"Manny!"
Hawkins awoke to the sound of a distraught Thyraxian soaring towards her still groggy partner, his thoughts of Cricket being cast aside out of concern for the little Nocturian creature. She landed on Mantis' chest like a fly on flytrap. The Air Traited immediately rose like a corpse, heavy and oblivious to her surroundings until she saw her patched up wounds.
It was as if she had been doused in scalding hot water, jerking away from the emotional outburst but her bones ached in pain at the jerk movements. It wasn't until Mantis looked down did she see Thea clinging to her chest.
"Hey. What's with the crying?" Mantis asked, comforting her teeny partner with her hand.
Hawkins smiled, happy to see the duo reunited once again but the pang of sadness at the absence of his own only muddied the touching moment. But Thea's brazen change in attitude when dealing with Gizmo hadn't waned one bit as she berated Mantis for her recklessness.
“I told you not to go after her but you didn’t listen to me! You ran in headfirst like always and if it wasn’t for Hawkins slapdash thinking then you wouldn’t be here!”
A second wave of tears began to fall, Thea nuzzling her partner furiously until Hawkins had no choice but to smile awkwardly and look away. It was a private moment he couldn’t bring himself to spoil a second time with his melancholy, deciding instead to focus on the grumpy Tinker Mole still trapped by a sullen Firestep wolf.
Gizmo sat with his back to the wall, a large shard of debris that he himself had created digging into his small frame. Clearly bored by the topic of placid conversation he flicked pebbles at his jailor who was forced to keep guard on his chaotically mischievous prisoner. His antics caught Hawkins attention, receiving only a scowl in return and changing his target.
"Thanks, Hawkins."
It took him a while to recognise Mantis’ gratitude, not expecting such a phrase to ever come out of her mouth. Not only did she avoid using his first name despite the easy mockery she could’ve provided but the tone of her voice provided a smidge of genuine respect. Until Gizmo hit him square in the forehead with a pebble.
A derisive snort soon turned into a fit of hysterics as the two laughed at the absurdity of it all. Gizmo smirked victoriously, a satisfied glint in his eye only for Mantis to register who exactly was the dishevelled suit wearing Tinker Mole in front of them.
"What is that decrasca doing here?"
Her accusing tone broke through the jovial laughter and immediately the mood turned on its head. A quiet silence clung to the air like mist, the sense of irritation spiking Hawkins anxiety just enough to make him shudder.
"I could ask you the same thing, Lady Mantis. Weren't you tasked with eradicating this Mediator?" Gizmo reminded her, casually leaning back against his stone prison.
Mantis' gaze flickered to her partner's broken leg, Thea's jerky movements barely noticeable unless you saw it up close. Shifting her weight just to stop herself from keeling over, Hawkins' anger towards the Tinker Mole grew a little more.
"I'll eradicate you if you don't shut up." Mantis retorted, nudging Thea a little closer as if to protect her.
Hazard growled before the Tinker Mole could even retort, ending the feud and any other Neridian swears Mantis could utilise. Hawkins' mouth tweaked upwards at the thought of Hack's 'lessons' of how to call an elven noble a bastard. It seemed Mantis had decided on her own usage of such a term.
Mantis remained silent, still wary of the Firestep wolf and her quiet fury continued to emanate off her in waves as if she too was a Fire Traited. Her uncomfortableness over being called 'Lady' was visible on her face, obviously affecting her greatly either due to her family history or the fact Gizmo was the one who said it.
Hazard stood up, stretching, yawning and flicking his tail in warning before shaking himself down, embers flying off his fur and addressed the sullen group of Traited.
"Like it or not we are stuck with each other. Contrary to popular belief Gizmo, we all want to get out of your deathtrap so unless you give us something useful out of your big book of secrets-"
Gizmo began to mime looking in his pockets for a book, angering the quick tempered Air Traited as the wind began to rise. A scream cut through the tension, the unmistakable sound of a dragon in pain causing Hawkins to bolt upright.
Odi.
Scrambling towards the sound, he clambered over large sections of broken buildings in search of the Scale Shrieker. Suddenly, a heat blast erupted from inches away just as he was yanked backwards by an equally foolish half elf.
