"You look distracted…"
Fae glanced at Theo, intentionally slowing down her pace so she could run right next to him in the vast plains they treaded that warm afternoon. Her beautiful face was right next to his, and her curious gaze was so charming it could burrow into any man's soul, but Theo maintained composure.
Not befuddled by her beauty, he responded with a low tone.
"Just a little concerned about Mister Drake and Damon is all. Our pursuers will be in no small numbers, and they will have to throw them off our scent while fighting against multiple enemies."
Fae was stunned to see Theo grow so concerned for her colleagues, especially since he had just met them. It reminded her of the consideration he displayed for his fellow prisoners back in the fortress of Sarvos.
"You're a good kid, Theo…" A gentle smile formed on her face as she narrowed her crimson eyes while staring longingly at him.
"E-erm… thanks."
Theo wanted to argue that he was no kid, since he was considered an adult by most standards in the Mainland, but all he could do was accept the praise with a slight blush. This serene moment was interrupted with a harsh sigh by another member of the group.
"There's nothing good about worrying about someone like Damon." Terra frowned as she spoke directly to Theo for the very first time.
"Why?" Theo blurted out, but quickly regretted his question. 'Ahh… I forgot that she despises him.'
Surprisingly, Terra gave a different answer than what he expected.
She did not respond in silence, neither did she scoff at his question or answer with scorn. Instead, a broad smile formed on her face as she spoke with a mix of confidence and pride—one that resonated with every other member of the group that ran with her.
"He's a stupid, inconsiderate, and unserious jerk, but his strength is undeniable. He's one of us, after all…"
Theo was still recoiling in surprise upon seeing Terra smile when he heard the combined voice of every one around him.
"We're the Zenith… the strongest in the Ak'ashi Guild."
************
It was nearing evening, and Damon sighed as he glanced at his watch. He did this for a few seconds before looking at the old man next to him, and then the crowd of corpses that surrounded him.
There were at least a hundred of them—all of their bodies contorted into twisted collages as they lay lifeless all around the clearing he and Drake occupied. His gaze remained disconcerted beneath his sunglasses, and he calmly took out a comb from his pocket to straighten his slightly roughened hair.
"How many more?" Drake suddenly asked, rising to his feet due to his butt being sore as a result of sitting all day.
"I think that's all." Damon's gold earrings jingled as he listened for any incoming enemies.
"I don't sense anyone for miles. I believe we can move on to the next phase and take our planned escape route."
"Finally! Think we can get to the shore before the rest?"
"I'd prefer to… hehe." Damon chuckled. "I can already imagine Fae's surprise and Terra's disappointment when—"
WHOOSH!
Before he could conclude his words, a swift silhouette charged at him like a gust of wind, aiming straight for his neck. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and the shadowy hand neared his throat before suddenly halting.
The hand was tightly held in place by none other than Damon as he looked at the strange figure with curious confusion.
"Huh? Where did you come from?"
"Tch!" A sound echoed from the gust, and another hand appeared from it, this time targeting the oblivious Drake.
BOOOM!
A wind-like missile was shot at him, shattering the earth it hovered above as it rushed towards its target. The cluster of energy, mixed with dense winds that grinded air and shattered rock, took less than a second to reach the old man.
But then, a peculiar thing happened.
FSHUU…
A few inches from making contact with Drake, the wind projectile rapidly depleted in volume and intensity until merely a gust of it was left. The small wave hit Drake's face, and instead of his entire head to be blown off as intended, the remnant attack made him smile in delight.
"What cool breeze…" He whispered gently.
At this point, the hand that shot the missile vanished, and the one that Damon caught slipped out of his grip by turning incorporeal like the wind. It retreated a few meters away before stopping and materializing—forming a pretty woman with short black hair and empty black eyes.
Damon saw this and his immediate response was to form a smile.
"Looks like our ambush failed…" Another voice echoed from the dense forest, and a bald man wearing the robe of a priest stepped forward. His outfit was pitch-black, same as the lady's, and his eyelids were so tightly pressed together that it seemed like his eyes were closed.
The smile on Damon's face vanished quickly, replaced by a frown as he swiftly retreated to Drake's side. The bald man noticed this and his smile broadened.
"What a smart move retreating… so you recognize me, huh?"
Damon shrugged, trying his best to feign nonchalance after his shameful slip-up. He was sure to be mocked if his teammates knew about this, so he knew he'd have to bribe Drake later so it wouldn't get out.
"Who are you?"
