<02/12/1972 – 23:57 | Alpha Zero, Junon Region, Sprawn Valley>
"You idiot. You always try too hard." Everything was black and empty, a bottomless pit in all directions as far as she could feel. Jane heard the familiar voice echo out, as calm as she could remember, and it felt soothing to her ears past the ringing silence. "There's nothing you can do with magic that can't also be done without it."
"Iya?" Jane could hear her own voice as she called out. She could barely hear herself, her voice croaked and damaged as well as quiet. After feeling nothingness for a long moment, her entire body suddenly ached all over. Stinging burns held to her face and her hand, while the pressure of bruising and internal bleeding held in her stomach and hips. When she opened her eyes, the entire world above her was a blurry red of darkness she couldn't make out.
"Told you she would be fine." In the mellowest tone, Krysta held up an electronic device in front of her, allowing Jane's friends and the rest of the team to take a breather.
"You better not die. You promised us!" Taylor was almost crying, leaving the evidence in her voice, but she quickly got over herself once Jane finally managed to heal. Danton arrived shortly after Danny's transmission, and used special magic on Jane to wake her up and increase the power of his healing orb. With that, the stats on her energy scope improved, but not very far over. Danny had trouble healing as well, with evident scaring in his chest and his legs.
By now, everyone remaining gathered in one place. With the temperature this uncomfortable, everybody was sweating through their clothes and creating a new stench that overpowered the smell of burning salt and rock. Cleo had taken a few scratches himself despite having plenty of support and backup along the way. Sergeant Gains was by himself this time, after having to lead his personal assistants away from the field to retreat. It seemed that due to the layer of dark magic in the area, teleportation in and out of Alpha Zero was blocked, but from the perspective of the General Army, this was already an established fact. After having gathered all of the teams together, Danton's phase three was now about to go into the final effect. With this many people and elites capable of battle, even the second appearance of another spirit dragon such as Gaia would be dissuaded from attacking here again. But from the looks of it, Jane, Danny, and Taylor would not survive another fight, let alone one single attack spell.
Taylor and Danny both pulled Jane up, only to sit instead of stand. It was obvious that Jane was still recovering her basic senses, just getting back to the world. She would undoubtingly be very dizzy and disoriented. Meanwhile, Krysta used her device in hand to update Danton on the status of the mission. "Sir Danton? Enemy activity is steadily growing in the area behind us, but as for the forward position, it's all clear. Only one or two small sized creatures have been detected far off the main path, and none whatsoever near the Den of Purity." It was the true design of the digital device; a life-sensor with a limited range, showing tiny red dots where potential enemies might be.
Danton huffed as a remark. "It figures that would be the case. Brightworth must have designed the dark zone in such a way to prevent us from reaching the Den of Purity. He then projects an anti-summoning field within a kilometer radius from the center of his residence to prevent himself from being eaten by a monster."
"He can do that?"
Danton answered what he knew to be obvious for Krysta. "Of course he can. I believe that it lies outside even his ability to control such feral creatures. The Den of Purity is a safe zone for him, seeing as he would take precautions to protect himself from his own experiments. We need to keep moving. If we can reach that safe zone and apprehend Brightworth, this will all be over. We may even be allowed to warp out once we shut down the source of the dark magic."
Mainne studied Jane's slow recovery and the reaction of her friends making her take things easy. Jane was holding her head tightly from signs of an obvious migraine, and the real time damage really set into her. "Danton? I wonder what it was that allowed Jane to defeat that monster. I also want to know why in that exact moment of Gaia's disintegration, all of the creatures north on the main path were destroyed too, simultaneously if I go by the sensor report."
"Jane sure is something else," Danton agreed. There was no way in the world someone as weak as she was now made the final blow to such a powerful feral. That must mean that Danny and Taylor were responsible. Destroying that summon must have disintegrated control it may have had for spawns of evil of its own, Gaia controlling monsters to the north. But he himself believed Gaia to be indestructible, having the power to slay Entiene in just a few hits. Even so, team JDT destroyed that creature without even having the luxury to retreat or regroup. Jane previously defeated his summon in the championship battle, but with methods other than brute force, and upon defeating him, she was in a critical state as well. The same power she had unleashed to win her title as victor - was it the same power used to destroy Gaia? Or did Jane simply deliver no final blow at all? "It's not important right now," Danton concluded. "Go ahead and see to Jane's wounds. Carry her if you must. We're pressing onward immediately." Stay here any longer, and everyone dies.
