Chapter 49: The Deal We Made

Leaning against a tree with his arms folded, a straight face is plastered on Crow’s countenance as he observes Ace, who passes by without meeting his gaze.

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” says Ace. “The only reason I revealed myself was because of how annoyingly long you were taking, not because of your cliche introduction.”

“Whatever you say, kid. I thought it would make for a nice reunion with some of your old pals.”

Tsking, Ace hisses back, “They’re not my friends, not anymore.”

“Somebody’s pissed off, just don’t forget the deal we made…”

Throwing his arm back, Ace produces a wave of fire and lashes out at Crow. Quickly lassoing his dagger upward into the underside of a branch, Crow swiftly dodges the attack by pulling himself away, landing in a crouching position on top of the tree branch above everybody.

The flames dissipate before the trees catch fire, and Ace’s eyes spark in and out of an orange blaze.

“How could I forget…”

Pulling his dagger out of the tree branch, Crow adjusts himself to where he’s sitting comfortably, his legs hanging over the edge of the branch. Then, sliding off, Crow falls back to the ground. A small crater is formed as he makes an impact, specks of dirt sprinkling around him as the tree he was just sitting on slowly tips back and topples over.

Sitting back upright, Crow glares at Ace, “Oh, and if you tell them about the deal… you die.”

With those final words engaging Ace’s attention, Ace turns to face Crow, his tone mellow with sarcasm as he replies, “No shit. I thought we were partners. How about a little trust here?”

“You sure talk big for somebody who got his ass kicked earlier. I branded us with the term partners, but as far as I’m aware, our relationship has no sense of cooperation. So, if I think you’re too much of a dumbass to recall something I only briefly mentioned, then that’s what you are. You understand me?”

The two men lock eyes, Ace’s face scrunched into a childlike pout while a softened, confident expression remains on Crow’s face. Without looking away, Crow remarks, “Now, go be a good partner and carry out your end of the deal.”

Ace breaks off their eye contact, clenching his jaw, “Just stay out of my way. I can handle things from here by myself.”

A few seconds passed after the final word of that sentence left Ace’s mouth before he matched Blue’s gaze.

“Ace… you… you’re working with Crow?” stutters Blue, his staggering voice breaking the momentary silence and overflowing his consciousness with suspense and anxiety.

It was then that Ace’s hair lit ablaze once more. His eyes grew stable as they bragged of prominent orange, bright tattoos emerging underneath his white t-shirt, showcasing an articulate, fiery design. Unable to move, Blue can only watch as Ace advances, striding toward him until he stands only a few feet away. Gradually extending his forearm out before him, Ace stares down at the palm of his hand as it ignites with a scarlet flare.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Now then, what did you say I was the other day?”

Even though his neck is somewhat restricted by the chains binding Blue’s entire body, Blue still attempts to shake his head back and forth as he mumbles, “Ace… I-”

Although the chains never constricted, Blue was suddenly incapable of making another sound. It was almost like he was being silenced, not by anything physically, but by Ace’s sheer bloodlust and presence. While Blue silently stares at Ace’s hand as it transforms into a finger gun, the tip of Ace’s index finger kindles, his hand as steady as a rock as he raises it.

“A murderer… that’s what you called me.”

***

*Earlier That Day*

“Let’s try this again… shall we?” says Crow, Ace meeting his gaze.

“What the… hell... do you want… with me…?” asks a restrained Ace.

The chains around Ace suddenly tightened, not allowing him any wiggle room as he was forced to stare at Crow.

“What do I want? We’ll get to that later. For now, let’s talk about what you want.”

Not taking any time to think about what he had just told him, Ace immediately tried to ask what he meant by that, but attempting to force out another measly question only resulted in Ace coughing up more blood. Crow did not react as he patiently waited for Ace to get over his coughing fit.

Once he got a hold of himself again, Ace stammered, “What- what are you talking about?”

“I’ll release these chains, therefore freeing you, but I will advise that you remain calm. Because if you try to attack me again, I won't hesitate to kill you,” replies Crow, his response catching Ace off guard.

Following up on his words, the chains constricted as a threat of defiance, squishing Ace’s body closer together.

Crow alleviates the pressure after his unnecessary display of strength by informing Ace, “There will be no second chances. Do we have an understanding?”

Glaring him down, Ace weakly remarks, his voice hoarse, “Crystal.”

Loosening the hold of the chains, Ace was promptly released, his fatigued body stumbling forward before he caught himself with his hands, gasping for air.

“As I said, I didn’t show up here to fight you. And as I’m sure you realized, you'd only be throwing away your life if you attempted to fight me again.”

As Ace looks at Crow, Crow throws a dagger into the stone wall behind Ace, the force of the collision causing the rocks to shudder and cave in.

“And now there’s no running away.”

Crawling out of the chains, which now weirdly felt incredibly light, Ace wiped away the blood on his mouth and chin. Rising to his feet, Ace faces Crow, trying to figure out what his motive could be.

Putting up a hand, Crow states, “Go ahead and power down for me. I just want to talk.”

“You’re kidding, right? You haven’t given me a single reason to trust you!”

Reaching behind his back, Crow reveals his concealed daggers, holding them up long enough for Ace to fully understand what they were. He then tosses them off to the side, far out of arm's reach, the kinkling of chains dying out as the blades slide to a stop.

For a moment, Ace allowed himself to leak a glint of surprise as he stared at the weapons. But then he remembered the situation he was in.

I can’t afford to give him anything now, not even the slightest change in expression.

“Granted, I wouldn’t need those to beat you anyway," says Crow, instantly dragging Ace’s attention back toward him.

Barely allowing his muscles and adrenaline to relax, Ace asks as his tattoos fade, “What do you want?”

Taking a step toward him, Crow presses a finger against Ace’s chest, “As I said before, it’s about what you want.”

Quickly placing his entire hand on Ace’s chest, Crow lightly pushes Ace back. His mind working overtime, Ace still tries to figure out Crow’s hidden motive.

There must be one... there must.

Regaining his footing, Ace fixes his eyes on Crow, whose body is lumbering over as he sits on the ground, his back against the towering cliff on the other side of the path.

“So hit me. I’m sure you have questions. What do you want to know?”