When Aveline opened her eyes, she had shackles on her wrists. Lyam was still asleep next to her. They were back in the Enforcer's office. The Lieutenant sat opposite to them in a chair, leering. “Sleep well?”
Aveline answered him with a glare. “You are a wielder too,” she said, “the slumber dust wasn't affecting you either. Even though your face was exposed.”
The old man smirked. “You are clever but not clever enough.” He pointed at the sleeping boy. “His parents may not have taught him not to take a drink offered by strangers but you are old enough to be cautious. Seems like you don't interact with too many people.”
Aveline kept glaring at the man. She reached up for the crimson amulet on her neck but it was missing.
“Of course I took your little necklace,” the old man said. “Also your little bag full of magic.”
She clenched her jaw, then she took a deep breath. She couldn't do anything reckless while Lyam was still asleep. Without her amulet, escaping was going to be risky. She looked back at the enforcer.
His leer had been replaced with a completely neutral expression. Her eyes happened on the weapon on his lap. A crossbow. It was made of stainless steel. Every inch of it was shiny metal–even the string and the bolt that was loaded on it. Aveline looked at the man again, “You're a possessor class.”
The enforcer gave a thin smile. “Very perceptive of you.”
The “possessor” class were the type of wielders whose abilities came from the weapons they ‘possessd’. These weapons were made from the metal that had a set amount of wielder's blood mixed during the process of forging. Aveline swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling glad that she hadn't made any sudden moves. Especially now that she knew the man's crossbow wasn't an ordinary one.
“It wasn't the water,” Aveline said, carefully picking every word she uttered. “You said the glasses were spiked. They are made from the same steel that your crossbow is made of, isn't it?”
The old man scoffed. “Again, very perceptive. It's a trick that never fails. When people see a possessor, they think of either a swordsman, archer or someone with a fancy weapon. No one expects a glass of water to be an effective tool in disarming an opponent.” He casted a piercing gaze at Aveline. “You are lucky, I only let the glass emit the tranquilizer and not the poison into your water. Or you and that boy would've been lying dead at my feet right now.”
“Why did you keep us alive then?” Aveline narrowed her eyes.
“Because I'm only a lieutenant. It's not my job to execute you for practising magic against the law.”
“So that's what you are going to do?” Aveline raised an eyebrow. “Send us off to be executed?”
“Don't you know the law? Magic is forbidden to commoners. And shapecrafting has been outlawed seven years ago. You should've been more careful than to wander out into the kingdom right after your friends have left behind such a grim trail.”
Aveline grit her teeth. “They are not my friends, old man!”
“They still do the same thing you do.”
“I don't go around abducting children and destroying homes.”
“Then how did you get that boy?” The enforcer looked at Lyam.
“I did not abduct him!”
“Then what? He came to you himself?”
“Yes!”
“And why did he do that?”
“Because–” she stopped herself just in time and glared at the man. The enforcer was good at his job. He had almost gotten the truth out of her. She exhaled sharply and looked away.
The enforcer scoffed. “So, you did abduct him after all, huh? I knew it.”
Aveline knit her eyebrows. Don't fall for it, she told herself. He was baiting her. It was obvious. She remained quiet.
That's when Lyam groaned. His eyes fluttered open. “What just happened?” he muttered groggily.
Aveline nudged him in the ribs. The boy winced and looked at her, looked at the shackles in their hands, looked at the enforcer sitting in front of them with his crossbow. Lyam's jaw went slack. “Wh-Why have you restrained us?!”
“Because the Count's wielders are about to come and take you away,” the enforcer said. “You are about to get executed in front of everyone at Diamond Veil.”
Lyam had been about to protest but he figured out what the matter was soon enough. So he remained quiet and looked at Aveline when the enforcer was looking away. “Now what?” he mouthed
Aveline looked down at her shackled hands. She made a fist and formed a spirit barrier the size of a pebble. Then she made it pop, there was a tiny burst of light. She looked back up at him.
Lyam understood her message. He nodded and turned to the enforcer again. His fingers twitched as he prepared to attack. Aveline had plugged her ears with small spirit barriers. Then she shut her eyes tightly.
Lyam aimed at the enforcer and used [stun flash].
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There was an explosion of light in the enforcer's office. And a wave of sound came crashing down on the lieutenant. He slumped in his chair before trying to get up and tumbling to the ground.
“This will only last for fifteen seconds, quick!” Lyam sprang to his feet and pulled Aveline along with himself. They dashed out of the office and down the street. “We need to get out of this city right now.”
“No! That old man has my satchel and amulet. We can't leave without it.”
The boy groaned. “Ugh, fine!”
They ducked into a single storey house. A man lay unconscious in the sitting room. A woman was asleep in the hallway. Lyam locked the door.
Aveline raised her shackled hands towards him. “Break these. But don't use too much force.”
The boy aimed at the chains and used [syphon burst]. The ray of life dust burnt through the metal and the door at the end of the hallway behind Aveline, leaving a hole in its wake.
“I told you not to use too much force.” She pursed her lips and threw him a dead-pan glare.
Lyam chuckled nervously, “I'm not very good at controlling the force behind my attacks,” he said as he blasted his own chains, accidentally punching another hole in a wall behind him. He chuckled some more. Aveline wasn't amused. “Stop looking at me like that and tell me what's our plan!”
She sighed in exasperation and said, “Simple. You distract him while I go into his office and grab my things.”
