So, it still wasn’t able to bypass a Personal Barrier.
Otis wondered briefly what exactly the boy had been expecting when he confronted Ciara in such a situation, but the more concerning thing was the pocket of darkness that it created. She didn’t continue the assault, however, and despite her grievances towards him (entirely misplaced; the shadow-witch had dug her own grave), Otis was pleased to see her scramble away in the direction she informed her of. She had even responded to Chunji, who seemed to see the state she was in and moved to assist instead.
Troublesome. Did he know he was damning himself by becoming her accomplice?
Chunji, so you are aware, Ciara is currently wanted by the guards of the Iris Record on suspicions of being an Umbralist.
A quick message via his Adapa and there, now he knew.
With that 'itch' scratched, Otis resumed his work.
The chaos in the first floor was beginning to settle down. Otis reached into the arcmage’s Adapa through the connection she had granted, sending a message over to the guards of the Tower:
I will now begin to incrementally remove the bulkheads. Note that Ciara has regained some of her strength after draining two more students, and that she will likely continue to do so. Anyone without the ability to manipulate light essence and form a Personal Barrier should stay back to reinforce the exits, rather than risk becoming fuel for her. Currently, she is in the northwestern staircase, heading upwards.
He paused for a moment, beginning to raise up the bulkheads and allowing grounds of isolated tower guards to gather or separate.
The cameras on the third floor are non-functioning, so she will likely take advantage of that; I doubt she will go further up into the fourth floor. Proceed with caution and keep communications active. She may have taken other students hostage during her ascent, and will likely act irrationally, so do not engage unless you are certain you have a clear shot.
Another manipulation of essence through his Adapa, as he drew closed the bulkheads on the fourth floor. A barricade against any further ascent, just in case she
did choose to throw away the advantages present in the third. Ideally, the guards themselves would slow down their chase too, get their equipment prepared and their last wills written. Give Ciara a breather, give Chunji some time to investigate the situation. Reduce the pace at which the situation devolved, so that Otis himself could continue running his own programs in the background. He rummaged through one of his pocket-pouches, unwrapping a ball of hardened syrup and popping it into his mouth. Leaning back against his comfortable seat, he gnawed against the hard candy as he turned his attention onto the arcmage who served as Principal Raja’s expy in this situation, tracking her movements.
Surely, an exhausted Iraleth could not surpass her in speed. What then, was
she planning on doing?