Coming to a Head
Something was different. The world had changed.
The transformation took place so quickly that Miranda was left staring at the hallway in front of her for nearly a minute before she gathered her wits and realized what was bothering her.
[I can hear the buzz of the lights.]
Until this point, she'd been operating in a bubble of near-perfect silence with only the soft slap of her bare feet against the ground making any kind of noise. All of a sudden, sounds began trickling in at the edge of her consciousness. The hum of electricity, the rumble of some distant heating unit, even the faint jingle of music that must be emanating from an elevator somewhere nearby. It was a clear sign that something fundamental had changed in her situation.
For a moment she was overcome with the realization that she was free from whatever supernatural effect had been trapping her here.
[Can't relax. I'm not out of the woods yet. The worst thing I can do in this case is let down my gua-]
"Oh, there you are." A voice sounded from behind her.
By the time she had a chance to recognize the speaker, she was already whirling in place, activating the metal rod she'd stolen off her captors and creating a burst of stunning light.
Adrian glanced down at his chest where the rod's blast had struck him to no obvious effect, his eyebrow raised. "...Well, I can leave you here, if you'd prefer."
Miranda's head went blank for a moment, all thoughts driven away by the fact that he'd actually shown up. That he'd actually come for her. That he actually cared.
A wave of relief came next, along with an easing of the tension she'd been carrying ever since she'd woken up in that closet. Her eyes started to water, tears threatening to flood at any moment. She felt the urge to collapse onto the floor, maybe even faint, fully willing to entrust everything to the man in front of her.
Sagging, she just about gave in to the feeling, before her pride stepped in and forced her to straighten, driving any thought of weakness or surrender out of her head.
Surprisingly, Adrian waited patiently for her to regain control of herself, and she was soon able to face him with her usual demeanor and reply sarcastically, "Took you long enough."
He grinned ferally. "In my defense, I had to eat a small dimension in order to free you. That takes a surprisingly large amount of time."
[I'm not even going to ask.]
With a jerk of his head, his smile softening into something that could almost be considered warm, he murmured. "Come on. Let's get you home."
It would have been so easy to simply take that offering. To simply give in and let him take her to safety. To surrender herself.
Truth be told she was tempted. After all, hadn't she been struggling long enough?
Then she saw the flicker of motion in his shadow, and felt her mouth go dry as the full implications of her situation finally became clear to her.
While Adrian was cruel, he was not inhumanly so. Considering her experiences over the last few hours, it was not unbelievable that he would treat her with care. However, she was beginning to suspect this was another of his hidden tests.
Should she surrender to the promise of safety, it would prove her cowardice and weakness. Her unsuitability for the dark dealings that would ever more be a part of his way in this world.
If she took his hand, it would mean admitting that she had no place here. No place at his side. Instead she was merely something to be reclaimed and protected. A belonging that he'd stolen back from his enemies.
[I've come too far and worked too hard to be treated as an object. I will show you that I have every right to be here.]
"That's alright." Miranda replied, straightening her posture as she spoke. "I believe you still have some business to attend to. I will accompany you until you are finished."
He stared at her for a few seconds, a calculating expression supplanting his grin. "Do you even know what's going on? We've basically gotten caught up in a war between two supernatural organizations. While I have no intention of getting directly involved, I still need to extract my payment from one of the participants."
"Then this is a business function. All the more reason for you to have your secretary by your side."
A flash of amusement passed over his features before he sighed dramatically. "Fine. Have it your way. Don't blame me if you end up getting caught in the crossfire."
Then without another word, he turned and began walking, leading the way through the passages and towards a door marked 'Stairs.'
Not wanting to get left behind, she quickly moved to follow.
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Adrian glanced back at Miranda as they continued to climb, once again taking note of the expression of determination on her face. It was clear that she was pushing herself, but he had no interest in forcing her to go back. If she wanted to face the dangers of following him on his current path, then so be it.
[Not sure what she's trying to prove, but I suppose I'll indulge her wishes for the time being.]
Dismissing the issue from his mind, he once again concentrated on the task at hand.
"Have you located Alexander, yet?" He asked Pavuk, who still remained hidden within his shadow.
"Not yet, my lord. I have a general idea of where he might be, but nothing definitive."
"What's the problem?"
His follower paused before answering. "There is a disturbance which is making it difficult to pin down the man's exact location."
"Is it the same kind of interference we noted before?���
"No, my lord. In this case, it is closer to a blurring of his presence. As a high ranking practitioner, it is very likely that he has acquired techniques or items that can hide him from sensory abilities. I suspect that is the origin of my difficulties."
