Hawkins poked the newly lit fire pit with a stick and waited.

It had been over a week since Axis had shut its doors and blocked them in the abandoned lot of an old, destroyed bookstore. Grimmordials was still a flaming pile of rubble and despite their efforts to scavange what they could it was no use. They were no closer to escaping the boxed in streets of the moving city that had suddenly grinded to a halt.

"Any luck, Hack?"

Hawkins called behind him, recognising the tell tale shuffle of the Sand Wraiths limp before he had even glanced around. A sour grunt was all he received as he threw down his Mediator badge in the dirt in disgust. The Smoke Traited sighed, gently picking up his half broken case and put the badge into one of his numerous pockets next to his own.

"What's the point of havin' the damn thing if it ain't gonna do shit for gettin' us outta here?" Hack complained, slumping onto the hard gravel despite his leg.

Hawkins clicked his tongue between his teeth, wary of the steadily growing curse now rotting its way past the Sand Wraith's knee. Despite his injury, Hack had gone to the furthest point of the blocked off warehouses to find out more information from the Gadgeteers guild and at least explain the situation to them.

"I know but at least you tried? It's more than what I did setting up camp again."

The Sand Wraith glared at him, knowing full well his habits of putting himself down were showing again but his eyes were soft and full of support.

"You did far more than anyone could've asked for, boyo. May only seem like a fire pit but right now these lot need someone to look up to."

Hack nudged a shoulder over to the small group of Traited huddled up on a half burnt couch. They had all pitched in to root through abandoned houses while Hawkins stayed put with Odi to watch both her and the horizon. Now all three were huddled up together with two giant Firestep wolves at their feet like some kind of house pets.

"And you think that's me? Hack I can't even stop myself from snapping at Mantis when she starts insulting you let alone lead a group of highly unstable teenagers."

Hack merely raised an eyebrow, chuckling under his breath before Hawkins realised the comparison he was making and aimed a kick at his right leg. The Sand Wraith sighed, running a claw through the back of his scaly neck in an attempt to rid himself of the dust and grime that had settled there.

"You don't have to lead. You just need to trust that ruddy brain of yours. Right now, you're pointing the way with your Trait and grimoire ideas that not even Mantis can deny it ain't worth a shot. So keep at it. We'll get there."

Hawkins couldn't help but smile, grateful that Hack was still on board with his crazy notions of Triads and Trait weapons. A lot of what he had gathered was from old textbooks and half finished reports from decades gone by yet here they were turning that into reality.

"So, how'd using Hammerlock go? Did you get through to anyone?"

Hack's mood immediately changed, folding his arms in disgust. Hammerlock was an old way to communicate with others through overturning stones in an emergency and relaying the taps and clicks in the ground. Unfortunately with inventions changing every day, the use of the code had died out and been replaced with Tinko tubes or 'dragon mail.' Both of which were now unusable during lockdown.

"Aye. I got some dolt named Candle to relay it to his superior but apparently she's stranded in Opalis at the moment and no one outside of the storm's threshold can reach her. Ruddy useless system if you ask me."

Hawkins shrugged goodnaturedly, eying the packet of doughy treats before deciding to skewer some of the Insta Puff rolls to try and cheer them both up. Setting them against the heat of the fire, the two Mediators continued their watch while the others slept while they could.

"At least you got through though. So, Opalis is stuck under a storm while Axis is in complete lockdown thanks to the threat of one Traited. This seems a little too planned out..."

Hack snorted, throwing his head up in the air before snatching one of the sticks and popping it into his mouth.

"Course it is, boyo. The gangs 'ave been at this for years. Even with the storm overhead Opalis ain't gonna do jack and neither are the Tinker Moles." The lizard man said with his mouth full.

Hawkins' mouth tweaked upwards at the sight of the Sand Wraith's bulging expression as he tried to swallow the half cooked, boiling hot piece of dough. His scales changed from purple to a blistering red before he forced himself to swallow it down, coughing all the while.

"Why? Surely they can dig underground to bypass Axis' routes or something."

Hack shook his head, attempting to rid himself of the pain while Hawkins turned over his perfectly cooked roll and blew on it before setting it back into the fire. Hack eyed it greedily but paused to answer his question.

