Colin's posts

"Well, I gave the announcement over the P.A. system..." Chris responded.

"So they should be able to-" he started to say further, before Zeke came half-running, half-hobbling into the room.

"Woah, what the...!?" Chris exclaimed.

"Ashleigh's nearly paralysed, and she's stuck in the room with a dead Vanessa." Zeke told him.

Hearing that, Chris looked immediately to Evona, guilt and fear in his face.

"I'm sorry." he apologised.

"But I wish that Ashleigh Encrae would be safely teleported to the surface, right above this complex." he wished, REALLY hoping the 'safely' part was enough for Ashleigh to not be screwed over by this.

Zake bit his lip, before nodding and racing off... as best he could.

Meanwhile, in Vanessa's office, Chris had put the box in his pocket, and hoisted Hazel onto his back.

"All right." he said to Evona.

"Let's get out of here." he told her.

"Once everyone's back up at the surface, we can have this place... demolished..." he went on, before pausing.

"Actually, the Triad and Council may want to do that, themselves." he realised.

"Regardless, let's get out of here."

"I... I may have an idea." Zeke responded.

"Where is he accessing the P.A. system from?" he asked.

"Vana's office, most likely." Ashleigh responded.

"How do I get there from here?" Zeke asked her.

She responded by giving him directions, and he nodded.

"I hope this works." he then said. "If it does, then you'll be out of here in a jiffy, okay?" he told her.

"Wh-what!?" Zeke exclaimed, sheathing his blade quickly.

"Then all the more reason to not leave you here!" he declared.

"I can't just-" he started to say, before they heard Chris's voice over the P.A. system.

"Attention! Attention! Azari is dead, Vanessa's cronies have been rendered unconscious, and the regenerator agent has been subdued! Everyone needs to evacuate this complex IMMEDIATELY!" he declared.

"...crap, crap, crap..." Zeke repeated, before going over to Roxie and slinging her onto his back, making his way over towards Ashleigh again.

"...how did he know...?" he started to ask, before he seemed to get an idea.

"How... how long before she bursts and the cloud makes its way to you?" he asked her.

Sure enough, Zeke managed to get to his feet, and leveled a glare at Vanessa.

He made his way over towards the Encrae sisters, before grabbing Vanessa and throwing her across the room, slamming her against the wall.

"Damn it." he cursed.

"Sorry, Ashleigh..." he apologised, before grabbing the sword by the hilt, and pulling it out of her. He then fell to his knees and tore his shirt off, tying it around Ashleigh's wound like a bandage... for whatever good it would do.

"We gotta get out of here." he told her.

Chris just thought for a moment.

"Well..." he said. "Once Vanessa is dead, her influence should fade from everything's she's touched." he reasoned. "If we leave the nexus alone after she's dead, then it should right itself... decently quickly." he went on. "...and besides, meddling further with it by trying to right it would probably end up making things worse, anyway." he then sighed.

"So... actually, once Vanessa's dead, and this place demolished... I'll free you." he told her.

He then made his way to the door and looked around.

"...hm." he muttered. "Wait, I need a way to let everyone know what's going on..." he then said. "...and NOT a way that's abusing your wish-granting power." he added, looking at Evona.

"Ah, the P.A. system." he remembered, before making his way to Vanessa's desk and getting ready to press the button, before pausing.

"...ok, ONE last wish." he told her.

"I wish ALL of Vanessa's cronies in this complex to suddenly go unconscious." he wished.

"....right..." Chris mumbled.

"...hey..." he then said.

"Is freeing you a simple task?" he asked her.

"Like, are there any hoops I need to jump through, any wording I need to be specific of, or is it merely a case of wishing for your freedom?" he asked further.

"Because... well... I'll do it." he told her.

"Once this place is gone, and the nexus is restored to how it once was, I'll... yeah, I'll wish for your freedom." he went on.

"Sound good?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." Chris responded.

"But... not a wish." he said further.

"...who are you?" he asked. "Like... okay, that was a mega question." he then admitted.