"Yes sir!"
Chapter Theme Shift:
Though the team's mobility was slowed by having to help Jane walk with Mainne's assistance, Danton ordered for a cautious advance, expecting a high level of unknown danger. Despite running into no such monster since the Gaia spawn, everybody was still wary. After close to half an hour passed in the darkness with no target building in sight, the only thing to do was advance forward with caution and talk things through.
"I don't care about any of that right now. Before we throw Brightworth in jail, maybe he can tell us how to remove this symbol."
"It's possible such things cannot be done." Danton's expression seemed cold, but he continued to give Jane the rundown of the full truth. "The whole purpose of the Den of Purity was to house generations of special mages that are specifically trained to remove permanent spell bomb effects. Some people want to make their battles more difficult by removing effects such as permanent boosts to their HP using rare items that are hard to generate for the corporations. And others have used ancient spell bombs such as the Amahar spell sphere, which cuts defense into a third by tripling magical attack power with a status effect called burst mode. The mages know of secret arts to reverse such effects. But allegedly, they can also successfully remove symbols should they be under the line of specific symbols." Danton knew he was astounding them with his knowledge of this, but the point was fairly simple. "However, your situation is highly unique in that you've utilized an experimental spell bomb to create an experimental symbol of unknown origin. It's quite troubling actually, since it is not supposed to be possible to create new symbols with digital technology. Whatever it may be, even your symbol was invented somewhere long in the past, in forgotten history. Even if it was known to us and to Brightworth, there is not a high probability that he would possess the capacity and knowledge to remove it from your body."
"Wouldn't the Scarlets who invented this know something then?"
Answering Jane's question with certainty, Danton grew tense quickly. "Even if they did know, they are never to be trusted. Members of the Scarlet Syndicate are nothing more than power hungry villains who would resort to forbidden magic to get what they want. Killing people is in their nature, and trying to acquire ultimate power appears to be their goal for the moment. The creation of E-7 Mark 64 is evidence of that, but hope isn't totally lost. Once this is all over, I may have the means of analyzing your symbol on a super molecular level. That may give us answers about what to do next."
"I can't believe that all of this happened to her," Danny included. His voice rode up and down with his movements of supporting the other side of Jane to help her limp forward. "This dark zone, and an evil cult, all of this. I never had the impression once that Sprawn Valley was full of this much danger."
"It didn't used to be, at least after the Avion Wars came to an end. But there are those now who seek to win their own war on the monopolization of magic. I suppose you are correct Danny. If you came to Sprawn Valley having such high respect for Leray magic, only to find out the dark history of our past sins, then I apologize for having to represent such a nation that dresses up the issues to its own citizens."
Even the very person in charge is aware of this mirage. Those who come to Sprawn Valley are supposed to learn Leray magic and enjoy the fun of harmless battling, intense or not. But everything is changing, all because there are dangerous enemies here that are using hidden exploits in the veil to kill others with or without magic. Again, the reminder of Nyar's warnings clicked in his head, though followed up additionally by the question of how Nyar obtained this knowledge on his own. "It's okay though." Danny knew enough already. Despite everything he has been told not to do, Jane always had the right idea in mind following her heart to the bitter end, and to this day she is still doing that, inspiring himself and Taylor to do the same. "Magic is dangerous. We all see that now, but Jane isn't just fighting the dark zone and even you to remove her symbol. The reason goes far beyond that. Jane believes in Leray magic more than anybody I've ever met."
Jane let out a weak gasp since Danny was speaking on her behalf, and let him continue to see where he was going with his little speech.
"When we first met, Jane bullied the both of us just to test our reaction to general Leray magic. She chose us as her friends because we were both capable for finding a place for an interesting art in our hearts. Jane loves Leray magic so much that she chose it to be her entire life, and went the step further to inspire us to take up the same practice as well. But Leray magic represents a lot more than battles and practices. It represents hope and faith for those who don't have any."
Danton had never heard such familiar words spoken before. This boy certainly is an interesting person. Where did he come from though? And how is he so keen on the way Leray magic works? What is your story, Danny Mason?
