jamal and tacos: the secrects that lay behind the bathroom door(chapter 21)

Chapter 21

Cain inquired, "So there are other contractors involved?" Tori let out a sigh, signaling a deeper complexity. "It's not the contract that increased the payout; it's the government," Tori clarified, to which Cain's face revealed comprehension. "I've dealt with the government before; it's not my first rodeo, unless it's a specific branch of the government that specializes in..." Cain paused as the realization dawned. "Yeah, it's them—those audacious individuals who employ supervillains for their clandestine tasks," Tori confirmed. 

"Still up for the mission?" Tori inquired, expecting Cain to decline. Without hesitation, Cain responded, "Sure, send me what you have, and I'll handle the rest myself." Tori was almost taken aback. "Oh, understandable, I mean, I wo...wait, you said you were going to accept it? Really?" he exclaimed. "Send me the details, Tori," Cain stated before hanging up the phone.

- Scene Change -

Amidst the shroud of night where the chorus of animals had silenced, the world was veiled in complete darkness. In a remote location, a towering structure, a veritable fortress, loomed. Four figures, barely visible in the inky blackness, guarded its perimeter. Each of these men, when discernible, was clad in heavy combat gear and helmets equipped with night vision apparatus, granting them a perfect view in the obscurity. These guards were stationed at the four corners of the fortress, all uniformly outfitted and equipped. They maintained a constant vigilance, rotating their positions to ensure no blind spots remained.

One of the guards remarked, "It's getting really cold out here," as he passed by a fellow sentinel. The next guard, his breath visible in the chilly air, responded, "Colder than a witch's tits," and continued his patrol. Then, another guard chimed in with a discomforted tone, "I need to take my 5-minute break to, well, you know, I really shouldn't have eaten that taco; my ass is burning." The fourth guard, visibly frustrated, demanded, "For heaven's sake, Jamal, stop talking about shittig, what the hell is wrong with you?," as they all diligently carried out their duties.

- Scene Change -

Despite the perception of an impenetrable fortress, someone or something had slipped past the guards unnoticed. The guards failed to observe this intruder, and neither did the camera located a mile from the fortress nor the satellite responsible for monitoring the area. The intruder, dressed identically to the guards, and armed with the same weapon, continued to move with stealth. 

"This place is incredibly well-guarded, isn't it?" mused the intruder, who was none other than Cain though as he breathed. "But then again, it's certainly worth 30 million," he contemplated as he navigated a dim hallway. Turning a corner, he encountered two guards who inquired about his missing partner. "He's using his 5-minute break for some personal business," Cain replied nonchalantly, striding past without arousing suspicion. "Then why didn't you wait for him?" asked one of the guards. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to be anywhere near the restroom when Jamal is in there after eating tacos," Cain replied, passing by.

"Wait," the first guard exclaimed, turning back, puzzlement etched across his face. "What? Come on, he's right, have you been anywhere near Jamal after he's had tacos? The guy smells worse than the sewers," said the other guard, nonchalantly dismissing any concerns. "No, not that. Stop talking about tacos and shit. Weren't Jamal and Deris on route B6 patrol? Why are they on route D4?" The first guard's suspicions grew as they hastened to catch up to Cain, who had seemingly vanished. "Where did he go?" the guard pondered aloud, perplexed. Suddenly, an unpleasant odor overwhelmed their senses. "What's that smell?" asked one of the guards as they turned around, searching for the source.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Jamal, a touch of perfume wouldn't hurt," another guard exclaimed, exasperated, as he approached Jamal and the two other guards. The two bewildered guards turned their attention to the guard who had just arrived, "wait, how did you get here?". "What are you talking about?" he said in confusion.

"Weren't you just here?" one of the perplexed guards queried, baffled by the sudden appearance of the additional guard and Jamal's partner.

The second guard chimed in, "No, what are you guys talking about? Wait are you on crack again danial" Jamal and his partner couldn't help but laugh at the exchange.

- Scene Change -

The guards continued their conversation while passing one another, completely unaware that the wall they spoke near seemed to shift, as if something semi-transparent was concealed behind it. 

"This is far too convenient for acquiring a spell like this," mused Cain, the semi-transparent figure. "To whomever is looking out for me, may you have the grandest Gandalf-worthy beard," he whispered, a smile playing on his lips. With this silent sentiment, he began to move while keeping a close eye on his status screen.

[Name: Cain O'Brien]

[Level: 18 (340/10,000)]

[Spell-Points: 0 ]

[Mana-Charge: 16/18 (each spell requires a single charge unless specified; charges can be regained with meditation)]

[Spells:

Magic-Field: With a wave of your hand, you create a barrier of arcane energy to deflect ranged attacks, but it can only deflect 2 attacks, rank 2 (2 spell points) Cost: 1 charge

Arcane-Blade: three ethereal blades are summoned and launched at high speeds against the target, rank 3 (4 spell points) Cost: 1 charge

Short-Warp: You jaunt through space for a short distance (150 metres), rank 3 (4 spell points) Cost: 1 charge

Almighty Strike: You clap your hands and create an almighty aura that sends a blast wave out in a 30-foot sphere centred on you, knocking away enemies and rendering them disoriented. rank 1 (one spell point) Cost: 1 charge

Arc: A ball of lightning attack that can jump between foes. Rank 2 (2 spell point) Cost: 1 charge

Duplicate: you can create a duplicate of yourself that has access to all of your spells and require no mana to use but the duplicate only last 1 minute and 30 second, rank 3(4 spell point) Cost: 1 charge )

Golem's Heart: you can create a glowing red gem from your magic, which acts as a mana core for a 1 golem, when the core is placed on a sand, stone, metal or water, it would create a 2 metre tall golem that wont die unless the core is destroyed, but the golem laste 30 minutes, rank 1(1 spell point) Cost: 1 charge ) 

Shady Visage: You obscure your own features, allowing you to blend within any place with being detected in anyway for half an hours .Rank 1(1 spell point) Cost: 1 charge )]