"What the hell? You can't just bolt off without saying anything! That scream lures people in for a reason and I'll be damned if I let you run in head first into-"
The seven foot mass of hulking sores and coal burnt scabs passed through his peripheral for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Mantis to drag him and force him to hunker down out of sight. The Overtaken slashed its way through the debris with its finger like tendrils, its humanoid form bent over in pain or perhaps intimidation.
Its visage began flickering out of focus like it existed on an entirely different plane before returning back to its original position and continued to trudge along relentlessly. Its strangely smooth skin expanded into deadly spines of rigid flame before settling back into place like a cloak of shadows.
The debris it had severed fell like snow before reverting back into its original shape and crumbled into ash like it hadn’t realised it had been changed at all. The Overtaken was oblivious to the steady heartbeats of the two terrified Traited hunkering under a partially broken chimney.
Hawkins dared to chance a few glances towards the Overtaken. It had changed so much from the seemingly innocent boy he had tried to help. Now it had morphed into this otherworldly being set on a single purpose. Its cloak of spines hummed beneath the consuming weight of the Overtaken’s gaunt frame, its mouth welded shut by its own Trait or perhaps other means.
The only clear signs that he was once human were the green eyes heavy set in his ashen grey skin. It was like they longed for something that was so far out of reach but still close enough to sense. Its fingers twitched as they focused what little remained of their Trait and fired.
The flash on the horizon was all the two could see before the unmistakable sound of Axis reeling back in horror. The gears beneath the city grinded to a halt, a silent cry for help to anyone who could stop the destruction and let it recover.
"That's the thing...the Overtaken that attacked me. It took Wisp and…"
Hawkins couldn't say anymore, his Fire Trait began sparking crazily, his breaths uneven as his anxiety spiked alongside his haywire Trait. Mantis tried to calm him down by pointing at how close they were to the others but eventually she just beckoned them over as soon as they were able. Only Gizmo was nudged reluctantly forwards. An unwilling sacrifice in case things turned for the worst.
Hawkins' sight was hazy, the distant sound of the Overtaken pounding in his ears and struggling to focus on anything but that. Forcing himself to avert his gaze he was surprised at how little he had travelled because of how exhausted and injured he was. Even more so that Gizmo had made his way towards him and swapped places with Mantis.
"Sacre bleu! You'll get us all killed, give it here!" He hissed, grabbing the Mediators weak arm with his claws without warning.
The Tinker Moles claws were surprisingly flexible as Gizmo coiled his around Hawkins burning hands, barely aware of the heat ebbing into his fur. After no more than a minute the Crafter sank his molten hot claws into the hard gravel and rock below.
Fiddling with them a little as if they were heat prongs or metal detectors Hawkins could feel his Trait weaken slightly but Gizmo continued to work on it regardless.
A wonky statue began to rise from the ground a few metres away from the extremely slow moving Overtaken, its humanoid shape a mirror of Hawkins smoke copy.
The Overtaken continued its work, slicing and reverting the rubble into ash and turned on the newly Craft made figure. As soon as the Overtaken lifted its hand towards the unfamiliar object it exploded right in its face.
The seemingly unfeeling creature let out a strangled roar of frustration, doubling its speed immediately as it stormed away from the area. Mantis leaned back against the crumbling brick in relief, Hawkins still shaking beside her.
He didn't expect such an emotionless creature to show such a reaction. If this was the next stage of Truancy then there was no doubt the Mediators were wrong about these monsters. They had the ability to change and more importantly, react. They had a brain underneath it all and that was both hopeful and dangerous.
Gizmo tugged his claws out of the rigid ground, rolling his wrist in annoyance but still looked as mentally drained as them. Glancing at the shaken Mediator, the Tinker Mole scratched at its head with its other claw and admitted to the truth for the first time. In his own snide way.
"Mademoiselle Hornet took your puffball for her collection. She likes to have several backups just in case."
Hawkins keeled forwards, feeling like he was going to be sick and clung to his drawn up knees. His ashen grey skin turned paler at the thought of his Trollian friend caged and mistreated as some kind of 'plaything.'
"A backup of what?"
"An Agar, of course."
Gizmo's answer was so simple, so logical as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But the sickening feeling in his throat soured at the sight of Gizmo casually cleaning his claws with a handkerchief.
