by Ramy Vance
Terra stared blankly at Abby for a few moments. "Damn, Abs. You didn't have to go savage on me. I might never recover from that."
"You'll recover. Martin already requisitioned some burn cream for you."
Abby raised both her arms as her mask peeled back so Terra could see her face. "Booyah!"
Terra feigned being struck in the heart, stumbling backward. "Two sick burns in a row? How can I go on?" She dropped to her knees, wringing her hands in mock pain.
Sarah pressed the guard's detached finger to the pad.
Lights shone in the room, and they saw that there was no floor.
"Huh. That was anticlimactic," Anabelle said as she peered in, eventually looking down when a draft blew up. "Guess we're going down there." She stepped into the darkness and plummeted downward.
Terra watched Anabelle disappear. "Is it just me, or does she always look really cool doing that?"
Sarah walked into the darkness and spun on one foot, smirking at Terra. "You only say that because you're always overthinking your own cool exits." She disappeared.
Abby floated past the door's threshold. "We think you have pretty cool drops."
Terra leaped over the threshold toward Abby, who caught her. "Trust me, this is going to look super cool. Let's go."
Abby descended slowly down the darkened shaft, shining a light below. She could see Anabelle and Sarah wading in what looked like water.
Once they got to the bottom of the shaft, Terra let go of Abby's arms.
Anabelle was shaking her head. "I'd give that two out of three. You looked like a giant baby."
Terra groaned as she ran her hands over her bald head. "Ugh. You are impossible to impress."
Abby landed next to Terra. The water came up to her shins.
The air smelled musky and dank. Crickets chirped, and in the dim light from overhead, could be seen leaping about.
Abby touched the water. "Was there anything in your intel about there being a swamp under this place?" She started scanning the fluid, hoping for a clue.
Sarah was walking down a hall that branched off from where they had landed. "Nope, but that means this could at least be a little interesting."
The four of them continued on their way, the water growing incrementally deeper until they were all waist-deep in it.
Anabelle suddenly shrieked and leaped out of the water into Terra's arms. "Something just bit me."
Terra laughed loudly. "Okay, who’s the baby now?"
Anabelle scowled as she got back on her feet. "Shut up. It spooked me is all."
Sarah cried out as well. She spun, drew her pistol, and fired into the water.
The body of a dead grindylow floated up to the surface. The creature had a goblin's upper body up to the head, which was malformed and sharkish. Its torso was that of an octopus.
Sarah picked up the dead thing. "What the hell is a grindylow doing down here?"
Behind them, the water started to foam.
Anabelle looked over her shoulder to see dozens of grindylows poking up through the surface. They gnashed their teeth fiercely.
She waded in the opposite direction as fast as she could. "Move!"
More grindylows poked their heads out, cackling maniacally as the DGA agents headed away from them.
They had run into a large cavern that looked as if it had been ripped straight off the coast. The walls were sleek stone covered in barnacles and luminescent seaweed that glowed like it was filled with fireflies.
The water in the room started to get choppy, then erupted into a vortex that shot toward the ceiling.
A cecaelia sat atop the watery throne. He had the torso of a man, with fair skin and long white hair that matched his eyes. His bottom half was like an octopus, and he wore a drenched white shirt and a suit jacket on his upper humanoid half. "What the hell are you doing in my office?" he shouted.
Sarah swam to the surface, sputtering. "I saw the boss’ name was Trident, but you are not what I was expecting."
Trident reached behind his back and pulled out a long, sharp steel trident. "Y’all got a lotta 'splaining to do."
Terra splashed around, trying to stay above the water. "Okay, now that is too close."
Trident spun his weapon, causing the water to swirl into a vortex. The DGA agents were sucked into it as grindylows flooded the room.
Abby let loose a blast of kinetic energy, breaking the grip of the water around her, allowing her to escape.
Anabelle leaped out of the vortex and landed on a rock near the wall. "Now this looks like a decent fight."
