The Leaders have successfully went out of Furroko's Borders. They decided to build an underground bunker on the most secluded side of the Wilder's territory so they won't get caught. They started digging the day after they settled their area, though it took them a long while they managed to make a space big enough for them to hide underground, store their necessities and be able to hide in plain sight.
"That took so long!" Leon said stretching.
"We have to continue making the rest of this underground bunker, we're not done yet." Elizabeth said, wiping her forehead with a cloth.
"Fine..." Leon sighed.
They continued to expand their underground bunker until they can be able to sleep in there.
They got to fix all their things and got ready for the night.
The next day, they started tracking down the whereabouts of Acheros' home. They assumed it's also underground, so they tracked down by following some of the other Wilders to be able to see who are with him. Leon and Isabel mostly did the following mission so they won't get caught and they give their reports once they return.
"So did you get any leads on his location?" Finn asked as Leon and Isabel returned.
"Yup! It's something big this time!" Leon exclaimed.
"There's a metal door that was exposed when we were tracking down one of the Wilders, and there was hooded figure that went out." Isabel explained while Leon nodded the whole time.
"Oh, I guess we can try and search there by night time. You guys can rest, I'll tell them about it." Finn said as he got up and went to the others.
Finn went to the others who are cooking and preparing dinner. He can guess they're having something with soup since something's boiling.
"Hey guys...Leon and Isabel came back." Finn caught their attention.
"Did they find anything that we can use?" Ethan said while preparing dinner.
"Yup! They saw an exposed metal door leading underground. We can check it out during the night." Finn explained.
"We'll do that tomorrow night since Leon and Isabel need to rest, for now...How about we have dinner?" Elizabeth said as she presented their dinner.
Finn called Leon and Isabel and they all ate. Their dinner was a bowl of hot curry soup with bread. After they ate they all laid down their sleeping bags and let the fire burn in their little fireplace as they let the dark night pass. It's the next day and got ready for their night mission, they were hidden underground for most of the day so no creature won't be able to see them. The night has arrived and they are ready to go to their destination. They got all their things ready and headed out of their bunker. Leon and Isabel led them to the metal door and as they went there, they made sure no one was within the area so there are no witnesses. When they arrived, they revealed the metal door and were surprised to see that it was unlocked.
"Are you ready, guys?" Ethan asked, the others nodding.
"Wait, we need to check if someone was there." Leon said and volunteering to go there and check.
They agreed and Leon turned into a mist and went through the door. He saw other Wilders about to go the next door, but they were avoiding specific tiles. He examined, remembered and went out.
THE BUNKER
Planned by Anwir as a place where he could stay. This was built with the help of the other Wilders and was soon given access after it was done. There are different rooms that hold different purposes, a list was made of what the different rooms are for and a sketch of the layout. There are 8 total rooms that the bunker has to offer. The most important ones are the isolations room, storage room, and the meeting room.
ISOLATION ROOMS: Consist of 5 rooms in total. These rooms are pure white. White walls, floors, furniture and linen. This area is also soundproof and anyone who is there is mandated to wear padded shoes offered before entering.
STORAGE ROOM: This room is a hidden room that is within the Kitchen and Dining room. This room is used to store chemicals and weaponry, along with a door leading another level down. You'll be able to find it by looking around the code within the corner of the room and enter it at the code on the panel that is shown on the very bottom near the floor.
MEETING ROOM: As the name states, meetings are held here. But they also have a hidden door for any emergency escape, you'll be able to find it under the table. There are also weapons like guns, and blades enclose in glass cabinets where you'll break it if you need to defend yourself.
OTHER ROOMS:
Lobby: This is the first place you'll be seeing once you enter. This is filled with boxes and some furniture with one door leading to the hallway. During the night, this is protected by traps on some of the tiles. It can be easily overlooked if you don't inspect thoroughly, but it can be noticed if you know how to look for it.
Hallway: You will be seeing 3 doors in total, 2 doors to your right and one door at the end of it. Each of the doors have signs, the one in the nearest right has the sign "ENTRANCE" and the door next to it has the sign "EXIT". The one at the end has more of a mandated instruction in all capital letters, it says "WEAR PADDED SHOES AS YOU ENTER THIS PART OF THE FACILITY."
