Wish upon the Stars chapter 512

It took ten minutes to get everyone prepped and ready to move in at a  moments notice, slightly faster than expected. Upside to being trapped  in a dangerous ruin of a world full of a mutated monster beasts is that  it tends to bring a group together. Speaking of which, as we were  finishing everything up, I decided to take a minute to talk to Travis  and thank him for the help. Stepping up next to the man I held out a  hand.

"Hey, I just wanted to say I appreciate the assist."  I said sincerely. "Things are kind of awful right now. Your help really  made a difference."

He just laughed. "Didn't have much  choice. I wish Adrian had been in here with us, he'd have done a better  job. But I was all we had, so I had to take charge. It was kind of a  default thing, honestly. My group only gathered up a few minutes before  the Blood Murder Palace hit us. Not much time for a vote."

"Yeah."  I said uncomfortably. "Sorry about that. I was the one who knocked him  out of here. I can't help but think this might have been easier with  someone like him around."

His smile had no recrimination  in it. "Hey, you did what you had to. The boss was a hell of a fighter,  but you beat him. You had no way of knowing this would all happen. If  you want to make it up to me though, you could let me in on the raid.  I'm sure you could put me with one of the teams. Adrian may not be here,  but he picked me as his second for a reason. I won't let you down."

I  had to admit, his tone was earnest and I could tell he meant it. He had  this sort of buzzing excitement about him, like he couldn't wait to get  into the fight.

"Alright." I said with a laugh. "I'd say  stick with Callen. He's going in the front, but he's a powerhouse so  don't be afraid to hide behind him if needed. It was the least  suspenseful and hardest to fuck up position, and he'd be right behind us  anyway.

Clapping him on the shoulder, I told him to get  ready and prepared myself to get in position. We'd be heading in the  back entrance after that team hit their target. Straight for Felix. My  grip tightened on my staff. I had some saved up death energy to burn,  picked up over the last few fights. I'd be using it all on him. Hit him  hard and fast.

With everyone in place, we all nodded, and  the raid began. Callen smashed in through the front, Bethy vanished into  the vents, Chelsea was ahead of us coming in through the back, and Abel  headed through one of the other vents, all aimed at their targets.

I'd  debated using Moonlit Night, but we didn't want to spook them and it  wasn't the fastest spreading skill. As I came in behind my sister, I  left her to do her own thing, attacking her target as my eyes locked on  mine.

Felix was standing in front of the black marble box  that Bethy described, in his hand was a vial of Lamentation Liquid. He  was pouring it into an aperture at the top of the box as he slowly  turned a dial. Above the box I saw a portal. Forest. Lake. Volcano. I  saw different scenes flicker by with each turn. He seemed to be looking  for something specific, because each time it came up he growled and  flipped to the next one.

The others had hit their targets  instantly, and none of them were in a position to destroy the portal.  Which left just Callie, Benny, and I to take on Felix. Unfortunately he  heard us coming. When the others started their attacks, Felix instantly  checked his back, and saw us coming. Pulling out another vial, he poured  a few drops into it and set it on the top of the device before  shotgunning the rest of it, dumping it all down his throat.

My  eyes widened as darkness filled his eyes, creeping blackness rolled  over his body. Dripping another  three drops into the aperture, he  clicked the dial three times, and the thing started to destabilize. Then  he turned to me, frustration bleeding off his darkening form. "You  know. You're much more irritating than expected. I'm glad I get to kill  you before I leave."

"Where's the cup, Felix." I said  grimly. "Even with your little psycho power boost you can't take all  three of us. Might as well just tell us. I can let you walk away."  Which...was a lie. I was going to kill him. Premeditated murder. It  wasn't a great feeling, but to be honest him drinking liquid soul  torture and becoming a demonic rage monster was helping with my  conscience.

He held up a darkening hand. "You mean the one  in this ring?" He took it off, setting it next to the vial. "You'll  have to be stronger than me if you want it." There was a blur, and he  was gone. In his place, a pitch black panter with glowing red eyes. As I  watched, the blackness pulsed and a new leg grew where his missing on  had been, a grotesque dark pulsating mass of a limb.

With a  yowl, he blurred forward, and I exploded into motion, my staff lashing  out to meet him as I triggered Mephistopheles. I didn't hold back  either, I poured all my death energy and explosive power into my blow,  trying to put him down in one shot.

Felix flipped in the  air, his dark limb detaching and slamming into my staff, exploding as he  rode the wave of energy away, landing once more on four feet as the  Lamentation Liquid regrew him ANOTHER limb. I was kind of glad Billy had  thrown himself into a fire after drinking this stuff, fighting him  while he was on it would clearly have been a nightmare. The portal was  flashing behind him, changing scenes still.

