The room descended into darkness.

Traits flew in all directions blinding them in flashes of blazing flame as the intruders fought against the shadow dragons mastery within the darkness. Hawkins swore loudly, somehow managing to dive behind his chair before a loud roar made him clamp his hands over his ears. There was nothing but noise as he struggled to see against the endless sea of black, the sounds of stumbles, slashes and groans before a shrill cry of outrage signified the end of the scuffle.

The gas lamps flickered back on, illuminating them in a dull haze of light, enough to surround the impenetrable mix of shadow and smoke. Hawkins hands shook at the sight of the massacre. Books were burned and shredded to pieces, tables and bookshelves toppled, smashed and upended as a large blast of flame had ripped through the left wall like it was paper. Blood was splattered everywhere, great gashes of it divided the complete chaos of the once majestic library now upended in a matter of seconds. The only thing that remained untouched was the chairs and the stool sitting by a slightly singed carpet. The place where they had been sitting mere moments ago and still cowered behind.

The Swarm had separated, a red haired Fire Traited now leaned against the broken section of the wall, admiring his own handiwork. The dark haired woman remained steadfast near the exit, barricading the young girl behind her from view, allowing her to sing her quiet lullaby in a vain attempt to calm herself. Their leader, however had taken things to another level entirely. The grimoire she had held tightly within her hands was no longer there. It had disappeared in the fight.

"Damnable dragon! You dare attack me!" The Swarm leader screeched in anger, her hand outstretched like a puppeteer, her Trait following suit.

Odi was trussed up like a turkey, bound by coils of red hot flame as she whimpered pitifully, hovering above the ground as pure shards of shimmering air held her in place. Hawkins eyes were wide with horror, the clarity of the situation sending his hazy mind spinning as he fought the urge to vomit.

"I didn't realise you'd be able to-" Odi choked out between gasps of thinning air around her.

“Shut it, lizard! I won't fall for your tricks again.” the elf woman snarled, not allowing her to finish.

The grunt with shockingly red hair sneered at her, palm encased in a deadly crimson flame while the dark haired woman by the entrance continued to remain impassive towards the situation. They were from the Swarm, one of the largest gangs in Opalis and judging from the case files Hawkins knew he had somewhere in his office, these guys were more than just your everyday thugs.

They were Enforcers.

Ruthless gang members who were ordered to take matters into their own hands. He knew of a few well known names, Bruiser from the Gearloose Gang, his group consisted of Hatchet, Ruinrunner and Barnstormer but they were mainly his departments problem for Misuse of Grimoire Creation and Contracts. Stopping those who forced Agar contracts with other creatures they smuggled or the selling of faulty grimoires and other Trait boosting objects.

But these guys? These guys were more than just slave traders and petty thieves. Enforcers were the highest of criminals, lone sharks and murderers. He'd never been assigned to stop such a group but he knew from the state of the crime scene reports how efficient they were. They'd need a miracle to get out of this, let alone alive.

"Lady Mantis. Maybe we should lay off the Scale Shrieker for a bit and Cricket could-"

The air around the elf rippled dangerously as the silver haired woman formed dagger after dagger as easy as breathing, silencing her own female comrade in an instant. The black haired woman head lowered in respect as she silently pleaded with her leader, clutching the young girls hand beside her and coaxed her to keep singing. Hawkins fought against his own instinctual fear attempting to focus his mind on conserving as much Trait as he could.

“You know damn well not to use your Trait. This is the third warning. It’s bad enough you’re allowed a business of all things but for a Shadow Traited to employ a race like the Tinker Moles is damn right despicable.”

Hawkins clenched his teeth at the horrid claims that wretched elf was spouting but he had no choice but to block them out. He need a clear mind to regain both his energy and his Trait. Odi had used everything she had to protect them both, sacrificing her treasured library and her own well being just to give them a chance to flee. But he hadn't. He had chosen to hide. He had hidden from the same bias he had told Odi to believe in just moments before. So now it was his turn to return the favour.

