Let It Be

“Is everyone ready?” John asked, taking a look at the assembly of girls he was travelling with. All of them had changed their outfit in some way.

Abigail had discarded her flame-morphing leaf vest and baggy pants, opting instead for clothes no doubt loaned to her by Jenny, judging by the slightly too-tight black shirt with the word “Queen” emblazoned upon the chest in the band’s signature script. She wore dark-faded jeans, held in place by a leather belt, the only thing she wore which shared a color with her previous outfit. Instead of loose and free as it normally hung around her face, her black hair was tied behind her in a bushy ponytail.

“Abigail, don’t you think you’re going to be cold? It’s going to be ten or twenty degrees colder there,” John explained, and instead of a response she grabbed his arm, putting his hand on her bicep with a smug smile. Both her hand and arm were like a furnace, way hotter than the room around them justified. Right. Made of fire. “Good point.”

Amy’s armor had condensed itself back into a necklace of fangs which she had tucked into the long-sleeved white blouse she wore. Below that she wore a deep blue straight skirt. Her straight, brown hair framed her face, just barely reaching her shoulders.

Grace’s outfit was the least changed, she still had her trusty jean jacket on, absolutely plastered with different stickers. The same brown boots with red laces. However, instead of nothing but a bra on underneath her open jacket, she wore a tube top . A poofy black linen cap adorned her head, similarly covered in her signature stickers. Notably, where before there was a sticker of the UK flag, there was a sticker of the Canadian flag. She wore a black choker just above her activation tattoo, a large red ‘A’ inside a black circle.

Never realized that’s the anarchy symbol, John thought, eyes lingering on her tattoo. Misreading his gaze, she stretched her arms upward and jut her chest out, laughing when he realized her intentions and suddenly looked away. That tattoo placement was probably intentional.

John exited the barrier their dorm was in alongside his four companions. Since they weren’t that high up, they decided to not wait for the elevator and take the stairs. “So, where are we going anyway?” John asked, opening the door to the nearest staircase. When they entered, he saw the man who had administered his combat test talking to a man clad in red armor.

“Oh, hey Gamer! Good to see ya. So you made it through, huh?” Axel commented, shaking John’s hand. “Glad to have you join us. Let’s work together sometime, yeah?”

“Uh, sure,” John said to the man’s retreating form. He and his friend were already another two flights up, apparently taking the steps three at a time.

“Guess you made quite the impression on him,” Amy commented as they descended, “I haven’t seen any of the people I encountered in my tests around.”

“I suppose so,” John replied, thinking back to his fight with the man. “He wasn’t nearly that friendly during our test. I guess it was all a front.”

“To answer your question, we’re going to Chez Claudette. It’s in midtown. You lot will love it. They’ve got the best poutine,” Grace responded, opening the door to the lobby. “Trust me.”

Strength’s fist slammed into the wall with new vigor, the metal stretching and screeching under his ****. I know not what kind of energy she has given me, but it’s taken the place of my soul. I feel stronger than ever, and these blasted walls can’t take a drop of it.

Finally, his fist sailed clean through the wall, creating a head-sized hole. He reached through it, using both hands to stretch the hole. The metal tore like tissue paper under his newly confident grip, nothing to him with this new power. He went to place his foot on the ground outside the room… then realized there wasn’t any. Clever bastard.

Climbing outside the metal box he was sealed inside, he dug his hand into the sleek surface for handholds. Standing on top of the box, the rest of the barrier seemed to be a void. Doesn’t answer how he set up my plumbing. Nairis, don’t fail me now.

He was filled with power at the utterance of this request, and he leapt through the barrier, crashing through its ethereal edge… and into The Magician’s study. The aforementioned mage was floating along a bookshelf on the second floor, but chains shot out of his hands the second Strength had broken free. “How did you escape!”
“No cell you build could truly contain me!” Strength roared, grabbing the chains that sought to wrap around his neck. He yanked the Magician forward, arm enshrouded in a deep black aura. The Magician erected a shining emerald shield to block the goliath’s attack… but he was a congregation of ten or twelve clones, enough to contain the beast in the state he was left in… but not even enough to defeat Strength as he was in their previous fight. This was beyond him.

“ALERT! ALERT! HIGH PRIORITY PRISONER HAS ESCAPED! EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! DO NOT MAKE CONTACT!” The voice pierced through the entire building, making the five friends look back at the structure they had just exited. John and Abigail looked back in time to watch as a man burst through an enormous hole near the top.

Fuck! That’s Strength! One of the Major Arcana! I read that he was going to be on trial tomorrow! I didn’t know they were keeping him here! Is he running away from the Magician? I need to try to slow him down! John thought, summoning his pistols to his hands and shooting a barrage of lead at the man above them. He entered Reflex Mode, recoiling at the enormous black aura rolling off the man leaping toward the edge of the barrier. He saw Abigail leap off the ground next to him, exploding into the air.

“Abigail, no!” John shouted after her, conjuring a mana rope and throwing it at her ankle as she ascended. Unfortunately, she was just too fast. I need to make sure his focus isn’t only on her!

The gunman charged Ebony with all eight hundred and twenty six of his mana, unleashing an ungodly beam with a channeled Mana Bolt. He watched as Abigail released a massive explosion directly on their enemy… and felt his chest sink as he emerged from it and backhanded her, sending her careening to the ground.

The beam impacted Strength… and seemed to do nothing. John watched as the black aura seemed to swell, and only barely managed to dodge a fist-shaped projectile launched his way. Realizing it was wearing off, he activated Reflex Mode again. He took a mana potion out of his inventory, one of the last six he had, and Jumped upward as Strength broke through the barrier containing the building, entering the mundane world.

He wasn’t worrying about their enemy, though; Abigail had made no move to save herself as she fell toward the ground and John worried she was ****. His fears turned out to be true, and as he took her into his arms, he realized she was waking up. “This next part would be a lot easier if you slowed our descent.”

Blinking away the fogginess, she realized what John meant, and made to generate flames to soften their landing… but had no need. A pocket of sound slowed them down and cushioned their fall. “Forget about me?” Jenny asked, having gotten her bass out of its case in record time. “I may not be a fighter for hire, but I’ll always catch ya, Johnny.”

“Do you think we can still go to Canada?” Grace asked, looking with uncertainty at the building they had just come from.

“Grace! Abigail’s hurt!” John shouted, helping the wounded pyromancer to her feet. Despite the massive blow she had taken, all that was really hurt was her pride.

“His slap didn’t really hurt me, but whatever spell he had felt like it was draining me. Even the fire I attacked him with didn’t do much. Like he didn’t really care about hurting me. I say we still go,” Abigail explained, dusting herself off. To her credit, her clothes seemed unharmed from the altercation.

“What do you two think?” John asked, turning to Jenny and Amy. It was in these moments that he felt like an outsider, and it was clear they had been in the Abyss much longer than him. After everything I’ve gone through… do I still act like a mundane person about this?

“If she’s okay, I think it’s fine to go,” Amy commented, looking at the brawler, who was currently cracking her neck. Jenny simply nodded in agreement, not having much to add to the sentiment.

“If the travel hub is still open that is,” Grace pointed out, thinking of the implications of such a breakout. It could be that Strength was on his way there now.

“Well,” Abigail said with a slowly growing smile.