"They can't burrow, they can only crowd control. Most probably have their orders to evacuate to Pelt and abandon anyone else. The Bolthole isn't exactly the safest place and Beggars End is trapped too. If they get caught by Cricket then it's game over."

The thought of that Trait harming the masses of innocent people made his stomach churn worse than a hot Insta Puff roll. The black grimoire hidden in his jacket felt hot to the touch as it began to expel a coal black wisp of smoke but Hawkins ignored it, attempting to settle his nerves and thoughts of his friends being tortured again.

"Pelt is too far though. There's no chance for the Excelliars or the Mediators arriving if the Gadgeteers are being shut down so quickly by whatever she's doing there. No wonder I can't detect her if there's so many Traits getting in the way." Hawkins said, berating himself for thinking his Smoke Trait wasn't enough.

Amidst the gloom of the Axis walls Hawkins could see the amber eyes of the Scale Shrieker open as Odi's gaze latched onto the conversation and the morsel of food along with it. Hawkins rolled his eyes, no doubt that she had been listening intently instead of sleeping and tossed the skewer in her direction.

"Could anyone else in the Order arrive perhaps? The Third or the Fifth could handle this easily, from what I've heard. Fire and Lightning can be a pretty strong combination." Odi asked, the Insta Puff roll sailing over her head just as she stretched up to grab it in her jaws.

The heat was no bother to a dragon like her and she swallowed the bread whole, enjoying the treat immensely. Without even having to look, Hawkins set three more into the fire and pondered over Odi's suggestion. It was very unlikely either group would agree to dealing with such a calamity: the Third Order was notorious for being 'above' such menial tasks while the Fifth Order hadn't been active in decades.

"If you can bribe the Thundreign Captain and her crazy Regent here be my guest. The Fifth only deals with 'spirit related' incidents so they are stuck filing old demon cases. Bunch of useless old twonks." Hack said, barely able to stop himself from plunging his claws to grab the morsel.

"I see. Things really have changed then."

Hawkins didn't want to say anything more, wary of the small cluster of gang members still sleeping soundly in the gloom of the closed off alleyway. From what Hack could decipher from the Tinker Moles garbage communications system, they were stuck in the oldest part of Axis.

"You've been away a long time, Odi. Ever since the gang war seven years ago the Undercity has been getting worse and worse. First the Bolthole and now Axis. We're stuck right at the edge of what's left of normal civilisation and no one gives a damn."

Hawkins knew how his mentor felt about the entire situation. Being abandoned in a vacant part of the city near the Eastern Tunnel wasn't exactly the best place to be for a travelling Sand Wraith. But it was better than the cramped streets in Meddler's Alley or the bustling Western Market bordering Pelt.

Not even the dreaded black market of the Bolthole could compare to the fear he had of Griffin's Point and the past that lurked there. It was a hotspot for crime and perfect for any aspiring Mediator to rank up in the world. His mother had done exactly that, taking down her first gambit on Hagglers Street but had abandoned him in the arms of a stranger to do so.

Right now, he wanted nothing more to return to his crap flat on Beggars End than to see that street again.

"Hack...maybe you should get some rest. The others will be waking up soon and someone needs to keep watch later." Hawkins said, passively trying to avoid the memories of his mother by changing the subject.

Hack grumbled along with his stomach but the allure of sleep was just too great for the Sand Wraith, giving Hawkins a mock salute in response. Grabbing the musty old blanket, the Earth Traited sent the sharp stones skittering away just as a flash of amber light alerted the two Mediators to the inevitable.

"Alright, Hawkins. I'll stop with the politics. But gimme some of that eejits rations before I decide to eat him instead."

Hawkins snorted just as a fireball the size of a tangerine sailed overhead but was shut down immediately by the teamwork of Smoke and Earth. Quick as a whip, Hack threw one of the stray pebbles up into the air as it collided with the blast and extinguished its path in a cloud of dust.

Coughing, Cull was blinded by the impact of Trait, squinting just long enough to see Hawkins click his fingers and he was sent soaring into the sky above. Yelling profanities, the angry Fire Traited attempted to rid himself of the smoke noose around his leg but the more his Trait flared in annoyance, the tighter it became.