Kitchen and Dining room: Just a regular kitchen where you cook food and place for you to eat. You'll be able to access this room after entering the 2 doors leading to the meeting room.
"We have to be careful when we go in....We can't step on the white metal tiles." Leon said.
They waited until there was not much noise and went in quietly. They entered the facility. They kept in mind what Leon said as they went to the hallway, before they can step forwards, 2 Wilders came in and ran to them. Ethan immediately paralyzed them and they went on, with Finn casting a memory erasing spell, making them collapse into slumber. They continued on and saw three doors.
"How about we split up to explore the area?" Lily suggested.
"I guess we'll be able to cover more area...Just make sure you're ready to defend yourselves." Finn said.
They split in threes, the boys and girls together to explore. The girls are going to be checking the Meeting room and the other rooms within it, while the Boys check the Isolation rooms. The boys entered the rooms without the padded shoes and saw 4 out of 5 doors locked and as they looked into the small windows that are covered with white curtains, they were shocked to see the Crystals, just staring at the door and emotionless, until they saw color and ran up to them.
"Zion!?" Ethan whispered, stepping back while the curtain is opened.
"Guys...They're all here...We need to get them out!" Finn whispered back.
The locked doors were code based, Finn used a special device to open the doors. The Crystals collapse to the floor and they were carried outside the Isolation rooms and dropped them in the hallways, shooting 2 Wilders as they saw them.
"Leon, call the girls! We need to get out of here!" Ethan whispered loudly so no other Wilders come in.
Leon went in the Meeting room and the girls holding weapons. Leon stepped back from the initial shock of the weapons and came back inside to tell them the news.
"We found them! We need to get out of here!" Leon exclaimed, the girls running outside.
"Come on! We have to get them out!" Ethan said as they carried them.
They were in the lobby Wilders were there, Elizabeth shot them with a gun and continued to go to the entrance to escape. Ethan flew them out one by one until they got all the Crystals out of the bunker, until they are met by
"How unfortunate~ You almost got away..."A hooded figure said.
A group of Wilders surrounded them, as the hooded figure showed himself. Anwir's smirk was clear as day as the hood revealed himself. He stood there in front of them, as they get ready to fight.
"You survived these days and found them...Let's see how strong you are enough to escape..." Anwir said, smirking.
The Wilders ran up to them, trying to kill them but the Leaders took the first kills and they went on until they were fewer in numbers. Anwir decided to help them a bit and blasted dust around them, making it hard to see. Anwir took Zion and Aiden before the fog disappeared.
"Zion!? Aiden!?"
"Finding these two right here? Sorry, can't let you do that..." Anwir said.
The Wilders took their chance, pinning them down. The others avoided them and fought back while the others were in pain of the restraint.
"Take them...Back! Go!" Finn said as he screamed in pain.
Ethan and the others fought through the crowd as they left them and escaped.
"Acheros! They escaped-"
"It's fine...We'll get them later, for now we deal with the ones we got...Remember we still have the plan for Furroko..." Anwir said as he saw the others get away.
Anwir and the other Wilders went back to the bunker and brought their captured victims in the isolation rooms. The other Wilders went back out while Anwir and the other Wilders went to the meeting room.
"They even took our weapons!" One of the Wilders said.
"We have more in the storage." Anwir said.
"Anyway...What's your progress in Furroko?" Anwir asked.
"We have chipped half of Furroko's adult population. We just have to do the other half and we're good, rest assured we'll be done by Recognition Day." One of the Wilders said.
"Good. After they are chipped I can be able to manipulate their bodies and minds into targeting the Leaders and their successors, I'm sure they wouldn't dare hurt them because they're the people they have to take care of..." Anwir started.
"We'll also be able to see if they really care about their people that they won't even dare to hurt them...So using their people against them is an effective strategy to give their power to...Us..."Anwir said, stumbling at his last word. The other Wilders didn't question it.
"How about we go and let the night pass so you can continue your work, you can get the microchips from my room after breakfast." Anwir said to stop the silence and end the meeting.
