WM [88] Team Leader

The new threats were all invisible; only the sound of their metal feet as they clattered against the ground and the faint shimmer in the air from their aether gave any indication of where the beings were. Tanisha pulled out her knives from the sheaths on her side and prepared to attack.

“Everyone, we need to retreat to the top of the stairs!” Aurelius said as he blocked an invisible strike. “Tanisha, once we are there make as much water as you can and spread it across the floor! Everyone else protects her while she channels.”

Bjorn leaped, tackling one of the invisible golems, ripping it apart. Tanisha was surprised he could see them so well when she could barely make out their aether. It wasn’t time to think though, she used Arcane Shift to appear beside him then after a few more shifts they were at the top of the stairwell at the main level. They could already hear the tapping of dozens of the invisible golems running after them. 

Tanisha began her spell immediately using the knives as an imperfect medium for her alloy. The water flowed down the stairs in a tide carefully weaving around her own party since this was conjured water and not actual water she had full control over the arcane liquid. She even deafened the sound of the rushing tide as she continued to channel her magic.

 She had never used her hydromancy this way before although she knew it was always possible. Instead of compressing the liquid down into orbs she could have always channeled torrents of water. It was another reminder at how under utilized her magic had gone. Her weapons, maya and hand to hand were all further along than her use of the mana aspects of her alloy.

Aurelius again took charge, “They’re here! Bjorn and I will take the right side, Fuyumi on the left, Tanisha, are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, I can do this all day.” Tanisha said.

The golems were relentless though in the water they were completely visible against Tanisha’s magic. Slowed by the rushing hydromancy and without the element of surprise they were quickly handled by the team. Aurelius continued to give out commands. He called out the constructs and instructed Tanisha when to lessen or increase the flow of water to throw the golems off balance. Once the last one fell and Tanisha felt no more disturbance in the magic she lessened the flow to just cover the floor so that if something stepped they would hear the wet slaps.

“That’s the last of them,” she announced, brushing sweat from her brow. “I’ve coated the stairs—if more come, we’ll hear them.”

“That had to be at least… what, twenty-four no, twenty five of those things.” Aurelius said with a tired huff as he sheathed his sword. “If we were caught out in the open I think that could have been bad.

“That was brilliant thinking, Speedy,” Tanisha said with a thumbs up. “You really took control of the battle.”

“Thanks, it wasn’t much,” Aurelius said. “It was a good thing that you are a hydrokinetic mage… sage?”

Tanisha smiled and checked on Bjorn petting his side and nuzzling his closest head. He was still on alert with his other heads staring down to the lower level for any sign of further attackers. She decided to leave him to his guard duty.

“It was quick thinking,” Fuyumi chimed in. “I would have just told you two to leave while I handled it. Or just had us retreat back to the next door and close it.”

Aurelius seemed embarrassed by the praise so Tanisha changed the subject. 

“I know that Higher Plane Energies are hard for people to detect when they don’t have a connection to it like me.” Tanisha said. “How did you react to that first one so quickly, Fuyumi? I didn’t even sense it until after I started looking for it.”

“It was the lack of mana in the space the golems were occupying.” Fuyumi said.

Aurelius rubbed his chin. “I didn’t notice that until after the first strike too, then it became more obvious.”

“That means you both need more training in detecting changes in ambient mana,” Fuyumi said. “As your magic grows so does your ability to perceive it, but just like muscle it has to be trained.

“Joha taught me about that as well,” Tanisha added. “It helped me develop invisible constructs with maya by allowing the ambient mana to pass through them. It makes maya constructs less stable but harder to detect.”

“That is true with mana constructs too.” Fuyumi agreed as she summoned an ice sword. “When you allow ambient mana to pass through your own magic it is the same as poking thousands of holes in your construct.” 

