"Wind God's Howel!" Evan shouted before releasing a powerful gust of wind from his mouth. One that was strong enough to blow back all of the thugs toward the truck.
The fight was now in full swing as both groups tried their best to get the upper hand over the other.
Valerie and Aaron were still trading blows with one another on the far side of the battlefield. Both 'fire magic' users appeared to be evenly matched in terms of physical prowess, which meant that neither one of them could put the other down.
Maria was using her companions to keep two of the thugs occupied to the point where they couldn't even use their guns. Asmodeus was still recovering from taking a bullet to the side earlier, so for now, she had to rely on Ajax and Ayala to keep her opponents at bay.
Cyrus had managed to put up a large shield of trees in front of the van to keep Elizabeth, Alyssa, and Solomon safe from harm, while Freddy was busy firing off mana bursts in the direction of Mikayla to keep her as far away as possible.
Meanwhile, Evan was doing his best to try and give Valerie some support from a distance. However, he wasn't able to get a clear shot at Aaron due to how close he was to the tall blonde.
"I can't believe this shit...." Hannah scowled from behind the cabin of the truck. This was the exact opposite of what the 'ice magic' user needed right now. They were already behind schedule as it was. And now they were in the middle of a fight that none of them had to be in.
The woman was quickly growing more and more irritated with the situation, the longer it went on. They were wasting too much time on this. The only positive spin that she could put on things was the fact that her minions in the second truck were already moving more merchandise into the trailer. And from the looks of it, they were doing a decent job at keeping the DPA at the bottom level of the building at bay.
'Fuck it!' The strawberry blonde thought before turning toward the direction of her brother and slamming her hands on the ground. She needed to put some distance between him and Valerie, fast.
"Deep Freeze!" The woman then shouted as a thick layer of ice formed over the ground in front of her, covering an area roughly twenty yards in length and ten in width.
'Is that 'ice magic'?' Cyrus wondered as he watched the sheet of ice form on the ground directly in front of him.
"Shit!" Valerie shouted after losing her footing and slipping on the ice. The moment the tall blonde fell on her back, Aaron took the opportunity to handle her. The stoic young man used his magic to instantly melt the ice beneath his feet to regain his footing before squaring his shoulder and punching the woman in the face.
Upon seeing this, Evan sent a beam of light green mana toward Aaron to put some distance between the two 'fire magic' users. The dread-headed man then flew toward them with an impressive amount of speed before planting his foot in Aaron's chest, causing the young man to fly backward into the truck.
That one action seemed to piss Aaron off. So much so that he momentarily forgot that he technically wasn't supposed to harm either of them. The stoic teen then held his hands in front of his body before gathering up his mana and releasing a torrent of dark purple fire toward both Evan and Valerie.
"Heat Death!"
'Purple flames?!' Valerie thought in total disbelief, just as Evan put up a mana barrier in front of them.
Alarm bells immediately started going off in the woman's head. And for good reason.
Purple fire was an extremely rare ability among 'fire magic' users across the world. Only a handful of people had the ability to use it. And all of them just so happened to be members of the McKenna family.
This ultra-rare ability was what Valerie's family was best known for. It was basically their family's claim to fame. Not only was purple fire much more powerful than normal flames, but it was also much more dangerous. It had the power to completely incinerate anything that it came into contact with. Even other 'fire magic' users could be burned by it.
'Who the hell is this guy?' Valerie couldn't help but wonder as Evan pulled her back behind Cyrus's tree shield. 'How is he able to use that magic? There are only six people in our family who inherited it from my great-grandmother.'
"Shit!" Aaron cursed after deactivating his magic. The young man immediately realized the massive mistake he had just made. Aaron wasn't supposed to let people see what kind of magic he had. It was basically the same as revealing what his true identity was. And it was the reason why he always limited the power that he put into his attacks.
Normally, anyone who witnessed the raven-haired teen use his flames would have to immediately die. It was the only way that he could keep his secret from getting out. Unfortunately for him, he had just used it in front of a group of people that he couldn't just incinerate without a second thought. Sure, he could try and get rid of Valerie and Freddy, but the rest were on the VIP list. So killing them was completely out of the question.
