“Make sure the door is locked properly and the painting secured.” Said Hao, assuring not to leave any trace of their presence.
“I know what I’m doing. Geez, stop buzzing in my ear.” Although she carried out the request, Lanor was peeved at Hao’s commanding tongue.
Just as they finished covering their tracks and exited the secret room, they noticed an unexpected development. The droids around them began to come back online, their once-dimmed lights flickering to life. Hao furrowed his brow in concern. "This isn't good. They're becoming operational already. I thought you said the device would last longer." He bent his neck in Lanor’s direction.
She explained, "The EMPulsar must have run out of battery. This is all your fault for delaying us back there. If you hadn't had that incident, we would have been in and out by now," Lanor snapped.
"Blaming me won't solve the issue. We need to escape before they become fully operational," Hao retorted, running ahead through the lavish display of rare trinkets, their destination was the corridor with the hidden entrance they had used earlier.
Crackle!
Suddenly, a droid lunged forward and grabbed Lanor from behind, its metal grip unyielding, like a monkey on a limb. “Huh! Let go!” She struggled to break free but found it to be quite difficult.
"Intruder alert!" The droid announced, sending a signal to Rector's device, who was still upstairs entertaining his guests.
“Hmm?” Rector was conversing with a well-known art connoisseur when he received the notification. His face went pale right away. He excused himself hastily. "I have to go," he told the guest, signalling to his bodyguards to converge on his location as he headed to an elevator that would take him below into his private vault. His emotional state was a mix of anger, disbelief, and urgency.
Back in the vault, Hao's Vibe Sense alerted him to the approaching danger. "The party is coming down to us. We have to hurry and get out of here. Can't you take care of that droid already?" he called out to Lanor with a hint of disdain in his voice.
"It would be a lot easier if you'd get over here and help me!" She spat, still struggling to free herself from the droid's grasp. Her hand was trying to reach for her Rapier but to no avail. “Come on!”
"All you had to do was ask, sweetheart," Replied Hao. Just as he was about to make a move, he noticed the other droids behind Lanor beginning to regain full functionality. He knew he needed to act quickly.
“Vibe Edge!” Swinging his sword skilfully before him, he activated Vibe Seeker and locked onto the droid who was gripping Lanor. His blue-beat tones darted around the mechanical creature, searching for the perfect spot to strike. "I've got it," he announced, spotting a vulnerable joint in the droid's armour.
Dash!
Hao sprinted forward, unsheathing Vibe Edge, and with a precise thrust, he stabbed the droid's weak point. CLANK! The droid released its grip on Lanor and fell to the ground, its internal systems short-circuiting.
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"Took you long enough," Lanor grumbled, not waiting for Hao as she began sprinting toward the corridor they had come from.
“Intruders! Intruders!” The remaining droids who had just regained full mobility chased after them, some firing bullets that whizzed past the duo, shattering priceless relics in their path.
“I’ve got our backs!” Lanor wielded her Rapier Blade Edge to deflect the incoming bullets as she protected their retreat. It had a particular radiance that issued forth a silvery aura that spread apart to cover more range, which better put a stop to the storm of bullets.
But even with this technique of hers, the combined efforts of the droids were nothing to be underestimated. Recognizing that their mediocre bullets weren’t getting through to their fleeing targets, they simultaneously switched rounds, activating a more powerful artillery that could blast ass. The weapon they’ve chosen to utilise was a quadruple barrel structured RPG. The rear end of these bad girls released a blast of smoke upon their release.
“Huh!” Lanor heard the strange buzzing in the air and peered her gaze behind her. “This isn’t good!” She warned Hao of the impending assault. “My Rapier can only counteract a couple of those missiles.”
“Together then!” Hao stopped running, spun around and join forces with Lanor. “I’ll redirect what I can, you stop the others.”
“Right!” Lanor took a stance where her Rapier was in her right hand aimed as an arrow in a bow. Her eyes were locked on the incoming missiles. “Release!” The moment these words escaped her lips, her Rapier fired ahead to meet the missiles in their tracks. CLANG!
Simultaneously, Hao was making good use of his Quick Draw ability coupled with his Night Tamer—Twin Portal Slash to deflect and redirect the missiles back at their casters. Some of the deadly exploding rounds travelled through the portals he created and detonated on impact with the droids. BOOM! This caused more destruction to the gallery.
“What the hell was that vibration?” In the lowering elevator, Rector and his men felt the sudden shockwave and were startled. “Can’t this thing go any faster?” He repeatedly tapped at the button for a speedier arrival to his private collection, his impatience surmounting.
“That should keep them busy for a while,” Hao observed the rising smoke down the corridor. “Come on let’s go.” He grabbed Lanor and led her to their destination.
Arriving at the wall, in a swift motion, Hao executed his Twin Portal Slash to cut a portal through it, which linked them back to the wine cellar. They jumped through just as another droid was about to grab them, landing hard amidst the barrels and bottles. The portal closed before the droids could get through. Hao and Lanor quickly scrambled to their feet and made their escape.
Seconds later, Rector and his bodyguards arrived in his private gallery, surveying the chaos left in the intruders' wake. The first thing he saw was the droids pounding viciously against the wall to get through.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All four of them acted like wild beasts pulled from the mechanical hell!
“The hell are they doing?” Rector quickly shut down the remaining droids with a remote device, his face was wrapped with rage and disbelief. "What a mess," he muttered, scanning the room to see what items had been destroyed or taken.
At first, it seemed as though everything was accounted for, but then a chilling realization washed over him. Rector rushed to the painting concealing the secret entrance to the hidden chamber, his heart thudding erratically, fearing what he would or wouldn’t discover. Shortly, he found the entrance, pushed the door open, and discovered that the valuable S-Catalogue was missing.
"Nooo!" Rector's anguished shout echoed through the gallery, the guards had to cover their ears.
Outside the compound where Scar, Lanor, and Hao were currently running, they heard the deafening scream peering through the busy gala and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Wow, seems like we really pissed that Rector guy off," Hao commented, smirking as the trio disappeared into the night, their heist a success.