“I will promise you a day of reckoning that you will not live long enough to never forget.”

“Alright Joker, the entrance to the mine should be just up ahead.  Hopefully no one was foolish enough to move in after the Thorns left.”
”Any idea WHY the Thorns abandoned this place.”

“Not at all, but the Circle of Thorns has never been predictable.  Ah, here we are.”

The entrance to the mine was a small boarded up hole in an outcropping of rocks.  The faded sign warning passersby of danger hung limply off a rusted nail, and I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever bothered to heed its warning.  Without the slightest bit of effort, my partner removed the boards covering the entrance, and we began our descent into the gloom.

“Did you happen to bring a flashlight Joker?  I hate caves.”

“Flashlights are overrated, but since I can’t have you stumbling around in the dark…”

Reaching into a pouch on my belt, I retrieved a pair of non-descript gold rings.  I had picked them up ages ago, and typically only used them for the sake of others.  None the less, they did hold a bit of sentimental value.  The simple gold band of each ring was broken in one small section by a band of silver.  I can’t even begin to contemplate how such things were created, but the small bands of silver were imbued with some sort of constant light spell.  They had been specifically made to fit over my gloves.

The constant light spell is just what it sounds like, constant.  There is no switch.  Since I didn’t like the prospect of being unable to turn them off, I had asked their creator to imbue only a tiny section of the rings so that I could simply spin that section into my palm and close my fist to extinguish the light.  Believe it or not, this plan worked wonderfully, but at the moment light was what we needed most. 

The darkness of the mineshaft was gone in an instant, but that strange twinkle in Dusk’s eye was back.  It was beginning to become clear that she had something on her mind, and that I was directly involved.  Not wanting to linger upon exactly what that might be, I took the initiative and began the long descent into the mine.  A moment or two later I heard Dusk’s footsteps behind my own.

“That’s a neat trick.”

“No trick, merely treats.”

“So you didn’t create those?”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin.  They were a gift for services rendered.”

“What…type of services?”

“Quite a while back I happened upon a group of individuals, slaves actually, that related to me an amazing tale of intrigue, espionage, betrayal and revenge.  In short, I was the revenge part.”

“I see, so you helped these slaves gain their freedom?”

“No, they all died not long after our meeting, but their story stuck with me.  In the end, however, their deaths served to inspire others.  They became martyrs, and I became a hero.  These rings are 2 of a set of 8 gifted to me by those individual’s successors.  Each one has its uses, and each one holds a special place in my memories.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“No, it is sad, because the fate that awaited them was far worse than you can possibly imagine.”

Joker, I hate to break up your little story hour, but something’s not right about this place.

“Explain.”

There are weird energy fluctuations.

“Does it have something to do with the mana level?”

Yes and no.  The mana level is unchanged, but it’s as if it is focusing and unfocusing rapidly.  I think there is something not related to the mana level that’s causing it.

“Does it pose a danger to us?”

That has yet to be seen, but the fluctuation has been constant since we entered this place.

“Well, keep me informed if anything changes.”

After descending for about 10 minutes, the mine shaft began to level out.  In truth, the shaft looked more like a cave considering the almost complete lack of braces and supports.  My guess is that the actual mine didn’t start until deeper in, but it was strange that there was no trace of mining equipment.  The reasons for this became clear as we continued further along the shaft.

About 100 yards after the slope had leveled out, the narrow passage opened up into an enormous room.  Aged wooden columns lined with metal stretched off into the shadows above.  Even the light provided by my rings was unable to reach to the ceiling of this massive enclosure.  The whistle issuing from Shattered Dusk’s lips informed me that she was just as impressed as I was.

“Quite a place, eh Joker?”

“Indeed.  I hadn’t realized the path was so steeply sloped.  We must be at least a couple hundred feet beneath the park.”

237 feet and 8 inches…approximately.

“Well Joker, now that we’re here, what’s the plan?”

We are close to the focal point of the fluctuation.  I place it at about 30 feet above our heads.

“Now, we climb.  I’m thinking that what I’m looking for is around three stories up.”

“Wonderful, see you there.”

With another sly smile, she was off.  In one smooth jump, her powerful legs carried her the entire vertical distance.  With little more than a flick of her wrist she had grabbed one of the beams and swung herself around to a sitting position looking down at me.  There was no doubt that she was full of surprises, and I must say I was a bit envious considering the climb that now confronted me.

