Hadrian glided silently behind Athena, the muffled sounds of the facility a dull thrum around them. The dim light from ahead occasionally reflected in his eyes as he subtly tracked their progress. The passage, true to the mini-map's promise, was leading them above the exact point of engagement. From somewhere below, a rising clamor of metal, shouts, and booming impacts vibrated through the vents.
"Sounds like the boys are having some fun," Athena muttered, her steps slowing as the vibrations intensified. Her keen ears strained, trying to decipher the ruckus. "Plenty of smashing, if that's Artemis. And Mason is probably grumbling about property damage."
Nyx, her crystalline device glowing faintly, nodded grimly. "Their energy signatures are in heavy disarray. Multiple hostile entities, and the readings suggest high-power kinetic impacts. They're engaging, and the fight is quite... vigorous."
"Any particular reason your 'air currents' felt the need to bring us directly over a battle zone, Hadrian?" Athena deadpanned, peering through a small grate in the vent floor, though she couldn't see anything clearly. "You got another premonition about trouble, or did you just know the loudest path?"
Hadrian stepped up beside her, pretending to listen intently. He leaned closer to the vent floor. "Sometimes," he said, his voice a low, thoughtful murmur, "the best way to deal with chaos is to introduce a little more chaos... but in a very... strategic.... location." He subtly pointed with his chin towards the vent floor directly beneath them, where the sounds of conflict were loudest. "Especially when you've got superior... positioning."
Athena's hazel eyes widened, then narrowed in a blend of dawning realization and utter disbelief. She slapped her palm against the metallic floor of the vent. "Oh no. No, you did not. Are you seriously suggesting... a 'strategic ceiling collapse'? Again?" A wry, almost helpless laugh escaped her. "You are getting an unsettling amount of enjoyment out of turning this facility into Swiss cheese, Guide."
"It's about efficiency," Hadrian stated simply, though a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
Nyx looked from the turbulent energy signatures below to Hadrian, then to the potentially weak-looking vent panel beneath them. Her crystal hummed with uncertainty but also a quiet curiosity. "The immediate area beneath us... it certainly looks structurally vulnerable given the tremors from their fight. An aerial impact from above could... disrupt enemy lines effectively."
Athena sighed, though a spark of excited readiness flared in her eyes. "Alright, you crazy-lucky, ceiling-collapsing Guide," she grumbled, taking a stance over the vent panel. "Just tell me where to hit it."
"When I say so..." Hadrian's voice was a low murmur, his eyes sweeping across his internal map, tracking the fluid dance of allies and enemies below. He turned and pointed a finger to a barely perceptible chip in the vent floor. "You're gonna hit riiiiight... here. Just a moment..." He held his breath, his gaze intently fixed on the movement of their comrades in the chaotic scene beneath them. A slight smirk touched his lips. "Now!"
Athena needed no further urging. With a primal roar, she slammed her entire weight against the marked section of the vent floor. Her specialized boots, designed for precision, delivered a powerful impact. The brittle metal, already compromised by corrosion and the tremors of the fight below, groaned in protest. Dust, concrete chips, and rusted fragments of the old conduit exploded downwards. A large section of the ceiling ripped away, tearing through thick cables and exposing the chaotic brawl happening below.
Below, the sudden deluge rained down on the combatants. A grotesque, multi-limbed creature, previously lunging at Artemis, screeched in mechanical protest as falling debris struck its optical sensors. Mason, mid-swing against an armored bot, looked up just as a shower of rust landed on his head, his emerald eyes wide with a mix of surprise and exasperation.
"Surprise party!" Athena crowed, landing lightly amidst the falling debris, her blade already flashing as she engaged a momentarily disoriented hostile. Her hazel eyes sparkled with mischievous exhilaration. "Hope you boys weren't enjoying the scenery!"
Nyx landed gracefully beside her, her crystalline device glowing with an intense blue light. A soft hum emanated from her, and nearby, the injured multi-limbed creature found its movements strangely sluggish, as if entangled by unseen forces. "A most 'strategic disruption', indeed," Nyx commented, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she surveyed the disoriented enemies.
From above, Hadrian slipped through the newly created opening. He carefully landed on solid ground, amidst the continuing showers of dust and metal. His mini-map, now showing several hostile icons flickering yellow—temporarily stunned—displayed Mason and Artemis finally turning to acknowledge their 'aerial reinforcement'.
Hadrian smiles softly at the girls before smirking as he turns toward the multi-limbed enemy and jumping back a few paces, up against a conveniently weak wall, his eyes still on his mini-map. The enemy zeroed in on him, his guide energy a beacon in the room, and Hadrian knew it. On his minimap, he could see the space above the ceiling where he was, it had a few interesting things that their new 'friend' would love to be impaled by.
The monstrous creature charged, a terrifying mechanical symphony of whirring gears and grinding treads. Hadrian's heart thrummed with a nervous anticipation that belied the easy smirk on his face. "Hey, have you ever seen those bull rodeos where they wave the red flag?" he called out, his voice cutting through the din just as the beast lunged. At the last second, Hadrian rolled fluidly to the side, uttering a smooth, almost theatrical, "Olé!"
The creature, unable to halt its momentum, slammed headfirst into the very spot Hadrian had vacated, a convenient structural weakness in the wall. Metal shrieked, concrete crumbled, and with a terrible crunch, the ceiling above the beast gave way. Rebar, broken pipes, and fifty pounds of dense, dusty debris plunged down, impaling and silencing the behemoth instantly.