"Oi, those are mine!"

Hawkins bristled in anger, the sharp pain of his Trait recalling memories of bandits and brigands attempting to steal everything he owned.

"Oh will you shut up! The only reason I have you up there is because you keep threatening to kill everyone! The sooner you pipe down and cooperate the sooner you can help yourself." He snapped, ignoring Hack's wide eyed expression as the thought of the black grimoire entered his mind once again.

"I'd rather die than help you." Cull spat, dangling from the decaying rooftops.

"Well then, since we're all heading that way anyways why don't you go first?" Hack retorted sarcastically, folding his scaly arms.

Soon the other Enforcers followed suit, muttering grumpily like dragons who had just been rudely awoken from their nap. Mantis and Rin were huddled together, sharing a brown blanket between them while Thea made herself a nest in the dilapidated couch cushions.

"Cull, either shut your trap or I'll break your jaw to match." Mantis said, glaring up at him ominously.

The Fire Traited immediately sulked, causing the fire pit Hawkins had built began to flicker ominously before dying down again. His sister yawned loudly, stretching out only to be drawn towards the warmth and the promise of free food.

"A bit much, Mantis?" Rin asked sleepily, casually looking up at her twin like it was no different than staring up at the sun.

"Nah. He deserved it. At least he'll wake up properly this time." Mantis said gruffly, shuffling onto the stony ground.

"Does that include the broken nose or..." Hawkins asked meekly, reminding her of Cull's added injuries.

Hack snorted rudely, shuffling through Hawkins notebook as if he didn't already know half the stuff that was written there. Hell, he experienced half the stuff along with him. Rin however, kept her notebook close to her chest, pouring over the tiniest of details and writing down every question she could think of.

It reminded Hawkins of himself, Rin was probably anticipating asking the newly dubbed 'Mediator Trio' all of her thoughts and theories. If she ever decided to leave the life of an Enforcer then the Mediators would welcome such an inquisitive Sentry apprentice.

"He deserved it. It was his fault for playing the hero and getting himself comatose." Mantis replied savagely as if she were contemplating on poking the trussed up Cull with a stick.

The Fire Traited rolled his eyes which was quite a feat considering Hawkin's smoke noose was still spinning him around like a top. The two wolves now lay below him, licking their jaws despite being partnered to one of them. A Lariat was only that without the promise of food.

"Yeah, well if I hadn't then Cricket wouldn't be six feet under, would she?" Cull said, smirking as he vaguely recalled the last memory he had of the little gremlin.

The Firestep wolves were united in silent annoyance and fury at this little piss-ant but not a single one knew who to go first. The narrowed eyed gaze of Blaize settled between the two and gave the signal in a single blink.

"She isn't, Cull. Cricket has been burned, injured, trapped and cast out and as soon as the lockdown is over she will come for us all like a bat outta hell." Blaize began, deciding to allow her brother to unload on her oblivious partner.

Hazard growled angrily, his tail thrashing against the ground as it began to rumble alongside a small earthquake. The Sand Wraith said nothing, however his tail spoke volumes.

"Rin has been learning all she can about Trait to try and stop her and if you paid attention for five seconds you'd know that." Hazard snapped, not allowing the Fire Traited any room to complain.

Rin's notebook fell out of her hands and onto her lap just as her brother's jaw dropped. Hazard had never defended his partner and the shock from all three Enforcers was more than enough to register why. But despite the stunned reaction from the group, the discussion was not finished yet.

"Don't forget about the hundreds of Traited that could be imprisoned by her Imperial Tarragon." Hack reminded them darkly, causing the group to shudder.

Rin opened her notebook, gripping the lead pencil tightly as her guilt had steadily changed to anger. Even Cull had gone pale, staring at the exhausted dragon and the terrified group.

"Which is why we teamed up to get out of here and take her down." Blaize retorted, flicking her tail in triumph.

All three of them looked at each other evilly before deciding to choose that very choice phrase that Rin had decided to borrow.

"Dumbass."

The group erupted into laughter, falling leaning back against the front of the couch while Cull blazed bright red once again. His expression went from guilt to embarrassment to anger and turned his head away while his body followed suit, still spinning slowly in circles.

