"
The aforementioned Tinker Mole seemed unfazed by Odi's questions and the situation his gang members were in. Hawkins had only heard rumours of the crackpot inventor and leader of the Gearloose gang.
He was known for his scavenging tendencies, the arkalite pile between the Undercity and Pelt being his own personal playground to create weapons of mass destruction. The Mediators had tried to clear out the trash pile of broken parts but because they didn't have enough firepower to combat the Gearlooze gangs traps it remained.
The pile of arkalite treasures that Gizmo hoarded was the height of stealing, selling and flogging in the Bolthole. The Excelliars however had deemed themselves 'too busy' to deal with 'menial tasks.' But despite the rumours and his case file, Gizmo seemed more like a suave businessman than an insane pyrotechnic.
"Odi...what's he-" Hawkins began but the Tinker Moles over dramatic gasp drowned out his speech.
"Oh my! I'm so sorry, I didn't know your protogé was here, Odi." Gizmo said, his unfamiliar accent grating Hawkins tolerance.
It was as if he had just stepped out of the Bolthole's underground casino with a fresh suit and a sly smile. He seemed about as old as Odi but he acted as if he was much younger than anyone else here. The smartly dressed Tinker Mole leaned casually against his cane, making a point of fiddling with the silver dragon head as if showing off his expense. It was like Gizmo wanted them to hate him.
"My apologies, Jeremiah. But then again, your mother did love that name for you, Hawkins."
The Mediator was expecting a smarmy comment but he wasn't expecting that. It was like Gizmo had delved into his mind and directly plucked the information he needed to leave him completely stumped.
His stomach churned, his mind a haze of anger and shame at the group hearing his first name. He could almost hear the audible snort from Mantis who was still sidling around the back of the group.
"Who are you? How do you know that name?" Hawkins demanded, not caring that he sounded defensive.
Names for children were especially important for Traited as after the demon wars. The more complex names like 'Lazarus' or 'Adelaide' were banned or condemned as being the source for summoning more demons. Rumours had now become law.
When his mother had named him Jerimiah it had been on the cusp of these rumours, his childhood filled with slurs and kids fleeing from his house for having a name that was 'weaker' than theirs. Simple was strong.
His mother had laughed at these foul terms like they were nothing more than dust mites. Every ridicule, every harsh word or throwaway comment was made with his name attached. Only his father allowed him to choose his name as he saw fit. He saw the hurt that being a Hawkinson caused first hand.
"Ignore him. He isn't worth it, trust me. He's only here to trick you or trade something for that idiot, Gidget." Rin intervened, sounding tough but Hawkins could hear the worry in her voice.
"Au contraire, my dearest Rinelle. I am very much the time and money well spent into any client who needs my skills. Gidget included, despite his...incompétence."
Gizmo's discontented look towards his own protogé made Hawkins instinctively look upwards towards the much younger Tinker Mole. Surprisingly, the still blood drenched Tinker Mole seemed surprisingly cheerful and gave the Mediator an awkward wave.
Hawkins couldn't help but wave back at the friendly creature, chuckling under his breath at his haphazard attempt to attack him earlier. He seemed like a good kid, a bit misunderstood and obviously in the wrong line of work but overall, still a kid. Just like Rin.
"After all, I told you where to start with the infamous dragonne." He added, as if his words were of no importance at all.
Rin awkwardly turned away, the dragon's myriad of emotions went from anger to hurt to shame. But Hawkins couldn't worry about Gizmo's lies right now. The fact he had up and arrived here with both entrance and exit blocked just didn't make sense.
Even the Creatist Trait insects had to climb over the top of Axis but he couldn't imagine Gizmo doing that, at least without being seen. So how had he gotten here?
"Infamous? Ha! She's just a damn recluse, you sorry excuse for a Tinker Mole. Why don't you go play with your coin collection and leave Rin alone." Mantis said, her false bravado slipping at the sight of an eerily calm Gizmo.
"So hostile, mon ami. A dragon is never just a dragon just as much as gold as never just gold. There are layers."
He worded it as if telling a story, much like Odi had done when explaining about Traits or the Seven Principles but Gizmo's voice had far more sinister intentions. It was like he was setting it up exactly the way he wanted it before the entire relationship imploded.
"Much like the relationship you have with your belle Fire Traited companion, non?"
Hawkins sucked in a breath, the hiss of irritation from Mantis was beyond volcanic levels. They had all kept quiet about her feelings because they had slowly learned to trust and understand each other. They had no idea Rin knew and had intended to give them the privacy they deserved.
They had realised how not only was it none of their business but it was obviously important to Mantis and she would be honest with her feelings in her own time. But with a single sentence, Gizmo had shattered that reality and ruined what should have been her choice to make. No one, not even Hack would allow him to get away with that.
"Enough with the games, havasca. What do you want?" Hack snarled, his scales turning black with fury.
Hawkins couldn't help but be stunned at the defensive Sand Wraith, choosing to protect someone he had clashed so much with beforehand. But the fact Hack had sworn in Nocturian was more surprising than the fact he had swore in the first place.
Hawkins had no doubt Gizmo could feel the tremors beneath his feet but his face showed no sign of worry. All their attention was now on him and despite resting for a while, their Traits ire were out in full force and the prospect of conserving energy had gone down the drain.
"Who said I wanted anything, Hackerby? You're the ones who lied to them in the first place. Or did you not tell them about your old friend?"