"When did you get all sentimental?" Taylor was already excited that Danny was so clearly able to represent Jane in this way. It was the truth she felt all along too.
"Magic scared me too when exposed to it for the first time," Danny admitted. The thought of it was actually horrifying, fear of the unknown caused by a hint of danger born from doubt. It's the same reason half the entire world doesn't want involvement with such things. "But when I watched the way Jane used it just to have fun and help other people, I knew then and there that magic has a lot more potential than anything else. Even if it can be evilized like this, people who stand up and fight for the right thing with or without magic are the only forces keeping everyone in check. That is why Jane had to fight you Danton."
"I thought that was the case once we arrived here," Danton announced. Jane really is as innocent as they come, but with the passion in her heart beaming out of her eyes, he'd think otherwise at first glance. This is the first time this has ever happened. "I must apologize for believing she had a hidden motive against us, but I had to be cautious."
"That type of spark, the love for Leray magic and its constant traditions, that's where Jane gets her strength from. It has nothing to do with the symbol. I won't buy that for a moment."
"Danny." Other than his name, Jane was speechless to say anything else. Her limping and swaying was something she got used to, focusing on their conversation. Though she heard of this before, her own friends were also telling her that the symbol was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Could all of this still of happened without this symbol? It didn't seem likely at all. But what if he was right?
"Since that seems to be the case..." Danton always spoke with such elegance and transitional flow in his words, as he was taught to speak proper English narratives. Even now, his professional expression of gratitude overcast his previous mistakes. "I shall pardon Jane for crime number eighty-seven, that being the infusion of the mark. Jane Venn, you still have not proven to me just yet that you have what it takes to be champion of Leray magic, since you did in fact have to resort to the use of your symbol to defeat me. But I shall let you try again in the future if you find a way to suppress that mark on your hand. And in the meantime, I will still try and find answers of special symbol removal."
"You mean?" Jane's face perked up though Danton wasn't completely turned around, still walking forward.
"You will be pardoned from your past crimes. The world will know however that you are marked since you displayed such on national television. That could complicate things. But being the champion of Leray magic gives myself full authority over such matters. As soon as we take Brightworth away, you will not need to worry about having a mark, since you have proven your loyalty to us and your love for positive Leray magic."
"That's so awesome Jane!" Taylor cheered. "Now you're not in trouble for this!"
"How could I punish someone who hasn't even experienced life to its fullest yet, and for a situation that our own enemy unknowingly placed upon you? I must admit though, that if the Scarlets watch my program and learn about this symbol attached to your body, it will make Sprawn Valley a battle grounds for you in particular."
"I'm well aware of that," Jane admitted. "But we did what we had to do Danton. I think I'll let the professionals handle the rest from here."
"Target sighted! Twelve o clock!" It was Brock who shouted out the report. While the other units and teams gave more focus to the area in front, they realized that Brock wasn't reporting a sighting of an enemy, but a large metal building structure. From this distance, it was clearly visible, with extra light somehow provided magically to the nearby area. The heat around them was fading away fast, evidence that the dark zone wasn't as effective right here as it was everywhere else.
Danton could see it too, a house quite large in horizontal spread with black metal roofs. From the shape and design of the structure, Danton knew from his previous research that this right here is the Den of Purity. "Target sighted. All teams move in and prepare to breach the entrances. Be prepared for anything."
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Following Danton's orders and the expert movement tactics of the primary assault team, Jane and her friends followed Danton and Mainne together, making sure the other elites were here as well. Jane restricted herself from getting too involved, but her limping was less of a requirement after some time had passed, and she didn't need her friends holding her up from weakness anymore. Though the building was quite a distance from here, the soldiers were moving up while crouching every now and then, aiming their weapons in various directions to check the area out for enemies.
As the position remained clear for some time, it was very quiet upon sneaking up to the Den of purity. The structure itself was nothing more than a very impressive home with one front entrance and a back entrance. The team gathered to the back entrance, leaving another unit at the front to watch for any escape attempts should their position already be compromised. Right in front of the entire assault team, Danton gave an order to Brock, who began setting up a military grade breaching charge on the door. Cleo was next to him, holding onto a smoke grenade in preparation to sweep the entire building in under ten seconds. It became quickly clear to Jane that she and her friends remain on standby and let the professionals commit to the task of apprehending the suspect.
