"I won't ask you again."
Riven felt a chill wash over him. He hadn't been in many battles, but there was no mistaking that feeling.
Riven could feel another panic attack coming, but he forced himself to focus. Any more hesitation and he was dead.
He clenched his jaw and turned towards the figure. It was a man of average height. He had nothing remarkable going for him and Riven thought he looked like an NPC in one of his games. But this NPC could unfortunately kill him.
"H-hi there." Riven tried hard not to stammer but failed.
"I asked you a question." The man visibly relaxed when he saw Riven. The boy's hunched back, weary eyes, and weak aura didn't present much of a threat. But his voice was still cold.
"M-my name is Riven."
"I don't give two shits what you're called. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I-I was just wandering around, is all."
The man narrowed his eyes, and Riven could instantly feel his suspicion.
"I-I came with Captain Rhett," he quickly added.
"That waste?" The man's eyes narrowed. Who in the city did know who Rhett was?
"Y-yes, yes. He drank a lot and now believes his squad mates have gone missing, haha…" he scratched his head. "He came here to report."
The man grunted. "If he wasn't a captain, he'd be locked up like the drunk fool he is."
"Right? Honestly, I wonder who he bribed to even become a captain."
The man chuckled, finally taking his hand off his sword. "Exactly."
Riven laughed nervously. "Seriously, the guy's a walking embarrassment."
The man blinked, then unexpectedly burst into laughter, shaking his head.
"You've got some mouth, kid."
"By the way, where am I?" Riven asked, scratching his cheeks. "I wandered around to spare myself some embarrassment and found myself here."
"This is a restricted area," the man said. "You should find your way back."
Riven turned and started walking away, waving casually at the man.
Once out of sight, he ducked behind a building and peered out. The man was moving away from the target.
'Shit, shit. I did it. I fucking did it!' His heart pounded in his chest. Adrenaline roared through him.
'I really thought I was screwed.'
He silently thanked Rhett for being such a waste of a captain, it had saved him.
As the man entered a distant building, Riven crept toward the station.
It was surrounded by an iron netted fence.
Despite how he looked, he was a node formation evolved with four nodes. He had chosen them based on his gaming needs, brain for processing speed, arms for control, and heart for longer life. His legs and stomach were still untouched.
He climbed the fence awkwardly, and after a moment, inserted the transmitter. He ran the moment it was done, eager to be far away from the scene.
His heart pounded and his legs shook, but he wore a wide grin.
He'd actually succeeded.
He actually fucking did it!
"There's nothing happening. You don't know what you're talking about."
Eras shrugged off Rhett's arm, his hardened gaze snapping back into place.
He walked over to his desk, voice cold.
"You should leave, Captain Rhett."
Before Rhett could speak, Eras tapped a button on his desk, and two guards burst into the office.
"Respectfully escort Captain Rhett out of the premises."
Rhett had resumed his drunken display, but his intense eyes remained locked on his brother.
'There's something going on.'
He tucked the thought away as he was escorted out.
Outside the building, Rhett's gaze landed on Riven. Neither said a word, but the small smile on Riven's face was all the confirmation he needed.
As they left the base, Riven grinned toward Rhett. "I—"
"We're still being watched, fool."
Riven froze and cleared his throat, walking quietly behind Rhett as they made their way back to Kaer Thorn.
"We've found no trace of them, Arbiter."
Bam! Reader support at * made this translation possible.
A slap reverberated in the quiet night, followed by the sound of a figure being sent down the stronghold wall.
Nesroth didn't bother looking down. Though the slap came from a Bloom, as a Synergy stage evolved, the worst that could happen to the man was a sunken cheekbone.
He stood on the southern side of the stronghold wall, overlooking the endless wasteland stretched before him. There had been nothing but trees and greenery the night before, now, there was only desolation.
He glanced at the other men clad in black cloaks, faces covered in masks.
"I'm giving you all until tomorrow. You'll answer to my blade if you don't find them."
"Yes, Arbiter!" they bowed and vanished from the wall, surging into the wasteland.
'Useless fools.' Nesroth clicked his tongue, his killing intent flooding the space.
The plan had been perfect. Trap the Red Eclipse, kill off the others. But not only had it failed, they couldn't even locate them anymore.
The Blood Guardians oversaw the stronghold wall, but with methods unknown to him, the Fourth Pulse had brought their warden in line.
'How long can she hold him back?'
If the warden decided to intervene, they wouldn't be able to stop Malakai and the others from getting into the city. Once that happened…
'He'll contact the clan.'
Nesroth's eyes turned cold. He couldn't allow that. Of all the survivors, Malakai was the most important, the most dangerous. His word actually carried weight.
One message to the clan that they had attempted to assassinate a direct descendant of the Sanguine Clan, and their wrath would descend on the city.
The Fourth Pulse might survive it. But what about him? What about every clan and person that had known about the ambush?
Nesroth felt his heart pounding.
The Sanguine could not be crossed.
'We have to find him.'
"Have the other Blooms join the search," he ordered.
"Yes, Arbiter." A figure left his shadow, moving to fulfill the order.