Chương 13: Chapter 12: Behind Enemy Lines

Torin sidled into the crowd before he could be seen.

"Are you sure you won't hang around for the escort?" the captain asked. Thaddeus shrugged.

"It's early, and I had a long night answering a bunch of questions for some Owl. Didn't expect to face a Gnat today."

"You got her easy enough."

"What can I say, Braxus? She had a few good moves, but not enough to deal with a real Osprey." He rubbed his eyes.

"Just make sure you give me credit when you're signing her into custody. Otherwise, me and you will have problems. Got it?" The two men briefly surveyed their capture. The Gnat had been trussed. Black iron manacles locked her to the base of a cart, and a nullium neck brace prevented her from circulating mana for a Skill. If that wasn't enough, the cart had a secondary cage with alternating bars between steel and nullium, and they gagged her before throwing a bag over her head.

No one could escape this design, not even Platinums. Braxus nodded with satisfaction. The movement was awkward with his heavy armor.

"We're good, brother. I'll take it from here and make sure you get the capture reward. If you weren't nearby, a lot more men would've died." Thaddeus yawned.

"Alright, then. I'm going back to bed." The goliath wandered off. Immediately, Braxus turned back to Torin and the others.

"Okay, Hawks, here's how we're doing this. Lates are on cage duty. Two of you in the front guiding the cage, two in the back keeping the momentum up. The other two Peaks will cover the sides and keep a lookout. I'll take the front to get commoners out of the way. We haul ass and get this done quickly. You all got that?"

"Yes, sir!" the Hawks said.

"Where are we going?" Torin asked.

"The Roost of Falcons in the War District is the closest and most secure, so we go straight there." Damn, that wouldn't do. Braxus was right. There couldn't be a more secure place in lower Vrisgard. But before Torin could think of an excuse, another spoke up for him.

"Is that the best idea?" Torin turned and his heart skipped a beat. He recognized this man at once, with the silver-stranded hair and the bright red eyes. Drelk had come again. By all rights, Torin should be unrecognizable. With the full studded armor and a kettle hat to match, he appeared indistinguishable from any other Hawk. He'd even hidden his face beneath a cloth mask, which wasn't unusual around the Residential District.

Most Hawks hid their faces at some point or other, making it easier to commit acts of brutality from a veil of anonymity. Still, Torin could not help but look away. He did not want to draw attention unnecessarily.

"Who are you?" Braxus asked with a raised eyebrow. He held out a hand.

"Drelk de Lokthra, State Intelligence. And you are?" Braxus ignored the handshake.

"What are you doing here, Owl?"

"I've had a rather long evening. Quite a bit of snooping, no sleep whatsoever. Very dreadful. Anyway, I was hoping to get your prisoner into the nearest Nest for questioning."

"You want me to hand over a Hawk capture straight into an Owl Nest?" He scoffed.

"Give me a break. You don't get to swoop in after the job is done and claim the reward."

"It is nothing like that. She will get transferred to our Roost in the State District, anyway. I just want to take a crack at her first."

"This woman killed a Duke's son. She's not going anywhere except the most secure garrison."

"Oh, is that what the Gnat did?" Drelk blinked innocently.

"That explains what all the ruckus is about. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Will you let me talk to her or not?" Braxus gaped as the other Hawks exchanged looks. They all must have been thinking the same thing. Who the hell was this guy? Torin decided to take advantage of the discontent. He narrowed his gaze onto Drelk and concentrated [Enigmatic]. The resistance was fierce, but he had already experienced this level before from the Gnat. [Spiderling Sense] (Rarity: Epic. Tier: Unranked) – An invisible, magic web extends 20 meters away from your body wherever you go. Detect anything that touches this web. Do you want to mimic [Spiderling Sense]? [Yes/No] Another Epic? And a good one, too. Torin almost accepted at once, but held back before it was too late. If the web moved automatically and anything touching it triggered the sense, then would Drelk detect Torin's web the moment it formed? His stalker smiled quietly, as if this was all a game.

The pain throbbed, and Torin quickly tossed it aside before he could drain more mana. At least he knew what Drelk possessed now.

"Listen here, buddy…" Braxus started.

"Drelk," he corrected, still beaming.

"And I haven't gotten your name yet, good sir."

"Listen, Drelk. I'm a Silver-Rank Hawk captain, Braxus Valorian, and this is my turf. The transport goes my way, not yours. You don't outrank me." He pointed to his one-star medallion for emphasis.

"Technically, I do." Drelk drew his own medallion. It was shaped like an owl, and cast in Silver like Braxus. However, Drelk's medallion had three stars instead of one. Late Silver, Torin realized, his chest tightening harder. Attacking him would be suicide. Braxus similarly paled, but he narrowed his gaze before long.