Though I made the ascent without too much effort, it was no where near as graceful as Dusk’s, and once again, seeing the small glint in her eye gave me pause.  Once I had gained my footing on one of the horizontal beams, I scanned the area for some sign of what was causing the mana fluctuation.

Joker, there!

I had seen it too.  Absentmindedly setting the optics to record, I made my way carefully across the pair of beams between me and it.  Carved into the side of one of the vertical beams was an intricate design that reminded me of a small tribe of mystics I had once encountered back on World 328.  Legend had it that their tribe had traveled there centuries before, but had since been cut off from their home.  According to their record keeper, if my memory serves me correctly, the design I was now staring at meant ‘tree’.

As eerie as this site was, what was lodged in the center of the design was even more interesting.  There in the focal point of the design was another Garrin Crystal.  Pulling it free, however, I discovered that it was not actually shaped like a gem.  Instead it was a long cylinder that reached almost entirely through the wood of the beam.  The energy contained within it was impossible to overlook, and despite the chill of the cavern it was hot to the touch.

“What’d you find?”

“Another crystal, only this one’s a lot bigger.”

“It’s beautiful.  What are they used for?”

“I’m no scientist, Dusk, but where I’m from, these crystals were far too valuable to be left behind in some abandoned mine.  Their original design was created for use in batteries, but they were so incredibly powerful that the government stepped in to protect their existence.  It didn’t take long for scientists to realize what Garrin had stumbled upon, and he was hailed as a genius for his work.  Their creation requires massive amounts of highly dangerous chemicals that were never meant to be combined.  Countless people have lost their lives trying to recreate Garrin’s research, enough people for the government to imprison anyone attempting to follow in his footsteps.”

“But what do they do?”

“In short, they are the strongest most reliable batteries ever created, though they were occasionally used as conductors due to the absolutely miniscule amount of energy lost in transfer.  Like most things, however, their true power was only discovered by accident.”

“What happened?”

“Basically, a top secret research facility screwed up during a creation test.  They were attempting to use an existing crystal as a sort of catalyst for the reaction, hoping that new crystals would bond to it more easily.  Of course they were wrong, and 837 people paid the price.  What they hadn’t counted on was how much energy the crystals could actually hold.  The only person to survive the explosion was a technician cataloguing the current supply of crystals.  Everything within 2 miles was turned to dust except this one technician and the Garrin Crystals he was counting.  It was proposed that the sheer number surrounding him was enough to absorb the energy that would have killed him.”

“Wow, that’s lucky.”

“Through the investigation of the explosion they discovered that the Garrin Crystals are the strongest substance man has ever found.  They are damn near indestructible, making them perfect for use by the military as fuel cells for their equipment.”

“So what’s one doing here?”

“Truth is, I can only speculate, but it’s not a good sign, especially to find one this big.  You see, one other use was discovered for them, they are…”
Joker, someone’s coming.

“What is it Joker?”

“Shh, someone’s coming.”

“said the idiots at MAGI must’ve missed something.  Spread out and search every inch.”
”What are we looking for sir?”

“You are looking for a crystal, sergeant.  I want some people looking up as well.  Chances are you aren’t going to find it just lying around.”

“That doesn’t sound good Joker.  What do we do?”

“Judging by the amount of firepower they’ve got, we’d be better off in hand-to-hand.”

“I like the way you think.”

“Leave the leader to me.  Do what you want with the rest.”

Are you sure we can take him this time Joker?  Most of my systems are still offline.

“You think I care?”

There are two lessons that I’ve learned over the years when dealing with large groups of people.  Number one, it is extremely rare that the group is trained to fight as a cohesive unit against a single opponent.  In their rush to attack they will often get in each other’s way, and a single determined individual can inflict massive casualties with very little effort.  The second lesson is that if the group is in fact trained to fight together, then you’re in for a very bad day.  Luckily for us, the group below tended to obey the first of these rules.

Shattered Dusk was more than happy to lead the charge.  With barely a thought, she had dropped from her sitting position and into their midst, drawing the room’s attention instantly.  I, on the other hand, decided to hang back until I caught sight of my quarry.  It only took him a moment to get involved; looks like little has changed.  Confident that Dusk could take care of herself, I quickly unsheathed my weapon and zeroed in on my old friend.