Hack didn't reply, his scales changing from black to purple as an attempt to stay calm. Hawkins wasn't sure what Gizmo was alluding to but he had guessed for a long time that Hack and Odi were old friends.
The Sand Wraith gripped at his cursed leg and for a time it took him a moment to realise that he had even been hurt. His movements had been so swift and precise that he forgot his mentor had been gravely injured in the first place.
The chalky black exterior of his left leg now encased his knee. It had grown almost twice as much as it had before they had gotten trapped in Grimmordeals. Hawkins couldn't believe it had almost been a month since he was cursed.
"You're no friend of ours. Not now, not ever. Not since you turned Mimic and I over to Chimera." Odi growled, her stance causing her wings to flare upwards as if ready to lunge at him.
The reminder of Hack defending Odi from the countless Fire Traited with the precision and destruction of a soldier was harrowing. But he knew why Gizmo was doing this now.
It wouldn't change the past or the hostility between the trio but there was no doubt in his mind that Fidget, Odi's Agar was related to Gizmo Gearloose. Whatever happened after that had driven an irreparable rift between them that could not be mended.
But what puzzled Hawkins the most was the reaction from Cull. It was like he had swallowed a scalding hot Insta Roll, unable to speak a word to the Tinker Mole.
"Of course, but whoever told you I was referring to myself?"
Odi shrank against the shadows, her confidence lessening by the second that not even Hack could defender. Gizmo's grin was exactly like the case files had described, unhinged, unnerving and very calculated.
Capitalising on Odi had allowed the trust that her lie detector abilities allowed to crumble with statement after statement. The fact that she neither denied or confirmed anything Gizmo said only added fuel to his words. But words were never used as proof alone. As the leader of his Order and Odi herself had said many times: Speculation doesn't get results. Only proof does.
"I know your game, Tinker Mole. You won't tear us apart that easily. Enough with the lies. Tell us what you want." Hawkins said, his voice steady and calm attempting to clear the air of any unease and tension.
Gizmo keeled back onto his cane, pretending to be shocked by the sudden intervention. His expression was wide eyed, much like a corpse killed in revenge while being visibly insulted by the mere presence of a Mediator.
"Oh, avec moi? I would never lie. Yet here I had high hopes for the son of le Vulcan but it seems you never received your father's Trait, after all. Let alone his superiéur intellect."
Hakins merely mimiced Gizmo’s own expression as if physically wounded by the Tinker Moles verbal jab. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, knowing full well he had heard enough of being compared to his father by his mother and of course, by his own mental self esteem.
"No, I didn't. But at least I don't try to imitate a shoddy accent to get what I want, Snakecharmer." Hawkins said calmly but he could see he had gotten to the sly Tinker Mole.
Gizmo’s accent had been bothering him since the very first time he had opened his sleazy mouth to speak. No one else had even glanced at their surroundings when talking to him, completely engaged in the conversation as soon as he had pissed them off enough.
The Enforcers were still tied up but had he not done all that research in the archives who knew if anyone would’ve been able to realise who or even what he was.
"So you know of my ability, oui? Well aren't you a smart one, after all. The people of Tarragon did have to amplify their ability so of course my people complied. Forcefully."
A Snakecharmer was normally dependent on ancestry and their ability with the Craft and was once gifted to the leader of the Tinker Moles. They were the very first race with the ability to enthrall people to a conversation instead of forcing them into submission.
It was said to be the original Tarragon ability but the stark difference between the two was that it could be passed on and shared willingly. It could also be given freely to nature to imbue them with the power to grow quicker or healthier when planted in barren soil.
It helped agriculture in Nocturus and even with the Outcropper farmers in Neridia. But when the people of Tarragon became aware of this power and begged the Tinker Mole Shaman to help them they used the crops they Crafted to create a formula to steal the essence to imbue the power within them too.
Eventually, that caused the Snakecharmer power to become weaker in strength while more and more Tarragons made that power hereditary within their DNA. The position of Shaman of the Tinker Mole still exists today but the ability of the Snakecharmer had been lost to the void of time.
Much like Gizmo’s misplaced accent, his ability and the sigil of his guild intended to remember that power by having the Gearloose Gang mark their skin with the sign of a snake coiled round a gear. But for all he knew Gizmo’s accent could be part of an ancient Tinker Mole language.
"I'll ask one more time Tinker Mole. What in Hell's name are you doing here?"
Hawkins clung to his Trait to keep himself calm, knowing full well the stifling heat and rapid changing of weather was down to those who were just behind him. Hawkins couldn’t help but become wary of his Craft, despite its similarity to Traited. But this time he had no idea what to expect.
"Well, I could not entertain you as much as I'd like but my Lady Cricket has insisted I give you this...parting gift to...commemorate the occasion."
Gizmo sighed as he gathered his cane towards himself as he flicked the dragon topper up like a cap. Hawkins mind was a mess, caught completely off guard by the sudden realisation Gizmo was a Forger, a Fire Crafter with a hidden detonator in his hands.
The group was still enthralled by his Snakecharmer ability, their reactions delayed every time he spoke but the Mediator still had a hold of four trapped Enforcers. Either he stopped Gizmo or he let all four of them go free.
"After all, Odi. You were the one who taught me that even Triads can't detect my Craft."
Gizmo continued to taunt, running his claw across the edge of the button like a noose around their necks. With a grunt of exertion from Hack, a tower of earth entrapped the sauve Tinker Mole but not before he threw the cane up into the air with a flourish and a smile.
"Au revoir. Mediator scum."