They went down and let the night pass, all except for Anwir because every time he relaxes his mind as if going to sleep, Acheros has control over him but only able to talk and little movements. As Anwir entered his bedroom, sat down and took a deep breathe, Acheros awakens.
"Good morning, twin brother..." Anwir greeted him sweetly.
"What did you do now...?" Acheros said to him tired.
"Oh nothing...Just some manipulation..." Anwir replied to him.
"Why...."Acheros started.
"Why are you like this!....I never wanted thing like this to happen!" Acheros exclaimed weakly.
"I'm only doing you a favor~ I know you want power, so I'm giving it you...Besides, you agreed." Anwir teased.
"You're not doing it for me anymore! You're doing it for yourself! I didn't want Zion to end up like this!" Acheros said, starting to cry and Anwir shocked by what he said.
Anwir didn't know but Acheros has been trying to wake up anytime he wishes, and he finally managed to do so when they took Zion back to the Isolation room. He never dared to tell him that because he plans on getting Anwir out of his body, and get rid of him. One of his ways to do so is practicing to control his body while he's sound asleep, making it look like he's sleepwalking. He hasn't seen found any information of how he can get rid of his dark twin, because he can't find any sources and he's still trying to get used to moving around while he's still weak.
Dark Twins
*this information is found in the forbidden section and is only in one book, this type of knowledge is known by the Crystals only.*
Dark twins are from most instances, the unborn twin that lives within the body of the surviving twin. In some cases they're weak, but most commonly, they have the capability to manipulate and control the body of their twin. There have been different ways to get rid of the Dark twin, but they are only applicable if they are weak. The stronger ones must take very strong measures to get rid of them.
"I'll make sure I'll get rid of you, no matter what it takes..." Acheros thought to himself.
"Well, Well, Well...Let's just go to sleep now..." Anwir said, going to bed.
"Goodnight brother~" Anwir said.
Acheros didn't say anything, staying silent and pretending to sleep until he can be capable to control his body once again. Meanwhile, with the Leaders who survived and managed to get away from the Bunker and back to theirs. As they were carrying them, they were wondering why no one is chasing after them. Isabel, Leon and Finn, along with Zion and Aiden were taken, while Ethan, Elizabeth and Lily were carrying Owen and Florence.
"What are we going to do now...The others are taken away..." Lily said, very worried.
"We'll get them back, but for now we need to help Owen and Aiden, they're not well..."Ethan said as he carried them.
They arrived at their bunker and went inside, Lily was taking care of Owen and Florence while Elizabeth and Ethan were packing their things so they can go back. While they are doing that, the bunker was silent, only noises from the burning fire to rustling of bags and the sand.
"How are we going to explain this to the kids once we come back...?" Elizabeth asked as they fixed their things.
"We have to be honest with them, we've already lied to them about going here..."Ethan replied.
"Alright, alright...I just hope they're doing okay..." Elizabeth said, Ethan nodding.
They planned on coming back the day after tomorrow, because they need to take care of Owen and Florence for the time being. The Successors have been the standing Leaders for days now, and it changed their routine, because their work became a bit more compact and have to be exact with their schedule or they'll have to extend their time, making them too tired to come to school. Due to juggling between their job as leaders, school, and self-care it resulted to them become cranky and very tired. Today, they were tired yet finished all their tasks, they all entered the meeting room tired.
"Finally! Rest!" Adrion exclaimed as he sat down, the others sleeping or trying to stay up.
Alice and Alistair are already sleeping while Francis and Adrion are trying to stay up. While they were resting, Adrion heard noise coming from downstairs. He stood up and went downstairs to the where a door was opened from the floor. Adrion prepared himself, even if he's still tired.
"Adrion?" Ethan said as he popped his head out.
"D-Dad...?" Adrion said tired.
"You can go back up, you're really tired. You can also tell the others we're back." Ethan said, Adrion weakly nodded and went up.
"Hey guys....They're back..." Adrion yawned.
"Great!...We can finally get sleep..." Francis said, slowly sleeping.
The Successors are now sleeping peacefully. The Leaders on the other hand, let Owen and Florence rest on their bed, then coming up to see the Successors sleeping in the meeting room.
"They worked themselves to the bone...I'll get them blankets." Ethan said as he went down.
