Kapitel 123: Party part 3

"We need to move—now!" Argos shouts, snapping everyone out of their momentary stupor. As we run through the dimly-lit hallways, my eyes take in Argos' team. Skylar is an agile, red-haired woman, She would have had a bow strapped to her back but unfortunately, they took it, I mean it would be weird if they didn't. Her eyes seem to scan the environment, not missing a beat as she adjusts her leather armor. Then there's Finn, a hulking guy covered in tattoos, grinning like he just won the lottery. Next to him is Vita, a petite woman with sharp eyes and an aura of caution that seems to hover around her. Finally, there's Jud, a lanky dude with a wild mop of dark hair. He's muttering something under his breath, but I can't quite make it out.

Skylar narrows her eyes at me. "So, you're the one who got us out. Why?"

"Less talk, more running!" Finn yells, not even looking back. Every other word out of his mouth is a curse. "I can't fucking believe we're getting out of this shithole!"

Vita throws a skeptical glance my way. "How do we know you're not setting us up for something worse?"

"Ah, come on, Vita! Quit being a buzzkill," Jud interjects. "I knew today was gonna be a great day. My tea leaves told me so."

"Your what now?" I can't help but ask. What kind of stupid shit—

"Tea leaves, man! They're never wrong. Well, almost never," Jud defends with a serious expression.

Argos shakes his head, "Trust him or not, we don't have time. In about ten minutes, the place will be swarming with reinforcements."

"How are we gonna get the griffins out?" Skylar asks, still running but shooting me a questioning glance. Damn! Seriously, why are you looking at me with those eyes!? Shit, I'm helping you idiots get out of here.

"You don't have to worry about that. We came prepared," I say, smirking a bit at their puzzled faces.

"Prepared how?" Vita pushes, not one to leave a question unanswered.

"Where are your companions?" Finn asks, still not completely trusting but definitely curious.

"They're looking for the griffins; the griffins should be on the floor under this one," I clarify, but then something hits me. "Why is there not even a single guard here?"

We burst onto the lower floor, and it's eerily quiet, like the calm before a storm. Rows of cages stretch out before us. Each one holds a young griffin, their eyes meeting ours with a mix of anger, frustration, and bloodlust.

The moment my senses pick up Lysandra behind me, my aura flares. I pivot, capturing her arms and flipping her over, pinning her to the ground.

"Fuck! Fuck! Alright, I give up! Stop it! I fucking hate you, bitch!" Lysandra shouts from her compromised position.

"Why the hell are you messing around?" I retort.

Lysandra puffs her cheeks, looking furious. Yeah, this is typical behavior for her—arrogant and hot-headed.

Another soft thud resonates behind us as Eira lands. She's holding a device in her hand. "You're awful at hiding yourself," she snaps, glaring at Lysandra.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demands, scrutinizing the group I've just liberated.

"Don't worry about it," I say, stepping off Lysandra. "They were imprisoned, and one of them has a skill capable of calming creatures. We'll be able to save so resources."

Eira clicks her tongue but says nothing more. Money's always a good bargaining chip with her.

"Fuck, we don't have time for this shit," Eira says, still wary.

"Let's just say they're situational allies, it'll be fine. You trust me right?" I ask grinning.

Lysandra gets up, dusting herself off, and tries to assert her dominance. "Listen up, fucktards. You better not mess with us, or I'll make sure you regret it."

Jud blinks, then grins. "Tea leaves ever warn you about messing with strangers?"

Lysandra looks as if Jud just slapped her with a wet fish. "What the—tea leaves? Are you stupid? Or are you, what did Marco call it? Ah, that's right. Are you high?"

"High on life, babe, high on life," Jud replies with a wink.

"Don't call me 'babe,' you crazy fucker," Lysandra snaps, visibly disconcerted by Jud's weirdness. It's almost comical seeing her thrown off like this.

"Ignore them," Eira says, casting a side-eye at Lysandra and Jud. She focuses on the wary woman among the newly freed prisoners. "If any of you attempt to do anything stupid I'll personally bash your skulls on the wall."

They all nod slightly, ah, why do they look so scared of her? Clearly, Eira's straightforwardness makes an impression, but is there a reason to be scared?

Feeling everyone's gaze on me, I know it's time to get back to the task at hand. Time's ticking, and we've got griffins to free.

I glance at Skylar, who looks as tired as I feel but is eyeing the griffins with a determined expression. "Alright, Skylar, please use your skill."

Skylar takes a deep breath and extends her arms, eyes closed. Mana flows from her fingertips, invisible but palpable. She's straining, sweat trickling down her forehead. A moment passes, and then she collapses, breathing hard.

"I did what I could," she mutters, almost apologetically. The griffins, still confined in their reinforced cages, have lost some of their visible bloodlust. But they're still far from docile.

I sigh. "You have a way to fit them in a dimensional bag, right?" I ask, turning to Eira.

She clicks her tongue, looking mildly annoyed. "Fucking shit, man, you're always asking for the most insane requests... I might be able to, but if the griffins themselves don't stay still while I put them in, then they might die in the process. And if I do manage to put them in, it will only last for 15 minutes; it's impossible to keep them in there any longer without them suffocating."