Chapter Theme Shift:
Brock gave hand signals, prompting the units behind him to stand back and to the sides for cover. Then he counted down the seconds on his fingers after activating the timer on the detonation unit. When his fingers ran out, the charge blew the fuse, blasting an explosive force into the house, and deafening everybody's ears. The door flew inward off the hinges and crumbled into pieces, providing a slightly elevated broken platform they could stand on. Brock entered first and rushed the interior of the building with his team closely behind him. "Move! Move! Check all corners!"
Jane's team was the last allowed to enter, and upon doing so, they were also the next to lay eyes on the interior of the building after the smoke cleared away from the breach. Cleo didn't use the smoke grenade for some reason, even though he very well could have.
The interior of the house seemed quite ordinary for the furniture and ornaments that were set up, though most of them were bookcases full of written material, and a grandfather clock in the living room to top it off. However, there was a small amount of computer equipment further ahead in the next room that made the set up appear suspicious. Just then, a new male figure stepped out calmly with his hands behind his back, as he turned to face his intruders.
"Hands where we can see them!" Brock commanded the target to show his hands, aiming a gun he had not before. His team of soldiers had the suspect surrounded in seconds while the suspect complied with the order, raising his hands above his head.
This man was professor Brightworth. Jane had no doubt in her mind, but the man was strange from the beginning. He wore some sort of decorated robe, more like a coat of high class, but as he was being detained, there wasn't a hint of fear or panic in his eyes whatsoever. Brightworth simply complied willingly with the soldiers cuffing his hands and holding the back of his head. Danton stepped in front of him to portray his authority for being here.
The cuffs were Light Lock disks, designed to prevent the flow of all magic from Brightworth so long as he has them on. When Danton concluded that his target had finally been captured, there was then plenty of time to discuss his options, not that the criminal had many. "Mr. Brightworth," Danton started. "You are under arrest and have been charged with treason against the sacred scriptures of the mages under articles three and four. You can add several counts of involuntary manslaughter for this pathetic illegal experiment too."
"If only you knew what I've actually been working on Sir Danton. I'm quite surprised to see you're still the leader of Eldora Tower. What took you so long to grow a pair and invade my home despite my well-developed security system?"
"I already realize you have a natural right to remain silent, but for you, I may bend the rules a little." With his Mega-Staff, Danton held it up as though to smack him with it. But instead, he simply made a peace offering. "You and I have a lot to discuss before your military trial with the council. I suggest you cooperate with us now, to make it easier for you."
"What makes you think I'd tell you anything so willingly?" Brightworth was in his upper forties, though his voice was very deep and raspy. He seemed so smug even in those cuffs. "I only find a small handful of people to be worthy as part of my work here. The Outback is no more, and you have no jurisdiction to be here invading my home without any forensic proof that I've done anything."
"You already admitted to your crimes you idiot." Danton glanced at Krysta and Cleo to the side, and nodded his head. "Lock him up! We'll be interrogating the prisoner for details under executive orders. I want the rest of the team to follow me. We're sweeping the area to gather evidence."
Just like that, Brightworth was taken away to some sort of chamber in his own house, prepared for interrogation, while Jane's team had to follow Danton's assistants around to find evidence of everything Brightworth has done here. After just five short-lived minutes, one of the soldiers quickly unveiled a fake painting, revealing ink marked blue prints on the wall for something difficult to understand at a glance.
"We found something Mainne." Cleo attracted Mainne's team into the same room, where Jane's team was as well. Danny and Taylor seemed bored and continued searching around in curiosity, but the drawings on the wall attracted a lot of attention. With Jane helping to read the unknown details, she quickly made deductions about the markings.
There were drawings of turrets with numbers and symbols beside them. "Those are all of the sentry turrets in the area with their effective ranges, and the ones off the main paths are the ones left undestroyed."
Krysta thought it through, Jane's immediate analysis of the turret structures she battled before. "If those machines are in fact powered by the dark magic veil, simply shutting down the power source will disable the machines. Our units can then dismantle them safely, but that priority is not first. I want these markings copied down and sent to Danton immediately."
"Yes Ma'am!" Several of the soldiers followed her orders, pulling out notepads from their functioning supply spheres. Other units continued to search the area, and made another discovery with the electronic equipment set up with the monitors.