"We should try rescheduling their time, because it's not healthy for them to always be tired." Lily said, as Elizabeth nodded.
"We'll do it when we go back home and explain everything." Elizabeth replied to her.
Ethan came back with 4 blankets and they put it on them and let them sleep peacefully, as they took the rounds for them, since they're tired. When they finished doing the rounds, they went back to the meeting room, seeing Alice and Alistair awake.
"Mom! Dad! You're back!" Alice said, as they hugged.
"Where are the others...?" Alistair asked, they prepared to explain.
"Wake up Adrion and Francis, we'll explain." Elizabeth said.
After the rest of the Successors woke up, they explained what happened while they were outside Furroko's borders.
"We were the only ones who were able to get away...Along with Owen and Florence..." Ethan started, shocking the successors.
"S-So...Mom and Dad...are dead...?" Alistair stuttered, starting to tear up.
"No! No! They're not dead! They're....captured..." Elizabeth said, calming Alistair down.
"How about Dad?" Francis asked his mother.
"Captured...Zion and Aiden were taken back there too..." Lily explained
"I thought they went to the other land?" Alice asked, the Leaders shaking their head.
"We didn't want you to worry and beg us to come with you and help....So we made an excuse for fetching them, to hide the fact that they were kidnapped. We did this for your safety." Ethan explained.
"Oh....Alright..."Alice said.
The meeting room was silent, after a while they are ready to go home. They decided to bring Owen and Florence with them. They're still going to do reinforcements and keep an eye out of any suspicious behavior among the creatures. They also decided to call the school to give them a more flexible schedule where they'll be going to school only once or twice a week and learn at home for the rest of the week. Their schedule was given which shows a table of their school week, it showed that they're only going to school on Friday and they'll be having their classes online for the rest of the week. The parents were also together in the same house as the Successors and discussed their next plan.
"What are we gonna do to get them out of there?" Elizabeth started.
"We have to go in a different route...We have to make sure no one sees us as we go under." Ethan said.
"We need more of us to be get them out one by one." Lily said. After a few minutes of silence, Lily thought of something and started explaining her suggestion.
"How about we get them one by one, every day we get one of them and get them back to their mental state, because it seems that the room affects their psychological aspect." Lily said.
"What do we do if they notice one of them are gone? Finn isn't here to give off an illusion spell." Ethan asked, Lily being offended.
"Ummm, Ethan...Lily can do the same thing..." Elizabeth said giggling.
"O-Oh!?" Ethan said surprised.
"Fuck you, Ethan! Just because Finn is the Leader, doesn't mean I don't learn anything!" Lily exclaimed and Elizabeth laughing.
"Okay! Okay! I'm Sorry! Eli Help me here!" Ethan apologized as he's being yelled at.
"Sorry...I can't..." Elizabeth said laughing.
"Are they in here?" A voice was heard from the upstairs.
"I'll go check on them, you guys can sort things out." Elizabeth said as she left them.
"Don't leave me love!!!" Ethan said, as he put his head on the table while being yelled at.
As Elizabeth left the kitchen, Lily calmed down and waited for Ethan to stop cowering on his seat. After he stopped, they discussed more about how to do the plan Lily suggested. Since the bunker is underground, they tried thinking of ways on how to track its location and enter the facility without hitting anything. They wanted to plan a layout, but they need to rest so they can have a more thought into it, they decided to go to bed and wait until the morning.
"Ethan, do you or Elizabeth have any sort of sensitivity skill?" Lily asked.
"I don't think we have any skill like that....What I can assume is that you or Finn can do that." Ethan replied.
"We can look into the Main Library and train ourselves to earn the sensitivity skill." Ethan said.
"How about we go and get some rest now." Lily said, Ethan nodding.
Elizabeth made her way upstairs to see Owen, helping Florence as they walked around, finding people. They were about to go to the sibling's room until Elizabeth stopped them.
"Elizabeth! There you are!" Owen said weakly.
"You need to rest for now, you're still weak." Elizabeth said.
"Where are Zion and Aiden?" Florence asked.
"Let's just say they're somewhere that isn't that good..." Elizabeth said.
"Where is the location?" Florence asked.
