Broken Tower Saga: The First Swordsman

            "Are you sure about this?" Anton asked, dressed in his normal gear, leaving the black armour set—Ryat lent him.

        Wrik nodded, and the two of them moved in the darkness. He had not slept yesterday. The patching on the item took a couple of hours, though he did not know for sure it would work, but he was not worried about it. It could be useful in creating a diversion. He wore the same white armour set though it was colour in black and red.

        He did not paint it with some other colours but used his light element as a camouflage. Initially colour appeared as it was because of the light we see. He needed work for half an hour to make it look natural. On that note, Ryat had not answered how he knew about this.

        The two of them moved in the dark after bidding the others goodbye. The artificial sun would come up in two hours. Though he did not sleep, he did have a break to refresh himself. Now all they needed to do was go through the general questioning from the inquisitor before moving directly to Gala.   

        It would be a lot harder for Ryat and the other two. They could not just blend in saying they were the climbers of the floors. Their plan was to go through a hole from the ninth floor, which would lead to the abandoned area on the west of Gala. That would be a challenge as well, more from infectors and dark creatures than from the authority. Though the bald, short merchant looked quite looked quite confident, but it could just be a strong front as well. 

        "By the way, Ton, was there some beef between you and Ryat?" Wrik asked in the middle of the rush. "Why were you glaring at him so much all the time?"

        Anton did not answer at first and waited for a good minute. "I do not like his way," Anton said. "He told us we were revolutionaries, and our way was different from the rebels, but after what I have seen; I fear it's all the same. He's just smarter to use resources than the rebels."

        "What are you talking about?"

        "You have not seen how many workers lost their lives to make a diversion for us to get away," Anton said, grounding his teeth. "When I asked him why he did it do you know what he told me?"

        Wrik only looked at Anton silently. 

        "He said you have to use an iron hand sometimes. All could not be achieved without sacrifices. He even mentioned he had already compensated enough money to the families of the dead and the participants, enough that they would live normally for the next two generations. It's like he bought their life with money."

        Wrik sucked in a cold breath. "We will discuss this after we get out from here," he said, as he did not want to think about another thing with all the problems he was in.

        Anton agreed, but his face stiffened instantly.

        Abruptly, he faltered in his walk. "There is someone approaching," he said, and both of them hid behind a large stone. Anton worked on his shadow element and covered them with a layer of darkness. It blocked sight, smell and all the other senses to a good degree. They would not like to use violence as little as possible in the way, if possible.

        Two soldiers moved, carrying large torches. Their faces told they do not like doing this at this hour. They were searching for hours from place to place, interrogating people, getting yells from nobles for harassing them.

        "We are doing all this for nothing," One of the soldiers said. "I wonder why Lord Rudyard was investing so much for something stolen from his factory."

        "It's probably the work of the rebels," the other one said, motioning the overpowered torched all over. "Maybe he wants to show the power of his house after all House Rudyard had been silence since last year."

        "Whatever. All we gotta do is do our job. Noble do things on their whims and here we normal commoners suffer."

        Abruptly, the torched moved and stayed at a particular place for a second. A glint appeared, and the soldier gestured towards his partner. With an exchange of glances, both of them pointed their shotgun and the one with the torch moved towards the particular spot.

        They were approaching where Wrik and Anton were hiding under the shadow veil. The other one was at a first distance and could take a shot as well as call his superior.

        Wrik's heartbeat rose a little as he was prepared with the sword, and so was Anton. Their only bad feeling was that this would alert others.

        But what happened was entirely different from what their minds were preparing for. The soldier with the torch and shotgun moved just to the ridge adjacent to them. Though he checked with his torch, he seemed to have not found them yet.

        'We are going to make a move,' Wrik whispered. 'Move towards the other person fast and immobilise him.'

        Anton moved away like a shodow in the dark, but the soldier picked up on it and moved his torch towards that. Though Anton moved away even faster than that. Anton already go to a level where he could use shadow steps in the dark profoundly.

        The soldier was sighing in relief when he found a figure jumping at him.

        Wrik pulled his sword and with a swipe of light, he made the shotgun of the soldier into two pieces. He did not rest there, ran his leg over the lower body of the soldier to make him fall. Pointing his sword just a centimetre away from the neck of the soldier, he looked at Anton.

        Just in another similar position, Anton held the other soldier with his knife though, he already stuck a spot on the chest, ignoring a vital spot. Anton already seized the communication device from the soldier's arm.

        After inspecting all their stuff, including their uniform and other stuff. After collecting everything into the spatial pouch, Wrik and Anton stood before the two naked in the cold. They looked quite pitiful sticking with the cold earth.

        "Gentlemen, we will need you to cooperate for a little more," Anton said. "We are going to ask you a few questions, and you two will answer them like gentlemen."

        "We don't know anything," one of them yelled at that very moment. "We are just nobody. We only do what the superiors told us."

        "Then let's start with what your superior told you," Wrik added. They were still with their helmets on so that the other two could not see their faces, though it was quite dark and without the touch, they would not make anything.

        The soldiers shuddered in the cold or in fear and just when they started, both Wrik and Anton felt an uncomfortable feeling inside. The two of them exchanged glances and instantly took battle stances with the blades in arms.

        Someone was approaching, and they would not be able to avoid a direct conflict if they wanted to. The battle became the only way.

        The one that came after them was not an unfamiliar figure. It was a broad man with blue lightning in the two blades on his arms. It was the same man they had encountered and almost killed twice just the day before and yet here he was again, wearing new gear as if nothing happened. The armour was new though identical with a similar mask and a cowboy hat on top of his head.

        A frown appeared on Wrik's brows as he was wondering why this man was still alive. But that was not the question he should be wondering. A glint of light appeared in his eyes as he looked over the man to see if the man brought any reinforcement.

        "Don't worry," the man said and stood ten yards away from them. "I have not brought the others. Do you have the item with you?"

        That means he had not called Lord Rudyard yet and was acting on his own to get the greatest benefit. Though it could be just another lie as well to catch them off guard. Either way, they have to make haste.

        "I will answer your question if you tell me how you're still alive," Wrik said and grabbed the hilt hard. He used some power of the bracelet and the sword blazed in white light. Wrik whispered to Anton, 'Don't use your shadows immediately, look for a decisive chance to deal a blow.'

        The man before them already saw his Light element, but not Anton's shadow although he almost killed Anton.

        "What you put me through is only a little compared to what I experienced in the past," The man said and rushed at them with lightning speed. "Now, we shall finish where we left off. I wondered how long it would take me to finish the two of you."

        Wrik eyes narrowed, and the light blazed further.