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ILIAS VAN PAYNE

"It's a bit dark," Trebor complained as we searched for a window.

"It's been quiet for a while now. I think we can risk a bit of light."

I cast a spell that turned one of my gates into an orb of light that guided our way through the stone corridors.

The hallways were designed as if they were a maze. Even with light, we continued finding ourselves at dead ends. We'd walk and walk and walk, and just as we thought we found a way out, Trebor would point out landmarks we've passed before.

"Most castles were built with a basic layout," Trebor explained. "But the ones built by rich lords would hire expert architects to design them to be as confusing as possible. Any form of attack—war or silent assassinations—the enemy would have a hard time navigating the castle. That's an advantage for the inhabitants."

"And this one was built by the richest man in history."

"He would've spared no expenses building this to be as complex as possible."

Which meant getting out would be more difficult than finding moisture in a desert.

Trebor caressed his hand on the wall. "I have heard one thing about mazes. If we follow the right hand side, it would always lead us to an exit."

"That would lead us to the different stairwells. We're trying to find a window to jump out of. It's the safest way."

"If you have any other ideas, spit them out. We're better off finding one along the way over walking mindlessly."

He does have a point there. If we follow his method, we're at least making sure we're not walking in circles.

Trebor ran his right hand on the wall and followed its twists and turns. I trailed behind with my staff out, ready to provide support.

"It's been well past ten minutes at this point," Trebor pointed out. "What do you think the others are doing?"

"I told Joji to turn this place to sand, but this ruin's Untouchable charm is strong. Not to mention that it's huge. He won't be able to do it. Even I can't. I just wanted to keep the Night Dancers on their toes."

"What about Jaime? I hope she didn't follow us inside."

"She wouldn't do that. But the more time that passes, the more likely she will. I can overpower a part of the wall so my jynx can work on the castle, but we don't even know which wall leads to the outside."

We turned the corner and finally stumbled upon the sun's burning shine cutting through the end of the hall.

A glimmer of light within the darkness.

Trebor and I hurried, keeping our footsteps at a minimum.

Hold on, this doesn't look right.

I could see the light just fine, but there were no blues for the sky. Not to mention that I couldn't make out the window's borders.

I stopped for a moment of clarity before glancing at the orb of light by my side. The one that's been guarding our way.

"Trebor, stop, it's a trap!" I yelled out. "That's not the sun. It's an Inner Light orb at a dead end."

The archaelogist struggled to slow down, losing balance right by a concourse that led to another hallway. "What?!"

"Zenyatta! Bubble him!"

Zenyatta appeared beside me, hurling an orb that expanded into a bubble large enough to protect Trebor.

"Virtual Insanity!" a familiar voice commanded.

Gravity shifted towards the right wall, making it the floor. I lost balance and crashed on my side.

Holding a pistol, Jay Kay flew out of a room across Trebor, emptying the chamber. The bubble made sure my ally was unaffected. But because Trebor stopped right at a concourse, he fell into the adjacent hallway with Jay Kay in pursuit.

The moment he was out of sight, the bubble I placed on him returned to Zenyatta. The mock sun at the end of the hall disappeared as well.

"War Machine!" Jay Kay's voice echoed. "Take care of the wizard!"

The hawk squawked, announcing itself as it glided from the same room as its master. Icicles grew at the concourse, connecting to create ice walls that kept us away from our allies.

Gravity returned to normal and I was able to land on my feet this time around.

War Machine grew an icicle on the floor before swooping down and snapping it off. The bird locked eyes with me as it carried the icicle.

"Zenyatta!" I called out.

"Ubasha!" it cried as it placed itself between us.

The hawk shot the icicle. Not at me but the ceiling above my head. Bricks broke off which led Zenyatta to punch it into rubble.

War Machine was able to take advantage of its diversion, flying past me with a fwoosh and slashing my right eye with its talons.

"Shit!" I cried as I wiped the tear-like blood off my face.

I closed my working eye and found the other one to be quite useless.

Zenyatta scanned the area—blood dripping from the area his eye would be—and spotted War Machine behind us. The Stand called out a bubble in each hand then hurled them at the hawk.

War Machine took quick notice, spreading it wings and whirling. The bubbles flew past her and collided with a wall.

It's too fast to hit directly.

When we were attacked outside, the icicle melted into a puddle. It meant that even if the icicles were transmuted mana, it still had the same properties as ice until War Machine commanded so.

I hovered to the ice wall and pressed my staff against it, summoning a giant fireball right at the tip. The compressed icicles bled until a circular doorway-like hole melted right in the middle.

I gathered the melted water at the tip of my staff, pressing everything into one singular point. Haven't used this spell in a while.

"Water Cannon!"

I fired multiple shots of water as fast and big as spears. War Machine had no way of dodging this time. Instead, it froze the Water Cannons midair, stopping their momentum.

