Jheysi's Point of View
Jheysi raises both hands and recites not just one, but many incomprehensible words.
Jheysi – Yeah… there's not much I can do against you.
Suddenly, it's possible to hear—
Alicia – Get out of the way!!!
Jheysi (thinking) – It's Alicia!!! And she's running straight toward the lunatics who want to capture her—and worse, I started an irreversible and incomplete spell!!!
Alicia jumps over Jheysi, landing in front of her, raising her hand without reciting or uttering any words.
It's possible to see purple and golden lightning bursting from her hands and striking Fausset.
Jheysi – ALICIA!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!!
It was too late, and the spell hits Alicia's beads, sending her flying toward Hooded Figure 2.
Hooded Figure 2 – Damn!! So this is the power of a daughter of Leonora?!
Jheysi (thinking) – We're screwed, we're screwed, we're screwed!!!
Jheysi runs toward Alicia.
Hooded Figure 2 – How cute, Jheysi, but I'm already tired of this.
Hooded Figure 2 snaps his fingers, and both of them fall unconscious.
Hooded Figure 2 – I'll take both of them. You take care of Fausset. Tell the other two in the dormitory to go after the other girl.
Remember what the boss said—avoid the girl named Violet. If they're together, don't engage, just run.
Hooded Figure 1 – Yes, sir.
Maya's Point of View
Maya heads toward the campus security building and, along the way, finds Violet leaving.
Maya – Violet!!!
Violet – Maya, are you okay? Thank God you're fine!!
Maya – Yes, I am. Why wouldn't I be?
Violet – Stick with me. Hooded people are on campus and they're after Alicia. Do you know what that means?
Maya – That they'll come after me too.
Violet – Exactly. Come on, we need to help Jheysi. She's fighting some lunatics at the dorm entrance.
Violet and Maya hurry and soon arrive at the place where the cameras were showing the images.
Violet – She was here, in this spot.
Maya – She…
Violet – Jheysi is one of the strongest people I know. It's hard to imagine someone defeating her.
Maya – She might have won and gone into the dormitory.
Violet – Strange that she hasn't called yet… and did you manage to talk to Fionna?
Maya – About that, I believe that part of KeySands is compromised too.
Violet – Fionna is smarter than that. She wouldn't fall so easily. Did you manage to talk to her?
Maya – Yes. She said a lot of things and I didn't understand any of it!!
Violet – Hahaha, Fionna really doesn't joke around when it comes to work.
Maya – What do you mean?
Violet – When I started helping her with things here at KeySands, we developed some implicit dialogue methods—actually very simple keyword-based ones.
Maya – Right, but I don't remember anything from the call.
Violet – Well, I know something that can help.
Violet slowly approaches Maya, getting closer and closer, staring directly into her eyes.
Maya (trembling voice) – Wait!! Wait!!
Whoa!! Hey!! Uh…
Violet gets so close to Maya that their noses touch, then presses her forehead against Maya's and recites an incomprehensible enchantment.
Maya (trembling voice) – Uh… um… but… can… my space…
Violet steps back.
Violet – She said this first on the call:
"Where are you? I'm already on my way. Are you with Violet?"
The keyword isn't very obvious, but after the second disconnected sentence, you can make the connection.
What she actually said was:
"Are you in danger? Are you there?!?!? Maya? Tell me where you are?"
After that, it's easy to deduce what she meant during the call:
"You are in danger at KeySands.
Violet knows what happened to the missing students.
Talk to Jericho, try to find her. Very urgent. Try to gather Favonias in the forest. Aunt Valéria knows a lot about Favonias."
Maya – But what does Favonias or Jericho even mean?!?
Violet – Well, in the Bible, Jericho was a very fortified city that fell by the hands of God.
Maybe something—or someone—strong that needs to be brought down? No, that's nonsense. We'll think about that later… and the Favonias in the forest indicate the woods surrounding the institution. Maybe she's telling us to look for something strong or someone in the forest? That one was really hard, Fionna…
Maya – And the part about Aunt Valéria?
Violet – Good point. Maybe Valéria can help.
We need to find Alicia, and then we'll go to Valéria's house!