Hawkins clenched his fists, frustrated at the knowing grin on Gizmo's face. He glanced down as he felt for the grimoire still nestled in his loose pocket but said nothing. The Tinker Mole was smart enough to know that the black grimoire hadn't been used let alone opened. Things could be far worse if that was the case.
But his abject fury over Hornet's imprisonment of so many creatures just to force them into a contract just to keep her alive was barbaric. Agars were not tools. They deserved the same quality of life that Traited did. They were their own person.
Before his flames rose up against the injustice, Mantis thumped him on the shoulder and changed his attention over to her. She was clutching her chest but through gritted teeth she broke the charm over him.
"Don't. He's using his Snakecharmer ability to get in your head. That's all."
"How would you-"
His outburst was immediately shut down by an unimpressed elf, folding her arms with a deadly glare to match.
"I just know. You don't live as long as I have without picking out the truth from the Tarragon. Look at him. He might be right about Hornet but...we know Wisp is still alive and close by or you wouldn't still be here." Mantis reminded him, surprising him at her change of heart.
The brazen, bullheaded half elf did have a point. His one track mind when it came to Gizmo's comments and quips had narrowed his perspective on the facts in front of him. If he was alive then so was Wisp. No Traited could survive without a partner, Agar or otherwise.
A temporary contract couldn't remain if the two had been separated over a long distance and Hawkins knew he wasn't turning to ash right at this very moment. But his thoughts drifted to earlier times, Hack and his Agar, defying every possibility as if the division between them was only a few metres away instead of an entire country.
It went against everything he knew and again, he hoped that the bond between him and the Trollian hadn't been tarnished by his foolishness. Few had survived when parted for less. He didn't need to decipher the look on Mantis' face to know how true that statement was.
"If what you're saying is true then Wisp...Wisp will just have to wait." He sighed, trying not to think of how scared the Trollian must be.
Gizmo’s visibly annoyed smile over Hawkins' big revelation but Mantis thumped him on the shoulder again as her own sign of affection and made him wince just a little. But something was still off.
The Firestep wolf was now lounging on top of the chimney they were still crouched behind, keeping watch but still well aware of the Overtaken's flames thanks to his own. The strange thing was that Hazard wasn't hounding Gizmo anymore.
“So, what's your real bargaining chip, Snakecharmer?" Hawkins asked, the glint in the Firestep wolf eyes was more than enough of a tell.
The Tinker Mole smiled confidently, his eyes full of anger directed towards the lazy wolf. Thanks to Hazard's strange tip off it was a lot easier to figure out Gizmo's intentions as the wolf rested precariously on the pile of bricks.
The Tinker Mole clenched his fists as if trying to suppress an outburst towards the cheek of Hazard's stunt but he still wouldn't say a word. The fact Gizmo had arrived immediately after he had blown them all to hell was more than a little suspicious.
Either he was incredibly sadistic and wanted to be a part of the chaos or he didn't want to lose the group that had somehow survived his Craft. Him being frustrated they survived and intending to take revenge later on was pretty plausible but then he wouldn't have worried about Hazard's safety.
His abject focus on the Firestep wolf wasn't fear for himself but fear that Hazard might do something reckless. If there was anything Cricket wouldn't abide it would be putting Rin in danger and that's exactly what he did. No wonder he had scarpered.
"Cricket doesn't want the black grimoire." Gizmo admitted, eyes closed as if struggling to admit to such a thing.
"What? Of course she does! She tried to crush a dragon's spine for it!" Mantis interrupted, her outburst halting any progress.
Hazard rolled his eyes, stretching as brick dust fell from the rickety chimney.
"Technically, it was because she hurt Rin-"
"So? Hell, I'd be mad at anyone for hurting Rin but…"Mantis interrupted again, faltering as she struggled to find a reason.
"But?" Gizmo asked, resting his chin on his knees, his claws well away from his fur.
Hawkins noted his intrigued stance, probably running simulations in his head about how he could exploit such a conversation. Mantis looked down at her feet, her voice lowering without a valid point to follow.
"Even I wouldn't go as far as crippling a dragon. That's just…"
The elven couldn't finish her sentence shuffling away from the broken chimney, deciding to stay within the confines of the foundations of the already crumbled away building. Gizmo smirked, clacking his claws together comically before dropping another verbal bombshell on them.
