9: MURDEROUS INTENTIONS

« ASSESSMENT »

ROGUE HUNTERS

GAMMA-RANK

COMBAT ALERT: LETHAL FORCE IMMINENT

He scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding."

They attacked simultaneously, with one behind the other. He moved backwards, dodging their strikes with quick, subtle movements.

«COUNTER MEASURES»

ENTER CLOSE COMBAT

ACTIVATE DEFENSE SHIELD

DEPLOY LONG-RANGE ATTACKS

ACTIVATE SPECIAL ABILITY

ALL-OUT OFFENSIVE

EMPLOY STEALTH MODE

"All-out offensive does sound good. Any other options?"

The system showed three words:

REASON WITH OPPONENTS

He chuckled. "Yeah, Lexa, I don't think that's gonna fly at the moment, but let's give it a try."

The second Rogue swiped at his head from the side, then switched almost immediately and brought it down on him as he ducked.

He propelled backwards in a breeze, landing in a crouch, placing them both in his line of sight.

That was close.

He looked up. "I'm running out of patience so I'll ask once: who are you, and what do you want?"

They didn't reply. Instead, they changed their stances, and their ice axes glowed brighter.

« ASSESSMENT »

MURDEROUS INTENT DETECTED

"Right."

He rose with a sigh. They were slightly crouched now, knees bent and arms extended, eyes glaring maliciously, ready to pounce at any moment.

No need to drag this out. They had clearly amped up their gloves, and were very careful with how close they got.

Wise enough. They might be lesser ranked than he was, but they had sharp skills; and murderous intent.

He squared his shoulders, mentally outlining the best possible direction their confrontation would take in the next one minute.

The duo had already launched themselves at him, piolets reaching out for his head, his neck, his torso.

"Deploy long-range attack…." He held up his hands, spreading out his fingers at his opponents in mid air, "....quarkspike."

The tekhans beamed a dark purple, dimming the lights in the room for a second.

Then a burst of electric blue erupted from his wrists, forming an array of thin, glowing spikes that hurtled towards them in a trail of steam. They struck home in a second, without space for thought or escape; the pain and surprise flashed in their eyes just before the Rogues were sent flying into the wall with a crash.

The air was buzzing as the quarkspike's energy dissipated with steam streaming from his hands. The two Hunters' lifeless bodies slumped to the ground, their weapons and armor dark and still.

He wrinkled his nose at the smell of burnt flesh and ozone, and at the wall that had cracked behind them.

"That's gonna come out of my pay."

A heavily concealed sound picked his attention, and he turned just in time to spot the last Rogue sneaking past the hole in the wall.

He paused and turned as well, staring face to face with Hikaru. For a second.

Then his gaze shifted to his dead companions. The fear registered shortly in his eyes before he bolted, heading straight for the bushes to his right.

Hikaru held up his index and middle finger and aimed.

"Get me a heat signature," he said.

The outline of a man flashed into his vision, glowing red with the heat from his heightened state of tension.

"Bingo."

A single spike traveled out of his fingers, tearing through leaf and stem in a blaze until it passed right through his neck. He tumbled forwards with a loud choking sound, then he fell still, eyes wide open in shock.

«THREAT NEUTRALIZED. SYSTEM ON STANDBY»

Hikaru groaned. He had meant for it to be a stunner, not to kill him.

Suddenly, a frown descended on his face as he surveyed the room. Something was not right. Three dead assassins, a giant hole in the wall and…

"Fuck."

9.00 PM, ROUTE 9, LEADING OUT OF NODERYN

Mobikes were rare vehicles. They hovered above the ground, gliding on force energy like a jet ski for land. Warden riders were required to have a license and to wear special streamlined suits in case of accidents (which happened more often than not, owing to the incredible speed of the motor).

As much as Neon followed principles and laws set down by the Order, this was one of the few that he regularly ignored. His hair and his coat streaked behind him in the heavy breeze as he navigated the back roads of the city.

There was simply no time, he thought. He had a bad feeling about it all; from the fact that the creature was an Arkeian, to the fact that she had captured AND left it back at the castle.

How had it gotten past people? How did the Storm girl put it down? What was it after?

He let his mind wander for a bit, gathering bits of knowledge that might have slipped out of his reach.

Kaido Tadori, head of the Director Wardens at HQ, was renowned for being the only survivor of the single expedition into the Veil carried out six years ago.

According to his reports, it was ascertained that certain beings had existed in the Veil, long before it even manifested on Earth. The humans trapped inside, the Anomalies, actively avoided them. He called them "seishins," and later on, everyone else called them Entities.

But once in a while, for some dark, unknown reason, one of these beings might choose to "possess" an Anomaly and give rise to an unholy aberration called the Arkeian. It was this creature that decimated Tadori's party, and somehow he had escaped, but not without a missing arm. They all had the distinction of being fiery and hairless and winged and never less than Beta-level threat.

Since Tadori's discovery, two such abominations had been hunted and exorcised back into the Veil. This was at the cost of human lives of course, Wardens and civilians alike.

That was two years ago. The appearance of one (perhaps two, if he was counting the one he saw back in Bloom Village), certainly did not mean anything good.

The screen on the mobike's windshield flashed green with the words, 'INCOMING CALL' and an image of Norrie underneath.

"Hey, hunter."

Her hair was wild and black as ever, spilling over her shoulder and bare chest. He smiled instinctively and shifted his gaze back to the road.

Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Same goes for you," she replied, "You're on the road, aren't you?"

"Yeah. And it's really hard to concentrate."

She clicked her tongue. "Lords. What is it with you and night hunts?"

He chuckled at the despair in her voice. "Can't help that I'm something of a nocturnal creature. I was called the Caracal back at the Academy, remember?"

"I do," she said, leaned back and folded her arms, "I also remember that whatever comes from the Veil has full power at night."

"Relax. It's not my first mission."

She sighed heavily. "I just miss you, I guess."

"What's that now, boss?" He said teasingly.

She pouted instantly. "Oh, fuck off."

"Don't worry. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You better." Her voice took on a professional tone and her face grew sterner. "Any progress?"

He told her about the two people he had encountered in the alley, about the assassin that killed the client and the Rogue Hunter who was bound back at the safe house, and the creature she had supposedly captured, currently at Yugen Castle.

"Akira Storm," repeated Norrie with a frown, "She's from the Storm family, and the best student of the 73rd graduating class. We still don't know why she went Rogue, though."

"Lots of Warden agents go Rogue for lots of reasons. Hers isn't any different."

"And you believe her?" Norrie said, "It could be some sort of bait."

"She was telling the truth," Neon confirmed.

He could still remember the fear that creeped into her eyes when Hikaru had interrogated her and the rate of her heartbeat. In standard investigative circles, there was no way she would hold anything back.

"She's going in, either way. Seven years is still the minimum sentence, right?"

She shook her head. "No, don't turn her in just yet."

Neon frowned. "Why not?"

"She might have more information than she's letting on. After you're done with the Arkeian, IF there is one, you bring her back to HQ."

He nodded and turned to glance at his environment. The view was quickly changing from tall buildings and blinding lights to bare, deserted lands and silent winds.

"Right," He turned back to the screen, "You should get some sleep. You've been working that soft ass off."

A smile appeared on her face for a second. "Go get 'em, creepy head."