Chapter 2 - Ozen(1)

The next day, Ashtown Bank.

Dressed in the outfit of a New Order soldier, the group entered the large structure filled with roaming soldiers. Their dark uniforms blended well with the setting.

Lane stood in front and led them across the halls of the bank. His uniform was different. It had a lighter tone with adorned medals, instead of the usual raven-black, and its high-tech components were more compact.

An officer standing beside the back lobby greeted, "Good morning, Sergeant Lane. You are early today."

Lane returned the salute. "Billy, morning. The higher-ups sent me a new team. I'm here to show them the place."

Reve winced as he listened to the conversation. 'Lane is a sergeant! How is that possible?'

Lane never told them anything about that. He had always assumed that he had a regular job, not something like this!

Reve controlled his expression, hiding his surprise. The last thing he needed was to draw suspicions on themselves, especially when his cat-like ears and unique appearance were striking enough. Fortunately, mutations like that were common in this world.

As for Lane, he believed Lane would not betray them. Lane had gone too far already. He was the one that provided the uniforms they were wearing, indicating that he had to kill the original owners.

Lane signed the group on the board, as per New Order protocol, and proceeded into the inner hall which kept all of the treasures behind five doors.

As soon as they got in, the group checked around. There was no one there, only them.

Ren stared hard at Lane, and yelled, "What the f*ck was that, Lane? You a soldier?"

"Something like that. Now keep quiet, we don't have time." Lane replied.

Val, Blimey, and Kallum remained silent which meant they already knew about Lane's occupation.

'What else are they hiding?' Reve thought.

Val interrupted, "We can talk later. For now, let's focus on what we came here to do."

She nodded at everyone and collapsed on the ground, kneeling as she began a series of muffled chants. Her fingertips glowed with the colour of blood as the demonic markings on her face became visible.

She finalized her chants, whispering with a strange accent, "Vorathak, the sparkless one, I welcome thee!"

Instantly, a wave of electrical discharge erupted. It swept the hall and escaped to the outside, destroying any technological device in its wake.

Val stood up, weakened by her side. "We need to be fast. The soldiers will soon check the treasury. One door for each one of us, okay?"

Reve chose the left door and quickly dashed into it, combing through the racks of sun coins. His eyes darted around for prima potions. He didn't know what it looked like, but he reckoned it was not that hard to distinguish.

Reve took what he could till his pockets were full. He abandoned the multitudes of weapons and scurried out.

He was not the first to be done. Val was there waiting for him with a smile.

"Did you get prima?" Reve asked.

She shook her head, but he wasn't sure whether she was just lying.

Reve waited for the other to return. Soon, Ren and Kallum came out, leaving the two guys left.

She also failed to find a prima.

Ren grumbled, "What is taking them so long?"

Val ignored her, keeping her perfect smile.

The middle door suddenly shook with a bang. Drops of blood stained the edges of the door, which slowly opened, revealing the figure of Blimey covered in blood.

On his hand was the severed head of Lane, and in his mouth was Lane's left hand.

"What did you–ahh!" Ren screamed as a dagger pierced into her chest.

She turned back and saw the smiling Val twisting the dagger deeper into her chest.

Reve dashed towards her, sending a kick her way which sent her hurtling through the air.

He grabbed Ren before she could fall. She already lost a lot of blood, and unlike Reve, she didn't have an insane healing factor.

Reve pulled out a green health vial from his uniform's utility belt. It should help alleviate the pain, but a dagger to the heart was always fatal.

"Ahh–it hurts!" Ren screamed as he removed the dagger.

He softly dropped Ren on the floor and glanced at the others vengefully.

'I didn't think they would betray us here. They even killed Lane. I'm the last one in their way.'

Val chuckled, her smile becoming too eerie, "You expected this, didn't you? You were always the cautious one."

She walked forward, eyeing Reve.

"I thought it would take longer." Reve spat back.

A loud voice disrupted the tense atmosphere. "There is someone here. Intruders!"

A team of officers rushed into the room and aimed their guns at the group. Once they saw the bags around the group, they unleashed a torrent of bullets at them.

'It's of no use.' Reve internally sighed.

The main reason why he was threaded carefully with Val was because she was different from the rest of them.

Val was an initiate, categorized as Class Two by New Order. She had already surpassed the natural, touching the way of the supernatural, which gave her access to mystical abilities beyond the scope of the mundane.

The low-level officers were mostly acolytes and normies. They were still within the realm of the natural. They wouldn't last a chance with Val.

"Kallum, take care of Reve for me. Blimey, follow me. Let's get this place silent." Val trodded forward amidst the rain of energy bullets.

While they weren't impervious to energy bullets, it was easier for them to evade them with their superhuman speed.

Val started a chant, while Blimey charged at the officers, "Morthus Vamyr K'tharan. Morthus Vamyr K'tharan…"

A thick purple smoke seemed to come out of her nose as she continued her chant.

Meanwhile, Reve was currently engaged in a tough battle with Kallum.

He thought, 'I can manage… if he is all that.'

Reve, Blimey, and Kallum were acolytes. They could perform varying superhuman feats, something gained through training. Reve was confident of his fighting ability at this level.

Of course, if he were to consume a prima potion and advance to Class Two, he would have no worries taking care of Kallum.

Reve slowly inched closer to Kallum, his movements were so silent that they were barely noticeable. He exuded a sense of awareness that seemed to envelop him entirely.

Kallum, brave and unwavering, remarked casually, "So, you do have experience."

"I was born amidst conflict. Fighting is in my blood." Kallum boasted, taking the first step and pouncing on Reve with lightning speed.

Reve raised his hands up, expecting to block the punch, but Kallum was even faster, luring him into a false sense of security before striking vengefully with his left fist.

The impact reverberated throughout the room as Reve was sent hurtling into the wall, leaving a deep imprint in his wake.

As he struggled to keep his balance amidst the wracking pain and internal disturbance, Reve couldn't help but rue his mistake.

"Ahh, that was embarrassing. I actually fell for a feint," he sighed.

Kallum sneered, "If you are all that, I can manage."

Reve twisted his neck to a comfortable position and faced Kallum once more.

As much as he didn't like to admit it, the big man knew how to pack a punch. With fists like that, it was enough to keep him on the edge. Moreover, just from the last bout alone, Kallum seemed like an intellectual fighter… the worst of the worst.

He controlled his breath and waited for Kallum to make the first move.

It didn't take long. Kallum lunged forward with a straight punch, but Reve anticipated the attack and went for a leg sweep.

Reve's eyes brightened as he tracked Kallum's every minute movement, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When Kallum lifted himself off the ground, Reve lithely flung himself at him and landed a sidekick that brought the big man tumbling to the ground.

Reve slid toward Kallum, landing another kick to his neck. The force in his leg forced Kallum's muscles to strain. Kallum retaliated with a knee to Reve's gut, but it was blocked by the latter in the most awkward position.

Taking advantage of the situation, Kallum lifted Reve and smashed him on the ground. He held him by the neck and attempted a punch.

Reve struggled to breathe as Kallum's fist connected to his face. He looked up to see another punch coming his way, and he made no attempt to stop it. While it might relieve him of his pain, he needed a permanent solution to this problem.

Immediately after the punch landed on his face, Reve sneaked his fist past Kallum's arms and surprised him with an exceedingly accurate punch to the neck, sending him reeling.

He kicked Kallum off his body as the latter retreated and gasped for breath.

"Wha-did-yo-do?" Kallum wheezed as he retreated.

Reve didn't reply and merely smirked.

'There is still work to be done.' he regulated his breathing once more and lunged into the fight once more.