Eric patiently waited for the sun to completely vanish from the sky's canvas. He threw on his long blackcoat, slung his black sword over his back and slotted his dual firearms in their holsters, at his lower back. When the first shimmer of moonlight could be seen piercing the sky, he quickly rendezvoused with Kate under the cover of night. Dark clouds coated the night sky allowing them to easily manoeuvre through the city undetected, hiding within its the shadows.
Northwest of the city where Elysi met the sea, beside the docks, was a vast depot, full of storage-containers and warehouses. Their intel stated that was where Mr. blade was operating tonight.
It didn't take them long to arrive at their destination. The ground changed from streets of grey brick to a flat terrain of gravel, indicating they were truly in the right place. They carefully treaded across the ground, making as little noise as possible, travelling deeper into the depot passed rows of large, steel warehouses and storage-containers stacked on the gravel.
They eventually came to a halt, hiding in the shadow in between two warehouses. Eric turned to Kate who was currently studying her phone. It's colour, like her coat, had been switch to a black, as dark as ink, as a result it barley projected any light.
Suddenly, his attention was directed elsewhere. Someone was following them. It was only for a split second, but he definitely sensed something. Whoever they were, had impressive skill, not just anyone could hide their mana from himself and Kate. If they hadn't lost focus for whatever reason, he'd never have known.
"This way," she whispered however, suddenly her head tilted and like Eric she also turned around. "One of my alarms have been triggered."
"I know, sensed it only for a moment. They're good at hiding themselves whoever they are but triggering your alarm exposed them," he whispered.
At a glance it looked like they were completely alone, surrounded only by warehouses and the quiet howl of the wind. But Eric knew better. Quickly and silently, he vanished from beside Kate, a burst of speed and mana carrying him back around the warehouse they'd just passed. He now stood behind a figure crouching in the shadows, still yet to notice him standing behind them. Standing behind her.
"Lucina," Eric sighed, irritation evident in his tone. "What are you doing?"
Lucina was crouched in front of him, dressed in all black with a combat style jacket. Alarmed, she quickly spun around and stared up at him with startled eyes. Before she could respond he covered her mouth, grabbed her arm, and dragged her towards Kate. She didn't attempt to resist.
"Lucina?" Kate asked confused, her voice low.
"Hi," Lucina said, sheepishly. She tried and failed to twist her tone to sound stunned, as if she was also shocked to see them.
"Why are you following us?" Eric questioned.
"I'm not."
"Lucina don't start with me. I'm on a tight time frame tonight. Go home." Eric ordered sternly.
"Please let me come along," she pleaded. "You said you would let me come on some assignments."
"What?" Eric questioned baffled. "I know what I said but this isn't what I had in mind-"
Before Eric could finish Kate cut him off. "There's no way she'll go home on her own and we don't have time to escort her," Kate informed, a slight tinge in her voice. She was annoyed. "Lucina follow us, keep low, don't speak and if we tell you to do something you, do it."
Lucina gave her a determined nod.
Silently, Kate led them along the shadows, avoiding any areas that were lit by spaced out lights, whether that be on tall posts or attached to the warehouse entrances. Eventually they came to a stop and turned toward a warehouse with 'J17' marked on its shutter door in yellow paint. Beside the shutter door was a single steel door, secured with four locks.
"This is the one," Kate told, putting away her phone. She then approached the door and, like Eric had seen many times before, a faint golden glow engulfed her pupils as she scanned the warehouse. "Quite a few alarm sigils and I can sense a single silencer sigil lower than the other sigils. Almost looks below ground."
"We'll head there then," Eric stated. He then turned to Lucina "Are you sure about this? These aren't like the ordinary criminals you usually sneak out to fight. Although I'll try my utmost best I can't guarantee your safety."
A slight tint of red flushed Lucina's face for a moment, she obviously thought that was a secret. She quickly composed herself.
"Yes," Lucina confirmed, keeping her voice to a whisper.
"Fine. But if looks like it's getting too dangerous, and I tell you to leave. You leave," he declared.
She gave him a firm nod and Eric turned to Kate who was already drawing a golden symbol in the air with a golden orb placed on the end of her index finger. After finishing the symbol she glanced to Eric who gave her the go-ahead. Instantly, Kate flexed her fingers and her symbol shattered, dissipating into golden dust, and sending a wave of mana through the building.
"All sigils are down. I don't sense anyone inside, do you?" Kate asked.
"No," Eric confirmed, and Lucina shook her head.
He grabbed the door's locks and infused mana into his technique, small blue sparks danced from his hand, and with a smooth click, all the locks simultaneously unlocked and clattered to the gravel. He pushed down on the handle and cautiously opened the door.
Inside the warehouse, ceiling lights hung by wires from the roof, weakly lighting the room. The centre of the warehouse was filled with what appeared to be a few crates crudely covered by black sheeting,
Cautiously walking towards the centre of the room, keeping one eye open for any threats that may be undetected, they discovered their initial senses were correct. They were alone.