"Well, I ain't buying it. And I ain't gonna be part of you Trio or whatever combining ceremony gobshite you Mediators cooked up to fool my sister to join your side."

One by one, the group swapped stories and kept adding more skewers of Insta Puff rolls. Rin kept scuffing her feet, glancing towards her twin anxiously while Mantis gently comforted her.

Hack devoured six Insta Puffs in an instant, his jaw churning like a cement mixer and his eyes followed Rin's tentative glare.

Hawkins sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

"No one said you had to, Culverin. So be a good little Traited and let the adults discuss the doomsday device you wanted to set off before this whole hellhole started!"

His voice reverberated off the stony ground, sending mini tremors throughout the area. The Smoke Traited ate his first roll off the fire and winced at the cruel reminder of what he had said when they were stuck in the rubble. But Cull didn't care, he sneered and gave Hack the finger despite the comical situation he was in and the Sand Wraith exploded.

But before he could lunge to kill the little twerp, Hawkins clapped his hands together to dispel the argument instantly. The tremors stopped abruptly and everyone was stunned into silence, mid snack.

"Alright, alright. I know things look bleak. But before we discuss anything else about surviving this, we better let him down first." Hawkins said, keeping his tone even and calm.

Rin bit her lip, visibly worried by her brother's words but Hawkins kept to his promise. Moving his finger in a clockwise motion, the smoke unwound and sent Cull sprawling onto the floor.

Hawkins barely reacted as the young teen gave them all a death glare and sidled up to the fire pit before snatching a half cooked skewer straight off the fire. He yelps suddenly as the fire flares in his face angrily and singed his hands.

Rin glared venomously at him and used her minimal control over her Trait to prevent him from stealing anymore of Hawkins hard work. The Smoke Traited gives Rin an amusing raise of his eyebrow and the flame dies down warily as Cull refused to sit by them. Her anxiety returned tenfold at the reminder of what they wanted to achieve.

"We need both of us to make a Triad. What are we going to do now?" Rin muttered, rolling the pencil across her lap.

Hawkins turned towards the sleepy Scale Shrieker and gently beckoned over the drowsy Odi. She smiled at Rin reassuringly and lessened her size and weight to scuttle over like a salamander and settle almost protectively between Rin and Cull before resizing and flumping straight between the two twins.

"Odi, if it isn't too much trouble, could you take a look at everyone's grimoires?" Hawkins asked politely, wanting to give her as much time as she needed.

"Of course, but why?"

Odi was still pretty sleepy but her pain had lessened greatly and had let her move a little more than usual. Thea was still in her nook but both of them were still exhausted and weren't really paying attention. Thankfully, Mantis and Rin were well awake and were actually interested in the plan but continued to whisper amongst themselves quietly.

"We need to figure out who's grimoires are the best to pair up with. If Cricket wants Memoriam so bad, then one of us will have to protect it with everything we've got. Regardless of Cull's reluctance." Hack said, attempting to quell Rin's worries.

Odi however had her own way of dealing with things. She slowly flicked her tail back and forth, sending small plumes of dust over Cull while he attempted to take a second one. Hawkins tucked into his second skewer of Insta Puff rolls and tossed the last one to the dragon with a small smile on his face.

Just as Odi leaned down to reach it, Cull went to grab it off the ground with a vindictive sneer. Seconds later, he noticed that her scales were poised upright to skewer him instead. Hack let out a throaty chuckle while the Fire Traited immediately backed off and Odi growled furiously before chowing down.

"Why not just merge with it and make a Triad?" Rin asked after a while, almost absentmindedly thinking for a while.

Odi froze instantly, her scales flattening in reluctance and shock before trying to hide her emotions as best she could when responding.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Hawkins noted how she avoided both the question and his gaze but said nothing of it. He had his own theories of why but couldn't confirm them unless they both wanted to discuss it. But Mantis wasn't buying it.

"Why not? It'll solve all our problems in one go, unless you're scared of a big bad book?"

This time, Hack responded and covered for her and Hawkins paid close attention to the interaction.

"It won't. Just trust me on this."

Cull hissed angrily, like a pissed off tea kettle before his Trait flared in annoyance.

"You're lying. I may not know what's going on yet but I know when someone is lying. Your leg twitches."

