The Heroes' Guild

“You know,” Xer said, watching the water around them, “I tried to run away to Atlantis as a kid.”

Tetra was watching the waters even closer than he was.

“This Atlantis?”

“I didn’t plan that far ahead. I just knew Atlantis existed and ran to it, or at least I tried to.”

“What stopped you?”

“I’m scared of the water.”

Tetra seemed to tense up under the armor. Impressive, considering this was usually the most reckless quarter of her.

“I’m mostly recovered,” he admitted.

“Mostly?”

“I may stay on the boat as backup after you do your thing.”

“The boat isn’t joining us on our next stop,” she warned.

“We’re ready for you,” Lyra, the otter-looking Atlantean announced, “Can you breathe?”

Tetra pulled at one of the bubbles she’d drawn on her arm, releasing it.

“It should hold for awhile,” she assured.

Lyra looked at Xer.

“Do you know how to survive down here, Elemaster?”

“Xer,” Tetra corrected for him.

“Whatever.”

“Might be time for a crash course,” he admitted.

Tetra tapped another one of her bubbles, pulled it out, and placed it on Xer’s nose.

Nothing felt different, except that he felt the painted potion seep through his skin.

He followed Tetra down, solidifying the water around them enough to keep her from sinking too fast in the armor.

Lyra pulled them with her own powers to the large black circle.

“That’s—” his words came out too garbled for him to finish his sentence, but Tetra nodded.

She observed, and he tried to feel for the circle in the water, though it didn’t seem even slightly tangible.

She suddenly pointed, and the waters tossed them both in her direction as she pulled out her sword and sliced it.

She made a few signs to the Pacifica Guard keeping their distance.

Suddenly the water seemed out of Xer’s control, surrounding them with a fury. He grabbed for Tetra’s hand.

“Is this really going to work?” Bree asked.

“No,” Tesla Coil answered, “Well, the portal destruction will work, but we don’t have the numbers for that to be a completely feasible strategy.

“So why are we—”

“Just because you need to worry about fix a leak doesn’t mean you don’t put down a towel,” The guy named ‘Evil’ said. Why was he on the superhero mission?

“More like just because you need to replace a pipe doesn’t mean you don’t use some putty in the meantime,” Tesla Coil countered.

“And these plumbing metaphors mean?”

“Removing the portals will save a lot of lives, but it will draw attention from the person putting them at risk in the first place,” Tesla Coil explained, “We’re starting as close to simultaneously as possible to increase the number of possible portals destroyed before we’re stuck dealing with whatever comes out of the closest one.”

She suddenly grabbed the portal, causing a similar electrocution to before, holding up her hand after the portal disappeared until it lost the sparks.

“Next stop,” she said.

Evil widened his arms.

“Transnatatum.”

Water surrounded each of them. Bree tried to swim out, only succeeding after what felt like a wave hit her.

When she got out, they were in a different place, with a different portal.

“Why are we drowning our way through portals?” Bela asked, gesturing at her fellow Radi8s.

“Because you can handle what might come out.”

Before they fully got their bearings, Tesla Coil made a gesture to move on, and Evil widened his arms.

“Transnatatum.”

El sat on the wall of Harold’s backyard, just on the other side of the anti-magek runes.

She watched the mirror intently.

She hadn’t done much on the boat, so they’d left her here. Mandie and Catherine had explained that the best way she could help was to protect Harold and act as the communication point between him and the fourth Tetra, because apparently enchanted items could kill him.

She laid back.

Harold was about a month younger than her, and acted like he was a year older. She was glad that even if she had to stay with him for this, she could stay outside while he stuck to computers.

The radio chhkked.

She held it in front of the small mirror Tetra communicated through.

“10 portals down,” he said, “A-team is lagging due to water struggles.”

“I’m aware,” Tetra said.

“Permission to add hydrokinetic Lyra to F-squad?”

Tetra seemed to think for a moment.

“If it’s an underwater incident, Brave will take Xer along.”

