Fowlhunter [GL]

Jemi gave the grate a kick. It toppled over, the grids crumpling like blackened paper straws, and the glass shattered just like any normal glass window.

Immediately, Ennanis threw up a barrier of Soleki around the shattering grate, incinerating the flying shards before they could injure the three of them.

"Wow," Jemi gave a little applause. "Most impressive, Golden Rose."

"Would it kill you to be a little more careful?" Ennanis droned.

"But you’d love nothing more," Jemi trilled smilingly. Ennanis frowned at her.

That aside. Armed with something of a solution, they incinerated the evidence of the broken grate and wheeled out the next one. Jemi unscrewed the frames and cut the grids. However, when Ennanis held Lienna up to it again, Lienna continued to glow strongly, but the grids remained as warm as ever.

"I think Lienna is fully-charged," Ennanis said.

"If you use up some Soleki, maybe you can charge again," Jemi said. Ennanis already had the same idea, summoning a large Soleki beam into the air to drain Lienna some. For extra measure, she wove layers of Soleki enhancement around Jemi, Pelia, then herself. It was only then that Lienna began to absorb Soleki anew from the piping.

"It's still not fast enough," Pelia said.

"And you're a crying genius," Jemi bit out.

"If I burn enough Soleki at once, it could allow Lienna to absorb more Soleki at a time," Ennanis said.

"How do you plan on doing tha..." Jemi's voice trailed off as she saw where Ennanis’ eyes were lingering; on her braced forearm. Again. "Look, I told you. I don’t you want you flying yourself into fire."

"I'll just make sure nothing gets to my wrist," Ennanis said.

"......" Jemi stared. "You know the Cockatrice will be there too, right?"

"Yes?"

"What do you mean, 'yes'? That's the Beast that's been trying to kill you day-in, day-out for the past eight years. What makes you think she won't take the chance to murder you right there?"

"Because she's had plenty of opportunity to," Ennanis said, "and she hasn't."

"That's an utter bullshit reason," Jemi said.

"And it's the only one I have," Ennanis said. She began to walk over, and Jemi looked at her, confused. Then Ennanis stretched her arm out, gold brace glinting under the electric lights, and placed her hand on Jemi’s shoulder.

"I won't die. At least, not yet,” the angel said. “Don't worry."

Jemi stared. And stared. Scoffing, she batted the angel’s hand away, looking aside. "Why would I worry about someone like you?"

In response, Ennanis merely smiled. Jemi ignored it.

"Okay, so leave the grates to me and… Rijina," Ennanis said, "the eruption, to the Cockatrice-"

"-and the evacuation to me," Pelia concluded, checking her wristwatch. "That's all the time we have. Let's get out of here."

They incinerated the remains of the second grate and high-tailed it out of the room, locking the door behind them.

“There’s still a glaring hole in the plan,” Jemi said as they walked. “There’s no way I’m going to unscrew every single frame and cut every single grid-end to weaken the grates on my own.”

“Let us help,” someone said.

The three of them jumped. Lanterns swung about randomly, only for their haphazard glances to catch a child emerging from around the corner. He was so small and light on his feet that none of them had detected his approach. Or perhaps, he had been standing outside the room the entire time—listening through the walls.

He switched the light of his small hardhat, and the fluorescence illuminated a grubby, familiar face.

It was none other than Capri’s younger brother, Moru Colton.

“Let the dust help,” he repeated.

~~~

“Come this way,” Moru said, crouching down as he traced along the wall. He pushed something, and an opening came away. “There won’t be any guards here. We built these tunnels ourselves.”

“An explanation would be great,” Pelia said as they crammed themselves into a tunnel, crawling on their hands and feet one after the other. “Prometheus, couldn’t you have made these any larger?”

“It wasn’t exactly made for you in mind,” Jemi snarked.

“Nor you,” Pelia retorted. Though, despite the fact that Jemi was taller and older than her, she was so concerningly skinny that she fit through the tunnels easily. Ennanis had the most trouble, squeezing her well-built stature through the narrow opening, but with her strength she forced herself along.

Moru wiggled himself through the rest of the tunnel’s length. They popped out into a nook. There were several other tunnels in the wall; this was presumably some kind of central confluence leading to different places.

“So,” Moru swept his mop of black hair back. His brown eyes were bright under his fringe. “I guess it’s time to come clean.”

“Have we been introduced?” Jemi inquired.

Moru looked to the gold-haired woman. “Not really,” he answered. He stood up to face them. His height only reached up to Ennanis’ waist, but his stance radiated a confidence that made them feel like they were looking at someone larger. The timid boy that had hid behind his sister when she’d first seen him, Ennanis realised, had been but a facade.

The boy put his right fist over his heart. “My name is Moru, and for the past few months I’ve been leading the resistance of the dust here in the mines.”

There was a shuffling from within the other tunnels, of boots pattering across the rock ground. Slowly, one by one, girls and boys and children popped out from the dark mouths, oil lanterns flickering, mining tools swinging from their belts, satchels on their backs. They proceeded until a group of about twenty crowded into the confluence. They stood in a half-circle behind Moru, determined glares in their gazes.

“A resistance?” Jemi echoed. Her eyes glimmered with a certain interest.

“We don’t want to be trapped down here forever,” Moru said, making a fist. His face was solemn. “I’ve lost too many of my friends to the lava. And if what I heard from you folks is true… about the Kraken, you say? Then we absolutely have to get out of here. There’s more of us still, than those here. We’ll lend you our strength.” With how much he knew, it seemed that him and his company had been tailing them for a while now.

“Whoa, whoa, hold it there, sprout,” Pelia said, holding up her hands. “You’re like, ten, right? What can you possibly help us with?”

“There’s a lot of grates, and a lot of us, isn’t there?” Moru replied. “We can help to unscrew the grates and cut the grids.”

“I won’t allow it,” Ennanis interrupted. “It’s too much danger to put you all in.”

“We’re already in danger all the time,” Moru said adamantly. “Resistance doesn’t come without risk. We might have done something similar even without you.”

“It’s impossible-”

“Let them help, Commander,” Jemi interjected. Ennanis snapped her head to look at the woman, and she stared back at her, continuing: “The spirit of rebellion is strongest in young people. So is stubbornness. They will likely do what they want even if we say no. The better option is to let them be guided by adults. What’s more…” Her gaze sharpened. “We’re not going to get any other help like them.”

“I could ask another brigade of angels to…” Ennanis began, but then she trailed off. She must have realised that the very angels she was planning ask had likely been complicit in the trapping of the Kraken. Even if that wasn’t the case, getting them in on a plan to release the monster again would be fighting an uphill battle; more likely, once they found out, they would crack down to try to stop them, even when they didn’t fully understand the situation they were in.

“......” Ennanis frowned. “I don’t like it. Is there truly no other way?”

“I don’t like working with that girl over there either,” Moru folded his arms, a scowl directed at Pelia Vesuvio, who jerked in place. “I’ll never forget the stuff you did to my sis. But if she allows me to see her again, then maybe I’ll consider us even. Hmph.”

Looking admonished, Pelia kept quiet.

Ennanis knelt down in front of the small, determined boy. She clasped his small hands in hers and swept her gaze over the troop of children.

“Keep yourselves safe,” Ennanis said.

“I promise.” It was an empty, baseless promise. How could anyone ever guarantee something like that? It was more akin to a prayer rather than a promise.

“You won’t be alone,” Jemi added, standing up. “I’ll ask my friends along to assist you.”

“Who are they?” Moru asked.

Jemi looked back at the boy.

“People just like you and me," she said.