Chapter 378: Panic
(Basement Level V, Inside the Vault, Timer: 27:03)
Leo crouched beside the empty pedestal, the cold mana-glass humming faintly beneath his palm as he took one final deep breath and clasped the black keychain tighter in his hand.
’I hope activating you doesn’t suck me dry...’ Leo hoped, as he pushed mana into the keychain slowly at first, then faster, until the orb began to tremble against his skin, vibrating like a trapped hummingbird caught between glass and thunder.
*Zzzzzzhk... ZzzzZH*
*CRACK*
The sphere let out a sharp pulse of energy and imploded inward, collapsing into itself like a dying star, before stabilizing into a tiny, swirling vortex the size of a clenched fist, as it took its final form as a short life dimensional portal, that pulsated faintly with violet and black colors.
’That’s my window!’ Leo thought, as he did not hesitate even slightly once the portal formed.
He thrust his right hand straight into the swirling hole, reaching beyond its warped space, as a strange gel-like sensation covered the part of his skin that was pushing through the portal.
It felt ticklish and unfamiliar, but he ignored how it felt, and focused on reaching the other side instead, as his fingertips soon grazed the edge of metal.
’Thank-God, it seems like I have indeed drawn the other end of the portal correctly,’ Leo thought in relief, as he clenched the edge of the metal frame and yanked on it as hard as he could.
*WHOOSH*
The frame slid through the portal like a sword through silk, its larger body compressing unnaturally to pass through the tiny hole, as it came out the other side and refound its original shape.
Tied to it, was a power core attached by a strong wire, and thankfully, Leo had pulled on it with enough momentum to also pull the power core alongside the frame, as both objects shot out in a single motion, just before the portal shrunk to a pinpoint and vanished.
There was no residue left behind, no trace that the portal was ever there, as Leo was only left with the frame, the power core and the attaching wire in his hands.
’All good so far–’ Leo assessed, as he quickly bent over and activated the stasis mechanism of the pedestal just in front of him, as the dull pedestal glowed with a faint white light, and the anti-gravity rune on its surface activated.
With both hands, Leo raised the frame and gently placed it inside the field, as once within the anti-gravity field, the frame floated weightless yet perfectly level, held in suspension by the enchantments of the stand, seemingly far better than any nut or bolt could ever hope to hold it, as Leo looked satisfied with how it hung.
"Now the real work..." Leo murmured ever so softly, as he disconnected the attached wire from the power core and crouched beside the levitating frame, his eyes narrowing as he brought the power core close to the integration socket on the rear.
’Right here. Slot-7 into Column-A. Pin-2 slides between rings 5 and 6... then twist the wire clockwise until the glyph pulses.’
His fingers worked fast but careful, threading minuscule joints with quiet precision as the soft ticking from the vault timer echoed behind him, each second like a drop of water falling onto the iron drum of his nerves.
—------
(Meanwhile, at the Guild Headquarters ground Floor Lobby)
*Ding*
Antonio stepped out of his private elevator, adjusting the collar of his coat as the marble-tiled elevator lobby greeted him with its usual grandeur.
Without breaking stride, he raised his right arm and tapped lightly on a button hidden beneath the cuff of his sleeve, as he retrieved a weird looking pin and slid it across elevator 3, to open it.
*Open*
Its door slid open with no sound.
Antonio stepped inside and crossed his arms, his expression unreadable, as he pressed the only button inside, which led to basement level V.
---
(Vault Chamber, Timer: 18:44)
Leo aligned the final pin into the power core and waited, sweat beginning to bead at his temples.
*Click*
A soft blue pulse ran across the frame, the signal that integration had succeeded.
However, just integrating the power core was not enough, he had to start the stabilization procedure next, as he began pressing the stabilization nodes one after another, just like he had memorized from Argo’s instruction letter.
---
(Elevator Shaft, Mid-Descent)
Antonio stared blankly ahead as the elevator hummed downward through layers of reinforced mana-concrete.
The descent was long, twelve minutes to Basement Level V, not counting the minute-long corridor trek to the vault.
His thoughts cycled back to the flicker he’d seen in the viewing mirror, as he made his own assumptions on what it could be?
’Body splitting into two could be the result of a cloning technique, or it could be the result of him moving so fast, that the mirror could not catch his movement and instead showed him at two places at once for that brief split second’
He theorized, as he tightened his jaw, his fingers curling at his sides.
’This elevator ride is taking too long....’
---
(Vault Chamber | Timer: 14:52)
Leo’s hands moved in a blur, pressing the correct activation sequence buttons, so that when the portal was remotely activated, it wouldn’t shift or destabilize with use.
’Now for the final trigger,’ he thought, as he very carefully pressed against the core’s central rune.
*Bzzzzt—click*
A low hum spread outward. The portal wasn’t active yet, but the frame was now fully online, stabilized and ready for remote activation for the Cult, with enough power for a 22 minute heist window.
’Item Description : A high grade instant teleportation device’
Leo typed for the pedestal’s description, as he disguised the frame as just another treasure in the room.
----
(Meanwhile, basement Level V)
Antonio’s boots echoed against the polished steel flooring as he stepped out of the hidden elevator.
The two violet-marked operatives standing guard didn’t move, but one nodded at him as he passed.
His pace was calm. But his mind burned with certainty.
He reached the reinforced hallway fairly quickly, undergoing no security checks like Leo, as he quickly reached the vault door, before placing his palm on the glyph panel, as the vault door depressurized.
---
(Vault Chamber | Timer: 12:58)
Leo, still invisible, stood a few steps away from his clone, when suddenly hiss of de-pressurization began from the other side of the vault, causing his heart to jump into his throat.
’The fuck?’ He cursed, panic gripping every muscle in his body, before rationality returned.
*DASH*
He dashed with all his speed, hoping that he had enough time to replace the clone before someone had a chance to scan the room, as for those few split seconds, he felt as if he was once again running away from the priest and the silver armoured knight of the time-stilled world, as time seemed to stretch endlessly for him for those handful of moments.
’Who could it be? And why are they here unannounced?’ He wondered, as with his eyes trained towards the vault’s entrance, he used [StormFlash Traverse] in a high stakes gamble to replace the clone before someone entered.