“If you were going to talk in code anyways, why not just use a phone?” El complained.

“The code’s for bystanders,” Harold revealed as soon as she released the button, “The mirror/radio method is for enemies.”

“What bystanders?” El faced both the mirror and the radio toward the lack of people around them, “And isn’t your enemy supposed to be a mage? That would make the mirror more compromisable.”

“Not a mage,” Tetra specified.

“A cursed individual. Aunt Val explained it. I can help better than just holding a radio and mirror. I know how to fight.”

“You’re not even ten,” Harold informed her.

“You’re a month younger than me, and ordering people around!”

She paced the wall furiously.

“You always could have stayed with your grandma,” Harold insisted.

“I couldn’t help anyone there,” El insisted.

“You’re being incredibly helpful now,” Tetra said, “And when this call ends, you’ll have to insure Harold’s safety.”

El scowled. She couldn’t even practice with her bow because she needed a free hand to press the radio button so Harold could hear whatever Tetra explained.

“Whatever.”

She crouched on the corner of the wall for now.

“16 portals closed, B-team finished two in the time it took A-team to handle their third.”

Harold sounded proud, probably because B-team was his mom’s group.

“How are C & D team?” El asked.

“Keeping—Spotted! Portal E-7”

“Of course,” Tetra complained, “And no one’s there yet?”

“Wise broke the portal just as a creature was coming up. It’s our first casualty, prepare for outgoing.”

“Outgoin—”

Tetra disappeared from her mirror before El could finish the question.

“Come on in and watch the show,” Harold offered.

Jon grabbed Viktorya before she could make her cut. Several somethings flew through the portal at breakneck speed.

“How’s your monster-hunting?” Viktorya asked.

“Tarot!” Johnny yelled, turning into the cloaked figure from before.

Gamble turned back to Wisteria for a moment, panting.

“Cover me while I get the cards back in one place.”

Jon took defensive position in front of her as Viktorya watched the portal for her opportunity to destroy it.

Tarot threw a card above himself.

“Scuro!”

The shadow appeared again.

“Disinfect as many of the creatures as you can.”

Scuro nodded, jumping on brief solidifications of the creatures’ own shadows.

Tarot threw out another card.

“Hanged Man!”

An upside down figure held by nothing watched the group.

“Keep them from falling on us,” Tarot ordered.

The Hanged Man reached his hands out, and a gnarled net that Jon could sense rather than see formed above them.

“Gamble!” Wisteria finally yelled.

She was in the harlequin form again, this time with a theme around Diamonds rather than Hearts.

She threw the cards out again, and Viktorya immediately sliced closed the portal.

She took Jon’s hand.

“How’s your monster-hunting?”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Shit!” Blaster used another forcefield to grab another animal, pulling it back with the group of its own kind, or at least he thought they were the same kind. It was hard to tell with the infection.

We wouldn’t have made this choice if we weren’t sure you could handle this yourself.

Before he could turn to look Nightingale in the eye, she was gone, along with the other two in his squad.

“Shit!” he caught another creature.

He was owed a beer after this, at the very least.

Singe held Skylar upright, She’d already expended a lot of energy purifying what came out of the previous portal, and there were plenty of creatures already out.

“You said you would help us.” Tetra reminded him.

He lightly squeezed Skylar’s arm before letting go.

“End this,” she ordered.

“Yes, your highness.”

A few moments later, Nightingale and one of the blond healers appeared beside Tetra as she looked revitalized.

The dark mage finally looked down.

“Can you fly now?” The blond asked Nightingale, who shook her head.

“Clear the way,” Singe said. The Elementals gave him plenty of space and Tetra’s contingent followed.

He was glad to already be in draconic form as he moved on all fours, growing in size, his neck lengthening even more than the rest of him grew. His insides felt even larger, and he felt the energy around him gather as if the world knew it needed him to fly at this time.

“Black Dragon,” Nightingale said, “Not a hyperbole.”

