Chapter 101 - The Bottom

Clovis gradually created a 3D model to build the massive bridge. It was quite a challenge because it required not only the right skills but also the necessary knowledge.

Clovis wasn't an architect or engineer, but there were plenty of them among the members of Last Light. They helped draw up the plans for the bridge, which was to be more than three hundred meters long.

When Clovis created about a third of the plan, he frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Gisle.

"Yes... we miscalculated a little because we didn't know the terrain's condition. We have to put the supports in, or it won't work. You don't have to put a pole every ten meters, just a few strong pylons at the base. That way, we hope the structure will hold." Said Clovis.

Several people beside him were architects and engineers. They were also in agreement with Clovis's opinion.

"That sounds problematic..." Gisle muttered.

Gisle began to think about how to place the supports at the base. It was a dangerous job that not everyone would agree to do. 

Even a man as strong as Wain would not survive if he fell into an abyss several hundred meters high.

"Gisle?" Asked Wain as he approached him.

"Wain...we're in trouble."

"Yes, I heard, and I think I know how to do it." Said Wain.

"What?" Gisle was puzzled. He hadn't come up with any good ideas yet.

"We need strong people to set the pillars, but you know that without me. I, Agnes, Teresa, and Grut have no problem lifting more than a hundred pounds. Together we can even move a prop that weighs more than a ton." Said Wain.

"It was already obvious, but the supports need something to hold them up. We have ropes and nails, but in these conditions and with our equipment, it seems something impossible." Said Gisle.

"Not really. You forgot about Zero and Dyo." Proclaimed Wain.

"Zero and Dyo...?" Gisle muttered puzzledly. 

Because Zero rarely ever acted with them, he was used to not taking her abilities into his calculations. Moreover, he was used to thinking of her power only as a method of destroying all living things.

"No, not just Zero and Dyo..." Gisle said with a smile.

"Hmm?"

"There is someone else among the mutant girls with the perfect ability for the situation." Pronounced Gisle and then shouted loudly, "ZERO!!!!!!!"

After a while, Zero, along with the other mutant girls, approached Gisle.

"Do you need something?" Zero said calmly.

"Yes, I need your help. Three of you, to be exact. I will need you Zero, Dyo, and Ennea." Gisle said confidently.

'Ennea? She's the ninth of them. I wonder what her powers are?' Wain wondered.

Zero nodded and stepped forward. Along with her were Dyo and Ennea. 

Ennea had short blonde hair and green eyes. Outwardly she was almost indistinguishable from Dyo, except for one small detail. 

She had several holes in her palms from which a liquid, viscous substance, very similar to glue, could flow if Ennea wished.

Gisle called Agnes, Teresa, and Grut over and explained his plan.

"Me, Wain, Teresa, Agnes, and Grut will go down the slope and stick the supports in the ground. The five of us should have enough strength to do it. In case of an accident, Dyo will back us up with his telekinesis. Then Ennea will glue the supports to the bridge and the wall." Said Gisle.

"What am I supposed to do?" Asked Zero, Gisle didn't mention just her.

"Wain will tell you that. He understands better than I do what you're capable of, and he's the one who came up with that part of the plan." Proclaimed Gisle.

Wain nodded and said, "Zero, as far as I know, you can turn the darkness coming from your hands into anything, am I right?"

"Yes, previously, I could only create small objects like a dagger or a short sword, but when I activated my Soul Altar and got my soul skill, things changed dramatically." Said Zero.

"Hmm? Your soul synergizes with your mutant abilities?" Wain asked in amazement.

"Yes, with my ability, I can create a large amount of dark energy that should slowly dissolve everything around me. It's like a corrosive effect. To my surprise, I find that I can control this darkness." Said Zero.

"Fine, then your job is to create something like a huge nail. Ennea will glue the support, but that's not enough. We need additional structural reinforcement. I know that in time the darkness will dissipate, but in that time, Gisle's people will have time to nail the support." Said Wain.

"Good, then let's get to work!" Gisle said loudly, and they headed toward the bridge.

While discussing the plan, Clovis had already built the beginning of the bridge ten meters long. It was less than five percent of the total length, but they could put up the supports. Otherwise, the bridge would collapse, or the ground would be unstable at the starting points.