Hack didn't appreciate the comment, snapping angrily at the twerp.

"I'll kick you if you don't hush. See how you like that twitchin'."

Cull laughed coldly, causing Hack and Odi to look away awkwardly. Hawkins sighed, knowing full well what needed to be done.

"It's alright, Hack. I understand. "

Hack and Odi were stunned, barely able to comprehend his thought process. Hawkins closed his eyes and felt for his grimoire within the recesses of his smoke. He recognised the dark pain of the lingering black grimoire clinging to the peripherals of his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he allowed Odi's and Hack's suspicious behaviour and half lies to wash over him. The fear and anger over the black grimoire allowed it to resurface within his pocket once more. He knew his hunch was true. The grimoire was somehow his, tainting the Triad into a murky grey of uncertainty. But he had to keep going. He had to follow where it led.

He could feel the guilt rolling off Hack's back, the sheer determination Odi had to try and protect him but the underlying edge of worry for not themselves but for him caused his heart to swell a little.

He knew how righteous Hack was and would spare no hesitation in standing up to defend him but Odi's cautiousness over what exactly the knowledge entailed was what concerned him the most. It was that reason and that reason alone that he decided he would cover for them however long he had to.

"We can't merge with it because it's an Abnormal grimoire."

Hawkins half lied, thankful that Odi was a Scale Shrieker and not a Novawraith dragon. Hiding her wince, Odi battled on and nodded as Cull stared blankly at him before nodding once as abruptly as possible.

Hack breathed a silent sigh of relief and Hawkins quietly joined them. Odi gave them a sharp glare but softened at Hawkins' understanding smile. Bearing in mind, the very people in front of them had tried to kill them for the black grimoire.

"So what?" Mantis said, completely unaware of the importance of such a thing.

After the initial shock of such a question following the sudden relief of Hawkins intervention, the exhausted Sand Wraith was done being patient.

"Just show her already." Hack grumbled, half tempted to take a nap until the conversation was over.

The incessant stares from the trio suddenly lingered on the Mediator in front of them, slightly taken aback by the sudden eye contact but fighting through his nerves and insecurities Hawkins reached into his inside pocket and pulled out his grey grimoire. Within a matter of seconds, smoke poured from the binding and hidden within his smoke arrived the ominous black monstrosity now veering towards his own like a magnet.

"Aww, look. It's jealous." Rin said, giggling despite the tense situation.

Mantis nudged her teasingly but Cull was not amused.

"Wait...you had it all along?" He demanded, completely blindsided by this fact.

Hawkins could see Mantis' hand twitch, fighting the urge to walk over there and swat him in the head but she simply rolled her eyes. Thankfully, she wasn't as stupid as she looked.

"Of course he did, dumbass. He's a Mediator."

Hawkins pried the black grimoire away from his own and pocketed it, keeping his theories about the potential Triad to himself for now. Normally, two grimoires would merge together if that was indeed the case but since they were still separated it could mean they weren't compatible or even, a Lariat had been made.

Taking a chance, he slowly fed his Smoke Trait around the grimoire. Having it act playfully just as Wisp had done so many days ago, hurt to be reminded of that but steadily the grimoire began to move and Hawkins was mesmerised.

Until it sent him flying into the wall.

The three Enforcers cackled with laughter, seeing him on his back only a few metres away from the temperamental book but it was short lived. Thankfully, he hadn't been thrown very far but he still ached from the impact of the pointed stones.

"See? Even if we could merge with it, there's chains surrounding it." He explained, still out of breath from getting the wind knocked out of him.

He steadily trudged back over towards the group, taking his time and rubbing his back while the discarded grimoire sat unmoving on the disturbed ground. It had revealed the seven chains and rusted lock as predicted but that wasn't what worried him. It was Rin's reaction.

She was pointing at it, pale faced and horrified as if she were condemning Hawkins as some kind of murderer, unable to look away from the black stain of the grimoire before her. Mantis had scampered up towards Thea on the back of the couch, clutching her tightly as if to protect her from some unknown force. Even Cull was silent. Then, Mantis snapped out of her trance and caused Hawkins heart to plummet.

"What in Hell's name are you doing here with a Lockbind?"