"There's no use pretending at this point…" The bald man chuckled. "The apprehension you displayed earlier already gave you away."
"Ah, that… actually—" Before Damon could respond, Drake stepped forward and answered in a stern and mature way; a complete change from his previous childish demeanor.
"You're one of the specialized Arcane Squads of the Sarvos Nation… Barak and Bessie of the Delta Team."
"Hehe… see? No use pretending." The bald priest, Barak, answered. "And you two are criminals recognized by the Sarvos Nation for your terrorist actions. The plan was to kill one of you and capture the other, but if you cooperate, we don't mind capturing the both of you."
Bessie remained silent as she alternated glares between the two—ready to strike if any of them made any suspicious movements.
"So, what do you say?"
Damon and Drake glanced at each other, nodded in agreement, and then turned to the man with their response.
"No."
"Okay."
They gave opposite answers—Damon choosing the former, while Drake opting for the latter—forcing the two to stare at each other again. This time, Damon was glaring at Drake, who quickly looked away and whistled like he had done nothing wrong.
"It was worth a shot anyway." Barak sighed, expressing disappointment. "It looks like you've already chosen who will die and who gets to live."
The teammates in black stepped forward, their eyes calmly on Damon while also ensuring they didn't take their attention off Drake. Their movements seemed very lackadaisical, but in actuality they had their full guards up.
In addition to their caution, the two had confidence in their ability to win.
This wasn't only due to their many years of experience as killers for the Sarvos Nation, but also the information they had been gathering on Damon and Drake since they first started fighting their pursuers.
'The old man never got involved in the previous fights, but based on how Bessie's attacks vanished, it seems that staff of his can absorb attacks.' Whether it only applied to projectiles, specifically Ne'sh-created projectiles for that matter, was something Barak was yet to know.
However, he had no doubt that this defense had to be limited in one way or the other.
Armaments weren't all-powerful. They had their limits.
'As for the colorfully dressed fellow, he has displayed extraordinary perception and even greater physical abilities.' Barak narrowed his eyes on Damon. 'He's incredibly fast, able to react to Bessie's attacks, and strong enough to hold her in place.'
As much as he desired it not to be the case, they each undoubtedly possessed an Imperial Grade Armament. Those were very rare, and even Nations only reserved them for specialized squads like the Delta Team, so it was beyond shocking that a duo of nobodies wielded such powerful items.
'I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. They were able to destroy the fortress through some unknown mechanism, and it isn't unheard of for random nobodies to stumble upon Sites of Fortune and obtain powerful Armaments.'
The world was both fair and unfair that way, as the weakest man could become the strongest overnight if he encountered a strong Arcane Instrument.
"Regardless… this is a bad matchup—"
WHOOSH!
Damon charged towards Barak at top speed, reaching him within a second. Bessie was too slow to react, as her eyes were only widening at the time his hand was already close to his opponent's throat. But, he never got a grip.
The reason was simple.
"I can see the future." Barak smiled, standing right behind Damon, whose bulging eyes expressed shock upon grabbing nothing. The bald priest's eyes were now wide open, glowing bright yellow as his smile broadened.
"These eyes are my Armament… [E'rutuf Seye]."
Damon clicked his tongue and ignored his words, as he launched a swift kick at Barak, but the man easily evaded the assault. He proceeded to twist his body for a blow straight at his face, moving much faster than before.
VWOOOSH!!
This time, Barak did not dodge or even block his assault.
Instead, he let the attack come, and then passed through it the moment it was meant to make contact.
"It's useless." He smiled, returning to Bessie's side while watching Damon's exposed back with a sadistic smile. Bessie took this opportunity to attack Damon, but he quickly sensed the updraft and retreated to Drake's side right as her wind missile was launched.
The ground where he previously stood shattered into several small chunks, creating an adult-sized pothole that was at least a six feet deep. The severe damage caused by that effortless projectile revealed what would have been Damon's fate if he hadn't stepped out of the way.
"Not bad… not bad." Barak grinned even more. "Most people would have died from that combo already, but I believe you've already had a taste of our power and understood why you can't win."
"…." Damon said nothing.
Drake was also silent, watching the entire fight as if he was a mere spectator.
Bessie took a combative stance, ready for another attack at the signal of her partner. The tension within the clearing was soaring as both parties stared at each other—one side clearly holding the advantage over the other.
After a few seconds of this, Damon suddenly heaved a sigh and broke into a smile.
"I see… I understand it now."