Clicks resounded one after another as I tapped away on the cells from outside. Just a little bit of tinkering with the spells made the locks open up in no time, and with a level six lock-picking skill, it became even easier.

  The skill did not level up anymore. I thought maybe it was because there was nothing new to ‘learn’ from these locks.

  As soon as the criminals came out, it went a bit like this:

  “HAHAH! I am free! I am blah blah, the most notorious blah blah of blah blah! I will kill you and everyone!”

  Then Estella would step in.

  “Sorry. Please spare me. Please. I will do anything.”

  The most notorious blah blah of blah blah always followed up with that. After which, I would play the good cop.

  “Don’t worry. With her power, we can all go beat the Sermentali. Let’s stage a coup and take over this place.”

  “No way, I want to leave.”

  “Can’t help it. If that is what you want, my friend. Go to the third floor from that lift.”

  That’s what I would say. Very rarely would people understand each other’s languages.

  “Go to the fifth floor.”

  “Go to the surveillance room.”

  “Go to the armoury, there’s an exit.”

  “Oh, you speak Spanish? Go to the third floor too.”

  How easy was that? It barely took minutes. Only Estella and I were left near the end, minus some of the people who were waiting around for us out of either a lust for opportunity or a foolish sense of loyalty.

  “Where are we off to now?” Estella asked. It was great that she was from a far-off planet; no one could understand her language. “To the hangar, right?”

  “No way,” I said. “We’ll leave through the front door.”

  ***

  “Sir Czar! There is a big problem.”

  Flashes and beeps blared across the interior of the command center as high-level soldiers entered the room to present their report. Sitting at the highest position of the room, overlooking all the operations, was the Earth Czar of the Sermentali.

  “I am already seeing it.”

  He crossed all four of his green arms, an almost genetic sign of his superiority over normal Sermentali.

  For the first few hours, they hadn’t noticed anything. But suddenly, all at once, all the prisons that held the worst of the criminals the Sermentali base had captured opened simultaneously—all of them except one, the cell which had added a new guest most recently.

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  It was a problematic situation that the Czar hadn’t expected.

  The automatic doors slid open once more, and a sentry walked in.

  “Czar! I have confirmed the state of the prison you mentioned. There is no one inside.”

  “Of course,” the Czar said. The only prison that seemed unbreached on their systems was also opened. Anyone would be able to make this confirmation, but the situation was simply too dangerous.

  All this time, the Sermentali had never bothered with chaining or even frisking their captives. The surety in their systems and spells was that high all across their empire. But now… in this situation, there was only one explanation.

  “Someone has access to our systems.”

  A silence fell over the entire room at the Czar’s comment. He quietly looked down and tapped the armrests with two of his arms, the other two still crossed.

  Access to the systems meant nothing they were seeing could possibly be safe. One did not become a giant, multi-planetary empire without protocols, even at their smallest branches. In such a situation too, whether it sat well with him or not, there was a protocol to follow.

  “Shut down automatic defense systems. If they use it, we would all be in trouble. Keep the minimal servers open…” The Czar finally stood up and turned around. “And bring your guns. We will go out and control this riot ourselves.”

  ***

  The best word to describe the current situation all over the Sermentali base was chaos.

  Sounds of gunshots and screams of all kinds of people filled our ears as Estella and I made our way through the base. The people who were following us in the beginning had all diverged, mainly because I told them at every turn that we would hold back enemies while they escaped.

  Honestly, they were cannon fodder. The useful ones had all gone to fight their own way out of this place.

  “Turn left from here.”

  “You know this place well, Spectre.”

  “I researched a lot, alright? I am not that bad a thief.”

  “You got caught,” Estella said, looking back at me with a gaze of pure pity and disgust. Not okay, that was a low, fucking blow.

  We passed through the next room. I quickly went to the terminal attached to the wall and used the Lock Picking skill again. The giant steel doors swung open.

  “There are escapees!”

  “Raise your weapons! And FIRE!”

  The other side of the door was immediately swarming with Sermentali. Estella quickly grabbed me by the arm and threw me to the side, giving me cover behind the walls, and jumped to the opposite side.

  The sheer force of this girl was shocking enough. I looked across the wall at her, and Estella wore a small smile.

  It was not one of confidence, nor did it seem like something people who expected or thought they could handle a situation would wear. It was a smile looking forward to pure violence.

  “Now that we aren’t in the cage anymore…” she mumbled. Estella stretched her palm out and slowly curled her fingers into a grasp. Small, sparkling stars formed out of thin air and coalesced around her palm.

  In seconds, a giant, ethereal whip jostling with starry electricity was in her hands. Estella pulled her hand back and swung the whip with all her might.

  “AGH!”

  “WAAAH!”

  The Sermentali quite literally flew out of our way. Estella hopped out of her cover and charged ahead.

  “Spectre, you coming!?”

  Her voice mixed with the loud screams of the people suffering under her fists. I crossed my arms and listened.

  “Back up! We need back up!”

  “Gah! What is this monster?!”

  “Somebody warn the Czar! Who even caught this bitch?”

  As I stepped out of cover and followed behind Estella, I started shouting too.

  “Estella! We’re heading for the hangar!”

  Estella looked back urgently, in confusion, and I placed my fingers on my lips to shush her. She looked back because I was speaking in the language of the Sermentali.

  “Hangar, okay!? We are stealing a ship and getting out of here! HANGAR! Should I spell it?!”

  “Y-yes! Got it!” Estella awkwardly responded.

  I hoped all the Sermentali could hear it, loud and clear.