"And? If you're just an [Inquisitor], you're following orders and not giving them. I still don't have to listen to you." Drelk frowned.

"True, but wouldn't it be nice if you did? I really have a far more interesting case than some dead noble boy. One that involves a hidden Trait and a missing pair of boots." The air caught in Torin's throat. He couldn't have possibly gotten this far already. Could he?

"I just need to speak to this woman for five minutes," Drelk continued. Worse yet, Braxus mulled the thought, perhaps for no reason other than to get Drelk to shut up and leave him alone. Torin needed to do something to change the situation… Anything to get Drelk out of the area.

"Excuse me, Captain," Torin said.

"Aren't there regulations that say we need to send any captured Gnat straight to the Roost of Owls in the State District? We shouldn't delay." The others stared directly at him. Torin had no idea if that was true, but Braxus nodded along. Stolen novel; please report.

"Yeah," the captain said, "that sounds about right. What's your name, kid?"

"Tiberius," Torin lied.

"Well, take note, everyone. This is how you show initiative. We'll drop the Gnat off directly at the Roost of Owls like Tiberius suggested and be done with it." He turned to Drelk.

"Happy, jackass?" The proposition amused him.

"Always. Is this your polite way of telling me to leave?" Braxus laughed.

"After all this time you've wasted, there's no polite way left. Piss off, now. We've got a prisoner to haul." He looked from Braxus, to the prisoner, to Torin, and back. With a sheepish grin, he quickly jumped into the cage.

"Do you know Torin Maximus?" Drelk asked, shaking the bars.

"Tap your foot twice for yes!" The blood froze in Torin's veins after hearing his name aloud. The Gnat tilted her head slightly, but otherwise didn't react. Braxus yanked him free with his plated gauntlets.

"Alright, enough screwing around. I see you again, Drelk de Lokthra, I am taking it up with High Perch. You hear me?" With slumped shoulders, Drelk walked away. Torin watched him every step until he finally disappeared. He really didn't want to deal with that guy again.

"Let's get a move on," Braxus ordered.

"It's straight to the State District from here, boys. Get ready to move fast!"

"We should take the bridge west of here, Captain," Torin suggested, seeing an opportunity.

"It'll be quicker."

"Oh? Won't that take us out of the way? We need to cut through the Artisan District up north." Torin shook his head.

"This neighborhood is on my patrol. If we cross the river to the west, we'll be able to hug the shore until we reach Artisan. It'll be smoother roads, too." He had another idea, but no one seemed to catch the error that would be forced. The others simply got into position, waiting for Braxus as he considered Torin's proposal.

"Not bad, Tiberius," he said.

"Not bad at all. I got a good feeling about you." He went to lead, brow hardened.

"You heard the man, we're pushing west. Make it double time, and we'll be out by lunch. No slacking, and this will all run smoothly!" The cage lurched into motion as the men flew down the street. Torin gleamed below his mask. This would go any way but smoothly. * The men pushed up the slope, panting heavily, occasionally stealing glares at Torin as they ascended this steep cliff road. Torin kept his eyes fixed on the path in front, his heart racing. Everything had gone according to his plan.

The bridge he directed the group into had been unrepaired for months now, and the cage couldn't run over the wooden planks as a substitute. That forced them to either backtrack several kilometers and undo all progress, or redirect south to get to another crossing. Braxus had half a mind to drop her off at the Roost of Falcons like he originally wanted, but he'd already alerted his superior that he'd go to the State District as suggested. With his own credibility on the line, he forced the group to push north.

Another road hugged the western part of the mountain that led directly from the War District into the State District plateau, but unlike the Artisan District roads, this route was intended for emergency evacuation rather than regular traffic. The path was far steeper, windier, and had almost no security. Under ordinary circumstances, no one would risk moving a prisoner through here, but Torin had successfully manipulated the situation to this end.

Neither Braxus nor anyone else wanted to feel the wrath of the Herons after a member of nobility had been assassinated, and further delays would accomplish just that. Braxus even bypassed the checkpoints without proper [Identifying] just to make sure their schedule did not get missed. The early legitimacy Torin created for himself had long since been lost, Braxus swearing that he would suffer for misguiding him as he rushed through the front in his full plated armor.

Until then, Torin dragged the cart from the rear as punishment. But the full retaliation would only happen once they got to the State District, and Torin had no intention of letting them reach there. He studied his environment anew. They were quickly approaching a narrow bridge, with a waterfall pouring down one side and a sharp drop off the other. No other structures were in sight, as the State District rose another hundred meters above, while the rest of the Districts were on the other side of the mountain.

