The Endless Torment of an Admin (MCSM Fanfiction)

Chapter 19 - Joining Forces

Despite Lukas's protests that he was fine to help Petra, Binta insisted that she and Jesse took the injured redhead so he could rest his wounded shoulder. They walked the last stretch into the little town with significantly less effort, Binta quickly leading them to a tiny birch house that Jesse assumed was hers.

Binta fussed over the group like they were old close friends, helping to tend to Petra and Lukas's injuries and bringing each of them a cup of tea as well as a bowl of mushroom stew. Jesse declined the offer, reassuring Binta that she wasn't hungry and would get to that in a bit.

"So what brings you all down here?" Binta finally asked.

The group had settled into her tiny living room with their meals, Jesse and Lukas each sitting on one of the couches with Petra half-lying on one, her broken leg propped up on a pillow. The warrior already looked a lot brighter, the pain in her eyes having gone and colour back in her cheeks.

"Where do we even start?" Jesse asked, fiddling with a strand of her long chestnut hair.

"The beginning." Petra responded matter of factly, taking a bite from her stew.

"What happened with the admin, Romeo?" Binta prompted curiously. "Were you able to use Fred's weapon?"

Jesse took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes. Fred's weapons turned out to be a golden gauntlet that we... thought was going to strip Romeo of his powers. Only there was one important detail we weren't aware of." She explained softly. "Instead of simply destroying Romeo's powers, they got transferred over to me."

Binta's blue eyes were wide, looking between the three of them. Suddenly it was like she truly took in the odd colour of Jesse's skin, reaching a hand up to her mouth.

"You're an admin?"

"One big mess of an admin, but yeah." Jesse replied sheepishly. "I spent the last year of my life struggling to control these powers, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm still not doing well with them."

"We've been looking for a way to get rid of them." Lukas went on. "Xara was stripped of her powers without it killing her like it did Romeo, so we assumed she'd be able to help."

"We used one of Romeo's portals to get to the Oasis, but it's still in ruins and Xara's nowhere to be found." Jesse said. "Our next guess was the cabin in Romeoburg, but on our way we ran into trouble."

"This is a lot to process." Binta said, pulling her fingers through her dark hair. "How am I meant to help?"

"In all honesty, we just wanted to spend a night here." Jesse said, sinking slightly down on the couch. "But after the attack..."

"You can stay as long as you need to." Binta said immediately.

"Thank you, Binta, really." Petra spoke up. "But we can't hang around and wait for me to heal up. I don't want Jesse to be stuck with these powers any longer than she has to."

"Petra, I've dealt with them for months, I can handle a few more days." Jesse replied, putting a hand out onto her friend's shoulder.

"I'd love to help." Binta said, sitting upright in her chair. "If what you're promising is a safe return to the surface, I'd owe it to you."

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked.

"Of course." Binta quickly got to her feet. "Hold up one second."

She disappeared from the room without another word, returning before anybody had a chance to wonder where she disappeared off to. Sitting down again, Binta spread a map out on the coffee table. The Oasis, Fred's Keep, and Romeoburg were all clearly marked on the map.