Of course, this is still its mana.

War Machine squawked before shooting my own spell back at me using wind jynx commanded with a couple flaps of its wings.

I dove through the other side of the ice wall, pressing my back against it as cover. But at the last possible second, the wall shattered. A few icicles crashed into my body, creating shallow cuts before Zenyatta shattered the rest.

The hawk took down its own blockade just to get to me? How the hell do I keep getting outsmarted by a damn bird!

I should've just fled. War Machine would no doubt catch up, but at least I'd be closer to Trebor.

But now, I had no choice but to take this avian foe head on.

What do I use? Guns And Roses? No, it'll create icicles to hide behind. Should I use Epitaph and sacrifice a year of my life to kill it. No, it won't let me get close.

But there is that one technique...

When I fought Clint in Orisa, I discovered I could trap fluids in Zenyatta's bubbles such as hot air. Instinctively, I tried trapping my mana which was indeed possible.

I'd been wanting to try something out but held off on it because of our certain circumstances. But seeing my situation, this was the perfect opportunity to strengthen Zenyatta's arsenal if it worked. If.

Stand Users give up their ability to use jynx. But I was able to circumvent that restriction thanks to Mondatta and My Way. Enhancing Stands with jynx was something only I could do.

War Machine fights by using ice. Fine. Then I'll fight it with fire.

Three things were needed to create a fire.

The first was a fuel source for it to consume. The second was heat to keep it hot. And lastly, oxygen for it to burn. If even one of these wasn't present, a fire would not ignite.

Zenyatta appeared before me with a bubble hovering over each palm.

First was a fuel source which was real simple. When one used fire jynx, they used their own mana as a fuel source.

Second was heat. Luckily for me, fire jynx was actually the ability to control heat.

Inside Zenyatta's bubbles, I trapped mana that was under intense heat. The moment I decide to pop the bubble, the mana and heat will react to the oxygen in the air, causing a spontaneous explosion.

Which meant that Zenyatta was carrying two bombs in its hands.

This is our last shot.

"Bombs Away!" I commanded.

Zenyatta hurled the bubbles with vigorous speed. "Ora!"

Instantly, the bird took notice of the bubbles and tucked its wings, swooping through them with ease. I popped the two bubbles, creating ball-shaped infernos that scorched War Machine's back, catching its feathers aflame.

I levitated the bricks broken from the ceiling and blasted them towards the hawk. War Machine screeched in pain, a distraction that allowed the bricks to fly right into its body. The winged foe plopped to the ground.

The remaining ice disappeared. Not melted nor evaporated. They just ceased. It was only transmuted mana after all and if the owner of that mana had no more energy, their shape would crumble.

I walked over to War Machine, inspecting its bubbling wings of melted flesh and feathers. Blood leaked out of where the bricks struck it.

It can still survive if it saves its energy. I can heal it just enough but to fully heal it back to health, it needs Riko.

As much as this bird was our enemy, killing it when it was no longer a threat was just cruel.

I hovered my hand over War Machine. "You'll be okay."

An icicle began forming right above my head. Before it could even grow into a size that could hurt me, Zenyatta shattered it with a single punch.

I lowered my hand as the bird's eyes locked onto my shameful gaze. War Machine slowly took its last breath.

So these are our enemies? If even their bird can fight to the end just to protect its honour, what more can everyone else do?

I grabbed my staff and followed the hallway War Machine blocked off. Whenever I arrived at a concourse, I'd take the path that had bullet casings, ripped fixtures, and items strewn about.

As I navigated the maze-like building, I took a moment to review my injuries. I had been so caught up in the fight that my body forgot to register the pain.

The right side of my body was heavily wounded. Not only did the shards of ice cut shallow wounds, but there were numerous of them. I could easily pass out from blood loss if they weren't treated. War Machine had also slashed my eye out, leaving it completely blind.

But I couldn't stop to treat them now. Trebor was still locked in a fight with Jay Kay and my very involvement could ensure our victory.

Grunts and gunshots echoed in the hall ahead. For a moment, I thought that it might be another one of my allies fighting another enemy but a single snapping crack reassured me that it was who I was after.

I flew into the hallway where the effect of gravity was changed. It pulled me towards my end of the hall but it only took a moment for me to restabilize.

Above me, Trebor hung onto a fixture with his whip while Jay Kay reloaded his pistol with his feet sticking to a wall.

However, I soon came to realize why gravity fell towards where I was. Right at the top, the bright sun shone through a window.

Not an Inner Light orb to trick us like earlier. It was the actual sun that had slowly worn us down these past few weeks. And for some reason, I was quite joyed to see it peeking in through a window.

"Ilias!" Trebor called out, a sense of relief in his voice. "We can defeat him."

"Where's War Machine?" Jay Kay asked.

I shook my head. "The hawk fought till the end. It could've lived but it didn't accept my mercy."