"We'll tell you once you rest, I'm sure we'll be able to explain once everyone is awake." Elizabeth tried to convince them.
"Alight then, Elizabeth. We'll see you in the morning." Owen said, as Elizabeth brought them to their room to rest.
It's the morning and the kids will be starting their new schedule. They woke up and went downstairs for breakfast. They saw that Owen and Florence were on the table, they sat down with them and had breakfast with them.
"Good morning...Little one..." Owen greeted weakly.
"Sorry...They're still recovering from therapy." Lily said as she sat down with them.
"How are they doing?" Francis asked.
"The place they were in affected their mental state, so I'm doing therapy to help them recover." Lily said.
"You guys better get ready for your online class, it's going to start in a few minutes." Elizabeth said, the successors rushing to eat and go up the stairs.
The Successors immediately opened their devices and waited for online class to start. The Leaders and Crystals on the other hand, finished breakfast and planned out their rescue mission. Lily explained the gist of what they're going to do.
"The question is how deep the entire facility is?" Ethan asked.
"Lily and I saw a hidden door under the rug, so there's a lower floor under the main bunker. We can try and see how deep it is so we know." Lily said.
"Let's draw a diagram of how deep we think it is." Elizabeth said, getting some paper and pencil.
"You have an Architecture Major, right?" Lily said, Elizabeth nodding.
Elizabeth drew a sketch of what she thinks the bunker would look like in profile view. After it was drawn, Ethan said that it'll be difficult to go under and around the bunker. They tried to see if they can come up with other options.
"How about something easier, an invisibility skill?" Elizabeth suggested.
"We can be able to get in with going underground." Lily thought to herself.
"Are we going to enter in the main entrance? What if it's locked?" Ethan asked.
"Then we go in by breaking the lock on the door." Elizabeth said.
"That's a good idea...We're going for that idea then." Ethan said, Lily nodding.
They fixed all their things as Lily carried on and gave Owen and Florence their therapy for today while Ethan and Elizabeth were getting ready to go to Furroko. The rest of the day went smoothly and the Successors we're finished with their classes and met up with Ethan and Elizabeth. Lily was left to be in charge of taking care of the Crystals while all of them go to Furroko to do something important.
"Hey mom, why are we going to the library?" Adrion asked as they walked along the Apparition territory.
"We're going to be researching today, this is for Lily since she's capable of casting spells faster than us. So while Lily takes care of the Crystals, we'll help her find the skill casting books for her." Ethan explained.
They arrived at the library and were met by the staff. They asked where the skill books are and they were guided to the 'Spells and Skill' section. As they arrived there, they started picking up books and looking for the invisibility skill. All of them were silent and reading to find the skill and they needed.
Skills
Skills are open abilities that can be applied to any creature. Humans the only races who can be able to acquire and cast this skill at a much faster pace. The process of earning the skills requires experience in casting for Humans. Some skills can be earned easily with little experience, but some will take a lot of training and concentration. Skills also can vary on how long they will last, but this can be controlled by the caster. Skills are ranked in three main categories, depending on its difficulty.
Ranks (Difficulty):
Basics
Intermediate
Strenuous
Skills are first practiced the year after its discovery during The Great War, where the Humans were researching different methods of casting long time spells that are impossible to do. Skills are considered to be a very deep meditative action, letting the body of the creature to become a different form. Some of the skills are copying another creatures' form, Invisibility, Reflection, and Levitation.
After a few hours of looking, they found 3 books with the skill they need and other skills they found useful. They borrowed the book and the Successors were asked to bring the books back home as they check Furroko before coming back. They agreed and went back, giving the books to Lily and helped take care of the Crystals. Meanwhile, the Leaders were given reports of tick like bites a different parts of the creature's body. All four territories suffer from it, most of the cases are in the Human and Apparition territory. They decided to check out the territories and ask the medical staff if they know anything about it. From the diagnosis that each medical clinic has, it looked like tick bites, the creatures also felt a lot pain, as if something if moving inside. They investigated their homes, yet there were no sign of ticks anywhere. They checked around the whole area, yet there aren't any signs of ticks even with the use of advance technology and their abilities. They'll be investigating with them to see if they can be able to make any leads on what happens. They went back home so they'll be able to talk about it and as they went home, Francis was meditating and chanting a spell.
