Bain's phone screen popped up with notifications from several local news-posting profiles on social media (he really liked to catch on the hottest stories as soon as someone caught a scent and posted about it online). Usually he didn't bring out his personal device on duty but tonight was something different. Sometimes it was necessary to observe from a viewpoint of the ordinary. His attention was being divided between the situation down at the garden below and his screen of information technology.
Taking a quick peek into the feeds, he ran his eyes through them in a matter of seconds before tucking his smartphone back to where it had been.
The headlines loomed lazily in his mind.
[ SIRUTOV AGENTS SPOTTED AT HON RESIDENCE: UNKNOWN CAUSE OF DISTURBANCE – Alpha Network ]
[ CHAOS UNFOLDS ON LUNAR ECLIPSE NIGHT AT THE HON MANSION - NSSN]
[ DEMONS! DEATH! DISTURBANCE! WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE HON'S? – South Sunset Post ]
One of them had caught his attention, still lingering faintly in a corner of his attention space.
[ NEW DEMONIC RESEARCH UNDERGOES LIVE TESTING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE - Arkain Express ]
'
Why would the Arkain guild go out of their way to take the blame for whatever was happening here?
' Bain handn't mistaken the aerial photograph of the Hon mansion's garden, with his own shadowy figure visible atop the roof from the far away point of view of the cameraman. '
Unless the Dor family dumped their wallet down Casio Thozor's throat – ahead of schedule
.'
He heard a portal opening behind him, but he wasn't interested in answering it.
Some bullets whistled from the Sirutov helicopters nearby, providing cover for him in real-time.
'
I really wish these cops wouldn't have interfered so fast. Or rather… if Casio could bribe the Arkain, why not them too?
'
On the same edge of time, Wan and Sayan were surrounded by a horde of police officers with their guns aimed high and many laser pointers already positioned on the critical body parts of Wan and Sayan. Unbeknownst even to Bain above, a few lasers of an invisible type were also tracking him from police force marksmen hidden among the hundreds of windows and balconies of the buildings enveloping the Hon mansion.
A leader-in-charge stepped forward at the garden.
Wan and Sayan stood motionless, still facing each other. Shadows flooded out from where the necromancer stood.
"
You! Stop it
," the leading officer commanded at the blue-haired fugitive. He held a formidable baton with an inner cylindrical core glowing blueish-white with forks of lightning appearing and disappearing randomly along its surface. "
Got you at last, bratty rat
."
Wan Jinju felt the majority of the attention being placed on his opponent.
What the heck just happened? I mean it was inevitable anyways, but never expected the law to intervene so fast. They should have just stood their ground especially since they saw Sirutov helicopters and flying demons here. It really is true, then. Mathematics may predict physics but not the madness of men.
The leader cop paced around Sayan like a teacher about to harass a student for obtaining shamefully low marks.
But how much madness do these people have… for wanting to charge against a necromancer? Especially up close like this? Are they new hires or what?
"
Oi
," a female officer taller than Jinju approached him, grabbing onto his inner shirt's collar. "
I think I've seen you before. I wish I could ask away my questions right now but I guess we'll have to wait till we're in custody…
" she slid a tongue across her lips. "…
pretty boy
."
"
Oh, please
," Wan smirked. "
Ask them away right now, while your lips and tongue can still move, ma'am,
" he walked slowly away from the woman, the other officers' weapons' lasers following him as he moved. "
The world has enough toxic people already. No use of trying to play foul when there's no guarantee over your own life
."
Some of the police people couldn't stop themselves from feeling nervous. But they didn't let go of their guns and melee weapons.
Young faces, I see. Nasty bureaucratic government! Sending their most potential officers to the frontlines to do the dirty work for them. Winning medals of honor and stealing credits for wars they never fought, feeling proud of sending cannon fodder to clean up messes they never made. These youthful officers still smell like spring, arriving here with the hopes of a bountiful summer… not knowing that their paths have been reversed, into a harsh winter.
Sayan grabbed the baton from his bully's iron fist.