Maya – Where could Alicia be?
Violet – The last information I have is that she was heading toward the dormitories. I need to contact Mandy, Gregor, Albert, and Khawlah.
Maya and Violet start walking toward the dormitory.
Maya – And can they really help?
Violet – The team dynamic is good.
Khawlah knows a lot about bandages and is very good at treating wounds and medicines.
On the other hand, she knows vital points and understands a lot about poisons and other harmful things!!
Gregor is the fastest person I know. He knows a lot about attacks and is great on offense, but terrible on defense.
Albert is 100% focused on stealth and can solve any possible riddle, but he has an ego the size of Mount Elysium.
Maya – And Mandy? Amanda, right?
Mandy is the best of them all. She has monstrous strength. It may not look like it, but she's trained every day since she was five years old.
Maya – That's amazing. I once read a manga about a guy who trained so much he went bald.
Violet – Okay, not that much, but from what I heard from the High Council, she has enough strength to bend light with her own hands.
Maya – But that's too much power. That sounds like a lie… damn it!! What if she loses control?
Violet – Well, she's very resistant to durability-based magic thanks to her resilience.
But some mental attacks could destabilize her.
Maya – So if the enemy uses strange abilities to destabilize her?
Violet – That's what Jheysi and I are for. Both of us have what it takes to block mental attacks.
Maya – And what exactly is that "what it takes"?
Violet – Believe it or not, it's called willpower.
Reaching the hallway of Alicia's room, it's possible to see two hooded figures in the corridor.
Hooded Figure 75 – Dude!! I already said we're going in circles here. We already got one girl—why take another?
Hooded Figure 14 – Because the boss said to grab her. And, well, I need the money.
Hooded Figure 75 – I'm feeling like they're not paying enough.
Hooded Figure 76 – Guys, I found her panty drawer!!
Hooded Figure 14 – Why do they still send me on missions with these rookies?
Violet runs toward the nearest hooded figure and delivers a punch straight to the middle of his face!!
Violet – Filthy pigs. I will make you suffer for what you did to ALICIA!!
Hooded Figure 14 – Hahaha, I was just about to do that.
Violet – Silence, insect!
The hooded man's mask disintegrates, and it's possible to see his mouth being sewn shut.
Violet enters the room, sees everything trashed, and finds one of the hooded figures rummaging through Alicia's drawer.
Violet points her hand toward him with an expression of hatred.
Hooded Figure 76 – Uh… I didn't mean to… uh… sorry…
Violet – You're disgusting.
The hooded figure begins to be lifted into the air, and the sound of bones breaking can be heard.
Hooded Figure 76 – NOOOOO!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!
PLEASE!!!!! THEY ORDERED ME TO!!!
More bone-cracking sounds echo.
Soon, it's possible to see a light coming from Violet's back.
The hooded man with the sewn mouth points his hand toward Violet, and it glows in a subtle purple tone.
Violet snaps her fingers, and the magic dissipates.
Violet – Your mistake is that you should've tried to hurt me, not restrain me. Or does your boss need me?
Hooded Figure 14 tries to speak, but his mouth is useless.
Violet – I'm not asking you. I'm asking this other pig right here.
Hooded Figure 76 remains writhing in pain.
Violet – Tell me—why do you need Alicia?
Hooded Figure 76 – AHHHHHH!!! I—I DON'T KNOW!!! THE ONLY THING I KNOW IS THAT THEY TOOK TWO GIRLS!!
Violet – Good boy. But I need more.
More sounds of bones breaking are heard.
Maya – Violet, stop, please!!!
Violet – Maya, forgive me, but these guys have information, and I intend to get it!
Hooded Figure 14 pulls a knife from his pocket and, in his other hand, a stone that closely resembles a sapphire. Quickly, he slices the stitches on his mouth and recites Somnum Nunc. Maya immediately falls asleep. The hooded figure swiftly touches Maya, shatters the sapphire, and disappears.
Violet – MAYA NO!!!!
Violet loses control during the spell and ends up breaking Hooded Figure 76's neck.
Violet – DAMN IT!!!!!! NO!! SHIT!!!
NOT NOW!!!!
[TO BE CONTINUED…]