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A Hunter's Gambit [Progression Fantasy]
Chapter 32 - A Painful Drive

Chapter 32 - A Painful Drive

The limousine glided through the darkened streets of Sector 5, the soft purr of its engine barely disturbing the heavy silence that hung in the air. The city outside was a blur of shadows and fleeting lights, a disorienting contrast to the suffocating stillness within the vehicle. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken animosity and barely restrained tension.

Leaning heavily against a wall in the cabin, Sabir Quinn was a portrait of suffering, marked by various bruises and cuts that revealed the brutality he had endured. Every shift of his body triggered a surge of torment in his limbs, yet he remained stoic, unwilling to provide his captors the pleasure of witnessing his discomfort.

The soft, ivory-hued leather chairs, designed for ultimate comfort, taunted him with their plushness—a harsh contrast to the grim nature of his predicament. The lavish environment in the car, adorned with gleaming wooden details and soothing lighting, resembled a luxurious prison, a reminder that wealth held no value when entangled in confinement.

Facing him, Noah and Elektra Voltaire maintained a composed demeanor that concealed the tension surrounding them. Noah, the older sibling, exuded an understated threat. His intense blue gaze, keen and assessing, swept over Sabir with a hunter’s fascination. He appeared at ease—one leg nonchalantly draped over the other, his fingers drumming an unvoiced beat against the armrest. Every movement was controlled, deliberate, as though he were a predator toying with his prey, relishing the thrill of his impending victory.

Elektra however couldn't maintain her calm. Her lithe figure radiated rage, her stance tense with suppressed frustration. The vibrant cyan of her cropped hair, that she wore to show her rebelliousness, glinted with a menacing vitality, mirroring the electric flashes that flickered at her fingertips. Her gaze, two piercing spheres of electric blue, was fixed on Sabir, brimming with an unsettling blend of disgust and warped intrigue.

She bent closer, her mouth twisting into a grimace as she observed his stained garments and the red marks spreading across the spotless fabric.

“Do you have any idea how much these seats cost?” Elektra spat, her voice slicing through the silence like a razor’s edge. Her disdain was palpable, each word laced with venom that made the air crackle with tension. Her gaze flicked between Sabir’s injuries and the stained leather, the vivid contrast of blood on white aggravating her already volatile temper. “And you’re bleeding all over them!”

Sabir’s eyes were drawn to the dark crimson splatters tarnishing the snow-white leather, an alarming juxtaposition that could have been striking if not for the horrifying truth behind it. The formerly immaculate fabric was now sullied by the thick, clinging blood that had found its way onto his garments and flesh, the tangible evidence of his suffering. The angry, raw scars on his wrists and ankles revealed the damage inflicted by chains that had painfully gripped his skin, creating a distressing array of bruises and welts that told tales of unyielding confinement. With every heartbeat, a dull throb of pain was sent through his body, a relentless reminder of his ordeal.

But Sabir would not give Elektra the satisfaction of seeing him break. He drew in a slow, steadying breath, the metallic taste of blood still lingering on his tongue. Forcing his trembling fingers to still and his muscles to relax, he lifted his head and met Elektra’s glare with a gaze that was unwavering, unyielding. His dark eyes, though dimmed by exhaustion, burned with a defiant fire—a silent challenge that dared her to do her worst.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and the tension in the limousine became almost unbearable. Elektra’s electric-blue eyes narrowed, the cold fury within them barely concealed by her outward composure. She leaned forward slightly, her gaze sweeping over Sabir’s battered form with an appraising look. Despite the remnants of dried blood that clung to his skin, something about his injuries caught her attention. Where she expected to see open wounds and severe bruising from their recent fight, there were only faint marks—minor cuts and fading bruises that shouldn’t have healed so quickly.

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Her brows knitted together in confusion as her eyes traced the lines of his body, noting the rapid healing that had taken place. The vicious cuts she had inflicted with her electric lash were now nothing more than thin, pale scars, barely visible against his skin. The deep bruises she had left on his ribs and arms had faded to a dull yellow, the swelling almost gone. It was as if his body had already begun to mend itself, knitting together torn flesh and repairing damage faster than any normal person could.