Wain, along with the others, took large wooden blocks and walked to the chasm's edge. Wain and Grut were ahead since they could lift the most weight.

"Get ready to give me support." Said Wain and jumped down.

As he flew about ten meters, a plasma sword appeared in his hand, and he thrust it into the slope. Wain hovered in the air and gestured for support.

Grut and Agnes carefully lowered the wooden beam. Since they were on top, they had a hard time holding it, but they felt it much easier in an instant. It was Wain who grabbed the beam with one hand while underneath.

"Okay, now let's tilt it." Said Gisle and gradually began to turn the beam. The support had to rest against the bridge, but it was still deep in the ground.

Theoretically, Dyo could do everything herself with telekinesis, but in reality, it was impossible. She was not strong enough to lift a wooden beam weighing several hundred kilograms. Her ability depended directly on how much the object weighed.

If someone in the group fell down, she would save them. Even so, Dyo would be able to do it about three times in a row, after which she would need to rest.

Eventually, the wooden beam was able to be put in position. There were only two steps left to take: sticking it into the ground and reinforcing it.

The first part was easily handled by Wain. He climbed on the beam and turned its end into a sharp stake with a few strokes. Then Grut, Agnes, and Gisle pressed from above, and the support went deep into the ground, resting on the bridge.

"Ennea! Get down!" Shouted Gisle.

The girl nodded and carefully, along the wooden pillar, descended. Wain stayed there to back the girl up just in case.

"Ready?" Wain asked.

"Yes," Ennea replied confidently, and glue poured from her palms the next moment. There was a lot of it, and it covered the entire surface of the beam.

Then Ennea did the same on top. Then Zero used her ability and turned the darkness into a large nail with which she connected the beam and the bridge.

"Okay, that's almost done." Said Gisle and gave the command to the carpenters. They hammered the nails in half an hour, tied the girder with ropes, and finished the job. The girder was reinforced in several stages, and the bridge was not to collapse under any circumstances.

When the first pylon of the bridge was finished, Wain and the others repeated the action several more times. When they had installed a couple of wooden beams, everything was ready, and Clovis could continue to build the bridge.

Unfortunately, Clovis could not operate such large wooden beams at will. At this point, it was an impossible task for him.

After a couple of hours, Clovis had already built a third of the bridge. The work was progressing slowly but surely. Nothing foretold trouble. The wooden beams held the bridge together, and the structure was completely stable.

Wain, Gisle, and the others rested and waited for Clovis to finish the job. When the bridge was finished, they would attack the north side and take it over completely. That was their main goal.

"Gisle, you don't know who is in charge in the northern part. Who are we going to attack then?" Teresa asked.

"It doesn't matter. We'll attack whoever we see first. We'll capture them, question them, make a plan, and in a day, the northern part of the city will belong to us." Said Gisle.

Teresa nodded.

Suddenly Agnes looked at Dyo and asked, "Dyo, are you sick?"

Dyo's condition was unusual. It looked as if she had been thrown into a fever and was in the middle of fire from the outside. Her skin was red, and there were drops of sweat on her forehead.

"No...I'm fine, but I can feel the heat...it's coming from below..." With weakness in her voice, Dyo muttered.

"Heat from below?" Gisle asked, surprised.

The next moment they got up and ran to the edge of the abyss. Ennea stayed with Dyo.

"Fuck." Wain said briefly, looking into the abyss again. This time he saw massive flames emanating from below, and it grew larger each time.

"When we installed the beams, this flame wasn't here..." Gisle muttered.

"What should we do? If this keeps up, these flames will reach the bridge in a few hours, and everything will burn to the ground. There seems to be some kind of monster or even a whole area down there." Said Teresa.

"Maybe I should just destroy everything down there in one powerful attack." Mumbled Wain.

"Did you use that skill to destroy the Sea Punisher base?" Asked Gisle.

Wain nodded.

"In that case, you'd better not, or you might just make this canyon bigger. Because of that giant worm, the ground beneath us is unstable. Your attack could be critical.." Said Gisle pondering their next move.