“I’m truly sorry, Mantis but I had a guest, you see and I forgot my place. It won’t happen again. I assure you.” Odi said, forcing herself to submit.

Hawkins didn't know where to start. He could see the patches of uneven scales singed by the fire, the unnatural way her legs were bent and the light tint on her scales showing more than just severely low oxygen levels. But somehow she fought through the pain, clenching her jaw and kept the Swarm talking no matter what. The only reason he was still alive was because of her. His smoke only did so much to hide him from view but it was her shadows that kept them from venturing any further.

“I bet it won’t, Agar. You have no right to possess a Trait, let alone such a feeble contract as this one. Whoever heard of a contract with a Tinker Mole?” she spat, angering the dragon just as intended.

A Tinker Mole for a partner? That was rare and- no, he had to ignore them. He had to help her. Odi's weak snarls ended with a sharp yelp of pain as Hawkins concentrated on the steady flow of Trait. Slowing his heart rate, his grimoire yearned to flicker into life but he clamped down the urge to summon it. If they could detect Shadow Trait after a few minutes of usage, who knows what kind of attention a grimoire would attract. No, he needed to gather as much smoke as possible. Agars could exist away from their partners for a long time but that didn't make it any easier. Soon both he and Odi wouldn't last much longer without them.

“What have you done with Fidget? Where is my Agar?” he heard her roar, the coils of flame tightening with every second that passed.

Scanning the room again, Hawkins noticed a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Then again. It was unmistakable. Hack had blended in perfectly with his surroundings instead of moving, almost invisible to those who did not know where to look. His scales had deepened to a russet brown as he hid within the soft furnishings of the leather. Hawkins bit his lip, still unsure of how to proceed with Odi now trapped by her own plan. He needed more Trait and more information.

"Nothing that concerns you. Unless, you want to tell me where your latest project has suddenly disappeared to, hmm?" Mantis said, staring at the Fire Traited to loosen his bindings a fraction.

Despite everything, the Scale Shrieker thrashed about in her salamander form, no bigger than his arm but feistier than any dragon he had ever seen. Hawkins felt his smoke slip out of his control at the burst of emotion, struggling to reign it back towards him at the sound of Odi's demands. Shuffling forwards, he steadied himself on the ground, brushing against a familiar weight of fabric draped on the ground hidden by smog and shadow.

He fought the urge to laugh, feeling around for his pockets as he searched blindly for the familiar box like object. With both ears open listening for the slightest of warnings, he reached for his trusty duster coat and slung it over his shoulders and slid his hands through the sleeves and onto his back in one fluid motion. It was as if all his worries disappeared as soon as he garbed the well worn coat of a Mediator.

Hawkins stayed low to the ground, reaching ever so slowly through his pockets as Odi stayed quiet, avoiding Mantis' steely glare as best she could. Suddenly his hands brushed against a cool metal surface as he forced himself to concentrate and not to celebrate just yet. Using two of his fingers, he slowly pried the lighter out of position along with a precariously placed cigarette. But he couldn't light it. It would attract too much attention.

Hawkins back screamed, his shoulders slumped and he no longer had a plan to get them out of this. Seeing no other option, he took a deep breath and searched for the smog within the streets several blocks away, residing his fate to sitting there and watching every painstaking movement Odi made.

"Never." Odi snarled weakly, facing her executioner head on.

With a last bout of strength, a dark plume of flame shot out from her maw in an attempt to break free. His heart lurched for the exhausted dragon as the black haired woman finally made her move. She intercepted the blast in a matter of seconds, protecting both her leader and her charge by directing Odi's flame towards her palm and caught it, throwing it up into the air like a baseball before extinguishing it.

“Ah, ah, ah. You dragons really should learn how to control your temper. You might hurt someone!” Mantis said, gasping dramatically before putting her hand over her mouth.