Tanisha and Aurelius watched intently as the icy blade in Fuyumi’s hand dimmed, the vibrant magic that once coursed through it now fading into subtle nothingness. It looked like mundane ice, yet Tanisha couldn’t help but marvel. A construct that dense, stripped of its magical signature to the point of being undetectable? It seemed almost impossible.

“This is assassin’s ice,” Fuyumi explained, her voice calm but tinged with an undertone of authority. “By steadily reducing its magical potency, it becomes invisible to all but the naked eye. However, the trade-off is that it must be carried manually until it’s needed. In essence, it’s no different than wielding a blue steel blade, except that, as a construct, it can be dismissed, reshaped, or even weaponized further.” She summoned a smaller ice knife in her other hand and demonstrated by slicing clean through the larger blade. “In terms of durability, though, it’s weaker than most constructs. It’s a tool of precision, not power.”

“The golems were the same,” Aurelius noted wide eyed. “They were easier to destroy than that big one with the blade arms once we know where they are and far weaker too. It must be because they were designed to allow mana to flow through and around them to stay hidden.”

Fuyumi nodded. “Likely a deliberate trade-off. Let’s head back down and see what we’ve unlocked. It’s better to confirm the area is cleared before they regroup. Stay sharp, these constructs might have more tricks in store.”

“Agreed,” Tanisha said.

All eyes turned to Aurelius, who suddenly seemed uneasy under the weight of their stares. 

“I agree too,” he said, a bit awkwardly.”

“So, what’s the plan, fearless leader?” Tanisha teased, her tail swishing behind her as a grin tugged at her lips.

“Wait, me?” Aurelius blinked, pointing at himself. “Shouldn’t Fuyumi—”

“You’ve got a natural knack for leadership.” Fuyumi dismissed the idea with a casual wave. “I’m more of a warrior and guide. It would appear that strategy is one of your strengths. I noticed the same when Tanisha was injured and we had to fight the magma burrowers. You came up with the plan then too.”

Tanisha shook her head when his gaze darted to her for support. “Don’t look at me. I am just the alchemist on this trip. Planning combat strategies? Definitely not my thing.”

“Looks like it’s on you, Speedy,” Fuyumi said with a smirk.

“You’re calling me that now too?” Aurelius let out a resigned sigh, scratching the back of his head. “Fine. Just… give me a second.” He peered down the water-coated stairs, deep in thought. “Tanisha, can you coat the walls and ceiling too?”

“Sure.” Tanisha shifted her knife, and the water obeyed, flowing upward to cover the surfaces. “Like that?”

“Perfect,” Aurelius said. “How’s your mana reserve holding up?”

“Seiðr, and I’ve used maybe a quarter. Channeling like this is a steady drain, but nothing I can’t handle.” She sheathed one of her daggers and potion bottles appeared in her hand. She tossed one to him and Fuyumi. “Stamina potions if we are continuing, let’s make sure we are ready.”

“Alright. Keep it up but don’t overdo it,” Aurelius instructed, he uncorked the bottle and drank. “Fuyumi, you lead the way since you can sense the constructs better. Bjorn, cover the rear. Tanisha and I will watch for disturbances in the water. If anything disrupts the flow, we’ll know. Sound good?”

“Why the ceiling?” Tanisha asked, her brow furrowing.

“In case they’ve got ambushers hanging above,” Aurelius replied. “We’re in a confined space. Plenty of creatures would exploit that, and these things already demonstrated intelligence when one sabotaged the door controls.”

“Smart,” Tanisha admitted, nodding. “Alright, Speedy. Lead on.”

The group began their descent, Tanisha’s water shifting seamlessly to avoid her allies’ feet, ensuring their footing remained dry. The tension in the air was palpable as they reached the bottom. Almost immediately, Tanisha felt a faint disruption in her magic, followed by the telltale shimmer of aether.

“Two constructs—right and left!” she called out.

