Out of the Black

Fifteen minutes after the previous encounter, John began to wonder how long this task would take. According to the time on his phone, they had already been in the Kingdom for three and a half hours. If this takes another hour, it’d leave twenty for us to find and complete a task from my list.

That didn’t sound too hard on its own, but it was like five needles hidden in one giant haystack. And then there’s time for sleep, and time to cook and eat this meat. At least we don’t need to worry about starting a fire, John thought, refocusing on the task at hand.

We’ll finish with plenty of time, Abigail’s reassuring voice said in his head, making John realize that the stress of their objectives had made him lose focus enough that his thoughts were jabbering through their heads.

I have no doubt that there is ample time to complete our own task. Fret now and our chances only decrease, Lucille’s cold voice chimed, though what she said was reassuring.

It’ll be no problem, John! Grace joined in, waving to him out the window. I can always give you some chocolate if you’re feeling down.

Thanks, but I’ll pass, John replied, breathing a sigh. His ears perked up when, in the distance, he heard the rumble of an engine. Leaping onto the last car and looking back, he saw two black sedans that looked much more similar to something that’d be in Springfield approaching from the back.

We’ve got trouble in the back. Prodigy, if you would turn around and give us some numbers, John requested, dashing toward the enemies. Cherufe, join me back here. Joker, keep a watch on our twelve.

There are six cars, two in front and four behind. Looks like the people inside are all fakes. Someone’s created temporary clones and is directing them from far away. I can’t cancel the cloning technique though, they’re made of chi, Lucille explained, drawing a bead on the lead driver.

They’re catching up quick, Abigail commented as she met the first car with a fistful of flames. It exploded, taking out one of the cars behind it. At the same time, the elvish sniper took her shot, killing the driver in the other lead car.

As John turned, drawing his guns, the four clones in each of the four remaining cars did the same. They opened fire as John and Abigail as they each leapt onto a car. Their guns were mundane, and so his duster protected him completely from the damage. John shot the driver out, rolling off the windshield and onto the road.

One of the clones in the remaining two cars levelled a rocket launcher at the back car of the convoy, and fired. Everyone, there’s a rocket headed toward the back car.

On it, Lucille said, and John watched as the rocket shuddered in the air, an arcane bullet from Lucille’s sniper rifle had ripped through it. It stopped propelling and shorted-out, falling to the ground. John heard an explosion behind them a few seconds later.

Did you just fire a bullet through a rocket going over six-hundred miles per hour? John asked as the cars raced by him, momentarily shocked.

Piece of cake, the Prodigy replied, and John got back into gear as one of the final two cars spun out, its front wheels melted. The final driver was eliminated shortly after, a sniper bullet through his head.

Everyone, group back up behind the cars. I have a feeling this isn’t over, John said, and already two of the cars were back, other clones driving. In the distance, four more approached.

Cherufe, take down a couple trees and block the path, John said, doing the same. A Fist to the base of one of the giant trees was enough to weaken it, and he pushed it down. It blocked the road and then some, not even leaving enough room in the grass beside the road to drive around it.

Abigail, always looking for opportunities to top him, shattered the bases of two trees, felling them onto the road. The cars stopped at the trees, and three of the clones walked out. Each had a rocket launcher, and all three fired.

“I can only stop one!” Lucille yelled, an arcane bullet ripping through one of the rockets. Grabbing the frame of the trailing car, he created a thin wall with Mana Construct, not meaning to stop the explosions, only the rockets. The rockets hit the wall, the explosions shattering it. For a moment, it appeared as though the explosions would reach the speeding hovercars… and then Abigail was there, the flames of the explosions being absorbed into her body.

They’re approaching with motorcycles now, Lucille informed them, and as the dust from the explosion cleared, John realized she was right. Twelve dots in the distance approached.

Uh, guys, you may want to come up front and see this, Grace’s voice cut through brief silence, and was followed up by a more detailed report by Lucille.

There are six motorcycles approaching from the front in a diamond formation, the master of the clones is in the back, the elf reported, turning to look at the oncoming biker.

Alright, I’ll take on the ones in the front. Prodigy, Cherufe, take care of the ones in the back. Joker, what do you have for me? John thought, going to her window.

The pool of acid sticker I’m about to hand you can melt metal, the taser sticker can knock most people out when applied anywhere on the head, Grace explained, reaching down to John to hand them to him. Taking them, he Jumped ahead, slapping the acid sticker on the steering stem of the first motorcycle.

Turn on the acid, John said, firing at the mass of bikers. Three dropped, which left a single clone and a single biker. Apparently, the biker whose motorcycle was melted survived, and started to fire upon the leading car.

John, the first guy isn’t dead! Grace’s worried voice filled his mind, and he used Move on the clone behind him as the cars passed him by, forcing him into it.

Using Jump, John landed on the motorcycle with the real person and slapped the taser sticker on his head before he could react. The man’s clone, noticing this, pulled a sawed-off shotgun on John and shot it at his head, a place his duster did not protect.

He recoiled as his health went down, but nonetheless ordered, The taser! Jumping off the motorcycle, he shot and destroyed the last clone. He then wrapped a Magic Rope around the leader as the man convulsed, electricity flowing through him. He used Advanced Spy on the **** enemy, putting the deadweight over his shoulder.

Well, turns out that capturing this guy is probably some sort of bonus or something, because apparently when they hired him they told him not to get captured, John relayed, stuffing the captive man in the back seat of the hovercar.

“You kids did a fine job dispatching those bandits,” Nathaniel commented, one hand on the dashboard and the other feeding himself a candy bar.