Hawkins could see how much those words hurt Odi. It was why she must've held back when she fought, afraid of losing control after so many years in seclusion. No dragon could change what they were just like he couldn't ask for a different Trait. They were one in the same, just like Hack had said.

The black haired woman didn't react, her attention only on blocking the entrance and her fellow members. Mantis sighed, tucked her hair behind her ear and tightened her grip on her Trait, not bothering to hide her wicked grin. This time, Odi couldn't suppress the screams and Hawkins turned his head away once again, this time in understanding. Balling his fists, the Mediator forced himself to stay put and remind himself of why he was still here, hidden by a ratty old armchair.

He knew who they were now. The Swarm. He knew what they were capable of but he had never seen their methods up close. Until now. He repeated the information in his head like a mantra, attempting to remember as much as he could about what his Order Leader had briefly read aloud and what he had seen from these merciless brutes.

Mantis, was obviously the most unstable. A scorned Neridian native with the power over the skies. She had been exiled for her Trait, the ways of her people did not include grimoires. The Culverin Twins, both Fire Traited, both complete opposites of each other. One seemed to draw flame towards them and the other sent it repelling outwards in an unpredictable force of power.

And Cricket, poor, innocent, unaware Cricket. Her Trait was more powerful than any other could even begin to fathom but nobody had ever seen it. Hawkins remembered how the black haired woman had suggested to use it, proving that they knew it's capabilities but the hesitant look in Mantis' eyes was more than enough to reveal what she thought about such a power. Cricket was a half Tarragon, a blind, bastard child who chose to sing for her masters approval, wanting nothing more than to stay by their side. They were all broken by the very power they wielded. But they had all chosen their path long ago.

"Please…" Odi begged, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't, I don't want to fight anymore."

Enough was enough. He had two Fire Traited, an Air Traited and a unknown little girl to deal with. The time to act was now. Hawkins prepared to stand up only to plummet back down into his hiding place, a stray pebble slamming into his head as he fell. Hawkins bit his tongue, wanting to throttle the stubborn Sand Wraith for interrupting his attempts but everything became clear as his gaze flickered over to his position.

Hawkins gulped, his annoyance fizzling out as he became transfixed on the seemingly empty chair. It was the tell tale sign of a crotchety, old Sand Wraith lowering his cursed leg for the first time that night. He knew that look. That was the look of a Traited you most certainly did not want to piss off. Hawkins looked down, suddenly interested in nothing else but the floor only to see a patch of dirt with a rough scrawl of instructions. He swore under his breath and begrudgingly began to move again, shooting a last fleeting glance at the distracted Swarm.

"Of course, dear Scale Shrieker. Now tell me, where did you put black grimoire when you stole it from me?" Manis crooned, stepping forwards as her blades cupped Odi's cheek.

The dragon stopped squirming and admitted defeat, beckoning the elven woman closer. The smell of the city streets filled the air as he snaked the last bit of the smog past the red haired Fire Traited. Mantis was transfixed, the red haired Cull was bored and the stone cold Rin was preoccupied with keeping Cricket singing. Hack nodded. Now. Hawkins ran a hand through his hair, gathering the last of his stored Smoke Trait towards his fingertips and stood bolt upright.

“Leave her alone.” he yelled, catching the attention of everyone in front of him.

Mantis flung a half deformed wave of Trait with as much fury as she could muster.  Hawkins dove to the right, summoning every ounce of his Smoke Trait at them as they did the same. Fire and Air met the cloying smoke as Hawkins splayed his hands and ordered his Trait to surround them all as much as possible. Hack moved silently the smoke nothing more than a distraction as his scales shimmered effortlessly to match the endless changing cloud of grey as he disappeared from sight. Hawkins was only a few seconds away from Odi as she scrambled to break free only for Mantis to panic. She reached for control of her only remaining daggers and cut through the choking smoke with one fell swoop.