The constructs had latched onto the walls, avoiding the water-coated floor. As Tanisha’s warning echoed, both lunged at Fuyumi from opposite directions. But Fuyumi and Aurelius were ready. With a sharp thrust, Fuyumi’s ice spear impaled one midair, its form instantly freezing then shattering into shimmering fragments. Aurelius shot forward with his unmatched speed intercepting the second with his glowing blade. There was a brief exchange of strikes but soon the golem was also destroyed.

“Good call,” Fuyumi said, nodding her approval as she readied her weapon again.

Tanisha returned the nod, her focus sharpening as the group moved forward, prepared for whatever awaited them. They entered a large, sprawling chamber that stood in stark contrast to the upper-floor’s stark, utilitarian design. This room was divided into a labyrinth of individual workstations, each brimming with peculiar and ancient tools. Along the walls, for once, there were no imposing blast doors, only ordinary doors with simple handles, a deceptive normalcy in such an advanced facility.

Navigating through the maze of shelves, hand tools, and flat, lifeless screens, the group swept the area carefully, ensuring it was clear of threats before moving on. Tanisha’s sharp eyes scanned the environment, recognizing some of the equipment as lab instruments, though much of it was alien to her. The room seemed to whisper of scientific endeavors long abandoned.

As they explored further, they discovered smaller rooms adjoining the central workspace. Each held a different purpose: office spaces left cluttered, meeting rooms lined with chairs, arcane chambers with unfinished and odd aetheric spellforms, and even a few pristine functional bathrooms. The sheer scale of the area dwarfed every structure they’d encountered thus far aside from the massive pit city which was undoubtedly the heart of this facility.

The group entered the next room, and Tanisha let out an unexpected squeal, startling everyone. Her wide eyes darted across the shelves upon shelves of neatly arranged chemicals, meticulously preserved samples of plants, animals, and possibly monsters. The room was an alchemist’s dream, a veritable treasure trove of discovery. Among the shelves were not only alien-looking apparatuses but also simple tools she recognized: beakers, microscopes, and other familiar instruments.

“This is… incredible,” she whispered, her voice brimming with awe. “It’s an alchemy lab. The most advanced I’ve ever seen. Probably ever will see. How did they keep everything so perfectly preserved for so long?”

Aurelius snapped to attention, forming a defensive stance. “Are you okay? Did you see something? Where is it?” His tone was sharp, his eyes darting around for any sign of danger.

Tanisha flushed with embarrassment, shaking her head. “No, sorry! I didn’t detect anything dangerous. I just… got excited. This lab is remarkable.”

Fuyumi let out a quiet sigh, her conjured weapon vanishing into the air. “You can marvel at it later. For now, let’s clear the rest of this level.”

 “Right,” Tanisha nodded, “sorry. Let’s keep going.”

The group pressed on, exploring the remaining rooms. Most were unremarkable, their contents mundane compared to the treasures of the alchemy lab. That was until they reached another blast door, this one wide open. A palpable tension filled the air as they peered into the dark space beyond.

Tanisha extended her magic, spreading water into the room. She felt no immediate disturbances, but the air carried a sense of unease. Fuyumi stepped inside, and as if sensing her presence, the lights flickered to life.

The room revealed itself to be an armory—a veritable arsenal of strange weapons and equipment. Odd, rune-coated plates of metal were stacked on high shelves, alongside peculiar vests and strange, compact versions of the loud crossbows they had seen earlier. Unlike the larger, arm-mounted variants, these were handheld, seemingly designed for agility and precision.

At the center of the room stood a flat, sterile table, holding what appeared to be a humanoid golem with wings. The construct was bound in place, its lifeless form tethered by a web of metal cables extending from its back.

Before anyone could comment, the golem’s head lifted, a faint green light flickering to life in its hollow eyes. The group froze, weapons at the ready, their bodies coiled with tension.

“Welcome to the Maintenance Room,” came Doxy’s familiar monotone voice from the golem. “If you have damaged equipment, please place it on the fabricator.”

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