"We need to get out of here!" Freddy then said to no one in particular. "These assholes are starting to close in on us!"
"Any ideas?" Cyrus then asked the 'dark magic' user. Right now, all of his focus was on keeping his tree shield in one piece. Even if the thing was made out of a magically enhanced redwood tree, it probably wouldn't do all that much against that weird 'fire magic' he just saw a second ago.
Just then, Elizabeth decided that now was probably a good time for her to step in and do something. The dark-skinned woman was as far from a fighter as one could be, but that didn't mean that she was about to just sit and hide while everyone around her put their lives on the line.
"Maria, get back!" The 'earth magic' user shouted before slamming her hands on the ground and creating a series of medium-sized earth walls over the area. The woman managed to do so in a way that separated Maria from the two guys that she was currently fighting, which then gave the young 'beast magic' user a chance to retreat behind Cyrus's tree shield.
Before anyone could ask the dark-skinned woman what she was doing, Elizabeth's mana surged throughout her body before the woman poured even more of her mana into the ground.
"Lava Rush!"
Everyone, both friend and foe, then watched in sheer amazement as the ground surrounding the parking lot rapidly shifted from normal dirt, rock, and gravel to a massive pool of lava large enough to cover a good twenty yards of space between the two groups.
'What the hell?' Cyrus, Freddy, and Maria all thought at the same time as they witnessed the bizarre display of power before them.
"You can phase-change earth?" Alyssa Blair questioned Elizabeth with a look of astonishment on her face.
Elizabeth didn't bother responding before extending the area of her lava pit even further, doing so to a point where Hannah and her group had to back up to avoid getting caught in the trap of molten rock and stone. Just before the attack could get any closer, Hannah quickly used her 'ice magic' to freeze the ground directly in front of her and Mikayla, causing the lava to instantly shift back into normal rock.
"There, that should do it...." Elizabeth then said with a thin film of sweat now glistening on her forehead. Not only was using a technique like this dangerous, but it was also incredibly taxing on the body. It was the reason why she only ever used it in an emergency.
Phase-changing normal earth into lava was a skill that only 'earth magic' users with a significantly large pool of mana could do. It was an ability that not many people were capable of, especially under stressful situations like this, due to the amount of concentration that it required. That being said, it was exactly what the group of eight needed right now to give themselves some breathing room against these thugs. So, the payoff was more than worth it in her opinion.
"What do we do now?" Mikayla looked to Hannah for guidance.
"My ice won't be able to cancel out this much lava." The group leader replied. "The area's too big."
Hannah then looked around the area to get a good assessment of how things were going.
The second truck was now pulling out of the concert hall, albeit with a few DPA agents now coming out of the hole that was recently made in the ground and fighting with the minions that hadn't gotten into the back of it yet. The other truck that came in with her and her group had already dropped its remaining cryptids, all of whom were keeping the agents in the front yard busy. However, judging by what she could see, it wouldn't be long before they were all dealt with. On top of that, the 'ice magic' user could feel the people inside the building beginning to move toward the exit.
'Looks like the party's over.' The strawberry blonde surmised. They weren't going to get the chance to fill up another truck with how things were now.
Their original plan was for Aaron to set fire to part of the concert hall to give their group more time to work. However, fighting with Cyrus's group had delayed them long enough for the DPA agents to start pushing them back. As things stood, they wouldn't get the chance to scoop up more of the merchandise.
"We're leaving." The woman then declared before grabbing the radio that was currently hanging off of her waist and relaying the order to the rest of her minions.
"Are you sure?" The 'bone magic' user asked.
"We got what we came here for. No point in sticking around and putting ourselves in danger." The woman then looked to her brother before speaking again. "Have those idiots in the last truck get ready to release the remaining cryptids in the street as soon as we leave. I want to put as much distance between us and the DPA as possible."
