Avalanche: New Haven

VIII. Regrouping

Ryū sighed, "Let's get inside the hotel, first."
The group waited for all of the Bàs Fuar warriors to clear out before hurrying across the street and heading into the hotel.

Upon reaching one of their rooms, Ryū closed the door behind them. As the five teens took seats on the two beds, Ryū stood before them.
"You're wondering why I won't just use my full power, yes?"
"...Yeah, that's a big part of the point," Kai huffed.
Ryū looked to the floor before taking a deep breath.
"The other Gods and I are not exactly on good terms. Some of them wouldn't hesitate to do me harm if they saw me. Including The Cold," he explained.
"The ice goddess?" Dai asked.
"Indeed," Ryū said, "She is... around here. She based herself here after our union as a 'pantheon' fell apart, shortly after The Bolt's imprisonment."
"What did The Bolt do to be imprisoned?" Aria asked, "He was apparently pretty angry at you."
"Angry is an understatement," Ryū sighed, "He... he lashed out and did something he shouldn't have... He summoned a lightning storm upon an innocent village, killing many innocents. He then lashed out at me, and so I made a special prison for him. On that deserted island he cannot use his power; no other God or Gifted can. All they can do with their power is give it up and take it back."
"So he can continue to create lightning Gifted," Dai added understandingly.
"Precisely," Ryū nodded, "However, his imprisonment by my hand caused a divide among the rest of us. Some tried to justify his actions, while the others agreed with me. The Cold is one of the Gods that disagreed with me, and we had altercations in later centuries that led to us not having the... best of relationships."
"And she's here?" Luke asked.
Ryū nodded, "In fact, the Bàs Fuar was created in her name. That's why they only accept ice Gifted. They worship her."
There was a small pause, as the young Gifted processed what he said.

"So basically, you won't use your full power, because it will alert her that you are here, and she might come and try to kill you, like Bolt did," Dai assessed.
Ryū paused, a bit shamed.
"Yes," he replied.
"Jeez," Luke said, "And I thought we disliked Hunter."
Hunter just glared at him.
"And what of the scythe woman?" Dai asked.
"She's... the Bàs Fuar's best warrior," Ryū said slowly, "I've seen her in action before. She's very dangerous. With her and all the warriors surrounding Lena and Jace, I didn't dare let you all fight. You would have been killed before you even got a chance to throw a fireball, or push a rock."
"Okay..." Aria said, "So, what do we do now? Lena got taken..."
"Now we have two people to save," Dai added, resting his chin in his hand.
Luke smiled at him, "Whatcha thinking?"
Dai paused, still thinking.
"It's... risky... and a little scary, but I think I have an idea," he said.
"And?" Ryū asked.
"The Bàs Fuar is all ice Gifted, right?" Dai asked rhetorically, "And they might not kill Lena and Jace just yet. Jace fell into their custody and they haven't killed him after weeks. Plus, given they're a mercenary guild, they'll most likely hold them hostage as ransom or whatever."
"Where are you going with this?" Hunter asked, annoyed.
"To put it bluntly, two points," Dai said, "One; we do have time to save them. And two; I join the Bàs Fuar to do just that."
Silence.

"No WAY!!!!" Kai shouted, standing up, "Are you okay?? Does your head hurt??? Because no WAY would you do that!!"
"Yeah, Dai, that's crazy!" Luke agreed.
"I don't think that's a good idea..." Aria commented.
"Just listen," Dai said calmly, standing up, "We can't take on a whole guild of trained fighters by ourselves head-on. Infiltration leaves that part out. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm the only ice Gifted here. I'm the only one they'd willingly accept. I can tell you all what's happening from inside, too! On our phones."
"But-" Kai started.
"No! They may not kill Lena and Jace but they might be subjecting them to who-knows-what!" Dai argued, "Lena's tough, I'm sure she'd also start figuring out ways to escape. Once I'm in, I can find them, get them out, and have you guys come and help us escape. Then, once we're all together, Ryū can teleport us all back home!"
Ryū then stepped forward, "I admit, I had a similar idea, except Lena was also involved. And you're right, they won't kill them because they can be used as ransom for their families."
"Ryū, you can't honestly think this is a good idea," Kai pleaded.
"Your brother isn't stupid," Ryū said, "He can handle it, I'm sure."
Kai blinked, "I wasn't saying he was stupid, I-"
"Kai, I know," Dai said, "But I'm the only one here who can get in there and find them without kicking up a fuss."
Kai looked at him, very unsure.
"I'll contact you all if I need you," Dai said, trying to give a reassuring smile.
"Then it is decided," Ryū said, "Though, I recommend eating and resting a little first. You don't know what you'll have to go through to be accepted."
"I agree," Dai said, "There was a café on the next block. I'll eat up there and then get on my way."
"I'll come with you," Luke said, "To see you off."
"Me too," Kai said.
"Very well," Ryū said, "See him off, but be sure not to go with him. These people won't take the presence of non-ice Gifted pleasantly."
The three boys nodded, and then headed out, leaving behind an unsure fire God.

❄️

Lena sat in her cell, trying to pull off the GR collar around her neck. Two bright lights blinked on the side of it as she tried to pull it off. Jace just watched her from his cell across the hall.
"I told you, it won't work," he said, "These collars can only be unlocked by a key."
"Maybe if I freeze it," Lena said, icy vapor starting to emit from her hands. She then felt a sharp jolt in her neck, and she toppled over on her side, groaning in pain.
"These are Gift Restriction collars," Jace sighed, "Use your Gift, and this thing hurts you. I'm not sure how, but it works... it's how they detain Gifted criminals."
"What if I made, like, a tidal wave?" Lena asked.
"Then my guess is it kills you," Jace said sadly.
Lena grunted in annoyance and crossed her arms.

Jace looked at her, then looked away.
"Thank you..." he said, "For coming for me... I didn't think anyone would."
"The point was to break you out, not become stuck in here with you," Lena grumbled.
"Still...." Jace said, tears forming in his eyes, "At least... I'm not alone anymore."
Lena noticed his upset, and grabbed onto the bars of her cell to be as close as she can.
"What did they do to you..." she asked empathetically.
"Nothing..." Jace sighed, "Just left me alone... it's scary here... they'll interrogate you, then just leave you here."
Lena didn't reply, stunned.
"I wanna go home..." Jace mumbled as he wiped his tears away, "But... at least I know you're here..."
"Of course I'm here," Lena said, "You're my friend, Jace..."
Jace smiled, more tears coming on.
"Are the others here...?" Jace asked.
"Some of them," Lena said, "We came because we found out you were here."
"How?" Jace asked.
"The fire God, The Heat, is actually a friend of Ms. Danford's, so he teleported us-" Lena started.
"What?!" Jace exclaimed.
"Yeah, crazy," Lena half-chuckled, "But, he revealed himself when we had to fight against The Bolt, and-"
"But wait," Jace said, "That's not what I meant. I meant, how did you know I was here...?"
Lena paused, "Oh... well, I received a text from your phone-"

The door to the dungeon then swung open with a clang, and the same woman who attacked them in the street entered, and came up to Lena's cell.
"You're coming with me," she said, "I have some questions for you."
Lena's expression of fear just turned to a glare.