Elektra’s lips curled in a mixture of frustration and intrigue, her mind racing to make sense of what she was seeing. She had fought Sabir herself, felt the impact of her blows, and knew the damage she had caused. And yet, here he was, sitting across from her, his injuries nearly healed. This wasn’t just natural resilience—something more was at play, something hidden within him.

She tilted her head, her gaze sharpening as she studied him more closely. “Interesting,” she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. Her voice had softened, now laced with curiosity, though the dangerous edge remained.

Sabir held her gaze, his expression unreadable. He knew better than to rise to her bait, to reveal any more than he had to. His silence only seemed to fuel her curiosity, her eyes narrowing as if she were trying to pierce through his defenses, to unravel the secrets he guarded so fiercely.

Elektra leaned back in her seat, a small, cruel smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she considered the implications of what she had just discovered. “Perhaps there’s more use for you yet,” she mused, her tone speculative, almost playful. The venom in her voice had been replaced by something far more insidious—an interest in what she could exploit.

But before she could continue, Noah’s voice cut through her thoughts, calm and composed, yet carrying an unmistakable undercurrent of warning. “Enough, Elektra,” he said, his eyes flicking to her in a silent command. “We have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Elektra’s smile faded slightly, though the intrigue remained in her eyes as she glanced back at Sabir. She leaned back in her seat, but her mind continued to churn with possibilities, each more twisted than the last. Whatever secrets Sabir was hiding, she intended to uncover them all—and she would savor every moment of it.

“Calm down, Elektra,” Noah said, his voice steady, though tinged with a hint of exasperation. “He’s in no condition to care about the upholstery. And we have more urgent matters to address.”

Elektra’s gaze flickered to her brother, her lips pursed in frustration. “Why do we even need to bring him back with us? We could have left him to rot in a cell.”

Noah leaned back in his seat, as he looked at Sabir with a cold, apathetic look. “Because,” he began, his tone measured, “it’s best to avoid prying eyes and ears. What we do with him needs to stay within the family, for now.”

Elektra huffed, crossing her arms as she cast another disdainful glance at Sabir. “And what are we supposed to do with him once we find that bastard? We can’t just keep him around.”

A cold smile crept across Noah’s face, his eyes narrowing with a cruel intent. “Once we’ve found and dealt with him, I’ll kill Sabir myself. It’ll be the end of their bloodline—those rats thought they could rise above their station. We’ll remind everyone where they belong.”

Elektra’s expression shifted as an idea sparked in her mind. Her gaze turned calculating, a gleam of interest igniting in her eyes as she looked Sabir up and down, as if considering him for the first time. “Actually… once you’re done with him, what if we kept him around? As a slave. I want to see what kind of esper powers he’s hiding. He might be useful.”

Noah considered this for a moment, his cold smile unwavering. “That could work, but on one condition: you’ll need to double your training sessions with Warren.”

Elektra’s expression darkened at the mention of Warren. She clenched her fists, electricity crackling faintly around her fingertips as her irritation flared. “So it was Warren who snitched about me going missing?”

“Yes,” Noah replied calmly. “He was worried about you. And for good reason.”

“That half-breed is going to pay,” Elektra snarled, her voice venomous. She stared at the electricity dancing across her palm, her expression murderous. “If he doesn’t watch himself, he’ll end up like the bastard we’re hunting.”

Noah’s eyes flicked to Sabir, who remained silent, his face impassive despite the pain and tension thick in the air. Noah leaned forward slightly, his voice a low, menacing murmur. “Don’t worry, Sabir. Soon enough, you’ll meet the same fate. But until then… try to enjoy what’s left of your miserable life.”

Sabir’s silence was his only response, his eyes betraying no emotion. But deep within, a cold resolve began to take shape. He would endure whatever was coming. And if the opportunity arose, he would make them regret every moment of their cruelty. The limousine continued its smooth glide through the streets, heading deeper into the heart of Sector 5, toward the Voltaire estate where Sabir’s fate awaited.