The tunnel exit was just ahead. The green, toxic fog of the Weeping Mines thinned out, revealing the grey light of the industrial wasteland.
Kael adjusted the strap of his heavy canvas bag. Inside was three kilograms of Abyssal Ore—the future of his arsenal.
"Easy money," Kael muttered, his voice distorted by the gas mask.
[ Warning: Hostile Intent Detected. ] [ Source: Multiple Signatures. ] [ Direction: Everywhere. ]
Kael stopped.
Click.
High-powered floodlights slammed on from the cliffs above, blinding him with white light.
"Freeze!" a voice boomed from a loudspeaker. "Vanguard Intercept Team! Drop the bag and get on your knees! Any movement will be met with lethal force!"
Kael shielded his eyes, his pupils dilating to adjust. Through the glare, he saw them.
A tactical squad of five hunters blocked the path. They wore matte-black tactical armor with the golden crest of the Protectorate Intelligence Division.
At the front was a man with a heavy shield (C-Rank). On the cliffs, two snipers. And behind the shield-bearer, shrinking back into the shadows, was Silas.
"That's him!" Silas shouted, pointing a shaking finger. "He's the one! He has the ore! And he has a spatial skill!"
The Squad Leader, a scarred man holding a mana-rifle, stepped forward. "Unidentified Hunter. You are in possession of restricted materials and are a person of interest regarding the 'Arena Incident.' Remove the mask."
Kael stood still. He checked his inventory.
Weapon: None. (Shadow-Shard destroyed).
Armor: Ruined leather.
Item: Rusty Mining Pickaxe (Durability: 15/20).
"Silas," Kael's voice rasped through the mask. "I told you what the price of betrayal was."
"Shoot him!" Silas screamed, terrified by the calm in Kael's voice. "Don't let him speak! Just shoot him!"
The Squad Leader raised his hand. "Secure the target. I want him alive for interrogation."
Two Vanguards rushed forward, holding mana-cuffs.
"Combat Solution?" the Codex asked.
"Run," Kael whispered.
He didn't run away. He ran at them.
[ Blink Step ]
ZZZT.
Kael vanished from the floodlights.
"Contact lost!" the Leader shouted. "Where is—"
Kael reappeared directly behind the two advancing guards. He didn't have a sword, but he had E-Rank strength and a rusted mining pick.
He swung the pickaxe with terrifying speed. He didn't aim for their armor; he aimed for their legs.
CRACK.
The hooked tip of the pickaxe tore through the knee joint of the first guard. The man screamed, collapsing instantly.
Kael didn't stop. He pivoted, using the momentum to slam the handle of the pickaxe into the throat of the second guard.
"Target is hostile! Open fire!"
The snipers on the cliff fired. Two bullets made of condensed wind magic tore through the air, aimed at Kael's head.
[ Ash Phase ]
Kael's body flickered into grey smoke. The bullets passed harmlessly through his skull, burying themselves in the dirt.
He solidified instantly, grabbed the unconscious guard, and threw him toward the Squad Leader like a ragdoll.
"He's a ghost!" Silas shrieked, scrambling backward.
"Suppress him!" the Leader roared, firing his mana-rifle. Beams of blue energy scorched the ground as Kael weaved through them, moving in jagged, glitchy bursts.
Blink. Step. Slide. Blink.
He was closing the distance. Not to the Leader. To Silas.
"No... no!" Silas fumbled for his dagger.
Kael appeared in front of him. The gas mask loomed over the traitor like a grim reaper.
"You calculated the profit," Kael whispered, grabbing Silas by the collar. "But you forgot the risk variable."
He didn't kill him. Death was too quick.
Kael jammed the rusted mining pick into Silas's shoulder, pinning him to the cliff wall.
Silas screamed—a high, wet sound that echoed through the valley.
"My ore," Kael said, patting the bag on his back. "My profit."
"Clear shot!" a sniper yelled.
Kael looked up. The C-Rank Leader was charging a massive energy blast. Kael had no mana left for a long fight. He had made his point.
[ Blink Step (Overcharge) ]
Kael grabbed a smoke grenade from Silas's belt, pulled the pin, and dropped it.
BOOM.
Grey smoke filled the canyon.
"Hold fire! Can't see target!"
When the smoke cleared, the "Porter" was gone.
Only Silas remained, pinned to the wall, whimpering in pain, and the squad of elite Vanguards looking around in confusion.
The Aftermath
High on the ridge, a kilometer away, Kael materialized. He stumbled, falling to one knee. His nose was bleeding inside the mask—the cost of chain-casting Blink Step without rest.
He ripped the gas mask off, taking a deep breath of the cold, clean air.
He looked down at the squad scrambling below. They were ants. Powerful ants, but ants nonetheless.
"You left witnesses," the Codex noted.
"I left a message," Kael corrected. He hoisted the heavy bag of Abyssal Ore onto his shoulder. "They know I'm not hiding anymore. If they want me, they have to send better than C-Ranks."
He turned toward the city lights in the distance.
"Now," Kael grinned, his eyes glowing with anticipation. "Let's go build a sword."