"Wrong? Barbaric? My dear, that Scale Shrieker has done far worse than that I assure you."
Hawkins visibly winced at the implications of Gizmo's turn of phrase, the thought of the kind and inquisitive dragon being so violent was unfathomable. The Tinker Mole leaned back on a broken wall, shuffling to make himself more comfortable and took out a wooden pipe from his pocket.
Preparing to light it in the view of an avid smoker, Hawkins watched him take a small stone similar to the one he used to create his smoke clone. Rolling it between his claws, Gizmo imbued it with Craft as it glowed amber and he raised it towards the tobacco laden pipe.
Hawkins fidgeted uncomfortably, longing to have a cigarette to calm his jittery nerves as Gizmo's steadily wafting smoke was agony to his addiction. It had been days, no maybe weeks since his last and the respect he had for Odi and the group beside him was the only thing keeping him from snatching the pipe out of his claws.
Focusing on his breathing, the familiar feeling of the Memory Weave forcing its images and memories began to warp once more. The strong smelling smoke shifted into the familiar humanoid shapes before it became clear and he would be subjected to watch. Hawkins shook his head, he didn't want to see anymore carnage.
"Then again, she is friends with that Kinslayer after all."
Hawkins coughed at the excess of smoke, the smell overpowering the area as he struggled to reply to Gizmo's disgusted comment. He had never heard of that name before but the tight feeling in his chest was more than enough of a sign that it wasn't a good thing. For once, he hoped Cull wasn't involved.
Hawkins shook his head at the Tinker Mole, trying to indicate he had no idea he was talking about. Eventually Mantis helped clear the air with his Trait, but Gizmo's wicked grin couldn't be interrupted.
"Oh, didn't you know?"
"Don't you-"
The Firestep wolf began, furious but Gizmo simply leaned forwards and put his pipe aside, all attention towards him.
"That Sand Wraith murdered my family."
Hawkins didn't know whether it was the stifling air, the smell of smoke or the conviction in Gizmo's poisonous words but no Tarragon could replicate the sheer hopelessness he felt. He had no breath, no response to Hazard launching himself off the chimney and gunning straight for the Tinker Mole.
"That's a lie."
His voice was shaky but it was enough for Hazard to stop his assault on the plush toy in a suit. Gizmo began to tut, scolding the Firestep wolf for breaking his hard won conversation.
"Surely you've heard what he did? How his own kind had to exile him? He hunted us both for years on end and now he's stuck here with you. Fitting, really."
"That's enough." Hazard said, demanding to change the subject but the damage was already done.
His defensive reaction was all the proof Gizmo needed to hammer the nail of truth into the doubting Mediator. It was why Hack had never mentioned his family until now, why Memoriam had shown him in a complete warzone and why he never mentioned his Agar.
"No wonder he was cursed. The scars...I recognised them when he fought us. I didn't think the stories from Caldor were true about..." Mantis admitted, genuinely terrified of Hack being the same Sand Wraith she had ridiculed.
Hazard's glare silenced the Air Traited but her face showed a variety of emotions and unspoken tales and stories that Hawkins knew had some nuggets of truth. If they went as far as Neridia from Caldor then there was no telling how far it had gotten. How much the Mediators actually knew.
"Well, the impenetrable prison of Hacksin isn't aptly named for nothing, you know?" Gizmo said, his manic glee heightening at the addition of Mantis' input.
Hawkins paled, speechless at the fact that Gizmo knew the Mediators had to study other methods of imprisonment and incarceration to better their own unbiased decisions. The thought that Hack had been so clearly involved in Caldor and its prison had gone right over his head. Gizmo wasn't lying. Not about something so obvious.
"Hack wouldn't do that and neither would Odi. He would've told me. He would've…"
Hawkins faltered at the sight of Gizmo shaking his head.
"Non. Not even your poor guardian could bear it. Sometimes the past is better off forgotten. But once you know there is no going back, Hawkinson. I'm sure Memoriam taught you that at least."
Hawkins couldn't bring himself to respond. His voice hollow within his throat compared to Gizmo's mocking yet sombre explanation, gesturing just like Odi would when telling a story. But far more damning.