I nod and pull Lysandra aside, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Yo, you want to flex, right? Scare the crap out of these griffins with your aura. You've seen how humans show off their aura, right? Try to copy that. I don't want people to notice a dragon is around here. Don't worry, even if you copy the method a human does, the griffins will still naturally know you're a dragon."

Lysandra looks at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if sizing up the request. Finally, she nods, stepping towards the griffins. For a moment, she looks just like any other cocky, arrogant human, trying to assert dominance. But then her aura flares, filling the air with a force that could only belong to a dragon. The griffins in the cages grow silent, subdued by the sheer power emanating from Lysandra.

"I did it, you happy now?" She turns toward me, still radiating smug arrogance but also a flicker of satisfaction.

"Very," I say, genuinely pleased. "Eira, get ready with the bag."

The atmosphere is thick with tension as Eira activates her dimensional bag, her fingers working quickly over the device she holds. One by one, the griffins start disappearing into the bag, and for once, everything seems to be going according to plan.

I look over at the group we've just sprung from the cells. They're a mix of relieved, skeptical, and downright bewildered, but for now, they're on our side, and that's what counts. Skylar's skill may not have been awe-inspiring, but it did the job. And Eira, as usual, pulls through with her tech. Lysandra, obnoxious as she is, proved her worth too.

"That's amazing, I didn't know you could frighten griffins," Argos says, turning toward Lysandra with an appreciative look. "Since they're very strong and noble, it's difficult to scare them even if you're stronger than them."

Lysandra clicks her tongue, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Her expression clearly says 'duh,' but she chooses to ignore Argos rather than respond.

Eira taps on her hair accessory, transforming it into a pair of sleek glasses. "Yo, we have visitors."

What the hell? My eyes catch the holographic screen she projects in front of me. It's a real-time visual of the corridors above us. Tsk, fuck, why the hell is Liam here? This guy always shows up at the worst moments.

"Here, you guys wear this," I say, throwing black cloaks to Argos and his team. We can't afford to have them recognized; I've already risked too much by freeing them.

The newly freed prisoners hastily pull on the cloaks as we start sprinting up the stairs, huffing for breath but not daring to complain. Trust in this group is a fragile thing, built on desperate circumstances and the mutual goal of getting the fuck out of this godforsaken place. At least Eira had enough time to set the sensors down there, that way it'll be easier to enter this damn place in the future.

"Two more entered," Eira says, her voice strained. I glance at the holographic screen again.

Why the fuck is Aira here? And who's that priest with her? The situation's spiraling faster than I can manage, but complaining won't solve anything.

We burst onto the upper floor just in time to see Liam. Our eyes lock for a split second, a clash of wills, before he takes off like a bat out of hell. He jumps back, skidding around a corner and disappearing from sight.

Well, if he's running, that's good for us—less trouble to deal with. But the air is still thick with tension. With Aira and some unknown priest now in the equation, things are about to get even more complicated.

Lysandra looks at me, her eyes challenging as if saying, 'Well, what's your big plan now, genius?' I suppress the urge to roll my eyes at her. Of course, she would see this as an opportunity to question my competence.

"Once we're up there, I'll give you the signal, and you guys break out. I'll hold them back. Since I know who they are, it will be easier for me to do it," I explain, keeping my eyes on the path ahead of us.

Eira hands me a small pouch filled with devices. "Here, these are a bunch of my toys you can use. Are you going to hold on to the bag?" She points at the sack I'm carrying, which is subtly moving. It's not filled with coins or weapons, but live griffins—miniaturized, courtesy of one of Eira's 'toys.'

I smirk under my mask. "Yeah, don't worry. I have a plan." My fingers tighten around the pouch she's given me; I can feel the shapes of various devices. Eira's gadgets are always a fun wild card in any skirmish.

Finally, we reach our destination. The others hide behind some debris, waiting for my signal to bolt through the hole we'd created earlier. I position myself in front of it, fully covered from head to toe in black clothes, making sure no one can identify me. I wave a hand, and they dash, leaving me alone to face whoever dares to follow.

I hear footsteps approaching—two, no, three sets. Turning my head slightly, I see Aira, and Liam, her crazy brother, and another guy glowing with holy magic. Cassian, I presume. Yeah, he has the tattoo on his face, I understand if he's here, but why the hell are Liam and Aira here?

Liam is the first to emerge from the hole in the corner, his eyes sweeping over the room before landing on me. "It looks like you have some visitors, Cassian," he says, flashing a sly grin that I'd love to wipe off his face. But not yet; first things first.

Aira steps forward. "Identify yourselves, or we will capture you," she declares.

I ignore her. She can't sense my energy thanks to Eira's inhibitor device. I wave my hand, signaling my group's successful exit. This is it; it's time to stall them.

Raising my palm to face outward, I communicate a clear message—I have no intention of letting them pass. I reach into the pouch Eira gave me and pull out a tiny sphere. With a flick of my wrist, I send it rolling toward them. Before they can react, it erupts into a dense smoke screen.

Aira and Cassian tense up, ready to give chase. I smirk; if they think they can get through me that easily, they've got another thing coming. I turn Umbra into a sword, now I just have to wait until 'he' arrives.