The tunnel ended and the group of six stopped in front of another metal door that Yuna guessed was the exit. Boss said something into her earpiece and the tunnel rumbled around them. The door opened slowly and the cool air of the night sky filled the tunnel, brushing past Yuna’s.
‘I needed some fresh air,’ she thought, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. ‘I need to clear my head.’
“Yuna?” Boss called out. “You want to leave the tunnel or did you remember something?”
She opened her eyes and saw that everyone was standing outside of the tunnel with curious looks on their faces. Erica had a small look of concern on her face that asked Yuna if she was doing okay. Yuna gave her a small wave before walking out of the tunnel to join the group.
“Uriel, mind jamming their system for me?” Boss asked, her hand to her ear. “Thank you. I’ll be messing with their door as well so don’t worry about that. Mhm. Okay. Bye.”
Boss walked up to the metal door that they had just exited through. Yuna realised that the entire Mason Inc. base was built on top of an elevated piece of land. The tunnel that was underneath it wasn’t actually as deep as Yuna had thought but rather just undercutted a high plateau. The door was closed as Boss strolled up to it and shut with a muffled clang. Boss stopped an arms length away from the metal entrance and examined it with a careful eye.
“What is she doing?” Yuna asked, directing her question to Erica who was standing to her left.
“Boss is going to disable the entrance into the tunnel,” Akira replied. Yuna turned her head to her right and saw Akira standing next to her. “Boss doesn’t want the Shikaku and Mason Inc. to have easy access to their little prison.”
“How’s she going to do that?”
“How is she going to disable the door? Just watch. You’ll find it worth your time,” Akira smiled, her gold brown eyes lighting up.
Yuna returned her attention to Boss and caught her nodding her head in satisfaction. She shook her right hand a bit and placed her left on the edge of the door where the metal met the rock of the plateau. Then she wound up her right arm.
‘She’s going to punch it?’ Yuna’s eyes widened.
With a devastating blow, Boss’s fist collided with the steel of the entrance. The impact caused the door to shudder and the earth around her seemed to rumble. Then the metal yielded, crumpling at the point where Boss had punched.
“Huh,” Yuna remarked. That was the only thing she could think to say. “Huh.”
“Uriel, how’s the status on the tunnel entrance?” Boss asked, her voice the same as ever. “It’s compromised? So it can’t open right? Mmm. Well of course you can open it if you used explosives but that’s not what I’m asking. Good. I don’t need to hit the other side then. I’ll talk to you later, bye.”
She turned around and strolled back to the group that was waiting for her in the shadows of the forest. Jackie let out a low whistle as she returned.
“Damn girl. You’re strong,” she commented. “I don’t think I want to mess with that.”
“Thanks,” Boss replied.
“Um, if I may, why did you punch the door?” Yuna interrupted with an awkward smile. “There are other ways to disable it, aren’t there?”
“Of course there are. Punching was the quickest and the most convenient,” Boss answered nonchalantly. “I was planning to hit the other side as well but it seems that I don’t need to.”
“How did you punch it though?”
“Well I made a fist and did a wind up before releasing it into the door. That’s how you punch.” Boss demonstrated with her hand as she spoke. “If you mean how I was able to push the door out, then that’s because I’m strong. That’s basically it.”
“How thick was the door?”
“Um, I would guess around a foot thick? It was mainly made out of enhanced steel so they seemed to have been cutting some corners in their construction.”
‘Enhanced steel is still really hard to bend,’ Yuna thought. ‘It’s still used as material for vehicles. What? How?’
“If you want to know why I punched it, it’s because then the force would push it out of alignment and prevent it from being opened,” Boss continued. “I hit the edge because it was easier and it had less risk of not working. I might have only bent the door or ripped it. Anything else?”
‘She could have ripped through one feet of enhanced steel?!’
“What rank are you?”
“My strength is around rank A. Speed is around the same.”
“Did you use magic?”
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“Come on now. You would have felt it if I did.”
‘That’s true.’
“Anyway, our job is done so now let’s head to the post so we can rest up now,” Boss announced. “I don’t want to risk heading back to base right now. It’s late and people might be returning to this building.”
Yuna glanced at the horizon again and saw some stars shining back at her. The bright lights from the giant fortress of a building behind her smothered the rest out of sight.
“Anyone has anything they want to say or suggest?” Boss asked. No one said anything and gave shakes of their heads. “Then in that case, le—.”
In a flash, a dagger appeared in her hand and sent it flying into the bushes that sat a yard away from Yuna. Yuna quickly returned her gaze to Boss and found that she had another dagger at the ready and was glaring at the bush.
“Come out right now,” Boss commanded calmly, her arms raised and her legs bent. “Or else the next one I throw goes right through your head.”
The bushes rustled and a man popped out from them with his hands raised. He had two curly goat horns poking out from his crew cut. A smile was plastered on his face that contrasted from his frantic eyes.
“Don’t kill me, please,” the man said meekly, his eyes not leaving the other dagger in Boss’s hand. “I just came here to send a message. I’m a messenger, that’s all. Always was my job. I deliver mail you know? Well, before I was captured.”
The man’s face fell as his eyes grew unfocused and he started to stare at the emptiness between him and Boss.
“Oh, you're from the prison,” Boss said. She didn’t relax her body one bit. “What’s the message? Come now.”
“Um, uh, they wanted to say th-thank you first and foremost,” the man blurted. “I mean the other prisoners. The ones you rescued.”
“I know. What else? That wasn’t the whole message right?”
“No, no. I mean, yes. That’s not the whole message,” the goat horned man rushed. “They also said that they owe you a massive debt and that they will help you whenever you are in need. You just need to alert them.”
“Did they tell you how I should contact them?”
“Yes. They did. They did.” The man took a deep breath and swallowed his spit before continuing. “Um, they said that you just need to ask Erica was it? Yeah, they said ask her. She knows how to reach them.”
“Is that true?” Boss asked, not turning her head to Erica who stood beside him.
“Yes. I can reach Vii who can reach the others,” Erica confirmed. “It won’t be immediate, but I can reach them.”
“I see. Thank you for the message,” Boss said, dropping her stance. She jerked her left arm back and a dagger flew from the bushes back to her hand. “Tell the others that I will use their payment wisely.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll tell them that,” the man nodded, his head bobbing up and down. “Is there anything else? I can also deliver stuff if you want. I’m a mailman.”
“I know that. As for anything else, let’s see.” She tapped her chin and frowned a bit as she thought. Her eyes flickered towards Erica before she gave a nod. “I have something but let’s speak in private about this if you don’t mind.”
“Of course. I don’t mind,” the man said, his head still bobbing.
He walked off with Boss as she led them to a dark corner and they whispered to each other. It only took a few seconds before Boss clapped the man on the shoulder and they returned to the group.
“Go along now,” Boss said to the man. “We’ll be leaving as well so you won’t be able to find us later.”
“Okay. Thank you for sparing me,” the messenger bowed. Then he ran off into the darkness, his feet more nimble than Yuna had expected.
“Now back to our previously scheduled program. Let’s go to the hideout. Follow me everyone.”
She turned and headed in a different direction than the messenger and went to, her feet barely making a sound. Akira and Erica followed her, flanking both sides. Then Jackal ran, Abel coming with her.
‘I wonder where the hideout is,’ Yuna thought as she took in a deep breath and launched herself after her guild members.