บท 43: Unexpected Allies (3)
"What in the world-" Another spell hurtled towards Jeorge Marcus Grin. With a flick of his hand, the spell whittled down into harmless sparks that dissipated in the wind. He walked faster and found himself walking into a battlefield. Although some of his colleagues were busy shoving children into the rectangular compartments inside the moving vans, a handful were currently dealing with a group of kids that were all casting basic to intermediate spells against them.
Bob recognized the faces of the thirty or so children. They were the classmates of 373 from the class Aquarius. They weren't wrapped and packaged like the rest of Elisium's research materials. The male tried to deduce who the culprit was. His brain creaked and clanked as he thought. His usually bored gaze lit up.
There was only one answer : it must have been Aria.
Jeorge Marcus Grin stood there like a spectator enjoying a show. Sadly, he was lacking a bucket of popcorn, a can of cola, and a comfy upholstered recliner. He watched as the children were slowly surrounded by the white-coated adults. The male and female researchers advanced towards the children step by step with restriction spells on their hands.
Suspense gripped at Bob's heart. Attack spells flew out one after the other. The girls and boys of the Aquarius class took small steps and huddle together, like a flock of sheep being rounded by aggressive hounds. Yet they didn't falter. They refused to give in.
Jeorge Marcus Grin hid behind an adjacent van and pressed a big palm on his forehead. What exactly was he doing right now? He didn't need to get involved with these children. Why in the world was he watching them from the sidelines? Shouldn't he mind his business, head back to the van and go to sleep?
The senior research was about to turn around and head back when measured footfalls echoed in the hall. A very familiar energy signature made him halt. Bob stared at the fifty-man team of specially trained high-ranking Spellcasters that were running towards the group of children who had managed to grab hold of a metal cannister. Brandish - Silas Fidi's personal guard marched at the front of the men.
The men were wearing glittering combat suits that were plated a dark gray slates that covered their vital parts. Silas Fidi was in the ranks of the combat unit. His lab coat was immaculately clean and without a single speck of dust. His orange upturned eyes were bloodshot. His gaze was enough to make even adults shiver in their boots.
"Child, put that tube of Aurum Fulminans down," the Great Apothecary yelled. The Spellcasters surrounding him quickly replaced the white-coated researchers in surrounding the children of Aquarius. In front of the children, a single boy with a big build was holding up a barrel of Aurum Fulimans over his head.
Fulminating Gold or Aurum Fulminans was a highly explosive mixture that was sensitive to temperature. Elisium had multiple gallons of the said mixture because scientists were trying to increase its destructive potential to be used in modern warfare. Unlike the Fulminating Gold ordinary chemists researched on, the gallons of Aurum Fulminans they kept in Elisium were much more reactive than the ones in ordinary laboratories. A beaker full of Elisium's Aurum Fulminans was enough to obliterate a small room. A single gallon was enough to destroy a floor off a building.
The researchers in Elisium were probably in the middle of hauling the cannisters into the transport vehicles when the class of Aquarius arrived. Jeorge Marcus Grin guessed that the kids didn't know what was inside the cannister. The big boy was clearly shaking in his clothes at the mention of Aurum Fulminans. Yet he kept his glare on his face and acted like he didn't hear anything.
Silas Fidi glared at the child before his gaze stared at something else. Bob ducked behind the van and chanted a string of curses under his breath. He hoped his boss didn't see him. He hoped his boss wouldn't give him more work. His hopes were crushed with a single sentence that was said in a blood curdling tone.
"Jeorge Marcus Grin, deal with this situation within twenty minutes."
This time, Bob really wanted to scream. Why in the world was he always getting involved in tiresome things!?
And why in the world was there a time limit?! Couldn't Silas Fidi at least let him deal with the damn situation while taking his sweet time?
The senior researcher fixed his hair and pushed his thoughts aside. Jeorge Marcus Grin wore a goofy smile on his lips. He slowly revealed himself from behind the van and cleared his throat. "Hey, boss. Leave this to me."
Silas Fidi's sharp glare moved to Bob's chin. "Did you shave?"
The other male resisted the temptation to raise an eyebrow. The smile on his face made his facial muscles uncomfortably stiff. "Uh… yes, I did. Do I look good with a clean face or should I try growing my beard again?"
The Magno Deorum didn't waste another second with Bob. He gestured at his guards and headed towards Elisium's complex hallways. Half of his elite force followed him while half remained. Silas Fidi's elite guards waited for the senior researcher to issue his orders. 373's face flashed in Bob's head. He shook his head.
Jeorge Marcus Grin could feel his lips twitch as he stared at the kid who was holding the cannister of Aurum Fulminans over his head. He sighed. He remembered the boy's name. It was no other than the troublemaker, Gabriel Fernandez.
"Hey kid, put that down," Bob said to the boy. "I don't wanna die yet. Make this easier for me."
Gabriel Fernandez didn't set the gigantic can of highly explosive liquid down and even held it higher. "Shut up! You can't tell me what to do!"
The trained Spellcasters flanked the children from all sides and posed to start attacking should something go wrong. The senior researcher exhaled. "Ha… Just calm down, don't move, and stay still."
The children all glared at him. Some of them even when out and screamed at him.