Though as predictable as it seemed, the systems here appeared to monitor the spawns of dark magic creatures in the zone, as well as their systematic location through the use of underground radar beacons. Even right now on the monitors, red dots were everywhere in the southeastern section, and more to the west. Further south outside of the bubble was colored blue, proving just as well that Brightworth had full knowledge of the extent of his dark magic veil and its rate of spread.
One of the soldiers gave his opinions, his voice deepened and disguised through the filter in his helmet. "There's enough evidence here to lock this guy up for eternity. I'll be amazed if he doesn't face the death penalty for this."
Mainne shifted her focus to the center of the room, though she hadn't found anything else useful. She wasn't searching for evidence. "We already know what he did. I want to know why he did this. That's exactly what Danton's team is interrogating him for right now."
"Uhm, Mainne?"
"Yes? Speak up girl." Mainne allowed Taylor to express what was concerning her mind, though she didn't appear to be in panic.
Taylor answered with another question. "Is it right to interrogate Brightworth like this? I mean, aren't we doing that anyway at the council?"
Mainne nodded her head in disagreement. "There is no guarantee that the correct questions will be asked at the council's trial. I don't like operating outside of the law either, but at times like these where we don't know what's going on, it may very well be necessary. If Brightworth was in league with the Scarlet Cult by any chance, this changes everything. The amount of danger we would all be in would elevate."
"Mainne," Jane called. "What exactly do you know about the Scarlet Cult?"
"Only that they've been around for a long time in hiding, and that they've only been showing their face very recently. That makes a statement to me, a statement that the enemy is ready to try something drastic to increase their magical power over everyone else." With Jane now silent and satisfied with the answer, Mainne turned to face her directly, curious as to what she was getting onto. "Danton and I; our entire team has been through a lot over the last decade Jane. We don't just battle people in Eldora Tower all year long. It's our job to keep the entire nation safe and running with minimal physical interference. Up until now, we've been able to accomplish that goal. But as for your particular concern, you're mission is now complete."
"But—" Jane argued impatiently. One thing already felt out of place here. According to public records, the Scarlet Cult was actually a new organization less than about two years old. So that means public documentation was forged and faked to hide that fact. Still, what Mainne just said about her mission being over didn't feel so sincere. "What about the source of the dark magic? Isn't Brightworth that source?"
Brock answered to Jane for Mainne, knowing full well the possibilities and discoveries made through technology. "Don't be so quick to assume that magic only affects people anymore. Brightworth is a scientist after all, and with his ability to conduct experiments unknown to the world with the dark zone used as a silencing tool to our ears, I wouldn't be surprised if he's been using an object or a power crystal to expand the veil of the dark magic zone over the Outback. Since this has been going on for months and Brightworth doesn't even look tired or fazed, I would bet on that being the case."
That is actually a smarter deduction that Jane should have caught up to earlier. If the dark zone has been active and expanding for months, all Brightworth had to do is use some sort of power source object to project the dark magic veil, leaving his own personal energy supply untouched.
"This is a big house, but it also makes for a bigger cover for something like that." Cleo expanded on Brock's ideas with another theory. "If Brightworth managed to make a synthetic copy of our magic core and implemented dark magic into the used device, it would have been easy for him to keep Alpha Zero alive and growing. With a fully functional pure crystal, it would be as effortless as powering up a standard generator with normal Leray electrical magic. I'd say he has that device hidden underground."
"We'll spread out and search for potential trap doors and hatches." Krysta was already on it, leaving Mainne and Jane's team to think about it all, mostly the kids.
Jane truly had less of an idea as to what was going on here than she did before. Mainne was correct about the million-dollar question being the motive. Brightworth couldn't have been trying to take over Sprawn Valley with the dark zone. Why make himself public like that for months even if he was nearly unreachable?
Chapter Theme Shift:
Several minutes passed before anything interesting happened. The other teams continued to deep search the entire house for evidence of underground hatches or secret passages other than Brightworth's own interrogation chamber. While Jane waited patiently in the room she needed to, Danton made his appearance again. Checking in on the group, Danton noticed that Jane was patching herself and her friends up from all of the real time damage they took, using primitive medical supplies, and some of Mainne's supervision. Danton cleared his throat aloud, asking for their attention. "My interrogation went well."