Chapter Four
The mob boss spun the trident around his head. He twisted the water around him into a funnel and sent it flying at the elf.
At the last second, the elven warrior raised her hands and let out a blast of fire, which evaporated the water and created a wall of steam between her and Trident.
While the mob boss was distracted, Sarah screamed as she used her abilities to enhance her strength. Once she had powered up, she leaped to the ceiling, wedging her feet into the rocks and holding tightly with her hands.
From there, she had a clear path to Trident.
Terra was trying to swim against the current Trident had created. She was about to pull herself out of the water when she felt something wrap around her leg. "Goddamn it," she muttered before being pulled underwater by a grindylow.
Abby saw Terra slip under the water. She slid into the water and sped through it like a torpedo.
Grindylows had surrounded Terra and wrapped their tentacles around her arms and legs, keeping her from getting back to the surface.
A few of the grindylows noticed Abby and jetted toward her. There were at least thirty of them and possibly more. Abby couldn't see well under the water, but she could see Terra, and that was what was important for the moment.
Abby fired a plasma blast at the grindylows. The blast was hampered by the water, but it was enough to scare the grindylows off Terra and into the darker parts of the cavern.
Abby hit her thrusters and scooped Terra up, and the two of them burst out of the water together. She flew around in a quick circle, looking for a place to drop Terra off.
She saw Anabelle fighting back Trident's water onslaught and headed over to drop Terra by the elf. "We'll take care of the grindylows. We can move faster than you underwater."
Terra spat out water as she huddled behind Anabelle. "You don't have to tell me twice. I fucking hate swimming." She turned to the elf. "Any game plan? Can't say I have a whole lot of ideas for how to go about fighting in a giant fishbowl."
Anabelle nodded, her forehead furrowed in concentration. "Working on it. Doesn't seem like we're going to be able to blast our way through this. He's got a huge advantage over us."
Above Trident, Sarah prepared to attack. She let go of the ceiling and fell toward him.
One of Trident's tentacles lashed out and grabbed Sarah by the ankle. He effortlessly tossed her away.
Sarah hit the wall hard. The wind was knocked out of her, and she gasped as she fell into the water. Before she had a chance to get out, Trident's tentacle slammed into her chest, forcing her down.
Sarah pulled out her katana to hack through the tentacle, but before she got a chance, several grindylows raced toward her.
Abby swooped into the water, getting between the grindylows and Sarah. "Martin, can you do anything about our visibility?"
Martin's voice rang in Abby's ear. "Working on it. The water keeps shifting. Trident must be affecting it magically, and I might not be able to work through that."
Abby slammed her hands together, sending a sonic shockwave through the water that dispersed the grindylows. That gave Sarah enough time to get to the surface.
She pulled out a grappling hook and launched it into the ceiling, using it to pull herself up.
Across the room, Trident was making his move on Anabelle and Terra, who were stuck behind the wall of steam and water.
Terra poked her head out to get a
better look. "Uh, you got anything? He's getting closer."
Anabelle smiled smugly. "Don't worry about it. This is like a game of rock, paper, scissors, except with water. Guess what always beats water?"
“Yeah, got it.” Terra returned the smile, but it fell. "Wait, are our suits insulated?"
Anabelle shrugged. "You might want to make sure you don’t get any more soaked than you are. You know, just to be safe."
Trident burst through the wall of water and brought down his weapon on Anabelle. She leaned back and knocked the trident to the side as she charged her arm with electricity, then punched Trident in the chest with a thunderous boom.
The cecaelia smiled grimly. "Little elf, ya think ya can hurt a creature born of the storm?"
Trident slammed his trident into the rock, sending thousands of volts of electricity into the stone as his tentacles wrapped around Anabelle.
Electricity flowed through her body, shocking her and wracking her body with pain.
Trident lifted her into the air and slammed her back into the rock. He raised her once more.
Terra uppercut Trident, knocking him back.
