Chapter 311 - Compromised

Viola peeked into the the cavern and saw an array of blue and white lights splashed onto the walls. Water was flowing rapidly into the cavern, Viola dipped the tip of her shoe into the water and felt the massive pull. She thought it best to not travel by water and hoped to see another way to get in. She soon spotted the stone path, she stepped around the raging current and stepped into the cavern. 

...

The microphone that Rain had put down in the kitchen started to pulse a neon pink colour. It raised in to the air and floated towards the La Pita stone. "What is going on?" Ariana asked as she turned to Rain. "Work." Rain groaned after he chugged back another can of ice tea. "Stop being so lazy." Ariana said as she grabbed another handful of popcorn. 

Rain got up and grabbed the microphone, he turned it around and pressed a black button at the bottom of the handle. Suddenly they could hear the students voices from the spectator's seats. "They lost connection?" Rain said as he forrowed his brows. "Is that bad?" Ariana asked as she munched away. "Maybe... It's definitely not normal." Rain said with a confused look.

"What connection? Wait how can they even watch the fighters?" Ariana asked curiously. "Fighters and familiars are connected to the arena by forming a temporary contract. When we get you to state your name you are actually entering into a contract with the La Puta stone, unknowingly of course. When the contract is complete the stone monitors the fighters location, health and life at all times. It also broadcasts the fighters to the spectator's by showing them a projection, like these ones but theirs is slightly bigger and they get special seats." Rain explained briefly as he pointed to the holographic screens.

"Okay, simple enough but at the same time I don't understand. Look, if the La Puta stone can do all that then how can the connection be lost? It seems almost impossible right? Viola and Edlyn properly made their contracts so what happened?" Ariana asked. "I'm not sure.... I think I will have to go down in person and see what the problem is." Rain said as he raised his hand towards the stone.

"You mght compromise the battle if you go." Breeze said as he waved a fry drenched in gravy at Rain. Rain's face turned green at the thought. "I don't know what else to do. I have to break the rules and go in." Rain replied.

"Wait, something doesn't seem right." Ariana said as she slipped into a deep thought. "What do you mean?" Rain asked as he lowered his hand. "Look. We can see what's going on but the spectators can't? That's a little weird. We're supposed to share the same time alterations right? So what if the problem is something else? Like interference from the cavern I made?" Ariana asked.

Rain pursed his lips and started to think about Ariana's questions. "What if... What if we've been compromised?" Breeze asked cautiously. "No there is no way... No one can force their way into the arena and compromise the La Puta stone." Rain mumbled. "No but one of the spectators could." Breeze said as his face hardened. The hair on Ariana's neck stood up. "Can someone from the spectator's side corrupt the signal?" Ariana asked as her heart thundered against her chest. "Yes with dark magic." Rain and Breeze said in unison.

Ariana broke out into a cold sweat. "Is it bad? Are the spectator's and Edlyn safe?" Ariana asked in a panic. "I don't know." Rain replied as he glanced at the neon purpe clock. "If one of the fighter's life is in immediate danger that purple Clarus clock will start flashing. We can momentarily freeze that person's time and rush in for medical attention. Right now the clock is a solid colour and at the moment they look fine." Rain explianed but Ariana couldn't brush off the feeing of dread.

"But what about the spectators? How do we know that they are safe? Cayden and Peppa are down there." Ariana said as she looked a Rain. However it was Breeze who jumped up. "I'm going!" Breeze shouted with a mad look in his eyes. "I think," Rain started to say but Ariana jumped to her feet.

"The whole arena is compromised!" Ariana shouted in horror as she pointed to the screens. Rain and Breeze watched the screens but didn't notice anything wrong at first but then their eyes widened in horror. They were being shown a loop. "We need to stop the battle!" Ariana shouted as she approach the Clarus clocks. "What do we do? Which clock do we press? It's the green one right?" Ariana said in mid hysteria as she tapped the green clock repeatedly.

When she saw that nothing had happened, she tapped the clock harder. "It won't work." Rain said sorrowfully. "Then what do we do?!" Ariana asked as tears spilled from her eyes. She was so frustrated that she pounded the clock with her fist.

"We go down there." Rain said.

.....

Edlyn didn't know what was going on anymore. She had no idea how any of this could have happened. Viola laid beside her on the ground, she was completely unconscious. Edlyn barely had any strength left to hold herself up but the searing pain in her torso and right leg kept her alert and awake. Thor was in front of her howling as he fought against Ursula. 

"Thor!" Edlyn yelled as a massive tentacle rose into the air. Thor tried his best to use his claws to stop the tentacle from reachng the girls. "Thor just hang on a little longer. I will try to get away with Viola." Edlyn cried out as she started to drag her body towards Viola. Thor looked back and nodded his head. 

Sweat started to roll off of Edlyn's face as she forced herself forward. Her torso started to burn, as her right leg started to go numb. Edlyn looked down and saw the giant wound on her torso had opened back up. Blood started to spill out, she placed her hand over the wound and pressed down. Thor let out a large cry, Edlyn looked over and saw that Ursula had sucsessfully wrapped a tentacle around his neck. "NO!" Edlyn cried just as another tentacle wrapped around his front wing.

Edlyn could only watch as Ursula ripped Thor's wing off. "Thor!" Edlyn'd cried as tiny sparks started to fly. How could everything go so wrong?