Singe already itched, but he moved his tail so the women could climb on.

Once he felt them all on his back. He flapped only a few times before his face was at the dark mage, whose jaw dropped.

“How was I so—”

The blonde shot him in the face. The wound quickly reformed, jaw set as he glared at Singe’s passengers.

“Yeah!” the woman yelled, “Fuck you!”

Singe backed up, gaining altitude, The dark mage was reaching out for him. Singe felt a sudden cold.

“He’s distracted!” Nightingale yelled, “Make it quick.”

Tetra jumped off the side of Singe’s back, causing him to stumble as she slid down his wing and leapt for the dark mage.

With anticlimactic swiftness, the dark mage was dead. Nightingale jumped off with more grace, slowing Tetra down.

The animals around them began to fall down, and Singe began shrinking.

“What the—”

He held his arms out to catch the blonde before she could scream to her death.

“Better to take up less room,” he said.

“Thanks for the save,” she acknowledged, “I’m Val, by the way.”

Singe moved down as fast as he could safely manage, and Val quickly jumped out of his arms.

Tetra began stalking toward him the moment he landed, but Nightingale put an arm out.

“Explain yourself before you make an enemy.”

“I know when someone’s been infected with dark magek,” Tetra said, “Now I should do my job before—”

Ice appeared between Tetra and Singe.

Evia shook her head, pointing both hands at Tetra.

“I’m infected?” Singe still felt cold. He didn’t feel any different. He hadn’t lost his soul.

He saw a dark figure behind everyone else.

Skylar reached out a flaming hand.

“Singe, let me—”

The dark figure was getting closer. Singe took a step away, dodging the fire.

“He needs to be handled before the problem returns—” Tetra insisted.

“Kids these days,” Val muttered under her breath, “Nothing but drama.”

Singe screamed as he was shot in the leg and in both wings.

Then he screamed as he was burned in fire. The cold feeling was swiftly disappearing, along with the wounds of the bullets.

It felt like he’d been trapped for only a moment, and for an eternity. Then the fire stopped.

Tetra pointed the sword at his eyes.

“If Valentina hadn’t shot you, this partnership would have ended horrifically.”

Singe focused on Skylar, who he would want to see in his last moments as a living soul.

Shadow filled his vision. This was it.

“You’re correct that the Phoenix also saved you,” Tetra said, making Singe realize the sword was gone. The shadow must have been her magek.

Singe returned to a completely normal form as he fell to the ground. The other Elementals quickly surrounded him.

“The portal’s gone,” Nightingale observed.

“And the creatures are disinfected,” Lotus added, “Singe’s infection seemed a last-ditch attempt.”

Singe made eye-contact with Tetra. She knew the infection started before the dark mage knew he would die.

The infection hadn’t found the perfect carrier to the animals, until a mage turned into a dragon in front of him.

It didn’t matter. They had animals to return, and celebrations to start after that.

Electron finally saw the light, and the kid dropped him like a hot potato, which allowed him to grow enough to lift the kid now.

“I’ll say you did a number on me,” he admitted, “But I stayed awake the whole time.”

“Aww, really?” the kid pouted.

Two adults were running toward them.

“Mikey!” the woman yelled. The kid was already reaching for her, so Electron handed him over.

“Are the monsters still around?” the kid asked.

“With your strength, any monsters left in these parts are no match for you,” Electron said.

Tell me I can have some food, he begged Sparkle.

Not yet, we have company.

He groaned, but walked to their base of operations: One of the smaller tents in the area, completely enclosed to help Sparkle focus.

Inside there was the familiar telepath with shimmering skin and bright pink hair, along with a woman in a mask and costume Electron had seen on the news.

“What the hell is this?”

Sparkle scowled, but Tesla Coil smiled.

“Electron, was it? Sparkle here explained that you put this group together.”

Force and Function, the kinetic twins, stepped into the tent.

“What the fuck?” they asked.

“You do good work,” Tesla Coil said, “I think we could do better together.”