As he stumbled back, he whipped around, commanding the water into a giant fist that rammed into Terra, smashing her into the wall.
Terra tried to fight with the watery hand, but every time she punched it, her fist went straight through the liquid.
As Terra fought, Trident began to wave his weapon around his head, pulling some of the water in the room toward him and covering himself in watery armor.
From the ceiling, Sarah fired her pulse rifle.
The pulse hit Trident's armor, stopping instantly.
Abby shot out of the water, covered in grindylows, and charged Trident, trying to break through his armor. The grindylows’ tentacles grabbed her arms and legs until she was covered with odd appendages.
Trident slammed his weapon into Abby, knocking her back into the water.
Anabelle was back on her feet. As she leaped, her foot grew denser until it was as solid as a diamond. It connected with Trident’s water armor but didn’t pass through.
Realizing her attack had done nothing, Anabelle flipped backward, using her mana to skid across the surface of the water without sinking.
Sarah leaped onto the water as well, using her chakra energy to keep from going under.
Terra, who had made her way over to a piece of stone, gasped in awe. "Wait, how are you guys doing that?"
Anabelle glanced at Terra and smiled. "Years of practicing mana manipulation. Probably the same as Sarah."
Terra frowned as she crossed her arms. "Fucking showoffs."
Anabelle returned her attention to Trident. "Haven't even started showing off yet." Her eyes flashed brightly as she shot mana sparks, then the elf transitioned into the Path of the Lost. "Now this is over."
She surged forward, her fist crackling with energy, and slammed it into Trident's water armor.
It exploded outward.
As the steam passed, Trident still stood.
"You're kidding me." Anabelle groaned. "There's no way you're stronger than Grok."
Trident laughed defiantly. "Don't know who you're talking 'bout, but I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Ain't nothing stronger than water."
He waved his free hand, and a fist of water slammed into Anabelle.
Sarah opened all of her inner gates, and her power increased until she was on the same level as Anabelle. Her skin vibrated as she launched at Trident, who threw up a water wall. Sarah spat a ball of fire that turned some of the water to steam, then tried to punch through it to no avail.
Trident spun his weapon again, and the water formed two humanoid figures nearly seven feet tall. The figures went after Anabelle and Sarah, forcing them both to stop paying attention to Trident. The mob boss dove into the water, then sprang back up in front of Terra. His tentacles gripped the rock she stood on and crushed it to dust.
Still, he was distracted long enough for Abby to fire a precise laser blast that cut through the creature's stomach.
Water rather than blood poured from Trident's wound. It was the first he’d received since the fight started, and he let out a roar as the water level in the room decreased significantly.
Terra leaped, her eyes wide and mad with fury and an insane smile on her face as she brought her fists down on Trident's armored head.
The force of Terra's attack didn't break through the armor, but it forced Trident to buckle under the pressure. Before he could stand again, Abby charged into him, knocking the creature off-balance.
Terra climbed onto his chest. "I don't need all those fancy tricks, homeboy. I punch really hard."
Terra drove her fist into Trident's armor, sending waves of water flying off him. The shockwave from her punch and Trident’s writhing caused Terra to fall, but luckily, Abby was close enough to swoop down and grab her.
Trident dissolved the two water warriors fighting Anabelle and Sarah and drew even more water from the room. He bolstered his defenses so much that the DGA were only up to their knees in water.
The remaining grindylows looked around the room at the corpses Abby had left after being underwater. She had killed most of their kin. They took off, leaving Trident alone.
Terra leaped back onto him, seeking to use sheer strength to rip through Trident's water armor.
The mob boss looked afraid. "You can't break through," he muttered.
There was a flash in Terra's eyes as she smiled wider. "Oh, I can't? How much do you want to bet?"
Terra crouched on Trident's chest and then sprang into the air. She landed on the water armor, which bent under her weight, then she cupped her hands together and brought them down.
The force behind Terra's fists broke the armor, and waves flooded the room.