The smoke from his pipe lured the mentally and emotionally exhausted Mediator into a stupor, the faint shadow of a Sand Wraith and a Tinker Mole being snuffed out one by one. A slice of his claws. His jaws bared threateningly. His Earth Trait crushing their lungs. All of them so unlikely without the context he had just been privy to.
"You OK, kid?"
Hazard's voice barely broke through the Memory Weave, the rising sun making Hawkins wince after the prolonged darkness of the Undercity. But despite the brightness, it provided him with some much needed clarity. Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his eyes, cleared his tired mind and gave the insipid Tinker Mole a genuine but determined smile.
"You're right, Gizmo."
The Tinker Mole gaped at the law abiding Mediator, swearing under his breath for good measure. Hazard growled and sulked away from the group as Thea hissed and hid in her partner's shirt collar. Hawkins couldn't deny Gizmo's heresay being more than just guesswork. Not anymore.
But the look in Hack's eyes throughout every memory was unmistakable. He loved her. The blind Tinker Mole who had taught him so diligently despite his nature, his race and his numerous faults. It was the same look he had given him when he was a child. It was the same ideals he had strived to achieve as a Mediator.
Gizmo's words might've been true back then and there was no denying the doubt in Hawkins heart but something just told him that it wasn't the case. Not entirely. That tricky Forger had used his Craft and perhaps his Snakecharmer ability too and clouded his mind but his empathy, the reminder of why he was here shone through. He cared.
"I do know what Memoriam taught me. I know it hurts to remember but sometimes, forgetting the things important or even harmful to you can be even worse."
The smell of Gizmo's ash ridden pipe reminded him of his mother once again but Memoriam helped him process it. Destroyed presents and books were salvaged from the embers of visits from storytellers and the promise of songs.
Ruined food and yells of anger became shouts of laughter as they shared meals around the campfire. The jabs of conversation and jokes supported by the encouragement of the person who knew him best and someone he just met.
It didn't mean the abuse he suffered didn't hurt but he needed to give himself time to process it on his own. The same applied to Wisp. Acknowledging that was hard to do but at least he finally had a starting point.
"Hack is my friend. Not my guardian, not my mentor. My friend. He'll tell me the rest when he's ready to. Whether I can be there for him when that happens depends on me."
Doubt made him second guess his own conviction but the looks of concern on his companions faces made him want to protect them even more. If they got out alive, he'd be sure to put Hack through the wringer no matter how complicated his past was.
"If that is what you truly believe then who am I to tell you otherwise?" Gizmo tittered, waving away the prospect of continuing the conversation.
The rest turned away from the Tinker Mole, busying themselves by entertaining Thea and allowing her to check them over for injuries. Gizmo's impassiveness was a single shrug in his direction and then he sighed, ran his claws through the back of his fur and gave in.
"Cricket doesn't want the grimoire. She wants the soul trapped inside it."
As if the words itself had been cursed by a Lockbind a loud tremor broke through the crumbling walls and sent the Tinker Mole flying. Trapped by an unbroken wall of stone, a large mound of gravel and rock rose up as if Crafted by Gizmo himself and trapped him in its embrace.
A familiar growl echoed around the area as if surrounding them on all sides and made them all freeze in terror. It emerged from the wall like a lizard and its large, bulky frame towered over the struggling Tinker Mole clamped in its claws.
The Overtaken took a single step and sent another tremor towards the group as it rapidly made its way towards them without a sound. Hawkins barrelled into Mantis with the grace of a drunk swan after she was trying to combat the overpowering Earth Trait with her own tailwind.
Gizmo struggled against the Overtakens grip and managed to break through the shell with his Craft. Gasping for air the three ended up bundled together attempting to fight the continuous tremors but the Tinker Mole attempted to flee towards the Axis main walls.
Hazard was too far away to stop him but the moving bricks refused to budge, blocking him into the ever changing streets of Axis. Mantis grinned but kept her attention on her partner and the Overtaken trudging towards the Tinker Mole scrabbling at the closed exit. It seemed Gizmo had only told them half the story.
The Overtakens leering gaze was fixated on the struggling Gizmo who was lighting another stone but the large claw emerging from the brickwork snuffed it out before he could even call for help. They had all been separated, there was only one target and Axis had refused to help him. After all, he had dared to hurt it while already locked down.
