THE MOMENT
The ethereal orb of green light floated past the open door. It was followed by half a dozen fur-armored guards intent on keeping it in their sight as they walked by the treasury and ignored the intruders currently therein. The treasury was in the heart of an ice palace and the small squad of monstrous students was halted by an immense black vault door. Lupe, the leader, was a werewolf; although she was currently in human form. They all were since they were trying to keep a low profile and avoid fighting. Sandy, the sand elemental, was their strongest member and there for a specific job while Ark, the vampire, was there mostly to complain. Luz mala Aurora technically had the hardest job of keeping the guards distracted.
"Take your time, guys." Aurora smiled at Sandy with a nod. "I've got the whole complex doing laps."
"I don't think time's going to help," Sandy shook her head with a sigh.
"We found voidsteel too heavy for a Calavera?" Ark couldn't resist a fang-baring smirk.
"It shouldn't be," Sandy shook her head. "It might be glitched. The purer the voidesteel is, the denser it is, and at some point only Calaveras like Flutter or Dread could move it," she shrugged. The explanation was solely for Ark's benefit, but Lupe tried to pretend it was somewhat new information. They were in the middle of a Halloween event, and it would only complicate things if Ark started to feel attacked. "AlterNet voidsteel, what this should be, is standardized so any Calavera can move it."
"So.. you need all of us to help?" Ark asked and the three girls immediately burst into giggles. Ark's expression soured as he stared at Sandy.
"If you could coordinate the population of an entire Earth to pull on a rope with all their might, and all the ropes ran through a pulley to a microgram of voidsteel, they still wouldn't be able to lift it. The three of you aren't going to make a difference." There was a moment of silence as Ark absorbed the answer and each wondered about what to do next. Then, three of them spoke at the exact same time.
"Should we just reset it?" Aurora asked.
"What about us?" Lupe asked as she pointed at Ark and herself.
"What about her?" Ark asked while pointing at at Aurora. Another second of silence as each of them made sense of what the others said; then it happened again with Ark and Sandy. They spoke simultaneously.
"What about me?" Ark asked with audible offense.
"Oh wow, that's a fantastic idea!" Sandy nodded at Lupe enthusiastically before waving Aurora closer. "You too!"
"You think it'll work?" Aurora asked. Sandy shrugged, but she had a hopeful expression.
"No, wait. What about me?" Ark asked. The three girls laughed some more, but Lupe spoke up.
"Put on your tiara, princess," she said while tilting her head at Sandy.
"Your idea was for Aurora to give me a boost with her light," Sandy said. "And Lupe's idea was for both of you to just order me to be stronger. Let's do all of that. Then, if it doesn't work, we can try resetting the dungeon."
"Oh. Okay," Ark nodded. He was about to ask why they couldn't just order her to open it, but that would end horribly if she couldn't manage it. They spread out to give Sandy room by the round black door.
"Okay. Ark and Lupe first, then strength boost," she said. She took in a deep breath, then nodded. "Hit me for five."
Lupe and Ark spoke simultaneously as a crown appeared over each of their heads. Lupe was a werewolf and Ark was half vampire and half unicorn, but they, along with the rest of the group, were Unique Souls. They were the same type - La Corona, and could compel others to complete their orders, and the crowns appeared when they used their Ability. Ark's crown was a delicate, silver-filigree crown with rainbow stained-glass filling in the tiny decorative cavities. Lupe's was a bigger, matte black crown with four wolf heads surrounding it and howling upward.
"You're five times as strong for the next five minutes," Lupe said.
"You're a lot stronger for about five minutes," Ark had his own version. Then, Sandy disintegrated into flowing brown sand and streamed her particles around the door handle in the optimum grip for a sand elemental.
"Ready," Sandy's voice sounded raspier as she spoke in sand form.
"Strong Lighting incoming." Aurora tossed a ball of glowing white light toward the entangled sand and as soon as it made contact, the dull, almost wet-looking sand took on a golden ethereal glow. It began flowing clockwise and outward as if trying to unscrew the spinning handle.
"AURrgghhhh. UGhh. RAWwwwhggghhh!" She grunted with rough sounds but the door didn't move an inch. Finally, the sand sank downward and across the floor like a liquid spill. Sandy took partial form, breathing heavily while remaining on the cool icy floor.
"Not gonna work...," she said between breaths.
"So.. reset?" Aurora asked. Sandy nodded from the ground.
"Should we report the glitch?" Lupe asked. She was a leader seeking input.
"Nah," Ark shook his head. "We lost time here. If it happens again, others should too."
"I'd prefer no one know there was a door I couldn't open," Sandy said. She was feeling better now, but the ice felt nice on her sand. Lupe looked over at Aurora and she shrugged indifferently.
"I guess we're not reporting it. Let's reset."