"She's dead?!"

"I'm sorry."

Jay Kay brought up his pistol and fired every shot. Two of the bullets ended up hitting me right in the shoulder and calf.

"Bombs Away!" I screamed as Zenyatta hurled two heated bubbles at the gravity user.

Jay Kay pointed at the floor and screamed out his trigger word, reorientating the room back to its original formation.

This changed the arc of the bubbles, having them fly past Jay Kay and exploding against the window instead, creating a bigger opening.

"The hell?" Jay Kay growled before pointing at my end of the hall. "Virtual Insanity!"

Trebor didn't waste a second, sprinting towards Jay Kay at full speed the moment gravity was back to normal. He tackled the gravity user, grabbing his hand and twisting it so it pointed at the window.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Jay Kay cursed.

"Taking you out of your playing field!"

The two men dropped out of the window, arcing a full ninety degrees and plummeting to the sandy ground.

Shit! I gotta bubble Trebor!

I propelled myself towards the falling duo.

Before Trebor could push Jay Kay away, the Night Dancer grabbed ahold of his foot. He pulled Trebor close and dug his fingernails into his body.

"You're going to have the wizard bubble you from the fall, right? I thought so. That's why I'll give him a choice. Whatever happens to me, happens to you."

"Ilias, don't bubble me!" Trebor shouted back.

In just a few seconds they were going to be out of my line of sight. This might be my only chance to bubble them before I could reach the window.

"Zenyatta! Bubble them!"

Zenyatta appeared beside me, summoning an empty orb and hurling it towards the duo, enveloping them together. Just as I reached the opening, they crashed to the ground, protected and unharmed. The window happened to be on the west side of the ruin so they were right by the entrance we were all so wary of.

However, there was one thing that caught my eye. Jaime and the others weren't there.

Did they rush in after us? No. Joji and Clint knew better than entering.

They were taken inside.

"Looks like the wizard made his choice," Jay Kay giggled. His gaze fell on me as he pointed upwards. "Virtual Insanity!"

Suddenly, gravity shifted to the ceiling. With no space nor time to maneuver myself, I crashed into the brick, making me lightheaded and out of breath. Incapacitated, but still very much conscious, I plummeted to the ground.

Trebor kicked sand into Jay Kay's eyes before bringing out his whip, patiently waiting for me to fall close. It felt like aeons but when I finally reached his range, he cracked his whip, snatching my ankle and tugging my limp body towards him. Trebor caught me before tumbling backwards to break my fall.

"Ahh! I got you, Kid."

Our tender moment was interrupted by the cocking of Jay Kay's pistol followed by him pointing it at my head.

"I wager that this gun is faster than your whip," Jay Kay said.

"Ilias, do you trust your life in my hands?" he whispered to me.

He just saved me. Of course I do.

Trebor faced Jay Kay, holding his flaccid whip slithering on the sand. "Then I'll wager that the pistol you have pointed at the kid is out of ammo."

"That's a pretty bold wager. I'm guessing you're an all-in-all-out type of guy?"

Trebor nodded a grin to that acknowledgement. "You emptied your pistol at the kid when we were still inside. Right after that, I tackled you outside. There's no way you would've reloaded. But if you had a second gun then we would've been dead." Trebor paused for a moment. "Because you would've shot us in the heads instead of buying time with this pointless wager."

Jay Kay pulled the trigger producing not a bang but a mere click before throwing the pistol itself right at Trebor. "Batta! Where the fuck are you! I kept my pistol shiny for situations like this! Get me back inside!" His voice was furious.

Jay Kay charged towards the entrance, sliding on the sand until his foot was inside the building.

No, he's in a room!

"Virtual Insanity!" he screamed, pointing at the end of the hall.

The gravity within the hall shifted, causing him to make distance away from the door. But before he got too far, Whip It wrapped around his neck, dangling him in the air.

"Impossible!" he choked. "You're too far."

"Sorry, friend, but there's a reason why you never wager against guys like me," Trebor gritted in pain. "I've never lost a wager and sadly for you, you were way too easy to read."

Somehow, the arm holding the whip was unnaturally extended just by a bit, long enough to allow Trebor to reach Jay Kay.

"You dislocated your arm," I managed to wheeze as air finally filled my lungs. "To extend your reach."

Jay Kay desperately pointed at the floor but with his airway tightened, he couldn't speak the trigger word to reorient the room back to what it was. He gave up on using his ability, instead digging at his throat to unfasten the whip. When Jay Kay's face turned blue, his body twitched with spasms.

Before long, he stopped struggling. The effects of Virtual Insanity were undone as its user dropped limply on the floor.

"He's finally dead," Trebor spoke out before dropping onto the sand and screaming in agony.

We've taken out two of the Night Dancers, but this whole thing was far from over. With all of our allies having been taken inside, we had no choice but to go back into the Tomb of the Boom.