"For Hell's sake." Gizmo hissed, tugging off his jacket before emptying it of minerals and charged.
The sudden change in the Tinker Mole's behaviour was like night and day as it fought the Overtaken back like a wolverine. Claws unsheathed, Craft ignited as he flung a barrage of exploding ammo at every inch of the behemoth he could.
The Overtaken took a single step back in response to the onslaught. Unfazed, it steadied itself for another attack and slammed its armoured knee into Gizmo's chest. The squeal of pain and outrage was enough for Hawkins to fling his Trait instinctively towards the Tinker Mole.
Clinging to his waist the smoke noose wound its way around his chest and half dragged him back towards the group and away from danger. Mantis fended off the receiving tremors, Thea flitting around the monstrous form of the Overtaken while Hazard bit at its legs.
"That petite heathen has attempted to ressusciter her own brethren!" Gizmo gasped, the breath knocked out of him.
"What?"
Hawkins could barely hear him over the sound of his own heartbeat and the chaos surrounding him. His smoke dispersed from the area almost immediately, he took a deep breath and let his new Fire Trait heal as much as he could.
Patting his trouser pocket nervously to check whether the black grimoire was still there, he finished as much healing as he could. But Gizmo was already bolt upright in adrenaline filled fury, his strange accent warping into a far more familiar one.
"She's brought them back from the bloody dead, ya damn indrada!"
He hurled another Craft filled rock towards the Firestep wolf, giving his bite an extra kick to the Overtaken. Hawkins felt as if Gizmo had fired another pebble at his head, the sheer audacity of his fake accent stunning him for a moment before his brain kept up with the real revelation. Necromancy.
"Oh now you decide to stop that idiotic accent? Where was that ten minutes ago?" Mantis hollered back at them, flinging another air dagger at the Overtaken.
"Shut up and fight already!"
The Firestep wolf darted around the earthen creature and let out a howl as if he was conjuring the dead. Another tremor raced towards the Tinker Mole but Hazard intercepted it with a vortex of swirling flame. The rising smoke gave a good amount of cover so Hawkins could finish healing the disgruntled Tinker Mole.
Working through the motions, Hawkins couldn't help but think of Gizmo's accusations that Cricket was a necromancer. The fact she had been de-aged somehow as if she had been reset or reincarnated somehow was still mind boggling.
The black grimoire sent a small wave of warmth as if his sense of relief at figuring out the memory was rewarded. Memoriam was an unbiased observer but knew how to entice its new owner into empathising with all parties involved. Cricket might've been a child now but in no certain terms was she a child back then.
Whatever that strange healer and the white grimoire had done had somehow reversed the healing too much and had forced Oblivion to intervene. Cricket was left blind, confused and with a much older grimoire stuck in a younger body of herself with no memory of it. No wonder she had latched onto the first motherly figure she found.
But that didn't excuse her behaviour, whether she remembered her past or not. Hawkins couldn't help but feel grateful for Memoriam despite his initial animosity towards it, the grimoire allowed him to understand that Cricket wasn't always this way.
The current truth however, was different from what both the Enforcers and Mediators knew was a lie and now he had to change it. For both his newfound friends and Cricket herself. That was why he had received the black grimoire in the first place. To guard the knowledge itself.
"Gizmo...what exactly did Cricket want this soul for?" Hawkins asked, desperate enough to prove his theory right.
The Tinker Mole's face dropped like a stone, rising to his feet as if he'd rather face off against the armadillo Earth Overtaken than confirming the Mediators theory. He rolled up his torn sleeves, the faint scars of glowing emerald proving how much of a rampage Cricket had been in.
"Her family. We're fighting what's left of her family."
The Overtaken let out an unearthly roar, swatting the wolf aside and into the broken chimney with a crash of broken bricks. Gizmo picked up one of the bricks and began to lob them at the large, brittle spines of the creature.
Thea veered into Hawkins direction, her invisibility breaking as she crashed into his shoulder. Immediately concerned, Hawkins ducked behind a large pillar and let Thea rest a while within his cupped hands.
His Fire Trait steadily began to heal Thea and keep her warm despite the fact it couldn't do much for her exhaustion. Trying to focus on the task at hand and ignore the battle behind him he tried to process the thought of the creature they were fighting as Cricket's family.