If there would ever be a time to pull off this stunt, it would have to be here. The men were all beatable. Torin had scanned each with [Enigmatic] on the way up. Everyone had weak Common Traits with the exception of Braxus. He had [Bulwark], though it was raised to Uncommon, which made for an interesting discovery. Apparently, the same Trait could have multiple rarities. But that would have to wait, like so many other things he'd learned. His placement on the rear put him directly above the cart's emergency brake.

Torin took a deep breath as they entered the bridge. He slammed his foot down. Immediately, the cage screeched to a halt, but not before momentum carried it sideways. The inertia threw the escort off balance, sending Torin's neighbor at the back, his side's support, and the man directly in front, all tumbling off the bridge. The three Hawks plummeted with blood-curdling screams. Their deaths would soon follow. The remaining guard on Torin's side leapt to safety, still too confused to see what went wrong.

Torin drove his masonry hammer into his face. He stumbled back another step, and a quick shove sent him to be with the others. Braxus grunted, eyes narrowing in hatred.

"So, this was why you pushed us to go through here. You're in league with the Gnats!" Just two left. The element of surprise had gotten him this far, but Braxus was an Early Silver, and the survivor was Late Bronze.

"Get reinforcements!" Braxus ordered, drawing a greatsword. But before the other Hawk could fulfill the request, Torin leapt over the cart. His opponent had a war hammer at the ready, launching quickly in defense. Torin thought it would be tougher, but he didn't even need his [Battle-Sighted] advantage. His speed and strength had exploded since the night before, and this Hawk was one tier lower than him. His movements were so clumsy, so weak. It wasn't long before he disarmed his opponent.

With one final blow, the Hawk's grey matter ruptured through his skull.

"Gotta do everything yourself, huh?" Braxus said before lowering his visor. Despite his heavy armor, Braxus lunged at an impressive speed. Torin smashed into the cage barrier, a sharp pain taking him in the chest on collision. He coughed up blood from the sudden injury. It took another second to realize this was not a premonition. Braxus arched his blade down, but Torin rolled away before it could land. He wheezed heavily. What happened? Why hadn't [Battle-Sighted] predicted that attack?

Braxus turned back around, the nullium cage bent where he'd crashed into it. Torin's eyes widened as he reconciled this new limitation. Nullium stopped the flow of mana, preventing all magic from functioning whenever it came too near. [Battle-Sighted] drew off magic, so the nullium disrupted the premonitions it created. Braxus chuckled.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Tiberius. Did you lose your stomach to see this through?" Torin leaned forth.

"Did you?" Braxus immediately delivered another devastating attack, but this only happened in Torin's mind now that he'd escaped the nullium's influence. The real strike came seconds after, well after Torin evaded. Their bout continued. Despite only being one tier higher, Braxus was far quicker and stronger. Torin could barely keep ahead, even with [Battle-Sighted] aiding him again. But he could dodge all attacks.

The extra armor also made Braxus harder to control, so the premonitions narrowed into only a few small sets. Like a matador dodging a bull, Torin avoided his devastating attacks. His opponent grew frustrated before long, barking obscenities. Still, even if Torin could dodge, he could not finish Braxus off on the counter. His masonry hammer bounced off the platemail without effect, and the two fell into a stalemate. How much higher are his stats? Torin huffed hard.

His body was already strained by dodging so much, yet his enemy jumped about effortlessly. He would need to finish this, and soon. Another hammer lay elsewhere on the bridge. Torin tossed his weapon aside and scooped the replacement up. His fingers gripped the cold steel with renewed fervor. This wasn't some ordinary tool he'd taken. This was a war hammer. With a head a fraction the size of his masonry hammer and a sharp hook on the back, he felt the weight of its killing power at once.

This weapon had been designed to crack steel. To rend flesh. To crush bone. Braxus moved hot in pursuit, but for every miss, Torin delivered a riposte of his own. [Deft-Handed] aided his strikes with pinpoint accuracy. His opponent grew more nervous as his armor bent. Then Braxus overextended in a moment of desperation, and Torin capitalized at once. The sharp end of the war hammer cleaved through the narrow slit in Braxus's helmet.

His body shuddered from the pain, and blood gushed through the opening where his eye had been pierced. With one last kick, Torin sent his enemy tumbling to the ground. Gore pooled, and Braxus groaned his last. Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! There was no time to waste. Torin quickly grabbed the keys from the captain's dead body and went to work. Opening the cage, removing the manacles, unclasping the neck brace. Torin was not sure how this rescue would go.

This woman had no way of knowing his plans, so it should have been an exhilarating surprise to see her chains removed. But the Gnat woman did not express herself this way. She was neither happy nor excited when the bag was pulled away. Instead, she looked mortified, her cheeks reddening as Torin removed the gag. She glared.

"You just ruined everything!"