Titans - March of Progress

Standing in the middle of the elevator, Kasui watched as the soldiers spread out about the vicinity, searching the lab for the youth and well, her. They were making zero attempt to be quiet and had started calling out to each other, and she could hear the nervousness heavy in their voices. She did not fault them. Looking down to her belt, she slid her free hand over the many crystals that studded the darkened leather until she found what she sought. A wind crystal. Focusing her mind on that, she drew on its energy and guided the energy down to her feet, forming a torrent of wind beneath her. With a barely audible breath, she bent her knees and then jumped straight upwards right as she let loose the burst of energy below her, creating a burst of wind beneath her feet.

Kasui she shot upwards into the shaft as she pulled more wind energy from the crystal and used it launch herself again and again upwards through the air. Air rushed down the shaft in staggered bursts, slamming into the elevator floors and eliciting sudden shouts from those below who seemed to be genuinely confused by what was happening. Kasui just smirked as she sailed up through the shaft, finally coming to the glass room above. She sailed out of the shaft and with a final burst of air, pushed herself past the hole in the floor, coming to a gentle landing on the floor.

Looking around, Kasui surveyed her surroundings for any changes compared to when she was here earlier. Seeing no one around, she flicked her gaze to the Inventory and Holding area and noticed the doors to the area were now open. She could see people moving around further down the hallway and she chewed the inside of her mouth a moment in thought.

I've got what I came for, but now I need to get out. With a person on my back. Thoughts ran through her as she tried to recall the mines blue prints. She knew she had entered from one of the less used area's, but that there was no way out apart from the old well which was cramped and hard to move in. And she had no more wind crystals to aid in movement. The main entrance was heavily guarded she knew, as there was an exterior base camp. But that was likely her best option regardless as it was an open space.

Hefting the youth on her back into a better position, she draped his torso over her shoulders and settled him over her back, his legs hanging down in front and to her left side while his upper body rested behind her neck, his left arm draped over her right shoulder. Grabbing him around his left knee and left wrist, she secured him before she started jogging away from the area. Kasui exited the glass room and made a beeline for the Inventory and Holding doors, now held open by hooks.

Kasui moved at a decent pace, trying not to cause too much discomfort for the youth on her back. She knew she could only carry him so long, and her magic reserves would be getting burned through quickly as she kept them both invisible. Passing through the Inventory area, she noticed what essentially was a warehouse, quite large, perhaps fifty meters wide and twice as long, with a ceiling of around fifteen meters. The entire area was filled with tall shelves, stacked with crates and boxes, some labelled, others not. She paid it little heed and just navigated her way through, dodging the odd guard or employee. Everyone seemed at ease as she passed them however, completely oblivious to the situation down in the lab. That eased her heart somewhat.

Continuing on, Kasui left the warehouse behind, instead moving into a hallway with numerous doors left open on both sides. As she passed them, she looked into them, seeing disheveled beds and weapons racks. This was likely the guards quarters, left in a mess as the guards had dressed and rushed below. At the end of the hall, it opened up into what could pass as a common room, and she found herself no longer alone. A half dozen guards stood armed and at the ready. Two stood by a small box set into the wall, a bell visible with a cord attached to it. That's the alarm from the lab no doubt, she thought as she came to a halt, eying the other four guards who stood before the only door out of this section of the mine. A single door that had a barricade across it and a small glass pane set into it. Similar to the door she had passed through earlier from the mine shafts.

And the guards were looking right at her.

For a moment Kasui wondered if the guards could see her, but when no one reacted she relaxed a little and shifted her grip on the young man somewhat, her right hand letting go of his wrist and going to her belt. She had to go through these guards, there was no doubt about it. She just hoped she had some time before they would be found once she was done with them.

Looking them over she noted the guards all to be male, and wearing the standard uniform of the Empire. A brown mass produced woolen shirt and coat, hemmed with golden yellow strips of linen. Each was holding a musket, and was tense, waiting to be called on at any stage no doubt. Kasui's hand paused at her belt as she weighed up her options. She could see the barricade on the door was a simple lift, and it would be easy to get through, providing the guards were out of the picture. Killing the guards was likely the quickest method, but would lead an obvious trail and was likely to be discovered. Fighting while keeping the young man out of harm though was a priority. An idea struck her as her fingers brushed over a fire crystal, and she backed up, going to one of the barracks rooms, its door left ajar.

She looked around, seeing what one would expect in a barracks room. A single bunk on one side of the narrow room, and a wardrobe and two chests against the opposite wall, flanked by a gun rack, empty now. The beds had only wool blankets upon them, but the mattresses looked lumpy. Likely full of straw or down. Moving forward, she adjusted the youth on her back a little, really starting to feel the burn of carrying him, despite his weight being negligible in his wasted stated. Pulling her knife from her leg, she stabbed it into the mattress, and saw what she wanted. Straw. So, sheathing her knife, Kasui then touched the fire crystal studded to her belt and drew out a tiny amount of energy, and with her mind, willed a small flame into existence. It flickered above her forefinger a few moments before she held it to the straw, and watched it catch alight. The orange glow spread quite fast, and she backed off, exiting the room.