"He just told you everything?"
"Hardly." Danton looked so refined, wielding his Mega-Staff in his right hand to portray his potential strength. "Brightworth is a piece of scum; that much is for certain. I had to trick him into revealing some secrets, not that he even realized it until now. His experiments here were in fact nothing more than a shield used to hide the full search he was conducting."
"A search?"
To answer Mainne's question, Danton wanted to have everybody present, but realized they were busy with whatever else they were seeking. "Almost a full field study. Brightworth doesn't have any reason to overthrow Sprawn Valley with his methods of dark magical projection. We both know that already. But his smug attitude tells me he has no physical ability to reveal the truth to us. That being said, he must have been searching for something that even he has yet to find within the boundaries of the Outback. I managed to find a small broken component piece in the house that belongs to an Artimus Scanner."
"No way!"
"How did you figure that out so quickly?" Danny was just as amazed by Danton's natural skill of his deductions. Without even hurting Brightworth's ego, he let the enemy accidentally reveal the intent, and found a piece of evidence to prove it. "But also, what's an Artimus Scanner?"
Danton allowed Mainne to naturally answer the simpler questions he cared not to answer. "Quantech produces a lot of interesting gadgets that are assisted directly by Leray magic. An Artimus Scanner isn't difficult to get your hands on, as it is used to conduct an archaeological survey under the ground with seismic disturbances already present."
Continuing where Mainne was going with it, Danton finalized his summary. "Brightworth had no disturbances to work with, so he created his own after making sure his intentions in the dark zone hid what he was up to. Our best scouts couldn't get anywhere near the Den of Purity before being injured or killed. Others who survived long enough to tell us anything reported mostly a massive rise in thermal energy like what we suffered in the presence of the dark zone veil. But ten percent of those reports also included a minor level of seismic shockwaves in the ground that would barely be detected by a Richter scale. There were also occasional reports of mild noise vibrations throughout the air, low-pitch booms that almost mimicked the sound of nearby intense radiation. With those waves in place, Brightworth could use the scanners he set up everywhere to monitor the monster activity and the survey he conducted to search for his target. Whatever he seeks must therefore be something underground."
"Why would a man formerly on the mage council put so much effort into this?" Cleo was the one asking, after joining in the conversation from the adjacent living room.
Danton sighed nervously. "I wonder if Gleeon tried to shine any light on this matter."
"You really think they're behind this?" Mainne questioned Danton's claim with moderate caution, as if it were a dangerous allegation for himself to make in the first place.
"No," he replied. "For once, I can't be sure of anything anymore..." There was a silence following Danton's defeated tone, but he didn't let it pursue. "All I do know is what I've done for us. I've trained all of you!" Danton proudly represented his team of elites in his sentence, only including the elite four and himself. "We are prepared for situations like these, and I nearly failed to spring into action if it were not for Jane Venn pushing me out of the shelter I built."
"Uh?" Jane felt that Danton's words were a supreme compliment to her, but wasn't expecting it at all given what she knew about him. She found herself speechless before Danton moved on.
"It's true. My uncertainty and unwillingness to believe this matter was anything other than an elaborate trap set against us, is what furnished indecisiveness to take action. What connection our enemies have to Alpha Zero and this other matter are unknown, but as disturbing and as confusing as the situation is, we will find out what the Scarlet leaders are up to, and then prosecute them under the grand council." Danton had not felt so fired up like this since many years ago. It wasn't the same passion put into magical battles, but the type found when wanting only to do the right thing. He was certain that the Scarlets were going to wreck the world if something isn't done about it sooner or later. At least that's what this feels like. "Experimental symbols, conversion tactics, and kidnappings are not going to make us think twice about acting on the criminal acts of progressing the agenda to menace around with dark magic wielding fools! I won't have it in this country!"
Jane had never seen it before until now. This was the one thing Sir Danton was so passionate about. He didn't care about the title of championship either, but rather the power it gave him to stand up against the criminals in the world, and the executive power of the army to help him do that. His silver colored eyes right now, Jane knew they didn't change in vibrancy, but they seemed so bright and alive, just like his voice a second ago. It's the same passion she could relate to from time and time again. Amazing!
