Rising Shards

Despite the rumbling around signifying the approach of a bunch of some kind of monster (Kalei didn’t want to admit that Ovie was technically somewhat right about the Sharai thing, but since they were just sprites of a long dead army Kalei declared to herself that she was more correct), Ovie casually led the group out of the dungeon they’d fallen into. She hummed as she held up one of the Sharai Daggers every few moments, which kept pointing in the same direction.

“Perfect, Laenie will be back soon too!” Ovie said, seeing a notification pop up on her wristband. "The checkpoint was used just a few minutes ago."

“No thank you for the checkpoint placement?” 09 asked, grunting as she pushed a cart along.

“Oh, like putting it at the entrance was an idea only you, with your incredibly tactical clybrid brain, could come up with,” Ovie said. “Now she’s gonna have to crawl through all these guys!”

“She might wipe a few of them out for us.” 09 said.

“Arctus said our path is clear, and I…” Ovie started. “Well, I don’t trust him, but he did help us out here. Right before he vanished rounding the first corner.”

Kalei felt a bit humiliated with Ovie and 09’s method for getting them out. Their captors found a flatbed cart and just demanded everyone sit on it. 09 had to push the thing, so at least it wasn’t the most humiliating thing to have to sit on a cart with a bunch of other people who were tied up at their wrists, an odd group that now included one of Kalei’s close friends, a long-lost friend she never thought she’d see again, and her own mother. Kalei felt a poke at her back. Her mom not very subtly put her foot out to get her attention.

“Watch it,” 09 said.

“Just adjusting my position,” Mahina said. “I’m old, you know. I get cramps easily.”

Mahina turned so she could whisper to Kalei subtly, barely moving her mouth and speaking quietly enough that neither 09 nor Ovie could hear them.

“We should play nice for now.” Mahina whispered. “I know the inaction hurts, but from my experience, there will be a point where we can get the drop on them, and it isn’t here.”

Kalei had thought plenty of times about just trying whatever she could with her powers despite being tied up, but she trusted her mom on this.

“By the way,” Mahina said, tilting her head towards Narkissa. “Is that…?”

“Yeah.” Kalei whispered.

“Small world.” Mahina said.

“By the way, newbies,” Ovie said. “Just so you know, the binding we have on your wrists is a special material. It has a bonus in addition to keeping you tied up all nice, it blocks all communication to the others, so don’t try making any calls.”

Ovie and 09 stopped as they reached a potential dead end. A blast door with a weird handle that looked like a bunch of floating cubes that had to be put together in a certain position.

“I thought he said all the security was off.” Ovie said, trying to fiddle with the configuration of the cubes to unlock them, and getting a buzzer noise every few seconds when she failed to do so.

“Maybe this is just the last door, so it’s separate from the lockdown?” 09 said. “This place is also very old, it’s entirely possible this didn’t go with the others in an error.”

“Ugh,” Ovie said. “You do this then, I give up.”

“Oh, I think I saw this one in the Sunday paper,” Mahina said. “Do girls your age do the Sunday puzzle of the week? Very cube based. And it isn’t moving around in 3D like this, so it’s a lot harder. So I could solve this in no time.”

Ovie growled and blasted a wall of acid that separated her and 09 from the others, a waterfall of sorts that sizzled above and below.

“I guess they needed some privacy.” Mahina said.

“Is now a good time to get the drop on them?” Kalei asked.

“I don’t think this will be up for long,” Mahina said. “Unless these two are even stupider than I think they are. We can get some quick planning in, at least.”

“Right.” Kalei said. “I’m really glad you’re here, Ma.”

“Hi, Ms. Koridia,” Narkissa said. “I don’t know if you remember me.”

“I do, of course,” Mahina said. “But we’ll have more time for greetings later. For now.” Mahina poked at Ko. “I will forgive you entirely for the glass table incident if you do exactly as I say.”

“I’m down for that,” Ko said. “I just want to get back ASAP, Lillia’s probably really worried about me.”

“Good,” Mahina said. “Risa, I assume the same for you.”

“Yeah, can do.” Narkissa said.

“Alright, planning wise for right now. Mama Mahina says that the code word shall be grape soda. When I say that, all of us will strike.”

“That’s two words.” Ko said. “I think.”

“The code words are grape soda.” Mahina said. “Also, I’ve decided on Ovie.”

“Huh?” Kalei said.

“I got permission from one of your teachers to get one good hit in on one of our captors. And I’ve decided the greasy haired girl with the bad dye job will be the recipient.” Mahina said.

“I don’t think she was serious, that sounds like she was joking.” Kalei said.

“Caya sounded pretty serious.” Ko said.

“Well damn, let me get a hit in too.”  Kalei said.

“Atta girl.” Mahina said.

The acid wall dropped, along with the blinding light from outside and a grinning Ovie. “That wasn’t so hard.”

“I solved it.” 09 said.

“Whatever,” Ovie said. “Just wheel them out here.”

09 hopped over the singed part of the floor and wheeled the cart outside. While it had been desert on one side of the cave base, the other side was vastly different. From first glance, Kalei thought she stepped into a video game about a war-torn city that had been obliterated by battles, because they were greeted with ashes and hollowed out skyscrapers. There was decayed cityscape all around them, but in another location based tonal shift, there was something that stuck out like a neon sore thumb directly in front of them, that happened to be the only way forward.

“Alright, now we just—what.” Ovie said as she saw the next obstacle in their path.