The boy nodded and cracked the door open. He saw the enforcer's silhouette rushing down the street. “He's getting close.”
“Keep him busy,” Aveline said and headed toward the kitchen. “Also, keep the damages to a minimum. I know, there isn’t much point in telling you that but still. We don't want to leave behind a trail this time.” Then she climbed out the window.
Lyam stepped out into the street. He was immediately greeted with knives flying at his face. The boy's enhanced reflex allowed him to dodge the blades just in time. They buried themselves into the door behind him instead of piercing themselves into his eyes.
He was about to use [syphon burst] on the enforcer when he sensed the knives ejecting out of the door. They zipped towards him from the rear. He dodged them again but the enforcer had shot the crossbow by then.
Lyam used [syphon burst] on the flying bolts to deflect them and then he fired at the enforcer. Life dust shoved the man backwards, his armor breastplate absorbed the impact of the attack. The rest of his being seemed mostly unscathed.
He recovered in less than a second and raised his crossbow to aim at the boy. Lyam was about to fire another [syphon burst] when something stabbed into his arm from the side.
The boy cried out in pain. The damn knife had found him again. Lyam pulled the blade out of his flesh and charged at the enforcer head on.
The man shot the crossbow again. Lyam ducked out of the way but the bolt reverted back and stabbed into his shoulder blade. The boy howled in pain.
He had figured out the enforcer’s game now. The old man wasn't letting him get too close. So he used [stun flash]. The man went limp on his feet as light and sound exploded in his face. Lyam bounded at him with long, rapid strides and planted his palm under the man’s jaw. He used [syphon burst].
The blow of life dust launched the enforcer off the ground. He came down to earth with a painful thud, his armor rattling, falling several feet away from Lyam.
The boy pulled the bolt that was still buried in his shoulder blade. Blood spurted and his back ached. Lyam clenched his teeth and glared at the man on the ground. He hoped Aveline had found her satchel and amulet by then. He kept observing the enforcer's supine form.
Lyam waited for the [system] to heal his wounds now that he had defeated the old man. But the blood kept oozing and the pain was still there. He frowned. Would I really have to kill the man for the system to initiate a blessing?
The boy shook his head. He was just waiting for Aveline to return so they could escape the city. Killing the enforcer wasn’t what they were here for. He used the [blesser's touch] on himself. The wound on his back sealed itself shut, so did the cut on his arm. Lyam was a bit annoyed that he had to use his own dust reserve to fix himself. But he shrugged it off. He looked back at the enforcer who didn't even lift a finger. “Hey!” Lyam called out. “I know you aren't dead. I know for a fact that you won't die as long as you are in that armor and have those weapons. You are either a basilisk or a very seasoned chimera wielder. So don't try to fool me by playing dead.”
The enforcer still didn't move. The boy frowned and stayed put, still observing the man. After waiting for about two more minutes, he gave in and stepped closer.
He looked down at the fallen enforcer. The visor of his helm was up and his eyes were open, looking straight into Lyam's.
“Fool,” the enforcer said and shot a bolt at the boy.
Lyam gasped and jumped backwards, dodging the bolt that followed his movements. Instinct made him activate [dust will] and he cursed himself inwardly. It was a skill that drained a lot of dust--and he didn't want that right now.
The bolt finally hit him but failed to pierce him. Same was the case with the knife that had flown in again from the rear. Both the weapons lay useless at his feet. The enforcer was sitting up now, watching the scene unfold, only slightly surprised at the failure of his attack. Then he smirked. “So you have one of those fancy skills, huh? Only other person that I know who is capable of pulling a stunt like that is a kid from House de Croy. It's a shame for you, because I know exactly how to take you down even when my attacks won't hurt you.”
Lyam grit his teeth. “We aren’t your enemies, goddamnit! We were just passing by. You could’ve used your tricks against those shapecrafters who took away the children of Eisdel.”
For a moment, the lieutenant’s face sobered up, there was a hint of vulnerability in his demeanor. “It’s not like I didn’t try. But they used my own weapon against me,” he said.
Lyam looked at him hesitantly. “W-What did they do?”
Instead of answering him with words, the enforcer pulled out an empty glass of water slung by his britches. He flung the glass at Lyam like a spear.
The boy clasped at it mid-air with barely any effort. He frowned. “This…was your weapon?”
“The crafter who released the moths had the ability to manipulate wind. The bastard blew my own tranquilizer in my face.” The enforcer snapped his fingers. A cloud of green smoke billowed out of a small hole inside the glass. Before it could invade Lyam's breath, a smoky black orb formed around the glass, trapping the poisonous gas inside itself.
The enforcer frowned. He turned to look at Aveline who was walking up to them. She was wearing her crimson amulet again. And her satchel was slung by her shoulder.
Lyam frowned. “You seem awfully calm. Aren't we supposed to escape?”
“I don't think so,” Aveline said.
The enforcer was puzzled. “What are you playing at?”
Aveline reached into her satchel and pulled out a bundle of papers. She held them up and regarded Lieutenant Nicolas with an intent gaze. “I found this in the cabinet in your office. These are all the avian dispatch letters you wrote to the Count. All of these are letters asking for help to cure the sleeping people of Eisdel,” she said. “They all just came back with an excuse and false promises that were never kept.”
Nicolas lunged for the documents. “That's none of your concern, girl!”
Aveline dodged him deftly. “It is. We can help you where the Count has ignored you. We can wake up the people of Eisdel!”