"Let's... let's start with the basics." he went on.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"And... is it all right if I refer to you as such, assuming you tell me?" he asked further.

Chris collapsed onto the ground, grasping at his head and trying his best not to yell out in pain. He writhed on the ground for a few seconds, before breathing heavily, panting repeatedly, trying to catch his breath.

"...ow... ow... ow..." he mumbled.

"Okay... going well..." he said. "Especially with the boosts..." he went on, before gently shaking his head.

"But not with the agent..." he then realised, before looking at the djinn.

"I wish for the regenerator agent to be rendered unconscious until Vanessa dies." he wished.

"..." Chris was silent as this happened, before sighing.

"Damn it." he cursed.

"What I get for having no experience with djinns." he muttered.

"Whatever." he then said.

"I wish to know how things are going with those fighting against Vanessa, and those finding the agent that I had to leave behind here." he told her.

"...and I wish you'd put on something less demeaning. Whatever you feel like wearing." he then added, figuring she'd want out of what Vanessa had her in.

"I.., uh..." Chris stammered.

"I wish..." he started to say, before pausing.

He knew about djinns. He knew that wording was everything. He knew that if he worded something wrong, then chances were that things would be made even WORSE in some way.

But Hazel needed help, and she needed it quickly.

He then snapped his fingers.

"I wish that Hazel wasn't freaking out like this and shutting in on herself!" he told her.

Surely a wish for that wouldn't backfire... right?

Chris snapped to attention when Hazel started to have her panic attack.

"Hazel, Hazel, Hazel, it's okay!" he said.

"I know you're back here, but it's okay! Nobody's going to hurt you anymore!" he assured her.

"Don't worry! And... and don't panic because of Azari, he deserved it! It's okay!" he continued.

"Hazel, please, try and keep calm." he went on, before looking at the djinn.

"Is there anything you can do for her?" he asked.

"...yes." Chris responded.

"I suddenly became aware of where Vanessa kept her container. She's a djinn, and the reason Vanessa was so untouchable for so long." he said further.

"Once I got the container, I made a wish that those fighting here against Vanessa had the advantage, and not the other way around." he continued. "...and then I wished you and Azari here, so... well... you saw." he muttered.

Just as he finished that, the 3 of them saw a cascade of tears begin to stream down Azari's cheeks.

"Ayla..." he sobbed.

"She'll never forget who you were." Chris told him. "But she'll never forgive you for what you've done to her." he finished.

With that, the wound in Azari's neck was realised, and his collar, as well as the floor around it, were stained in a forest green liquid... before it turned a pale olive colour, signifying his dead.

"...and now he goes to the afterlife with that knowledge." Chris said, his tone cold.

Chris was silent as he approached them, and Hazel stepped away. He looked down at Azari, as blood flowed from the wood elf's mouth, before reaching down and grabbing a dagger that had been jabbed into his stomach, probably Hazel's doing.

"...what?" Azari asked. "Want to beat on me for stealing your girl?" he asked further, chuckling darkly, before it turned into a few violent coughs.

"No." Chris replied. "Looking back, it was foolish of me to think I even had ANYTHING with Vanessa." he told him.

"...then what?" Azari asked, as the blade in Chris's hands started to glow bright blue.

"Ayla." Chris replied. "You cared for her when you first got here. But over time? I saw it. Vanessa might have helped, but I saw you actively choose Vanessa over Ayla." he told him, as tears welled up in his eyes, and started to slowly streak down his face.

"And then you just... stopped caring. You let Vanessa do what she wanted, and were content to see your sister turned into nothing more than a puppet." he went on, anger rising in his tone. "Now she's maimed. Permanently. Because of the two of you." he continued, before slashing Azari's throat with the blade... only for nothing to happen.

"That was a killing blow." Chris told him. "But with my time mana in it. That cut will be realised in approximately 30 seconds. But before you die..." he went on, before turning to the djinn.

"...I wish that, in his last seconds of life, Azari realises what he's done to his sister... and what a monster he became."