The Tinker Mole continued to chuck bricks at the Overtaken to try and distract it while Mantis and Hazard tried to regroup. Its large claws batted at the brick dust coating its back as if perturbed by the grime but with every move it made another tremor soon followed.
"I don't think Cricket doesn't know what she's doing, neither do either of these two Overtaken. We've seen both and...somethings just not right to me." Hawkins said, calling out to Gizmo mid battle.
He knew it was a long shot but the niggling feeling in his brain and the memories he had seen of Cricket's past was too prominent to ignore. Gizmo's clenched jaw was more than enough of a sign that he was annoyed but it had allowed the others to retreat enough to breathe.
"You said a soul is needed for the resurrection but restoring their damaged grimoire should've been enough. It's like Cricket forced them to return."
Mantis streaked past him and noted her Agar within his grasp, safe but shaking despite her obvious fatigue she smiled and gestured for them to follow. The Thyraxian flitted into the Air Traited open arms just as Hazard stumbled back into their path completely covered in white brick dust.
"That damn Snakecharmer is trying to use its tremors to break through Axis' barrier! It'll give us time to think of a plan but not for long."
The hopeful stares at the awkward Smoke Traited made him look down at his feet awkwardly, completely aware of the resounding tremors sounding closer and closer. He could tell they were hoping for another one of his crackpot ideas to emerge but he was still caught in Gizmo's logical trap about Cricket.
"How the hell are we supposed to beat this thing? No ordinary Traited could've turned into that on its own." Mantis berated, still wary of the looming battle ahead.
Truants only occurred through an imbalance of Trait but how Overtaken evolved into what they were now was still a mystery. Perhaps it was to do with the nature of the contract or the connection itself but there were too many theories to even come to a logical conclusion. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wished Odi was here to make sense of it all.
"Necromancers are messing with the choice to live or die. Obviously Cricket is one of 'em." Hazard suggested, growling at the thought of such a thing.
Hawkins couldn't help but think of Blaize's conversation about herself and brother's relationship with it compared to Odi's. He knew that any Traited could be a necromancer but he didn't know the condition or limitations of the ability since it was rooted out and culled. But it didn't matter right now.
"I have an idea. It might stop it but it's a bit mad though. We'll need Gizmo's help. If he's still alive." Hawkins said, finally making a decision.
A girlish shriek echoed around the clearing, shearing rubble against the collisions of explosions and earthquakes. Gizmo crested around the ridge of the obstacle course of building shards he had created.
The Tinker Mole screamed bloody murder, tossing brick shaped grenades laced with his Craft in an attempt to slow it down. A moulded wave of hardened magma hands rose up from the gravel strewn path. The Overtaken dragged its feet towards the speedy Tinker Mole but saw no need to hasten to catch up.
Latching onto a mad streak of inspiration, Hawkins took a leaf out of Gizmo's book and slowly began to filter smoke around the Overtaken. Mantis gave him a knowing grin and began to mimic him with her own grimoire providing a wide amount of cover to disentoriante the Overtaken.
Gizmo took a deep breath before charging into the smog cloud and out the otherside. The Overtaken followed him but began to wave its hands around like windmills and it did nothing to stop the two Traited from working in tandem.
It only took a glance at the grey chalk covering the Firestep wolf for Gizmo to realise what Hawkins was planning. Handing him the last of the salvaged minerals he took a few steps back to catch his breath and kept an eye on the fireproof wolven. Unlike Hazard, he was not.
Hazard, Gizmo and Hawkins moved as one, tightening his grip on the smoke cloud as he tangled the Overtaken in the strands of his Trait. With the last of his strength the Forger Tinker Mole threw a large brick ignited with his explosive Craft just as the light footed Firestep wolf bounded off top of the shell of the Overtaken.
The golem like Overtaken exploded in a shroud of limestone, the spikes on its back collapsing unceremoniously onto the ground. Stumbling backwards in a dazed stupor its feet began sinking into the ground as it lost control of its own power. But Hawkins didn't wait a second before retreating.
"Did it work?" Thea chirped, her voice shaky as her grip on Mantis' shoulder jolted her up and down like a rollercoaster.