Unlike Dusk, I prefer not to announce my presence until after I’ve made my move.  With the room’s attention stilled focused squarely on the whirling melee she had started, I dropped from my perch intent on splitting my opponent in half before he had a chance to react.  With a near invisible move of his hand, his guard was up, and my sword caught squarely on the armored forearm he had thrown in the way.

“That all you’ve got Joker?!”

A spinning kick caught me squarely in the chest before my feet even touched the ground, knocking me nearly 15 feet across the room.  By rolling on impact I was able to avoid any serious injury, and ending the roll in a neat runner’s stance allowed me to launch myself back toward my opponent with renewed vigor.  Once again he was ready for me, and neatly parried my strike with the back of his hand.

“What’s wrong Joker?  You seem sluggish.  Typically you’ve at least gotten close to hitting me by now.”

At this he lashed out with his left hand, but I had seen this coming and was able dodge it easily.  For the next couple minutes the fight was a draw.  Neither of us could find any purchase, and our attacks seemed almost useless.  He was always one of the best martial artists I knew, and I was having trouble keeping up with him.  My only advantage was my sword.  Unfortunately, he knew me too well to allow me even the smallest holes in his guard.

The stalemate was broken by the limp body of a 5^th Column soldier being tossed through our melee.  Following close behind it was Shattered Dusk.  Her whole body seemed to glow with the adrenaline and sweat of combat, and for a moment my attention was draw to the crumpled forms of more than a dozen men scattered about the cavern.  My moment of distraction was all that was needed, and when I returned my gaze to my opponent, I realized he was no where to be seen.  His laughter, however, still echoed around the cavern making my blood boil.

“Dusk, where’d he go?!”

“He teleported away when you turned your head.”

“I’ve never seen him do that before.”

“I’ve never seen a Column boss do that either.  Something’s strange about him.”

If nothing else, we had prevented them from recovering the crystal, and that means he would try for it again.  I was quiet during our trip back to Atlas Park, but Dusk was still showing signs of the rush of combat.  By the time we reached the doors of City Hall, she had related to me almost every kick and punch of her fight, and was dying to hear of my own battle.  Apparently she had never seen a style like my own, and she was curious to learn more about it, among other things.

The halls of the building were dimmed to mirror the night, and the normally busy offices were now empty.  The noises of the machine were momentarily silent, and the only other person apart from us was the night-time security guard making his rounds.  Buildings like these always struck me as unnatural without the normal throngs of people going about their day.  As we made our way deeper into the building, it was apparent that we weren’t the only ones, however, that were making some late night deliveries.

A few lights still burned in the offices of ELITE, which I’ve been told is where heroes that gained their powers through natural means are assigned.  According to Dusk, there was almost always someone stationed there, since the 5^th Column, one of their biggest adversaries, tended to do a lot of their work at night.  This made sense, especially considering what we were returning from, but it did leave me curious as to why no one from their office was brought in on our meeting earlier.  I could only guess that Starbuck was somehow affiliated with ELITE, and that his presence was more than enough for our purposes.

“So, were you two able to find anything?”

“We found plenty, Azuria.  Joker located another of those crystals, and we had a little run in with a group of 5^th Column.”

“Yes, apparently we got there just in time.  I wouldn’t want them getting their hands on this.”

With that, I produced the crystal for Azuria to examine.  The moment her hand touched it her face lit up like kid in a candy store.  I was suddenly aware that despite her reserved manner and professional appearance, she still got excited when confronted with an unknown piece of supposedly magical design.  This piece, however, was undoubtedly more powerful than anything she had ever encountered, because she was quick to place it back on the table.

“Okay Joker, it’s time you explain what you know about these things.”

“I agree with Azuria.  You seem to be the key to this little mystery, and that strange 5^th Column boss apparently recognized you.”

“What boss Dusk?”

“Back in the mine, the Column flunkies were being led by a 5^th Column boss that could teleport.”

“Teleport?  That doesn’t sound like 5^th Column standard issue equipment, even for their bosses.”

“It’s not.  In all my time fighting them, I’ve never once seen that type of technology used.”

“Well Joker, can you explain it?”

“I will try, but I’d suggest you all get comfortable.  It’s something of a long story.”