"Where was that silencer sigil?" Eric asked, confused on why they need one in an empty room.
Kate led them around the covered crates, stopping beside the wall opposite the entrance, and crouched down.
"Down here," she said, brushing her hand across the concrete floor.
"Bastard's got an underground passage. Must be how he's been getting in and out of the city," Eric muttered.
"All intel pointed to these being the most important assets In his possession. All the security sigils and no one around to generate mana signatures and attract attention, I'd say the intel hit the mark dead on. I imagine that passage surfaces somewhere nearby, if these are so important he'll always won't want to be close," Kate stated, gesturing to the crates.
"What's in them?" Lucina asked, walking towards them.
"Don't touch them. They could be booby-trapped. If they're as important as we think they are, he won't be taking any risks," Eric told her. "We'll find out what they are after I deal with Blade."
Lucina backed away from crates. "So what now?" she asked.
"We wait," said Eric, taking a seat against the wall. "He'll come for his merchandise, and we'll be here. If the buyers with him we take them out to."
Lucina quickly took a seat next to him, she remained silent for a few minutes nervously tapping her feet before finally turning towards him. "Can I ask a slightly personal question?"
"Go on."
"What happened last time? Why do feel so responsible for this guy?"
"That's two questions," Eric smirked.
"Then can I ask two?"
"I fucked up," he said calmly. "It was one of the first operations under the military I led. After months we'd finally gotten him trapped. And then I let him escape. Got greedy. I rushed the end of the mission and missed an important detail."
"What was it?"
"I didn't cut off one of the transport routes. I was tasked with finding and shutting them all down, but as we got close to the end I focused more on confronting him and preventing his escape. As a result I didn't discover the routes existence until it was too late. After we fought, he was able to escape the country and by the time I figured out what happened he was long gone. A Drug lord, serial killer and one of the biggest traffickers in this country's history is still on the loose because of me," he explained.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Lucina said, trying to comfort him.
"You're right. But mistakes like that can't be excused," he said coldly, unable to stop imagining the amount of deaths Blade had been responsible for since his escape.
"Well I -"
"But its fine," he said with an abrupt smile, causing her to give him a confused look. "Because tonight I'm going to fix my mistake. I'll avenge everyone he's harmed and stop him ever hurting anyone again." His smile spread to Lucina's face. However, her expression quickly crumpled.
"Will you kill him?" she asked.
"That decision will be on him," Eric responded frankly. As much as he'd love to kill the man, Blade was better use to the military alive. Whatever happens though, he'll make sure the monster his crippled before sunrise, He'll never hurt anyone again after tonight, no matter what happens.
"Alarms have been triggered," Kate suddenly spoke up and quickly jumped to her feet. In an instant Eric and Lucina were up as well.
"Where?" Eric questioned.
"Shutter door," she stated.
They quickly moved around the crates to hide from the shutter's view. Not long after there was a loud clank followed by the mechanical hum of a motor and the shutters began to lift.
'Wait the locks I took off. Fuck,' Eric thought, concerned he might've just destroyed their element of surprise. He grinded his teeth annoyed at his own incompetence. 'We just have to hope no one notices.'
Outside light leaked into the warehouse spawning the growing shadows of four figures. Fresh voices began to bounce around the warehouse.
"Are the sigils still intact," A grating voice emerged into the room. A mix balance between deep and light and each word spoken sophisticatedly.
'Blade.'
"It won't be long until they're here," Blade stated. Footsteps wandered over to crates and the sheets ruffled.
"Yes sir. The sigils are intact, this is our product," a female voice answered.
Good, Eric thought happily. Thankfully Kate isn't fucking up like him.
"We proceed as planned. Were you ever able to uncover what's in the crates?" Blade asked, curiosity coating his tone.
"My apologies sir, but I wasn't able to. If you wish I will keep researching," she replied, solemnly while returning to his side.
"Don't bother," he stated bluntly, waving away the idea. "It's clear they don't wish anyone to know and it'd be in our best interest to not antagonize them."
Someone Blade doesn't want problems with. The idea caught Eric off-guard and by Kate's reaction she felt the same. The Only thing Blade's ever avoided was the Elysian military higher ups. The Generals of the nation themselves. Contemplating the new scenario, Eric weighed his options. He quickly concluded it was too risky to wait for whoever this mystery buyer was. If Blade feared them, their strength was unpredictable and their intervention could throw the entire operation off course. No one knew they were here, he couldn't risk finding himself in a fight he might not be able to win, Eric thought bitterly.
He alerted Kate and Lucina with a tap on the shoulder and wandered out from behind the crates. Beneath the shutter stood four people, two figures where by the walls their faces concealed by black cloaks embraided with a grey material, the only thing not covered was there black pants and muddy boots, by the shape underneath the cloaks he assumed the right figure was a man and the left a woman. The women he'd heard speak to Blade had short orange hair and brown eyes beneath her glasses, her face was ordinary and naïve not the kind you'd expect working for Blade. Over her shoulder, she held a bag full of what looked like documents and other files. Besides her stood the killer himself.
