"This play is all dependent on you. I know it's a bit of pressure, but don't let that get to you." Enidri tapped on Donva's temple with her pointer finger. "You did a whole lot of studying back in Scholburn, right? I'm sure you'll be able to get through this just fine." 

"But if I mess up, it could mean bad news not just for us but for the others as well." Donva turned away from the BRUTEs to look at Enidri. Calm and collected, she blinked her eye as she waited for the next part of his response. "You really want to put the first phase of our potential-rescue plan all on my unexperienced shoulders?"

"Don't see why not."

"You never struck me as the kind of person to put a lot of faith in teamwork."

"Times have changed. Experience has taught me a lot of new things." 

"Are you talking about the whole missing Exterminator thing that happened roughly a week ago? You changed that much within that short amount of time?"

Enidri rolled her eye and tilted her head towards the sky. "Decade ago. Week ago. Doesn't make a difference. Now stop procrastinating and put that Affinity of yours to good use. If things go wrong, I'll be there to back you up, all right? The longer we waste yapping out here, the more danger we're putting the others in."

"Yeah. I suppose you’ve got a point." Donva took in a deep breath and faced the BRUTEs. He spread his arms apart, making his muscles spasm across his body. A black portal opened up on the wall behind the robots.  He grunted again, making another puddle form underneath his feet. His legs slowly sank into the bubbling black mess while his arms remained extended. 

"Keep that portal open long enough for me to come in after you!" Enidri said. 

As Donva continued to sink, he gave one thumbs up. In seconds, his body had been completely absorbed by the gunk. Enidri looked at the exit portal above the robots in front of the estate. Donva's upper body emerged. He hovered above the two automated guards with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Donva spread them apart, growing black tendrils out at the same time. The lanky appendages stuck onto the heads of the BRUTE units as the impact sent them flying towards the wall. 

"Keep them down Donva!" Enidri jumped into the portal feet first, vanishing into the ground. Donva squirmed his way out of the other wall, landing clumsily onto the ground with his knees. Despite the rough landing, he kept his arms at his side and his tendrils bound to the BRUTEs' faces. Enidri emerged moments later, ejecting with a graceful flip and an even more elegant landing. 

"All yours, Eni!" Donva grunted, keeping his arms extended. The swordswoman pressed a button on her Ion Blade and the brilliant orange beam shot forth. She turned to her right, and with a backhanded swing cut the BRUTE in two pieces. Both halves of the robot clanged against the cement as Donva returned the tendril back into his arm. 

The remaining robot struggled, grabbing onto the black mass the covered its face. Donva let out an anguished yell as its steel fingers dug into his extended flesh. With its free hand, the robot took aim towards the sound of Donva's pain. 

"Flying Cutter!" Enidri hurled her weapon, creating a flying electric that cut the guard's rifle in half. Now disarmed, the BRUTE used its other hand to grab onto Donva's tendril, this time pulling him in closer. 

"Gah! Enidri!" Donva cried as his feet skid across the ground from the BRUTE's tugging. The flying weapon returned to Enidri's hand. Now rearmed, Enidri dash forward, swing her sword low at her enemy's ankles. Sparks flew as scorching hot ion melted through the steel of the BRUTE's knees. Still grasping onto Donva, the robot toppled sideways.

"Turn your arms back to normal!" Enidri held her weapon high for a slash, but Donva's tendrils were in the way. 

"I... I can't!" Donva and the BRUTE continued to struggle, with Donva visibly being the loser. The more he fought back, the closer the BRUTE brought him in. Seeing that Donva wasn't going to be able to break free from the robot’s grasp, Enidri repositioned herself. 

"Try to keep still! I don't want to stab you!" She placed herself towards the bottom of the robot where the legs had been severed. She brought her elbow back and with a swift thrust, pierced the wire and metal of the underside. The stab was precise, sending the length of the Ion Blade up the robot's core and stopping within its head. The BRUTE's eyes lit up a bright orange while the sound of searing metal rang out. Enidri pressed the power button on her Ion Blade, immediately deactivating the weapon.

The BRUTE's grip weakened before becoming nonexistent. Donva retreated his tendrils, restoring his arms to their original shape. He fell to his knees as he held onto the arm that had been grabbed with his uninjured one. 

"You all right, bro?" Enidri said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah, yeah. I think I'm fine. Just a bit sore is all."

"Good. Because that was just the first step. And I'm going to need you to be doing stuff like that all day long."

A shaky Donva got to his feet. He winced as he took his hand off his hurt arm. He brought it close to eyes, squinting to see if there was any damage. "A few bruises, but nothing that I can't walk off."

"Hey," Enidri gave a gentle jab to Donva's shoulder. Both locked eyes. The swordswoman gave a lopsided grin. "You did a good job, just now. I mean it."

He smiled back, squinting one eye as a brief burst of pain shot up through his limb. "Thanks, Eni. That means a lot coming from Labrisson’s top Exterminator. It really does."

"We got a good start, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves. We've still got a lot more ahead to deal with." 

"Right, the rescue itself." 

Enidri made her way to the front door. She wedged her Ion Blade into the frame and with a fierce thrust, sliced through the hinges. "You want to go in first?" Enidri kicked in what remained of the door. 

"Sure." Donva took careful steps over the broken bits of glass scattered across the ground. Enidri trailed right behind him, crunching the glass underneath her boots. Both stood in front of the entrance, taking in the enormity of the building. 

"I wonder how many Ogres I'd have to kill to earn enough to afford a place like this," Enidri whispered as she stepped further into the estate. Her eyes looked straight up towards the ceiling, staring at the complex architecture and ornate light fixtures that decorated it. 

"If you killed three every day for the rest of your life, you still wouldn't be close," Donva replied. 

"Damn. Really sounds like I've been in the wrong profession for my entire life."

"Should have gone to University like I suggested," Donva remarked with a hush. His attention was centered on the long corridor straight ahead. "You're clever. I'm sure you could have put your wits to good use."

Enidri’s face turned sour as she stuck out her tongue. "And have to put up with all those pretentious 'intellectuals' in that town? I'm glad I didn't. Couldn’t pay me enough to do that."

"Never too late to get started," Donva said as he shook out the soreness in his wrists. "If my reputation with my university hasn't been completely shattered, I could put in a good word for you with the Director of Admissions."

"Let's work on what the task at hand first." Enidri pressed her back against the wall of the estate. Donva tip-toed to her side and leaned in towards her shoulder.

"You have any idea where they could be in here?"

"Nope. We'll have to bank on luck."

"But this place is huge!" Donva said with an exasperated whisper. "It'll take us hours to get through every room!"

The swordswoman shrugged her shoulders. "Guess we'll have to take our chances then."

Donva hunched forward and placed his hands on his knees and coughed. "You still want to stop by the kitchen and get some water?" He then placed a hand around his throat.

"Oh, you were serious about that?" Enidri said, perplexed.

"Yes! We were riding in the desert for hours!"

"Fine. Kitchens are usually on the first floor, so I don't think finding it should take too long."

"I just hope they don't have it protected like the front entrance."