“Grace, you gave one of the people testing us chocolate?” John asked incredulously; she was a seemingly unending source of junk food.

“Well I guess making sure the people we’re protecting are comfortable and in high spirits might not be totally necessary, but it helps,” Grace said, and John had to admit she had a point.

Alright, everybody back in position? John asked, leaving the car and slowing until the last car was beside him.

Looks like it, Lucille responded, serenely gazing through the sight of her sniper rifle again. All clear at the moment.

The going was steady until they came to a bend in the road marked by a blue diamond road sign, and the caravan stopped. John almost ran into the back of the car he was tailing, and instead sidestepped it. “What’s going on?”

“End of the line, kids. You’ve escorted us from one checkpoint to another. Now, I’m going to need all of your ID numbers for my report,” Nathaniel explained, climbing out of the car.

“He and I weren’t assigned this task,” Lucille explained, jumping down from the roof of the vehicle.

“Doesn’t matter,” Nathaniel replied, taking out a familiar tablet. It looked exactly like the ones they had been given prior to their testing.

“Mine is 12364, and hers is 12352,” Grace said, pointing at Abigail as she stepped out of the car. She held an ID card in each hand, and the fiery brunette scrambled toward her, reaching for her card. Whispering something into her partner’s ear, she was quickly given her card back and a package of fruit snacks.

John was curious, but decided not to pry as he walked up to the man, “Mine is 12351.”

“Mine is 9581,” Lucille said, and the man took all the ID numbers down. With that, he walked around to the front of the car and leaned against it.

“So, that’s it? Our task is taken care of?” Grace asked, as Abigail looked ready to set off and find their next fight.

“That’s right. Survive the night, and you’ll have fulfilled all your requirements. I’m not supposed to say this, but you passed with flying colors. Two bullets hit the cars overall, and the cyclops barricade was no problem. Your pair has nothing to worry about,” the man explained, finishing the chocolate he was given.

After the confirmation, the group took off into the forest, still following the road in hopes of civilization. After five minutes of travelling, Lucille stopped, dropping to the ground.

There’s a pair travelling alongside us. One of them has adapted to the forest and has camouflaged herself and her teammate accordingly. They also stopped, Lucille explained, her back to a tree. Grace slapped the chameleon sticker on Abigail, but before she could put it on herself, a woman appeared behind her in a flurry of grass. She had long, flowing white hair and a bow strapped to her back.

The woman, an elf if her pointy ears were anything to go by, held up a knife to Grace’s throat, holding the Brit’s hands behind her back with her other hand. John tried to Advance Spy her, but was met with an error message.

Error! Target’s level too high and relationship score too low!
While this was happening, Lucille dove toward a nearby tree. Her hands wrapped around it and pulled away, and wooden camouflage faded to reveal… Valencia Andor. The elvish gunwoman promptly put a pistol to her hostage’s head.

“Who is attacking?” Valencia demanded, struggling uselessly against Lucille’s steel grip. “You promised I’d be safe, Filaurel!”

“I’ll do you one better - why are you attacking us?” Grace was more annoyed than anything else at being taken captive. Valencia’s teammate, apparently Filaurel, pressing her knife tighter to the sticker star’s neck.

“You were following us!” the archer elf said, reasserting her grip on the Brit’s wrists. “Don’t act all innocent.”

“Woah, woah. This is all a big misunderstanding,” John said, putting his gun back in its holster. “Nobody was following anybody. We just came from doing a task. We have no reason to be attacking you.” Focusing his efforts on Filaurel, as she held his friend hostage, he used Mind Reading on her.

Who is this human who thinks he can approach me so brazenly - he shouldn’t think for a moment that he can beat me - I have his teammate if he moves even a step closer I’ll draw blood from her neck

“Alright, alright,” John said, holding his hands up in a sign of submission. “How about this, we release your teammate, and you release our friend. We’ll even tell you where the task we came from is."

He thinks he can trick me well I wasn't-

"We know her. Valencia, it's me! I wouldn’t want to hurt you, you know that. I’m your friend,” John said, looking back at the timid elvish girl. He noticed that she had a spear in one hand and made a note of it.

“H-he’s right. They’re my friends. I trust them. I trust him,” Valencia stuttered, looking at her teammate.

Well… if his teammate releases her first… then and only then will I release his.

“Okay, Prodigy, let go of Valencia,” John said, putting his hands down slowly. At his partner’s skeptical gaze, he continued, “Trust me. Let go of her, Filaurel releases Joker, and we all go our separate ways.”

“And you tell us where the task you came from is. What is it anyway?” Filaurel asked, releasing some of the pressure of the knife on Grace’s neck, who was strangely quiet.

Maybe we can come out of this okay he seems genuine enough unless he’s a really good liar then-

“It was the convoy task. It was about four kilometers south. There’s a trio of cars parked at a blue sign. Can’t miss it,” John said and nodded to Lucille, who reluctantly let go of Valencia. “It was good to see you. It’d been better under different circumstances,” John teased as the spear-wielder rubbed her wrists.

That’s one of the tasks on our list! In hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have been so hasty, but now we’re going to win, so who cares!

“Now you let our teammate go. Nice and easy,” John said, watching Filaurel carefully. The archer girl pushed Grace away, grabbing her teammate and running off. Valencia waved goodbye to them as her teammate dragged her away.

“I could have taken her out,” the Prodigy commented, dismissing her mana pistol. Would have, too. Who is he to lead us? He’s done a good job of it so far, but…

“You know I heard that, right?” John smiled, though worry gnawed at him. He had been leading them so far, and by her attitude, he was one failure away from losing her faith.