Aaron nodded before doing as he was told and radioing the command to the rest of their party. Once that was done, all of the Iznana operatives ran back toward their truck. Fortunately for them, none of Elizabeth's lava had reached it yet.
"Leaving so soon?!" Valerie shouted back at the group as she watched them begin to retreat. "The party's just getting started!"
Neither of the Iznana operatives said anything in response to the tall blonde's jab. Instead, Hannah simply used her magic to erect a massive wall of ice around that side of the parking lot. The thing wouldn't hold up for long, but it would be more than enough to cover their escape.
"What do we do now?" Maria then asked the rest of her group.
"No point in following them." Cyrus then said. "Besides, that's not our job right now. We need to get the rest of these guys out of here."
"He's right." Freddy nodded in agreement. "We can deal with them later after we get these guys to safety."
'Fuck!' Valerie mentally cursed. This was just perfect. Not only did they fail to take these guys down, but they were also letting them escape. The tall blonde knew that this was technically the right call, but it didn't make her feel any better about herself. On top of that, she still needed to figure out who the hell that guy with the 'fire magic' was.
Once it seemed like the coast was clear, Elizabeth used her powers to cool down the lava pit and turn it back into what was now a small field of volcanic rock. The woman did feel a bit bad about ruining such a well-maintained lawn, but there wasn't much that could be done about it now. At the same time, Cyrus finally felt comfortable enough to take down his tree shield.
"Alright, time to go." Evan then ordered the group. They finally had their chance to escape, and it would be foolish for them to stick around to deal with whatever happened next.
"Agreed!" Alyssa nodded before grabbing her cousin and tossing him into the van.
Once everyone was inside, Freddy quickly took the wheel before driving off and circling around the far side of the building.
-(o)-
"Where the fuck do you think you're going?!" Sebastian shouted before delivering a haymaker to the back of one of the thugs who was trying to jump into the back of the now retreating truck.
The situation downstairs was only marginally less chaotic than it was a few minutes ago. The group consisting of Sebastian, Ayako, and Skylar had already let one truck get away from them, and they weren't looking to let another do the same.
Right now, all three of them, along with the rest of their colleagues, had just made it out of the hole in the ground that was created earlier and were doing their best to stop the thugs from leaving. The last fifteen minutes or so were spent fighting back against these thieves as best they could. However, due to the fact that they had to protect all of the civilians downstairs, none of the agents who were present were able to keep the thugs from running off with the merchandise.
"Don't follow them!" Ayako shouted at Sebastian just before the 'beast magic' user and his three companions could chase after the truck. "Too risky!"
"Shit!" Sebastian cursed while looking down at the unconscious thug that he was currently holding by the collar.
So far, this guy was the only one they managed to capture alive. The other eight that were still in the basement were all dead. Or at the very least, close to it. Fortunately, none of the DPA agents who were with the group had any serious injuries. There was one guy from the APS who had a broken arm, but that was the worst of it. The rest were either unconscious or securing the area.
As Sebastian watched the truck drive past the hole in the fence and turn onto the connecting road, he couldn't help the feeling of irritation that was now radiating throughout his body. On one hand, they managed to come out of this debacle without anyone dying. On the other hand, the thieves had gotten away with over half of the items that had been up for auction. Pretty much everything that could've been carried by one person was now gone. The rest, including most of the larger cryptids, were still in the basement.
"What a disaster." Skylar sighed while taking the black ski mask off his face. The 'earth magic' user was practically drenched in sweat. "Who the hell were those guys?"
"No clue." Sebastian then looked down at the guy he was holding. The bearded man then ripped the mask off the thug's face to reveal what looked to be a teenager. One that was probably as old as his younger brother, if he had to take a guess. "But we're sure as hell about to find out."
-(o)-
"Nice job, everyone." Chief Chandler said as she looked at the now-captured rainbow snake cryptid that was now encased in a perfect cube that was created by one of her subordinates.