Wan closed his eyes.
I really wish I wasn't here to witness this. Watching people trapped by capitalists having to risk their lives just for a promise of a promotion up the ladder of career. They call it high risk, high reward. But I think a better name would be suitable.
The leader of the cops yelled out, "
AAAAAAAH
!"
SMATHACK!
Blood dripped down to the grass.
But not his own.
Wan's neck snapped under the impact of the baton swung by Sayan. His nostrils and mouth leaked blood from the pressure of many ruptured vital veins and arteries.
He had arrived just in time to absorb the hit marked for the cop.
Gambling with life. There. That's a better name.
"
Run, fools
," his vocal cords were damaged, distorting the sounds. "
This is not a challenge where you have to prove yourself. Drop your guns and run if you want to live! This guy isn't a cakewalk. Go! Leave him to me
."
As if they would listen, hmph.
The cops opened fire, and those whose melee weapons charged forward with shields, swords and hammers.
I guess sometimes they'll never listen until you've set an example. Too bad that it had to be like this. I can still save them. I have time. But why should I? They have seen me. They know my face. Even if I let them go now, the Akamine would send me contracts to manually take down each of these eye witnesses.
He could already visualize all of the cops' heads splitting apart at their necks with fountains of blood erupting from the stumps of their necks, painting all of the green hairs of the Hon's garden with their innocent, stubborn blood.
Wan panted heavily, doubts and possibilities sucking on his mental energy. A few seconds had passed already. He could tell, by the way his neck fractures and injuries were recovering.
He had only one more portal seed left. Without it, he wouldn't be able to escape out of whatever situation he might fall into next.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jinju knew that he had a comrade situated above them.
Wan straightened himself as his neck was back to normal. He spat out the last drops of blood lingering in his mouth.
A few of the cops' bullets had Jinju's name written on them, too. But all they saw were flashes of light from where the bullets seemed to have hit an invisible barrier before smashing into pieces and falling to the ground. To this, the cops were shocked as expected.
The leading cop communicated back to his headquarters.
"
Sector eight-eight, Hon mansion case, mark as level 4
," he chimed into his radio device as he retreated behind the safety net of his subordinates. "
Suspects are Don Sayan, necromancer, and an unknown Akamine member. Send backup NOW
."
C'mon! Why do they have to put their duties ahead of their own safety? Can't they judge the difficulty of the situation? Such blindness and conformity to the norms of society. No wonder why people remain so unsatisfied and broken down all the time.
Sayan was busy absorbing bullets headed towards him into black clouds appearing from the palm of one of his hands. His other hand held out a dagger that looked nice to have, but not so nice to be stabbed with.
From out of the corner of his eye, Jinju saw Bain receive a bullet to the head.
Wan's eyes quivered for a moment.
What!!!
The analytical pattern-reading part of his brain informed him of the possibility of a police sniper being responsible for the attack on his friend.
The police and the Sirutov getting involved. Doesn't sound like a good idea. At this rate of chaos that's been brewing, the Akamine are going to book me for the whole month having to meddle with these meager legal matters.
"
Ahem
," Wan cleared his throat and stabbed his katana into the ground, both his hands resting on the pommel 'end' of the handle like a wise king posing for a sculpture. "
Alright everyone, the party is over. You were not invited. Go back to your barracks you belong to
."
All the police officers suddenly felt an invisible force that shattered and sliced up all their guns and weapons into shrapnel so tiny that they could float away like dust particles.
Wan didn't like to leave a mess behind, knowing very well who would be entrusted to clean it up afterwards.
The policemen and policewomen were also pushed back to land on their backs to the ground. Wan simply stood there like a statue, trying his best not to show signs of owning these deeds.
They got back up to their feet, finally trembling with fright.
All this time, the ground level was relatively free from any of the vampire demons due to the thanks owed to the Sirutov soldiers getting their hands too full to even offer Bain Don his rightful coverfire.
Bain…
Wan Jinju turned around to face Dor Sayan again. Wan's grey irises now glowed with a teal-colored overlay.