Once the water was out of Trident's control, Anabelle slipped out of the Path of the Lost. She used her other elemental skills to scoop the water into the air so it hung like a curtain, where she flash-froze it.
Trident scrambled across the ground, his octopus tentacles trying to get traction so he could make a quick escape. Unfortunately, his suction cups stuck to the stone.
Terra made her way to Trident, her eyes dark as she cracked her knuckles. "My honor hath been offended for the last time, squid-man." She punched him in the face, cracking his jaw and sending him flying across the room. By the time Abby reached the mob boss, he was unconscious.
Anabelle walked over to Terra, whose eyes were returning to their normal color. "Damn, that was more annoying than I thought it was going to be."
Terra dabbed her forehead. "Oh, shit! Do you see that? Sweat! I worked up a sweat."
"Did you even go into the Path of the Lost?"
"Nope. Just got a rush, you know?"
Anabelle crossed her arms as she stared at Terra. "Fucking showoff."
Sarah, who was crouched next to Abby as she cuffed Trident, shouted at Terra and Anabelle, "If you two are done comparing dicks, we got a perp to question."
Terra clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is my favorite part. It's my turn, right?"
Anabelle shook her head as they joined Abby and Sarah. "Nope. It's Abby's turn."
The scientist sighed as she stood up. "No, we pass. Terra can have it."
Anabelle looked at her sternly. "You know you're going to have to start doing it eventually. I know you don't want to be the bad guy, but you have to learn how to get information out of assholes like this."
"Fine, fine. We'll do it. We've been practicing."
Abby slapped Trident across the face. "Where are the bomb parts?"
Trident's eyes were still trying to focus. "I ain't tellin’ you broads nothin’."
Abby's hand converted to a long funnel. She pointed it away from Trident's face, and a jet of fire shot out from it. "Once more, where are the bomb parts?"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. They're in the back room. Swear to the gods. You're not gonna torch me, right?"
Sarah pulled out a
taser. "Nope, but you're going back to sleep. Without your water shield, this should do the trick." She jammed the taser into Trident's side, shocking him and knocking him out.
Abby grumbled as they walked toward the back door in the office. "We could have figured this out on our own."
Anabelle draped her arm around Abby's shoulder. "True, but now we know for sure. Besides, it's fun to watch you be all scary."
Terra kicked the door down.
It was a small room, but it was crowded with weapons and magical artifacts. In the middle of the room was a partially-built bomb.
Abby scanned the bomb while the rest of the team scoured the room. "Looks like this was made with technological and magical parts. Whoever built this knew what they were doing. This is pretty advanced stuff."
Terra, who was playing with a crystal orb, looked at Sarah. "You think they were doing this themselves or working for someone else?"
Sarah shook her head as she looked at the bomb. "These guys are just muscle. Security. But it's a lead."
"Eh. I guess detective work can be fun."
Martin popped up on their wrist comms. "Hey, I got bad news. Something popped up on Abby's scan. You're not going to believe it."
Abby projected a hologram of the bomb's internal workings. A vial separated from the rest of the bomb. Within the vial was a black liquid, moving around and attacking the walls of the vial.
Anabelle stared at it. "No way. Is that Dark Melody?"
Abby nodded grimly. "Yep. That’s exactly what it is."
Chapter Five
Anabelle was in her room, meditating, thinking over the events of the day. Since their battle with the Dark One several months ago, she had been having an easier time settling into meditation.
The brush with death had put a lot of things into perspective, and the process had made her less of a mystery to herself. Many of her memories were still lost, as was the way with elves, but more often than not, if she needed to recall something, she could.
The fight with Trident had bothered her. Even though Terra, Sarah, and she had all uncovered the Path of the Lost, albeit all in different ways—some of which Anabelle was tempted to think were inferior—they still had struggled with Trident. How could they have defeated the Dark One and not been able to wipe the floor with the mob boss?