"You bastard." she choked out, wheezing for breath as she attempted to swat her lackeys awake. "You tricky little bastard!"

Hawkins grinned, paying no mind to the struggling Swarm caught within his Trait, gathering the last remnants of his lingering smoke towards him he deflected Mantis' lacklustre daggers with ease. Their control over their Trait was finally weakened and Odi dropped from the sky, freed from her prison right into Hack's awaiting arms. She breathed a large gasp of air, coughing as her scales surrounded her in a protective shell, Hack slowly running his claws gently across her back.

"It's OK, it's OK now. We won't let them hurt you anymore." The Sand Wraith said, his tone more gentle and caring than Hawkins had ever heard him.

Odi whimpered while Hawkins kept one eye on the spluttering group of Traited, quickly winding his smoke coils around them like bindings as Mantis attempted to clear their lungs with what dwindling Trait she had left. It pained him to see anyone incapacitated by his smoke but he had no other choice. Hack had built up a tolerance to it over the years and he had to rescue Odi. His Smoke wouldn't stop them from using their grimoires but it would at least by them time to escape and think of a plan. Maybe even find out where the black grimoire teleported to.

"We need to go. Now."

Hack glared, leaning against the closed up workshop wall for support. Odi was breathing heavily, nestling in the crook of his arm as the Sand Wraith struggled to find a position to take the weight of his leg.

"No can do, boyo. Odi and I are in no state to move and you've got barely any Trait left."

Hawkins groaned, tugging at his sleeves, nervously. He didn't want another repeat of the Overtaken incident. He shivered at the thought, his heart heavy with dread as he clutched his arm instinctively. An extra weight which hadn't been there before settled within his grey duster coat. Hawkins eyes widened as his discreetly put a hand inside his pocket, shuffling through the bits and bobs in his pockets until he came across something leathery and cold.

Hawkins paled, coughed suddenly and tried again.

"We've got to try. I've no idea how long my smoke will last with-"

A huge blast of flame erupted from both ends of the library, sending glass shattering like stars. The building collapsed in on itself, rubble flung in every direction, scraps of pages, wood and stone barraged into the streets, causing any onlookers to burst into screams of terror, fleeing away from the scene.

The lack of air stung Hawkins lungs as he struggled to breathe against the weight of the rubble pinning him down. The Culverin twins must've had no trouble in decimating the entire building, the explosion eerily reminding Hawkins of the Overtaken he had fought just a few days ago. Despite the horrid reminder, he fought to keep his breathing steady, clutching his newly healed arm to ground himself that this situation was salvageable.

Using the last dregs of his Trait, he shrouded himself in a flimsy barrier of smoke and rolled out of the way of as much of the collapsing building as he could, only to be stopped short by a scaly tail clinging to his midsection. Hawkins almost screamed, the sight of the still camouflaged Sand Wraith sending chills down his spine.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Mediators!" Mantis called from outside, harnessing the air to project her voice.

Hawkins mentally swore, half hoping that she too had been caught in the explosion. Hack gave him a quick swat with his tail, barely visible against the cluster of bricks and pipes, his position only just stable enough to create a big enough opening for them all as he attempted to lessen the crushing weight above them. Bit by bit the collosal mound nudged ever so slowly as the Sand Wraith continued to cocoon the salamander sized Scale Shrieker clinging to his waist as she trembled in fear.

"Hack…" she began, faltering as another spurt of brick dust began to fall against the mishmash of splintered wood.

The Sand Wraith didn't reply, grunting with exertion as he put every ounce of strength into keeping the endless collapses of burnt plaster and ash at bay, his claws slipping against the wet, uneven ground from the storm several nights ago. Hawkins tried to help him, but his Trait was no more than a trickle and judging from Hack's determined glare, he was not about to let him get in the way of things.

"Odi, maybe you should-"

"No!" Hack snapped back instantaneously, clenching his jaw once again. "I need her here."