"Is he...gaining the skill?" Ethan asked, Lily nodded.
"He's going to be gaining the Basics skill." Lily said.
"Which is...?" Elizabeth asked.
"Levitation is the easiest a caster can do. Once he has a little bit of experience, he'll be able to cast more spells and gain other skills." Lily explained, as they watched Francis meditate.
Lily gave a list of recommended skills. Ethan and Elizabeth can see that it'll take a long while for Francis to do. Lily said that he's already in the Intermediate rank, so he's able to do the Basics in no time.
Ranks:
1. Basics- Skills that can be done by beginners with little to know experience.
- Levitation
- Reflection
2. Intermediate- Skills that require more experience in casting.
- Teleportation
- Copying forms
3. Strenuous- Skills that are only done by full fledge casters and need deep concentration.
- Invisibility
-Shape shifting
While the Successors were cheering up for Francis or training on their own, the Leaders were talking about a mysterious tick infestation that was spreading around Furroko.
"A tick infestation? We never had much cases with ticks before..." Lily said.
"We were given a lot of cases, we even asked the medical clinics about it. They all got it at the same day." Ethan said.
"Have you checked the homes and the areas around it?" Lily asked.
"We did, but we didn't find any." Ethan said.
"We'll have a look at it tomorrow, for now I also have good news!" Lily said.
"They're feeling better! The therapy really helped them!" Lily exclaimed.
"That's great!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Let me take you to their room, I can guess they're awake now because I heard talking." Lily said, as they left the kitchen and saw Francis sleeping on the floor, Alistair, Myst and the siblings playing a board game.
"Dammit! I got put in jail!!" Adrion exclaimed as he slammed the cards on the board.
"Want me to get you out?" Alistair asked, Adrion nodding.
"You have to convince Myst, it's his turn..."Alistair replied.
"Please Myst...Let me out...I promise I'll pay you back..."Adrion sighed and went on his knees in front of Myst.
"You're really that desperate, Adrion?" Alice said, smirking.
"Don't you dare take all my money Alice! I worked hard for it!" Adrion exclaimed.
"I bet Alice is gonna win." Ethan said.
"Bet Adrion is gonna win." Elizabeth said, confusing Lily.
"Just let them play...Let's go..." Lily said as she pulled them upstairs.
They arrived at the one of the guestrooms, opening the door and showing Owen and Florence talking about something. They entered the room and Lily did her daily check-up. Ethan and Elizabeth sat by the window area while they watch Lily doing her check-up for Owen and Florence.
"Alright then, how about we start with Florence?" Lily said bringing out her checklist.
Lily started asking questions while Owen sat with Ethan and Elizabeth. Owen greeted them and they talked for a while to fill in time waiting for Florence to be finished with his check-up.
"How's Furroko?" Owen asked.
"Well...We have cases of ticks going inside them." Ethan started.
"It's strange, because we didn't see any ticks around and all the cases happened on the same day." Ethan continued.
"We haven't had any insect infestations for a long time...Don't worry, we'll be able to come back to Furroko after a few days." Owen said.
"Alright Florence, you're good. Owen, it's your turn." Lily said.
Owen nodded and exchanged places with Florence, They talked about how they were while they wait for Owen to be finished. After they were finished, they talked about Furroko, and the plan to get the others out. After Owen's consultation, they went down so they can prepare dinner. As they went down the stairs, they saw the Successors meditating together.
"Let's go to the kitchen and prepare dinner. Owen, Florence, you can wait here in the living room with them." Elizabeth said.
The Leaders went to the kitchen for dinner while the Crystals waited in the Living room with the Successors. Their day continued as normal and they went to bed. The next few days they trained themselves and prepared to get the others out of the Bunker.
Meanwhile with Anwir, He was checking up on his victims, who were just staring at the wall. A few days have passed and they changed. The reason he trapped them here is so that he'll be able to manipulate them and make them side with him. He gave a peek at each of the small windows and exited the isolation rooms. Within Anwir was Acheros, awake once again as he tries to overcome his Dark twin and have his body back and make things right.