"Blade it's been a while," Eric said casually.
The man stood, wide eyed, initially unable to hide his shock. Mr Blade was a tall and broad man, standing at six feet three inches. He wore an expensive black shirt that clung to his frame revealing his muscular physique and matching black trousers. The light from the warehouse beamed off his clearly shaven head and highlighted his infamous scar that ran across his eye and down his neck to where it vanished beneath his shirt.
"Eric. What a delight," he said monotone, while quickly composing himself. His gaze then hovered over Kate. "Miss Lock, good to see you again. So nice of you to have shut down so many of my operations this last month."
"My pleasure John," Kate responded, cheerfully.
His face grimaced at someone calling him his birth name. "And who is this?" Blade inquired, his eyes switching to Lucina. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure."
'Don't.'
"Lucina Athra," she responded calmly.
'Fuck sake.She's as rash as her damn brother when he was her age.'
"Lewis Athra's sister I assume," Blade said with a grim smile on his face.
It was subtle but Eric saw the cloaked figures demeanour change when Lucina stated her name. They were growing hostile. People Lewis had pissed off Eric guessed.
"What are those documents?" Kate asked, breaking the tension and drawing hostile eyes away from Lucina. The girl beside Blade paled slightly under Kate's prying gaze.
Blade's gaze narrowed on Kate. "Well this has been a fun reunion but I'm afraid I'm quite busy," Blade said, his irritation piercing through his fabricated composure. He made a quick gesture with his hand, and it was followed by the sound of a stampede on gravel. Instantly a mixed group of men and women lined up behind Blade.
Blade spared a glance to the orange haired women. "Leave," he commanded.
Instantly, she sprinted off. Kate didn't waste a second and dashed off after her. The male cloaked figure attempted to intercept her but there was a flash of silver and the air cracked. Lucina's whip cut across the side of his hood tearing it apart revealing a man with short black hair and angry eyes. The force of the attack sent him recoiling back into the gravel.
Enraged, the second cloaked figure pounced at Lucina, like a wild animal, but Eric stepped forward. He grabbed a handful of fabric and threw her back. Without hesitation, Lucina augmented her body and darted forward shoving her boot into her assailant's chest sending them tumbling across the ground. Leaving the summoner to her battle, Eric charged at Blade preventing him from intercepting Kate. It was obvious whatever was it that woman's bag was important and Blade wanted them to have nothing to do with it. There and then, Eric decided that bag would be theirs.
Eric threw a straight right into Blade's jaw and sent him crashing to the ground with a front kick. The group Blade had assembled quickly gathered in front of him to protect the killer from Eric. Sparing a glance to his right Eric could see Lucina duelling with the cloaked figure he'd tossed, her hood now down revealing a woman with dark hair and crimson eyes. Lucina was seemingly winning the duel not letting her opponent recover from having the air kicked from her lungs. Suddenly the cloaked man sprinted across the gravel, like a raging bull. He charged straight through Blade's group knocking it apart and leapt at Lucina.
She noticed just at the last second and defended his takedown with a sprawl. They engaged in a grapple however, the man had bought his partner the time she needed to recover. The crimson eyes woman lashed out planting a kick deep into Lucina's side. Lucina let out a pained grunt and reeled back. The cloaked man dragged his fist across her jaw sending her stumbling back. Before Lucina could recover the women grabbed her combat jacket and a red glow rose in her arm's mana veins.
'Crimson.'
Eric attempted rush over and help, but it was too late. A red glow leaked from her palm into the air in front of Lucina and clung to her body like an aura. A rapid spark shot from the women's hand and the aura ignited. A crimson eruption engulfed Lucina, the force rocketing her across the depot, sending her crashing through the shutters of a warehouse the next row down. Without delay, the cloaked assailants pursued Lucina.
'Shit.'
Eric drew his fire arms as he quickly attempted to end her attackers but was abruptly forced to leap back. Blade's group launched a plethora of fireballs, jade orbs, and other magical spells towards him.
"Enough," he growled. Before they could ready their next spells, Eric unleashed his silver hand cannons. Bullets flew through the air and not a single one was off target. They all dropped to the ground, some lay there groaning, some silently twitched or shudders, others were motionless.
His attention then fell onto Blade, who was looking at his people with a disappointed and condescending gaze. He turned to Eric and raised his hand, a golden ring with a red gem was wrapped around the third finger. He infused mana into his storage ring and in a stream of red energy his machete was moulded into existence, directly into his hand.
It was a giant, grey blade with ancient text inscribed onto both sides, its handle wrapped in aged, blood-stained leather. It was his renowned weapon, and how he gained his alias.
"Was it not 2 years ago now that we were once in this exact situation?" Blade asked, a hideous sneer warping his face.
"Yeah," Eric responded coldly, drawing the black blade from the sheath across his back.
'I've changed my mind. He dies.'