Hawkins could hear the groan of the living city of Axis, attempting to support wall after wall of falling beams below as Hack chimed in with grunts of his own, pointing upwards. He could barely see the Swarm through the dust and smog, but the fizzled outline of Trait was unmistakable. Mantis was struggling to shelter her group in a large bubble of air, not unlike the dome of the Divide.

"You idiot!" Mantis hissed, betraying her true feelings only to her comrades, swatting the red haired twin over the head with her free hand. "What did Master tell you about being so reckless?"

Cull grunted wordlessly, folding his arms to hide the rude gesture he was pointing at the maniac of an Air Traited. Hawkins fought the urge to struggle, wanting nothing more to punch the Fire Traited in the face for such a dangerous move. But now wasn't the time.

Hawkins could just about see the miniscule columns of rock barely holding back the endless fragments of  falling wreckage, intertwined with even thinner layers of shadow keeping them in place just enough to stop cracks from forming. The two were panting with each breath, sweat gathering against their exasperated expressions while Hawkins continued to do nothing but watch and listen inside such a hollow, cramped space. If he so much as breathed, the Swarm would find them and the grimoire along with it. Who knew how far away they were if he could still hear their muffled arguing.

"Stop blaming Cull. He did as you asked. He took those damnable thieves out AND saved our skins in the process. At least he tried to do something except sit there and sulk."

"More like singed our skin, it's gonna take weeks to get the smell of burnt books out of my hair. Anyways, without the grimoire we're toast! We can't pinpoint their magic with all this Fire Trait around."

"We'll just have to wait it out til they starve or suffocate and we'll pry the damn thing off their corpses!" A much gruffer voice interrupted the two, full of malice at the thought.

The yelling stopped for a moment, the only sound being the sounds of exhaustion coming from within the tightly wound exoskeleton of Trait and trash. Hawkins hands began to tremor, Hack's legs barely staying upright as Odi fought the urge to rest despite the familiar darkness washing over her.

"Fine. No use wasting Trait. I'll take the first watch. Then we'll get what we came here for. Dead or otherwise. I won't have the Excelliars on my back any longer."

A cold sweat trickled down his back, nausea setting in once again as the claustrophobic space began to close in on them, the three Traited unable to do anything but watch. Hawkins focused on the swirl of information running around his head like a tidal wave, clenching his fists to help him concentrate. No Trait. No way out. Surrounded by Swarm. No way of communicating the outside for help. No one else knew they were there. But...there was something that bothered him, niggled in the back of his mind like a bad itch.

If they had detected Odi's Trait from inside her shop, how come they hadn't been found yet? He knew their Fire Trait had been used to a great amount but his Smoke Trait had been everywhere yet they had still found them amidst all that? It didn't make sense. They had no idea Odi had guests and if they did, they'd have dealt with them before they even entered the room. So why not do the same now? Shadow Trait was still being used at this very moment, unless…

"Odi, what exactly does the Memorium do?" Hawkins demanded, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

"Not now, boyo! Can't you see we're busy here?" Hack said, fighting the urge to wallop him.

"Hush. Just focus on what you can, Hack. What are you thinking, Mediator?" Odi said, weakly.

Hawkins tugged at his sleeves, attempting to put everything he had heard to good use. The Scale Shrieker was barely conscious and Hack would soon give way to the weight of the collapsed library, cursed leg or not his stubbornness wouldn't last for long. He had to be quick, clear and concise.

"I think the grimoire is blocking my Trait. It's outside the normal Fire Trait limitations so it's normally difficult to detect but not to the point where they shouldn't have known Hack and I were there beforehand.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hack said, his stance getting lower by the second.

"I just used a hell of a lot of Trait just then but the Swarm had no idea it was coming. Yet they saw every move Odi was going to make. That can't be a coincidence!"

