LIGHTNOVELONLINE 147 – Unlucky
“Unlucky,” he said, craning his armored neck towards the duo. His empty, composite eyes shifted, focusing on Seer. “Someone wanted an eye on you, skinbag. Didn’t want you doing something stupid. And you…”
“...Unlucky. Too close. Nice suit. Look-away field. Looks expensive.”
His manner of speech was different, that much Krahe made clear when Casus recounted this part, but it wasn’t just that. Everything about his demeanor had changed. There was no more uncontrolled, bubbling anger, he didn’t spout slurs and diatribes willy-nilly. The posturing of a big bully had been replaced by cold professionalism.
“Feel free to remind me when trying to buy a new slot machine for my gambling-house became something stupid to do,” Seer retorted, masterfully hiding the fear in his voice with irritation, leveling the flyman with the unflinching, stone-faced glare of his visor.
Tsetse shrugged: “It never did. I will come along. See for myself. Maybe I was wrong. I doubt it.”
"Fine, go on," Seer gestured.
With a tinge of smugness, Tsetse refused: "No, I walk behind."
"Very well," Casus said, walking ahead. He tapped Seer on the back to signal him to move, and as they approached, Tsetse tensed in place, obviously expecting an attack. Casus, however, just walked on by. Once they had passed, he leaned over to Seer and said just loudly enough to be overheard: "I do not expect that even seeing the slot machine in person will suffice to satisfy our insectile friend."
The true purpose was to get his hand on his helmet, twisting the dial on its side once. A quasi-liquid, shadow-like substance began spilling out of his respirator, so dark that it appeared like a hole in the world. A waterfall of the same followed from under his coat, racing across the pavement. Despite Tsetse's blindingly-fast reactions given his size, the moment he came into the substance's vicinity he was enveloped in a whirlpool of cosmic blackness. It quickly coalesced into sticky threads and restrained the evoy, covering his eyes and mouth as well as binding his arms to his body. As this took place, dragging Seer along, Casus quickly made his escape. The reason he used the low-output coupler charge was that the full-power version was designed for the wearer’s escape; it would tremendously enhance his mobility and stealth, but Seer would be left behind.
Tsetse unfortunately turned out to possess far greater capabilities than previously expected. He not only broke free of the Black Magnum's restraints quite quickly, but also caught up with the duo only one street over. His arrival was heralded by deep, thunderously-loud buzzing, and he flew overtop the apartment buildings with a strange grace that belied his experience with mitigating his own non-aerodynamic build. Casus didn't recall seeing anything on Tsetse's back to suggest that he had wings; he thus concluded they had to be constructs. This was supported further by the fact his wings were covered in hemolymph and began rotting away the moment he handed, sending up a spray dust and pebbles as his armored feet broke several cobblestones.
While the slight tremor threw Seer off his feet, Casus regained his bearings and faced Tsetse properly this time. Taking into account Tsetse's intense killing intent, his previously-observed speed, his build, and the fact he had freed himself so quickly, Casus arrived at the conclusion that if he tried to win this using the Black Magnum would just be pointlessly endangering both himself and Seer.
“That strong? He didn’t feel that way when I met him,” Krahe remarked.
“You fought him?”
“No, but I can feel it if someone is a real threat.”
“A killer recognizes a killer, I suppose. Perhaps you didn’t sense any killing intent when you met him because he had none towards you when you met.”
“Guess so. The moment he saw me, he went on a tirade about how all non-evoy were animals and how the Vedesian Swarm would inevitably rule the world.”
“Fairly typical Vedesian talking points. I must admit I am curious how you avoided escalating into a fight.”
Krahe went on to briefly summarize her encounter with Tsetse and his two lackeys, including a few choice highlights from the deluge of insults, slurs and threats she had leveled against him. It left Casus with a ghastly expression, and, after a sip of coffee to recenter himself, the Banisher said: “Well, I suppose I have no right to be surprised by your continued use of shock and intimidation tactics. Right, where was I...”
"Unlucky," rumbled the insectile giant of a man. Chunks of chitin, flesh, and wing membrane sloughed off his back. A pair of pale-red bolts shot past Casus before he could do anything; one struck Tsetse dead-on, while the other missed, both detonating in a burst of light and dust. They felt like Red Reapers, only much faster and weaker. Casus, not one to waste an opportunity given to him, hopped back and pulled the Black Magnum Coupler off of his face, throwing it to Seer.
"Don't even think of stealing it," he warned, smacking his fist against the Silberblut Coupler's eye.
His body was enveloped in a burst of gold-and-silver flame, the undersuit forming just as both Seer and Tsetse recognized him. Nearly simultaneously, both of them said: "Silberblut?!"
Tsetse knew better than to attack him mid-transformation; many modern low-mid grade couplers lacked the iconic Transformation Burst feature, but Tsetse, it seemed, either knew what it was or just had the good judgment to stay away from a man enveloped in golden fire. As his armor's numerous plates clicked into place and his arm-blade emerged, the Silberblut Coupler's stern voice echoed through the street: “BLIND JUSTICE, THE LAWMAKER!”