He could barely open his mouth to respond, the ache in his legs and chest too great to do anything but gasp for breath. Hazard hoisted Gizmo on his back with his jaws like an unwilling rider, squealing in surprise.
The rocky terrain blurred together despite Hawkins slowing pace as Mantis helped spur him forwards by nudging him in the back with her Air Trait despite their growing exhaustion. It was too late to notice the dead end and the looming Overtaken above them.
A series of meaty fists emerged from the wall in front of them, barely giving any of them enough time to dodge. Hazard skidded into the onslaught of sheer rock, Gizmo barely able to cling to the wolf's back and avoid the Overtaken's power attempting to grab him.
Mantis veered to avoid the impact but Thea soared from her shoulder and into one of the numerous golem carved hands. With a muffled scream the Thyraxian was silenced within the Overtaken's meaty claw, the rest of its body emerging from the misshapen rubble.
Mantis screamed, lunging for the wall of armoured fists with everything she had but Hawkins held her back. Her furious winds sliced through his skin, leaving gashes against his cheek but he remained strong against her Trait. She had summoned much worse before.
A flash of fire caught his attention as Hazard lunged at the beast, only just catching the brawl and the Overtaken dropping Thea into its outstretched maw. Eyes wide in horror, the silver hilt of his Trait weapon emerged without even a thought as he aimed the familiar weapon at the creature.
It was that moment that Memoriam chose to overlap its face with a younger, more innocent soul. In an instant, his faithful weapon dissipated at the memory of the bright young man with sandy hair and his dragon saying goodbye for the last time. That was how he had died.
Hawkins looked down, the Memory Weave fading as Mantis' tears dripped onto his torn and burnt shirt, descending into a broken mess on the ground. He blinked, his eyes blurry but the tell tale signs of the Eternal Death never came. Thea was still alive.
Clinging to that small hope his flames erupted from his hands, Hawkins began to charge towards the Overtaken with strength he didn't know he had. He couldn't bring himself to kill the Overtaken but he could give it something to hit.
It slumped backwards like a drunkard at the force of his Trait, its form unwillingly changing into a moldable husk of crumbling debris and sludge. Clinging to the decaying walls like a child in a cage it dragged itself to its feet and slammed into Hawkins with as much force as it could muster.
Colliding with what felt like a metal wall it sent him sprawling onto the ground several metres away, the wind and more knocked out of him. The resounding tremors rang in his ears along with the mournful howls of the Firestep wolf begging him to keep moving. To keep trying to break through.
Desperate to reach for some kind of weapon or something to ease the pain in his ribs, Hawkins searched in his pockets but the Overtaken was too angry to wait for him. It lunged at his throat, dragging him up off the ground but not before the black grimoire dropped out of his pocket.
The obvious deja vu made Hawkins chuckle despite the claw clamping over his neck. The reminder of his first encounter with an Overtaken and his own misadventures to unlock it, Hawkins sent as much of his own straight at the grimoire. The chains were only a warning to anyone who dared to mess with a Lockbind.
The look on the Overtaken chiselled expression was one of abject fear before the black grimoire repelled the Trait right back at them.
Fire and earth collided on impact in a surge of sheer power, Traits slamming into each other and eradicating any traces on both sides. It was as if tumultuous winds had swept them into the air on opposite sides of an already broken wall. Either side crashed into a pile of Gizmo's creative yet destructive ruins, groaning loudly as the wounds on the earth hurt what little flesh they had left.
Hawkins coughed, the surrounding air clogged with dust and brick shards as Mantis kept ahold of her Trait and her Agar trembling within her grasp once again. He squinted, daring to crane his neck in desperation to see the felled Overtaken in the sandstorms wake.
But a final tremor rose towards them like a wave of fear whipping the ground into a frenzy. Hawkins couldn't even utter a shout for help, clinging to Mantis' air noose with all he had. The black grimoire was lifted up with the resounding earthquake, discarded but not forgotten against the sea of smoke.
Like a dead tree it rose from the shattered bits of clay around its molten midsection and roared. Bits of its rock were protruding from its already broken jaw, attempting to piece itself back together with the earth it longed to protect. But there was no denying the wary gaze in its eyes.
Taking one, lingering step forwards the Overtaken glared at the black book, the Mediator and limped away.