Slowly, Odi's eyes began to droop, the thin veneer of shadow strengthening the unstable pillars began to fizzle away, sending the rock crumbling along with it.

"Odi!" The two Mediators called, forcing the exhausted Scale Shrieker to snap back into reality, sending up a tremendous force of shadow to cover their losses once again.

"Apologies gentlemen. I was thinking. Memorium is as I said, a complete enigma. We can only assume the worst will happen from here. Hawkins slapdash theory is the only hope we have."

Hack scoffed, his feet wobbling despite the slight response. Odi continued, trying to work out the best way to utilise his findings.

If we could somehow use your Trait to perform a sneak attack to lure them towards the rubble we could combine our efforts and take them all out in one landslide victory, so to speak."

Hack snarled wordlessly, stamping his feet to stop them from cramping before retaining his steadfast position. Odi decided to flitter up towards Hawkins instead, resting closest to his shoulder and the shrinking barricade walls. Hack rolled his eyes, muttered a curse and confirmed exactly what Hawkins was theorising.

"Tras Ferans." Hack said through clenched teeth.

"What?"

"Transference!" He roared, putting as much pressure on his cursed leg as he could. "You want to use Transference without your Agar present while that shoddy piece of literature hides your Trait from detection!"

Hawkins mouth fell open, quickly closing it to mask his surprise and to stop any unwanted dust or soil from entering unexpectedly. He scratched his head awkwardly, not wanting to dispel the obvious tension towards the drastic situation. Hawkins had heard of it, but honestly, the thought never occurred to him until now since his Agar wasn't here to help but it wasn't like he needed to be there for it to work. It just helped.

"What choice do we have? We're stuck here without much time left and those damnable Enforcers intend to wait it out til we're out of Trait or crushed by my own home. I will not allow that!" Odi spoke up for the first time that night, her scales bristling in annoyance.

Transference was one of the very few skills that didn't rely solely on Trait. It depended on the connection of the contract, regardless of years, presence or communication if there was even a slight bit of hesitation that their partnership was not worth continuing then both the Traited and their partner would be left to fend for themselves. Even for an Agar, that thought was terrifying as the likelihood of finding another partner before the Truant curse took hold was slim to none. Wisp could last a few weeks at best. Hawkins could only hang on for five more days.

"Fine. Do what you want."

Hack stared at the Mediator, a flurry of emotions which couldn't be counted. Hawkins looked away guilty, biting his lip in a vain attempt to slow his breathing. The Sand Wraith knew full well how long he'd last. But they didn't have the time to worry about that. Without a word, Odi leapt towards the flimsy barricade like a demented bat, rapidly growing in size as she crashed into the pillars holding everything together.

"Use it to get above us. Now!" Odi roared, her scales shearing through the mass to try and create a gap in the collapse.

"But-"

"No time for that, you wanted to use it, so use it! Hack said, slamming his fists together, blocks of earth rising up to support the already exhausted Scale Shrieker.

"That's not the point. We need a plan. What do you want me to do once I'm up there? If I get up there?" Hawkins panicked, suddenly thrust into action.

Hack pivoted around to face him, his bad leg knee deep in glass and splinters, oozing black sores but still had enough gumption to give the struggling Mediator a toothy grin and a last bit of otherworldly advice.

"Do what you do best, boyo. Figure it out."

Hawkins shook his head free of soil and dust, nodding towards the less crotchety, always insanely stubborn Sand Wraith. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and felt for the black grimoire within his pocket. He winced at the sudden jolt of pain, gritting his teeth and settled himself by pictured his Agar freely bobbing about without a care in the world.

His mouth tweaked upwards in amusement, drowning out the endless rumbles and shouts of warning as he opened his eyes again and the world was wrapped in a haze of fog. Discarding his human form for the first time in years, the uncertain Traited became everything and nothing.

He became weightless and slipped through the cracks of the earth, leaving Hack submerged in the very Trait he wielded.