"We're not listening to you!"
Jeorge Marcus Grin didn't have a beard right now. But if he did, he would have started tearing it off his face. He snapped. "Well, I'm not talking to you smelly runts either!"
The elite unit of Spellcasters all looked at Bob after the man's outburst. The lazy-assed researcher didn't give a damn. Energy swirled around him as he gave a sleepy gaze at the Spellcasters and summoned a barrier that isolated the children from the adults surrounding them. The children's spells became absorbed in the wall of light. It became clear to them that there was no escaping the senior researcher's barrier.
Jeorge Marcus Grin wasn't done. He appeared right behind Gabriel Fernandez without a sound and wrenched the cannister of Aurum Fulminans from the boy's hands. Bob disappeared only to reappear right beside a Spellcaster and set the huge tube of explosive liquid down on his feet.
The Spellcasters all breathed sighs of relief and assumed their jobs were over. But as soon as they turned to head to where Silas Fidi was, the ground beneath their feet glowed a dark blue hue. Their bodies were suddenly being pulled towards the ground by an invisible force they couldn't break away from.
The Spellcasters that were proudly standing fell to the floor. As if that wasn't enough lightning rose from the ground and paralyzed the group of trained casters. Metal planks from the floor warped and moved, almost like they had a mind of their own. They turned into hands that grabbed on the group of elite Spellcasters keeping them firmly planted on the ground.
The leader of their squad thrashed against the energy and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Jeorge Marcus Grin! What are you doing?! You're going against the Great Apothecary! Do you understand the implications?!"
"Blah blah blah blah blah. You talk too much! Besides, I said not to move, didn't I? Who told you not to listen to me? Jesus Christ…," Bob muttered. He took a step towards the squad captain and stepped on the soldier's outstretched hand. The senior researcher continued to whine.
"Jeorge Marcus Grin this… Jeorge Marcus Grin that… How many times do I have to say it before people get that I want to be called freaking Bob? Sheesh."
Jeorge Marcus Grin opened a transport van filled with materials and began emptying it. Once there was nothing left inside, he dispelled his barrier and pointed to the van's open doors. "What're you brats waiting for? Get in!"
The children gaped at him with loose jaws and open mouths. Bob's eyebags felt heavier than osmium and the lump on his head was throbbing. The adult male stomped his feet on the ground like a toddler having a tantrum and began pushing the children in the spacious vehicle. "Well? Get in! I'm taking you out. Or do you want to fight the rest of Elisium, huh? Come on. Haul your asses! You understand me? Of course you do. Hurry up! Ahhhhh… I just want to sleep right now. Hurry up already! Go go go go go….!"
Bob pushed and shoved the children in while automatically flinging a spell to knock out any fools who were trying to get in his way. His eyes met with the Silas Fidi's elite guards and started murmuring unintelligibly.
His career as a researcher was screwed. Never mind finding another job, just existing was going to be difficult thanks to the unique beings called Asha Claire and Silas Fidi. Bob sighed dramatically and looked around. He froze when he saw the cannisters of Aurum Fulminans that were lined up neatly against the wall.
There were about fifty gigantic cans in the loading dock where all the cars were currently parked. His hands itched. He suddenly wanted to scatter the cannisters of Aurum Fulminans around the foundations of Elisium like interconnected beads of a rosary. If one of the cannisters exploded, the explosion would trigger the explosion of the other containers.
Jeorge Marcus Grin checked his watch and noted he had less than a minute to get things done. A mischievous grin was spreading on his face. He wasn't doing this to help the brat named Aria. There was no way he liked doing things at the last moment because of the excitement. He was doing this because he was bored and lazy. And since his career was going down the drain, Bob might as well go down with a literal bang.
One by one, the cannisters of Aurum Fulminans disappeared until there was none left. The senior research flickered back into the vehicle dock with a look of satisfaction on his face. He checked the contents of the van, did a head count, and made his way to the driver's seat.
His eyes landed on the vehicle where Michael Caelum and the Demon's body were placed in. He thought about Silas Fidi and the girl called 373. The happy look on Jeorge Marcus Grin's face disappeared. He clenched his hand. Bright red light shined as energy gathered in his fists. When he opened his palms, a small red bird appeared and chirped. The bird looked ethereal and mystical. Although it was a fragile-looking thing, it held a bit of his energy and his memories in its small form.
"Tell her what I saw and what happened here," Jeorge Marcus Grin whispered, his gaze serious and steely. "And remind her that the Talent over memories… is a terrifying thing."
The bird took flight and headed to the girl with dark unfathomable eyes. The researcher took one last look at the where Michael Caelum slumbered. For a brief moment, his thoughts wandered to the boy's mother – to the woman with emerald green orbs and flaming red hair that had once caught both his attention and his heart.
Jeorge Marcus Grin ignored the pangs of grief that assaulted his heart. He quickly hid the regret the flashed in his eyes and averted his gaze which seemed to change color in the dim lighting of the car.
"We'll meet again. Maybe."
With a wave of his hand, Jeorge Marcus Grin cast a spell which destroyed the parking area's mechanical door. Without looking back, the man left Elisium and drove towards the dunes of Ara desert and towards the safety of Myron City's borders.
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