Taylor was exhausted from today's events, and so was Danny, but she and Danny both took notice to Danton's sudden inspiration to capture all of the Scarlet criminals. He defiantly had it out for them, but Taylor couldn't help but wonder if this inspiration came from his victory here, or something related to Brightworth. Was Brightworth in league with the Scarlet Cult after all? Or was there a different link to this type of threat?
"Danton," Brock interrupted. "We just found a hidden hatch door under the stove. It leads into a small chamber housing the exact source we've been searching for."
"Very well. Take us to it," he ordered. Danton followed Brock and his team quickly to the secret hatch. Danton wondered whether or not Brightworth was actually stupid enough to hide the power source under a predictable hatch in his own house, but here it was. Brock's men moved the stove all the way out, unplugging it from the unit and sliding it over to the side of the floor, and they already had the hatch door open leading into a narrow corridor down many steps. The corridor itself was pitch black without any source of light, and could very well be some type of trap.
"So this is where he was hiding it. I'll go first." Danton offered himself to go in first in case there was a trap, defying even Mainne's silent expression of concern. Danton raised up his staff slightly, using a tiny amount of magic to the end of his crystal to illuminate the corridor. His staff lit the area well, and Danton made sure not to let others follow him too closely.
By the time Jane and the others made it down with him, they entered a large unrestricted cubed room with its own light source. The sight before all of them was as breathtaking as it was unbelievable. A skinny tall gem with a pitch-black color illuminating a lot of yellow light to the entire room sat inside of an anti-gravimetrical chamber, though uncovered with anything to protect that crystal. Some of the light coming from the gem shot out in lines, almost taking the shape of unusual lightning arcs that was limited to how far it could go. The containment chamber itself was nothing more than a sophisticated machine mounted to the floor and ceiling of the room to properly align the crystal in the correct orientation to function.
Even Danton was beside himself. Brightworth made this look something close to one of the pillars in the magic core section on top of Eldora Tower. He must have been able to trace designs when he was receiving the training early in his years, before he was even a member of the mage council. But to build something like this and make it use the reverse energy is the largest crime he has ever seen so far; this is too disgusting for digestion. This proves it, how dangerous this man really is. "Stand back! Everybody behind me!"
Danton shouted the command, giving everyone the motivation to scramble back to the corridor, uncertain of what he was about to do. Danton lifted his staff up, charging Leray energy into the device. With everyone now out of immediate danger, he took aim at the machine holding the crystal afloat, and fired bolts of pure energy to the top side of the machine. The impact immediately drilled massive holes into the supports holding it all together, causing the entire structure to break apart, now collapsing in on itself. At the same time, the crystal dimmed out, fell to the ground, and shattered into a million pieces. In just a few more seconds afterwards, Danton could feel the sudden shift in the balance of his own energy reserves. That would be the veil of dark magic shutting down, the entire destruction and loss of code Alpha Zero energy.
"You destroyed it," Jane annotated. Danton just wrecked the one and only source of dark magic in the entire Outback area. According to something Claudia told her before, this wouldn't be enough to bring the land back to the state of paradise it once was. But she could feel noticeable changes all around her, such as the temperature getting lower dramatically.
"One rule of destroying any magical crystal," Danton lectured, "is to never directly attack the gem itself while it carries or stores any type of magic. That can cause a seriously powerful chain reaction known as intrusive rejection, and kill everyone nearby that crystal. You must first drain the power flow to the crystal before it is allowed to shatter."
Mainne growled quietly under her breath, knowing full well that Danton put all of them at risk by bringing them down here with that lecture brought to light. But it explained to her why he attacked the structure instead of the crystal itself, again reminding her of the incident that taught her and Danton this at Eldora Tower during one of the many break-ins, attempts made to steal the all-powerful crystal cores at the top of Eldora Tower. Now there was nothing in this cubed room but broken parts and glass that could never be used again. From this moment on, there is no more dark zone, and Brightworth will be finished.
"Come on," Danton redirected. "Let's go see if we are able to learn more about what Brightworth was searching for." Danton carelessly carried himself back up the steps, leaving the others to follow behind him. This time, he wasn't so sure about his results for the next answer. After all, the mission objective here was already complete in shutting down Alpha Zero. Upon exiting from the chambers, Danton could see through the only window in the kitchen area. It was as dark outside as it was before, if not darker than it usually was. But the color of the sky... The appearance of the environment outside...
It's changing.