Valeria Torres and the Midas Vault

Chapter 21: The Strange Vault

"One more time, kiddo. Practice makes perfect."

Valeria groaned as she looked up the training tower and noticed Frank looking down at her, a smug grin across his face. She took a deep breath as she faced the tower's smooth wall directly ahead.

Time to climb like Spider-Man again.

Frank had explained how the gloves from her Aegis suit and the footwear from Xun both had special hooks embedded within the leather. His explanation was boring and technical, but she got the gist; they allowed her to scale walls like a superhero. She placed both palms up on the wall and slowly pulled herself up.

While the gloves and shoes allowed her to adhere to the wall, they did little to help with the physical demands of pulling oneself upward. Luckily, the entire Training Hall was enveloped in darkness. Here, in the dark, she found her strength augmented like the Hall of Shadows. She forced herself to breathe as she climbed the flat surface, and avoided looking down. She kept up the same rhythm: Right hand up...left foot up. Left hand up...right foot up.

When Valeria reached the top of the tower, she sat along the edge and panted for air.

Frank laughed as he helped her stand. "It's a good work out, eh? Ready to do another Safety Roll?"

"Not really," Valeria said through labored breaths. "But I don't have a choice, do I?"

Frank shrugged. "You can either jump, or climb down. It's up to you."

"Maybe in a bit," Valeria said, taking in the sights. "I need a break." From up here, she could see the entire Training Hall. The room was a massive complex, much like their school gymnasium. A group of hooded Rogues ran around some sort of obstacle course below, playing a game that resembled laser tag. Pointing at them, she asked, "What are they doing?"

"They're playing Blitzflag," Frank said, a smile across his face.

"What's that?"

"It's a game Rogues play to train together and develop comradery. Lots of Rogues play Blitzflag together before forming professional crews. There's even an annual worldwide competition."

"Professional crews?" Valeria asked.

"Yeah," Frank said, taking a seat along the edge. "For big jobs, most Rogues need to group together as a Crew. You've seen this in the movies, where the robbers all organize their team before a big heist. Blitzflag is a good way for Rogues from different guilds to practice together, and figure out each person's basic strengths."

Valeria nodded. "Okay, so how do you play?"

"Well, it's basically a laser tag-like version of capture the flag," Frank said, pointing below. "Each team gets five players. Two players can hold guns and are called Gunners," he said, pointing to a Rogue below holding a rifle. "Stabbers are the two players who get dull 'laser' knives. In the past, we used paintball guns and wooden knives covered in paint." He pointed to a Rogue with a glowing knife and said, "There's a Stabber - watch closely."

Valeria watched this Rogue sneak behind a rival Gunner and stab him from behind. His victim fell to the floor and lay still for a few moments. "Holy crap! Did he just hurt that guy?"

Frank laughed. "Nah, he'll be fine...see?" After a few moments, the Gunner stood and began returning fire at the enemy team again. "Your generation wears a special vest when you play Blitzflag. When you get hit with either a shot or a knife, the suit shocks you and leaves you paralyzed for ten seconds. We used to just count to ten with an honor system or referee."

"I see. What's that guy doing?" Valeria asked, pointing at a Rogue trying to creep along a back wall. This guy was unarmed and carried a glowing yellow flag.