Chapter 27:

Cassian was under the impression that it had to have been a rift from Hell due to the demons around them, thinking that he was finally right about it. But it didn't seem like it, not to the trio who had still just been standing back from their fighting. Instead, they focused on the actual building they were in. It was old, run down, pretty much any word to describe how an abandoned building would look like fit in this situation.

The ground near both Cassian and Sebastian seemingly started to dip down a bit more, and Sebastian wasn't able to react in time when the ground under him sank under alongside a portion of the floor, having been pulled into a sinkhole. Not only that, but the building itself began to fall in on itself, with a part of the roof falling down where the trio had to fall back out of the way so they didn't get crushed. All at the price of now being unable to reach the others.

A part of Sebastian thought it was finally his time, but he was actually surprised when Cassian reached out to pull him away and stop him from going more than six feet under. Sebastian rolled on the ground, looking up at Cassian, who found himself tripping over some of the things still falling until he did his own dive out away, tumbling onto the floor.

Meanwhile the trio was still doing their best to get through to them, only able to faintly hear the others talking to one another after there weren't any more sounds of things falling. They could only hear bits and pieces of what they were saying. They considered climbing the rubble, but it could cave in and they'd get stuck. They considered walking around the building, but with how one sinkhole appeared, the rest of the ground had to have been weak as well.

They, at first, tried to use their teleporters, but they searched through everything they had but couldn't find them to save their own lives. They were running through all of their options, each one starting as a good idea, until they thought more logically with Pat. That was until Pat suggested to Mike he try making a fireball again and shooting through the rubble. Mike didn't need to be told twice, and he readied his power, aiming it straight through, but the sound of a gunshot then rang in the building.

Now Mike was hurrying up and shot the fireball, only to be given the revelation that his fire magic might be hot, but it definitely wasn't hot enough to melt straight through metal or anything of the sort. So Pat suggests he constantly try doing so, while also telling Alex that he should try using his ice magic to perhaps freeze a nearby wall so it could become fragile enough to break like it was, well, ice.

Meanwhile, inside of the building, what had happened was that after both Cassian and Sebastian had gotten up, the two conversed about the situation before the latter admitted some fault in what he had done, only doing so having been told about the demons there and was ready to kill 'em all. He hasn't had any issues with it before, and he makes note that he has never had a problem with rifts in the past that he hasn't dealt with easily.

Though, he also was willing to say he was sort of in the wrong for what occurred, and was making light of the incident before telling Cassian that he knows they aren't always on the right foot with one another, but he'd be willing to try and wipe the slate clean, maybe even become acquaintances if he was willing. Cassian seemed hesitant, and he admits as much. He has always tried to keep his guard up in the black market, and after all the stuff he's been through, Sebastian understood where he was coming from.

But, nevertheless, the two still held a small laugh with one another before looking over the sinkhole that had appeared there. It had to be pretty deep considering they only saw it went pitch black with the depths it went. The two turned back around with Cassian making a final joke at it, "Can't say I'm surprised by it. It really makes this place give off a hole abandoned feeling, just can't sink into thinking about it though."

The pun and joke were terrible, but Sebastian retaliated with his own, pointing at his eye that Cassian had blinded not too long ago, "Yeah, I see that. Ha! It went just like that" Their joking continued while Sebastian snapped his fingers to simulate how fast it went down, but the joking stopped when a shot rang out.

Everything went silent outside of a few drips nearby Sebastian. That was the sound of blood dripping down onto the ground as Cassian fell backwards into the sinkhole. Sebastian was in a state of shock. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He tried to process what happened until he heard footsteps coming up from a different part of the building.

Hiding in the shadows of an upper level of the place was Willow, still obscured in the shadows, but the voice when she spoke let him know it was her. "I was wondering when you'd give the signal to shoot." Willow laughed, finding amusement in how Sebastian was acting, and she taunted him about it. "Something wrong? You don't seem happy that I finally took the shot-"

Without letting another word be said, Sebastian shot at her a few times, but due to not being able to see out of one eye and with her hiding in the shadows, he missed each of his shots. "Hey! What gives? I didn't think you'd be caring all that much about it! I would've thought you'd've been used to having to sell others out." Sebastian was still in a state where he was unable to speak as he stood there, but still holding his gun ready, not knowing what to expect from the mercenary.