Capturing this thing took way more effort than she expected. Then again, that's how it always was when it came to situations like this. Killing a cryptid was one thing, but taking one alive without accidentally damaging it too much was a whole different kind of trial altogether. And that went double for a creature that was capable of spewing out poisoned gas in all directions as soon as anyone got even close to it.
Either way, their job was now done. The rainbow cryptid was now in their possession, which meant that they would be able to find an antidote for its poison without too much trouble. Well, as soon as they were able to get someone to tame it.
"Stillwater, what's the situation outside?" The brunette woman said into her earpiece.
"We're just about done wrapping things up on our end." The Vice Captain said in between a few heavy breaths. "But it looks like we let some of these guys get away. I saw Ortega and the others fighting one group just before they started leaving, but it looks like they already high-tailed it out of here. We're just about to finish the last one off, though."
"Understood."
"Do you want us to try and follow them?"
Chief Chandler weighed her options for a moment as she tried to decide what her next call should be. Their top priority right now was to secure the venue and get an accurate assessment of what was going on. On top of that, she still had yet to call back the station and get some more agents over here. As much as the woman wanted to send a search party out to track down the thugs, she simply couldn't risk it right now. Especially when she didn't even know who she had available.
"No." The Chief then began to relay her orders. "Have everyone secure the concert hall and start doing security sweeps. I don't want any more surprises before backup shows up. As soon as we know that we're good, we're going to start moving the injured outside. Keep some of your companions on watch, though. Just in case they have some more cryptids they want to throw at us."
"Roger that." Robin said before the line cut, leaving the Chief to look around the ballroom and fully take in the chaos.
On the plus side, no one was dead. Sure, there were a few injured, but no one had anything that some 'healing magic' couldn't patch up. So from a top-down perspective, the night wasn't a total disaster.
That being said, the woman was absolutely furious about what had just happened. Some lunatics had the unmitigated gall to attack this place and make off with millions of dollars worth of valuable merchandise. In all the years that the fundraiser had been going on, no one had been bold enough to try something like this and get away with it. But here she was, standing in the middle of a half-destroyed building with a horde of injured millionaires to take care of and not even the slightest idea as to who could've done this.
And to add insult to injury, all of the thugs that they could've interrogated were now dead. A couple of whom were put down by Chief Chandler herself in the middle of all the fighting.
"These fuckers are going to pay for this." The woman then said as the mana began to radiate around her body. Whoever was responsible for this was going to feel the full might of Zoe Chandler the moment she got her hands on them.
"Well, it could've been a lot worse." Lucas placed his hand on his wife's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "But at least the worst of it has passed."
The Chief wanted to laugh at such a comment. Sure, the fighting may have been over with, but what happened next was just as important. Not only were they going to have to clean up this mess, but they were also going to have to transport all of the injured back to the station. A disaster like this was going to be hard to cover up, especially when the police no doubt get involved.
Even though the concert hall was far away from the nearest residential area, there was no chance that someone hadn't heard all the gunfire and commotion. It was only a matter of time before the cops showed up. Unlike back in Charlotte, whoever was in charge of the local law enforcement wasn't a sorcerer. And if they were, they weren't anyone that she knew personally. Sure, the DPA had protocols in place for stuff like this, but that didn't give Chief Chandler any kind of solace over the fact that the rest of her night was about to be one giant headache.
'At least we won't have to pay for the damages.' The woman then sighed as she stared at the rainbow cryptid that was currently thrashing against its confines.
On the bright side, this building was owned by Ezikel MacNamara. It was part of the reason why they were even allowed to host the fundraiser here in the first place. The head of the MacNamara family would no doubt be understanding of the situation and not force the department to shell out any cash for damaging his property. So at the very least, the Chief wouldn't have to worry about even more paperwork hitting her desk in the not-too-distant future.
With nothing else to be said, the woman began coordinating her people to begin moving the injured out of the building after making a call back to the station to have some more people sent over here. They could worry about figuring out who the assailants were after making sure that everyone was okay. But for now, she needed to get these people to the station's infirmary as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence, and the more they wasted, the more critical things would become.
'What a fucking night....'