Unfortunately  for Felix, I wasn't fighting him alone. I was confident in beating him  even in his augmented state given enough time, but time was something we  didn't have. So I'd brought backup. The shadows under the cat exploded  into a complex webwork of bindings, wrapping tightly around the cat.

Benny  appeared behind him, pulled back his fist, and started hammering triple  strength tranq punches into every piece of exposed fur he could find.

The  bindings gave way after about thirty seconds, but I was already there  slamming a blow into the cat. Callie got him in another binding, and I  turned to Benny. "Help me get the vial and the ring while she holds  him!" I bellowed. We bolted for the altar as Callie redoubled her  restraints, trying to deny him any leverage to break free from her.  "Hold on." I said as I snatched up both objects. Just watch my b-"

I  stopped, staring down at the half foot of steel sticking through my  gut. My brain couldn't process what was happening. Looking over my  shoulder, I saw Travis smiling back at me.

"Sorry  Shane. I'm afraid I need those." Reaching down, he plucked the ring and  the vial from my hand. The wound in my gut started to burn. Poison.  Probably the same stuff I'd used on the BMP initiates. I dropped to me  knees, the burn quickly growing into a bonfire.

I  looked around frantically for my best friend, and found him...standing  bewildered next to Callen, who was finishing off his target. My eyes  flicked back to Travis. Translocation. He'd wanted to be in here so he  could get the cup instead of Felix. He'd even told me he only met up  with the others a few minutes before we arrived. Travis was the  translocator. We'd never actually seen his face.

Slipping  the ring on, he clicked his tongue at me. "Honestly, you should be more  careful around strangers Shane. Just because someone doesn't have a big  black hood on, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." Reaching into  his pocket, he pulled out two objects. One a small metal orb and one a  rock. "Don't worry though. I'm not going to strand you here. In fact,  I'm going to guarantee you don't get stuck."

Eye  balling the shifting portal, he waited for a specific scene (a swamp)  then tossed both objects. The rock went through the portal and the  sphere landed right next to Felix. With a wink Travis switched with the  rock, leaving it to clatter to the ground. My eyes snapped to Callie,  and I flooded the bond with terror, hoping she would get it.

She  did, dropping into the shadows instantly when she felt my panic, just  before the metal sphere exploded, consuming the black cat in an orb of  eerie blue flame. There was a scream as he died, and then the portal,  which had stopped when Travis went through it, erupted in a cascade of  purple sparks and shifted again.

I  stared as my friends all crowded around me, Jessie rushing in through  the now undefended front as she heard Callie screaming my name. They  caught me as I fell over, and I just stared at the portal. With Felix  dead, the wish was fulfilled. The portal led home now. I recognized the  outside of the temple.

"Shane!"  Snapped Callie, waving he hand in front of me. "Stay with us baby.  Jessie says the poison is blocking her healing. Chelsea is going to  purify the wound, but she says it's going to hurt a bit. Just bear with  it for a minute ok? It'll all be over soon." Her voice was slow and  soothing but I felt her terror through the bond. There was a lot of  blood.

The  venom was preventing my wound from closing, and I was bleeding a lot. My  head was fuzzy. Not fuzzy enough that I wasn't cursing myself though.  Fucking Travis. I'd TOLD everyone to be on the lookout for double  agents. I'd just assumed that once they made their move they'd all be  with the hood groups. He'd fucking played me and I'd taken the bait hook  like and sinker. That hurt even worse than being stabbed. I paused as  my sister applied white fire to the wound. Oh, nope, wait, being stabbed  hurt more.

I  screamed. Loudly. I felt my fucking throat tear and the room around us  shook as my incredibly powerful lungs blasted out vibrations that  rattled every surface around us. In the background I saw my friends move  through, flooding through the portal. At least they were safe. Once the  pain subsided Callie lifted me up, Benny getting my other arm, and they  started carrying me through.

Nat  came last, seemingly incoherent with rage, though getting stabbed  apparently spared me from being the target. She seemed to have taken the  attack personally. Valk put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her through  before the portal closed, leaving us all sitting on those circles where  we'd started, staring dazedly at the golden pavilion and the flame  inside.

There  was a fuss as dozens of new figures appeared, older figures, surveying  the, after a quick count, thirty survivors among those still inside. I  recognized some of the early exits, like Vinnie and Simon, and some of  the late departures like Adrian. I resolved to have a word with him  about Travis, but now wasn't the time.

I  was just lying there, bloody, as Jessie continued to pour in healing  energy now that the wound was clean. She must have waited until we  crossed over to begin. Smart since the portal had collapsed. I saw a  shadow fall over me, and glanced up, expecting to see Zeke rolling his  eyes. Instead, my eyes landed on something else. A familiar face, half  remembered in hazy memories. I reached up and took off my mask, grinning  through bloodstained teeth. "Hey mom. I'm home."