Moving back down the hall towards the guards, Kasui took up a position on their right, in the corner. Once more she shifted the youths weight, holding only his thigh with her left hand, her right being left free. And then she just waited. She did not have to wait long, as smoke started to trickle from the room down the hall, and waft down the hall. It took only a few moments for the guards to notice, and one let out a surprised shout before running down the hall and coming to a halt in front of the room. Kasui smirked as she saw his front get lit up in a lurid orange glow. Now she just needed all the guards to move.

"The rooms on fire! Get water!" bellowed the guard, and it seemed the others only just erupted into action, and ran down the hall and into the warehouse behind it. Kasui perked a brow, wondering if the only place that had water was the mess hall she had passed some time ago. Not waiting to see how effective the guards would be at controlling the fire, she just went for the door and grabbed the locking bar, and pushed it up with relative ease. Letting it fall off the other end, she just opened the door, and slipped through pulling it closed behind her.

Looking before her, Kasui saw another hallway, that at its end opened up into a room. She went straight for it without hesitation, and erupted into the room. Her gaze swept around it and she noted three other hallways, all branching out. The room was dimly lit, ringed only by oil lamps, flickering and casting faint shadows. The poor light made it hard to see where the other halls went, but from the blueprints of the mine, she knew they were old mining tunnels that had been collapsed and sealed. What she really focused on in this room was the old elevator sitting in the center. She moved towards it, and opened the gate, stepping onto the elevator platform itself. It was simple a metal plate, perhaps five meters by five meters, and ringed by a steel cage. Looking straight up, she could see the shaft disappearing into the darkness, chains and pulleys visible around its edges.

Kasui's attention moved back to the lift and the control console. A thing of levers and control knobs. She chewed the inside of her cheek somewhat as her gaze flitted over the levers. They seemed to be the same as she had seen in her homeland, and so she grabbed a lever and pulled it down. Instantly a scraping noised sounded out and the cage shuddered, starting to move upwards. It moved slowly, and Kasui grit her teeth impatiently. Retreating to the back of the cage, she just stood there and waited as the cage continued to rise.

"You good kid? You have been quiet as I asked, but just checking" Kasui asked the youth on her shoulders as she shifted him once more, feeling the burn and ache in her shoulders, lower back and thighs. She felt the youth move somewhat and a single grunt escaped him.

"I'm good" he rasped out, his voice harsh. Kasui grimaced as she heard it. She had no idea how long he had had those obsidian stones embedded in his cuffs, but she knew peoples voices only ended up like that if they tried to use magic around obsidian.

"Good. Just keep quiet still. Its going to be hard to get out of the area completely. Don't need no slip ups" she stated as she looked up, seeing light above her. The cage was nearly at the top of the shaft. She just sucked in a breath, and steeled herself for whatever would be waiting.

After a few more moments, the elevator reached level with the exit, and the entire cage was washed in light, lamps ringing the area completely. The elevator shuddered to a halt, and Kasui found herself in an area not dissimilar to the bottom of the shaft. A large room, with the elevator positioned in the center. Looking around she saw there was only one entrance however, another hallway that she knew led to the outer facility. And striding down the corridor was a group of individuals, seemingly in the midst of a heated conversation. She looked sharply to her left though as she heard a scraping noise, and immediately noticed a soldier moving levers and dials at a station a meter or so from the elevator shaft. She surmised they were the staff that usually controlled the elevator, and was trying to figure out why it had come to the top by itself.

With a scowl, Kasui realized she was in a bad spot, with the cage door still closed, a suspicious soldier nearby, and a group of individuals heading straight for the cage. She moved to the right side of the cage, and up against where the gate was, hoping these people walking towards the elevator intended to get on and provide her an opportunity to escape. Sure enough, the group of a half dozen came straight for the gate, and one of them, a smartly dressed solder with a pistol and bandolier strapped across his chest stepped forward and opened the cage. He seemed to show no concern about the cage being here, and Kasui shot a look at the soldier at the controls, and saw his look of confusion disappear, being replaced by an impassive look as the group began to file onto the elevator. Talk about good luck and timing.

"Captain. I do hope your men have news for me down there. A breach in the lab is unheard of. There will be reprisals'' came a voice, calm and even. It was a tone of voice that betrayed a profound sense of confidence and command. A sort of weight of personality Kasui was all to familiar with, and it caused her to fix her gaze on the man. He was a tall well-built man, with short black hair and a somewhat hawkish look. He was clean shaven and had dark blue eyes that Kasui was sure could bore into someone's very soul if the mans gaze was fixed upon them. And his gaze seemed to be fixed upon a man wearing a military uniform, with insignia showing he was a Captain in the army.

"No sir. The guards have not sent anything on the wire. There has not been any other alarms triggered to my knowledge either" the captain nervously replied, a look of apprehension on his face. Kasui felt her heart lighten at the statement. Perhaps she was going to be able to get away much easier than she thought. That feeling of ease all but evaporated however as she felt a shift in the air about her, as the last of the group stepped onto the elevator a hand going to pull the gate shut behind him. She stepped forward, around the rest of the group that had come to a halt in the center of the cage, intending to slip between the last person and the door. But she was too slow as the soldier pulled it and latched it shut.

Kasui stopped dead and swore inwardly. This is a problem. Well I guess I can wait till they get off and then just come back up, she thought to herself. The thought was cut off though as she felt a shift in the energy around her once again, as magic began to be weaved and her heart lurched, feeling the shifting of the youth on her shoulders. He was using magic without vocals, despite her earlier warning. And then the air was split by a feminine voice, terse and direct.

"Stop right there!"