"I see...nothing to be done about it, then. Just get me as close as you can and I'll handle the rest." He grumbled.
"Very well, my lord. I feel I must warn you, however, it appears that he is currently located in the vicinity of the conflict taking place on the ground floor. By all appearances, he's remaining nearby without actively participating."
[...I see. That would explain a few things.]
Adrian glanced down at his shadow. "Are you sure about that?"
The voice hesitated again. "Truthfully, no. There is another being in this building with abilities similar to my own. I have been...borrowing some of its sensors to keep tabs on our target."
"...How does that work?"
A slightly smug note entered Pavuk's voice as he explained, "The other entity uses insects as his medium. Based on that fact alone, I determined that it belongs to a species that I am familiar with. From there it was a simple matter to interfere with the energy conduits which link its minions to itself. For the time being, I have been simply observing and passively gathering information from it, but when the time is right I can leave it blinded."
"And why was I not made aware of this sooner?" Adrian growled. If what Pavuk was saying was true, it confirmed the suspicions that had been forming in the pit of his stomach since the attack began.
In response to his obvious anger, the creature in his shadow took on a more subdued tone. "I apologize, my lord. At the time, I did not think the information was relevant. There were many beings using different methods to observe the convention. This particular one did not appear to be special. However, once we had reclaimed Miss Miranda, it became clear that this creature was acting in concert with the forces that kidnapped her."
Miranda twitched at the sound of her own name, mouth opened slightly as if to ask a question, but she quickly closed it and resumed her neutral expression.
"From here on out, inform me of any developments that could potentially harm us or our interests, no matter how trivial." He finally announced while beginning to climb the stairs once more.
"As you wish, my lord." Came the quiet reply. "I then have something to report. The individuals you attended the conference with have recently entered into conflict with a strike team belonging to the Liberation Front. They appear to be defending a section of the convention center that is linked with another realm. Based on my observations, this is likely the true purpose of the attack."
[These terrorists have gone to a great deal of trouble to screen their intentions. What they are targeting that is valuable enough to warrant this effort?]
"Keep an eye on the battle and let me know if one side proves victorious."
[Hmm...this was quite the crafty plot. Evidently the Liberation Front has a rather accomplished tactician on their side. Everything seems to be moving according to his or her plans. Yet I feel that I am still missing something. The timeline is a little too tight. There must be some other factor I am not aware of.]
As if to emphasize that thought, the building rumbled again, reminding him once again that regardless of who ended up being victorious, this convention center was coming down. For better or worse, the conflict would have to be resolved by then.
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In another part of the building, inside of an isolated office, Alexander Tarn was watching a flickering sheet of light that was depicting the fight between the Liberation Front and a ragged band of Order Practitioners who'd elected to remain behind and defend the evacuating conference attendees.
He frowned slightly as the Front's forces were thrown back once more. Even the organization's pet monster had proven unable to break through the Order's defenses, and after wreaking havoc for a few minutes, it was forced to withdraw.
His own faction had largely escaped by this point, leaving only a few of the moderates and Gavin Maldris's newly rising Reformists to hold the line. By his predictions, they should not have the fighting power to resist, but it seemed that Alexander's youthful foe had more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
[It matters not, I suppose. Even if they drive the Front's forces from the battlefield here, they are taking heavy losses. Certainly, they will not have the strength to oppose my takeover in the coming months.]
There was a knock on the door, and one of his followers entered, speaking quickly. "Sir. We've just gotten word that the Ruler has broken free from his trap."
Lifetimes of experience allowed Alexander to maintain a calm face as he asked. "What's his location?"
"We aren't sure, sir." The man replied hesitantly. "His last confirmed sighting was on the fourth basement level, near the stairwell"
[Those fools in the Liberation Front have failed quite fantastically, haven't they?] He thought to himself as he began planning contingencies. The presence of the powerful but unpredictable individual had nearly caused them to cancel their plans in the first place, and it was only with the Front's insistence that they had a means of removing the Ruler from the field that Alexander had agreed to the modified plan.
[I suppose this is what I get for allowing a group of mongrels and monster lovers to handle a delicate situation. Still, if he goes to the aid of the Bureau at this juncture…]
Another aide stepped into the room behind the first, looking a bit confused.
"What is it?" Alexander snapped, expecting more bad news.
"Well, there is a young man here to see you. He says that he's come to collect what is owed to him."
The old practitioner stared at his follower for a few seconds before breaking into a rare laugh. "Ha...bring him in. The two of us have much to discuss."