“Let’s go check on Jimmie first. If he really has woken up maybe he has some more info about this whole thing. Besides, Travolta is probably going to be a bit nicer if he is around.” John decided over the phone.

“Sounds good. I take it we skip grinding today then?” Rave asked. 

“Yeah, let’s meet at the hospital.”

“Sounds good, see ya in a bit!” She hung up and John looked over to Aclysia, “You are coming with me, these days I’d rather be safe.”

“I agree that your safety is of bigger concern than the household, master.” Aclysia bowed as John looked around the almost shiningly clean room.

“Yeah, that won’t be a problem,” he agreed and they went on their way.

Rave was waiting for them at the foot of the hospital. She didn’t even bother putting on her disguise. Not that she did most days, since the whole Bloodfallen thing had started. A decision she may have regretted, but there was no going back now.

John walked up to her and they shared a quick greeting kiss. “Morning,” he said afterwards,

“That all?” Rave teased.

“You are as beautiful as ever?” he tried and got a giggle in response, “Hey, you try to be original all the time…” His smile slowly diminished, until he got serious. “…Let’s go check on Jimmie.”

Rave nodded and led the way. The hospital was astonishingly big for a middle-sized city like Springfield and John always had wondered why that was. Now armed with the knowledge that there was a copy of that exact building where a rich magical organization of apothecaries were doing their business, he wasn’t nearly as confused. The building on this side was copied into the Illusion Barrier. Every reason to sponsor a large local hospital with the Abyss’ absurd wealth.

Entering the Illusion Barrier was apparently only possible through the back and so they walked down the parking lot and towards the emergency entrances. “You know how this is supposed to happen?” he asked while Rave looked around in a confused manner.

“Nope, never been here before. Daddy told me to look for the door with… Ah, there it is!” Rave started walking towards a grey wall of the building.

‘No, not a wall.’ John had to strain his eyes but the wall was odd and there was… was that a door? Once he realized that, it suddenly became very easy to look at. He followed Rave and asked, “How does that work?”

“The typical covering spell. Once ya manage to see it, it doesn’t work anymore. At least that is what dad said.” In short: another way for the Abyss to isolate itself from public life.

Rave opened the door and the trio was pulled into the Illusion Barrier.

“Pretty boring name for the place.” John muttered as he closed the window. The inside of the building was similarly mundane. He had expected some weird alchemical contraptions standing around, people in robes run-walking from one patient to the next, a magical aura filling the air as people worked miracles all around. What he got was a normal hospital. White painted walls, a picture of a flower here, the building plan there, a grey floor, an information desk. Last of which they walked to.

“Hey, we would like to visit Jimmi…I mean Jim Johnson.” Rave said as nicely as she could, which was to say: not particularly. She leaned on the counter and looked a bit challenging, her tone reflecting a degree of unwillingness to even speak to the guy behind the counter. Moments like that reminded John that he did fall in love with a bit of a punk.

The guy didn’t care in the slightest though. A rude pink-haired girl was the least of his worries in a world where people could throw fireballs. He just looked through the files on his computer and said, “Room 54, second floor.” in a bored voice.

Rave left the counter while John at least said “Thanks.” Then he followed his girlfriend, getting only a half-baked wave as his send off. The room was quickly found past a crowd of employees, some of whom wore robes. At least that part of his fantasy was fulfilled.

They opened the door and were greeted by a familiar voice in a familiar, annoyed tone. “The hell do you mean you CAN’T give me a phone!” Jimmie was busy shouting at a guy working for the place.

He was about as tall as John, had dark brown hair, and a fit build that showed a good amount of muscles underneath his white shirt and pants. However he had a meek demeanour as he took the shouts with repeated apologies. “I am very sorry sir but your bill does not cover calling expenses.”

 “How fucking much can calling somebody cost?!”

“Enough to put it on the tab, sir. The hospital is very thankful for the work you have done for us in the past but if it hadn’t been for….”

“Hey!” Jimmie noticed them and turned his head. “Finally, somebody came here, we need to talk ASAP!” The guy, John recognized him as Herman, the same person who had greeted them when they had fetched Jimmie, left the room as quickly as possible. John let him pass and gave the man a thankful nod. Herman looked a bit relieved at the acknowledgment.

“Yeah, sorry Travolta only told us you woke up after I called him about Victoria.”

“Great, so you know already that she is to blame for the whole explosion thing?”

Rave and John looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to him. The Gamer spoke up first, “Nope, but we suspected it. Mind telling us exactly what happened?”

“Sure, so I was taking a nap, when I heard a ringing in my ears. I installed an alarm system in case anyone but me messed with my suit. I woke up and found Victoria messing with the thing. I confronted her, but she surprised me and knocked me out.”

 “Why wouldn’t she just stab you while you were out if she wanted you dead?” Rave interrupted with a mixture of disbelief and resignation.

“Who said she wanted to kill me? Rave I swear to god you need to let me finish…don’t make any dumb jokes about ‘finishing last’ right now, not in the mood!” Rave closed her mouth before exactly those words could leave it. “So, when I woke up - I don’t know how much later - I checked on my suit. What she had done to it was clumsy as fuck but would probably have created a localized mana storm for a little while. If it hadn’t been for the massive headache and blood loss from the wound on my head I could have diffused the thing. Cut the wrong wire though and instead set off the entire energy in one explosion. Not my proudest showing. Thankfully, you guys saved me.” Jimmie ended his story, “Well, you and the Bloodfallen anyhow.”

John was majorly confused, “Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“Huh? You think Travolta or I have enough money to cover the expenses of an arcane poisoning? Even with the discount, we’d be up shit creek. The Bloodfallen covered the bill.”

“But… that makes no sense, the Bloodfallen are the ones who sent Victoria.” Rave blurted out.

“Wha… okay, what?” Jimmie stuttered as well.

John massaged his temples. Okay, so Victoria really hadn’t wanted them dead, just distracted. Still was pretty weird in regard to the sniper rifle. Maybe something had changed between the two incidents? This whole thing didn’t stop being complicated. Visiting the cemetery was potentially less menacing. But what would she have wanted to find in the few minutes that mana storm would have given her? She had been in position to take advantage of it and was evidently surprised to see them all out there.

 ‘Wait,’ John realized something. If she had wanted to check up on something inside the barrier she could have. Travolta had accompanied Jimmie to the hospital while he and Rave had gone to her place. The barrier had been effectively empty.

If what Victoria wanted to check on was inside there she could have. Not only then but every time Travolta visited Jimmie as well. If he assumed that Victoria found what she had searched before the third day following the sabotage that meant that she then planned the attack…for what purpose? What did Travolta have that Victoria or the Bloodfallen wanted and why did she attack the rest of them? He could easily guess that it must have had something to do with the Blood of Thana but until he had confirmation that was what it remained: a guess.

There were now two ways to confirm that guess: He either needed to confront Travolta about it or go ask Victoria.