December 14, 2004 – 15:00
"How about we bury them somewhere remote, far from the human population, and see who comes for them?" said Coralis.
"Blue, I understand why you rank so high, and I am truly glad to see you on our side," said Matasia.
"Blue's plan for the weapons is good. However, there is a possibility that you will kill the djinn whose essence is imprinted in their daily batch. With djinn mystical weapon crafting, if done the traditional way, you will find somewhere in this place vials containing essence samples of the one who made their blueprints or is behind this operation," said Riwik.
"I'll go. If we happen to kill the djinn whose essence is in them, anyone from the same bloodline will be able to track them, and it's probably a family operation," said Whazk.
"Make sure that no one touches these weapons with their bare hands. Just in case the plan doesn't work as intended, we don't want them to be able to get to any of you through your essence. Djinn mystical weapons do absorb the essence of the user," said Milkya.
The Shadow Elementals sent six members who could shift into a small animal and ensured they brought a bind. Neither Coralis nor Alejandro wanted to risk returning to their point of entry to meet with the crew sent to them. They sent them the coordinates of where they landed along with their current ones and told them how they passed the wards.
While waiting for the crew to arrive, Alejandrito toured the premises to locate all exits and find out if more people were working in that mountain. Cheetah stayed at their observation point, trying to determine the most efficient way to knock them out using silver powder. She remembered what she did the previous year against the feral wolves, but this time, she wouldn't be able to keep them contained within a circle of water and fire.
An hour later, she saw them leaving through a tunnel and communicated that information to Alejandro through private mind-link.
"I'll follow them from afar. The tunnels seem dark, I should be able to remain unseen."
"The tunnel entry left to where we were, you said?"
"Yes, the one closest to us."
"They are probably going to the cafeteria to eat. I haven't seen anyone else so far, but I did find crates containing iron powder and an office I want us to search before burning down the place. If they are still in the cafeteria when our backup arrives, it's even better. There is only one point of entry there and no window. There isn't even a closet in the cafeteria. They receive their meals through mini-portals I think."
"Hmm is there a ventilation system in the cafeteria?" said Coralis while Alejandrito headed back toward the cafeteria.
"Not that I remember, but I've seen what looked like a turbine."
"That wouldn't work, but it doesn't matter, I have an idea. If the workers are still in there when our crew arrives, you're right, it's even better. While I turn the iron powder into silver, can you create some statics in the air, to make sure they can't crack a portal open?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
"Where you saw the crates of iron powder, do you remember sensing wards in there?" said Coralis while Alejandrito watched the workers entering the cafeteria.
"No… now that I think of it, the only wards we came across were those we passed through when we shifted to our animal forms."
Cheetah met with Alejandrito after she saw the last worker entering the cafeteria.
"Can you show me where the iron powder crates are and the rooms they could go to while we wait for our backup to arrive?"
"Yes, follow me. You know what? If there is no one else in here, and I make sure they can't open a portal from the cafeteria, why wait? We should get them there before they return to work or disperse."
Alejandrito showed her where the crates of iron powder were and two large rooms filled with bunk beds.
"No portal back home after a shift, uh? All right, I think our backup crew isn't far, but you're right, best to act now," said Coralis on their way back to the storage room.
Once there, she removed her bind off a front paw, grabbed it in her jaw and brought it on a crate. Focusing on that crate, still in her mini-panther form, she sent energy to it to lift and place it on top of another one. In the same manner, she carried the two crates outside the room, all the way to the cafeteria, and Alejandrito did the same. They delicately dropped them on the ground beside the entryway and moved the crate on top next to the other.
They looked at each other, standing on their back paws, and nodded. Still in their animal forms, they removed the crates' lids after shoving their binds into their fur. They stepped into the entryway, next to each other, and stood again on their back paws, Cheetah next to the crates.
Alejandrito filled the air with static while Cheetah turned the iron powder into silver. Once she was done, she quickly conjured up a thick fog. Controlling the fog using her left front paw, she directed silver powder into it with her right front paw. Seeing what she was doing, the wind mage within Alejandrito created a small wind to push more silver powder into her fog.
The workers couldn't breathe, as the silver-infused fog entered their pores and respiratory system. They looked around in panic but couldn't find anyone. Some workers spotted a black cat and thought that one of their blood witches had turned against them. Others tried to open a portal but failed. The workers tried to rush to the cafeteria exit but collapsed before reaching it. Cheetah's fog of silver grew thicker and more potent.
A few minutes later, while they were all lying on the ground, barely conscious, Cheetah dissolved the fog and then shifted form. Alejandro shifted back at the same time, and they pulled out their blades, beheading them all in less than a minute. They jumped when they heard someone clapping behind them.
"Impressive, very impressive," said Whazk, looking around the room. "We didn't see you at the meeting point, but we followed your scents here."
"Plan changed when we saw them piling up in this room and realized the inside of their cave wasn't warded. We figured it'd be better to take them down now, while they only had one exit," said Alejandro.
"I missed the party. You shifted back into your normal forms the moment I saw you down the tunnel," said Matasia.
"The change of plan was a good call. You two and Matasia, search for the essence samples and blueprints while the others and I portal the weapons to Milkya. If the bullets aren't with the weapons, we will tell you. We need to be quick and out of here before anyone realizes what happened," said Whazk.
Thirty minutes later, Whazk signalled two members to walk through the portal he opened to pass the weapons, and closed it behind them.
"When you have lived for as long as us, you can open a portal to a million places. You've seen it all," said Whazk.
Whazk and his crew met with Coralis, Alejandro and Matasia. They continued searching for potential secret rooms, but couldn't find anything more.
Twenty minutes later, they stood on the ledge Coralis and Alejandro had been watching the workers, and from a distance, they turned upside-down the basins of lava.
They wanted to burn the installation without anything collapsing on them and without asphyxiating themselves. Whazk increased the lava temperature and manipulated it to melt and destroy everything it came across. Matasia then cooled off the melted metal and broke it into powder.
When done, they left in separate ways to go home. Coralis and Alejandro were covered in djinn blood.
On her way back home, after calling Frank to let him know she was on her way back, Coralis paged the contact who gave her the tip. Dimitri DeMarco called her back 5 minutes later.
"The tip you gave me was gold. It led us to a mystical weapon factory run by djinns. The type of weapons you do not want to see in circulation. We don't know yet to whom they were intended nor what it got to do with the reports your superior received, but their plant has been destroyed."
"REALLY?? Good thing I didn't protest the transfer to fiscal, then. My superiors are getting frustrated that the top names aren't dead yet and want to push harder. They started questioning my results and wanted me to transfer to fiscal soon after I gave you that tip."
"Hmm, we also saw them making pistols, I wonder if they were intended for your unit."
"Let me know if you find out. I didn't protest it because I didn't want them to look deeper into what I've been up to. Brace yourself, because they will come harder on you all."