748 Erik's threats
Erik stood surrounded by thirty-one clones. An eerie silence filled the space in Terrence's apartment, only interrupted by the occasional shuffle of feet or the soft, rhythmic hum of the city outside.
"Drink this," Erik said, his voice echoing in the quiet room.
He held out several bottles filled with a dark, viscous liquid - human blood. His fingers clasped around the glass containers.
"This will allow you to turn into humans."
He handed over the bottles and observed as the clones reached out.
One by one, they uncapped the containers, filling the air with the metallic scent of blood.
Then they raised the bottles to their lips and drank. The dark, viscous liquid disappeared down their throats.
Their expressions remained impassive. They had Erik's same memories and knew what to expect from the blood.
Erik's lips curled into a smile. The clones were going to be a tremendous help to his plans.
The clones already knew the gist of the situation based on what June had told them in the past month. But Erik felt the need to tell them about the recent developments.
"Our target has gone dark." Erik's brows furrowed in frustration, a slight crease forming between them. He began pacing the room with measured steps, the heels of his boots echoing against the floor.
"I expected the target would notice the commotion inside the city. It wasn't hard, though. Someone was going left and right killing shapeshifters, after all."
His gaze hardened, reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
"Being an important figure here, it wasn't hard for him to disappear. Your task is to search for him. Use your abilities wisely. Blend in with the humans, infiltrate their circles, and gather information. Turn into animals and go to places where access is restricted or prohibited. Do whatever you can to accomplish this task."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. The clones watched him silently, their faces stoic and unyielding.
"We need to find Max Hartley."
"Sorry for asking this, Master, but why can't you use the biological supercomputer to find him?" he asked.
He remembered how Erik had done it several times in the past thanks to the memories he got from him. Locating targets thanks to the biological supercomputer wasn't a hard endeavor.
Erik paused, his eyes turning to meet Alexander's gaze. A flicker of annoyance passed over his face, but not because of the question but for the situation itself.
"They figured out I'm able to do something like that, more or less, and are keeping the man away from any technological device, or at least are refraining from sharing digital information about him."
It didn't take long for the guild to understand that the dead shapeshifters were people who had been previously investigated. Since the targets were people, the guild already had their eyes on.
It was natural to assume someone stole that information and used it to find the best targets. They weren't certain it was Erik, but it was a possibility.
The killings coincided with Erik's arrival in the city. Although there was no evidence confirming its truth, it was clear he was the one responsible.
Erik explained that to the clones, who nodded in understanding. If that was the situation, it was clear their creator needed more men to find his target.
The biological supercomputer could do nothing much about it.
Not having the chance to rely on the biological supercomputer was a problem. It was weird, to be honest. The once reliable network of information was now a barren wasteland, devoid of any useful data. However, we couldn't do anything about it.
Strangely enough, Erik's face changed. His lips curled into a smile, as if that wasn't a problem at all.
"However, if that was a setback for me from one point of view, it was also a blessing from another."
He knew humans all too well - their habits, their tendencies, their flaws. They often talked too much, blind to the consequences of their words.
"You only need to figure out where the man is. That will not be easy, but there are several ways to find out." Erik was talking as if he knew with certainty that was possible, and it was true.
After all, there was a reason he made the killings obvious.
His plan was to provoke turmoil, sparking conversations about the murders and making the targets easily identifiable, thus turning the citizens into unwitting informants.
Some people might have considered killing Max earlier, but the issue was that an unknown person would have drawn less attention.
He had to draw the Blackguards here and get a straightforward response to a critical question. Did they actually have a hand in all of this, or not?
His gaze never wavered from his clones, challenging them to rise to the task.
"After you found him, me and June will take care of him." Erik's eyes hardened and his resolve fueled.
However, the clones had many questions. One of them, Alexander, turned to Erik. He furrowed his brows and locked his gaze on Erik.
04:38
"What do we need to do, exactly?"
Erik already know the answer to that question. The plan had been brewing within his mind for some time now.
"We need to infiltrate the mercenary guild. But keep in mind, mercenaries are not likely to talk about the situation inside the guild."
Erik looked at the clones with intensity.
"The best chance to get some information is elsewhere. Bars, restaurants, shops. These are the likely places where people will lower their guards and talk about the target."
The mercenary guild headquarters within the city was their most obvious starting point.
Since mercenaries would likely take care of security themselves, it was likely that they would discover valuable information there.
Yet Erik understood it was insufficient. His team had to be present elsewhere, attentive to all conversations, and diligent in gathering every clue.
June voiced his concern politely. "Master," he began, his tone respectful yet questioning, "it seems unlikely that they would openly discuss such matters. Why would they? It's not like the average person would care about this man."
"I already made my move about that," he said. The corners of his lips curling up into a confident smirk. A spark of anticipation flickered in his brown eyes.
"Did you think this morning I got out early without a reason?"
Then the clones broke into the same grin their master was showing.
***
"Wha... what the hell?" Max's voice trailed off, a note of disbelief lacing his words as the morning news broadcast on the flat-screen TV abruptly shifted.
His eyes widened in shock as the screen flickered before settling on a video that had no business being on a morning news segment.
His posture stiffened, a clear sign of his surprise and growing concern. His coffee sat forgotten on the low table in front of him, the aroma wafting up and mixing with the tense air.
Max's eyes narrowed as the Crystal Cross Gang's logo filled the screen.
He recognized it instantly, a symbol he'd become all too familiar with in recent years.
His superiors had entangled him with this notorious group, forcing him to work alongside them. He didn't understand why, and frankly, he didn't care to.
He had seen the logo many times, with it stamped on documents he'd been compelled to sign.
He often found the sign on vehicles his superiors ordered to ignore, and he noticed it tattooed on the bodies of men he'd been told to protect.
It was a symbol that represented the unsavory tasks he was now regularly involved with.
Despite his personal feelings towards the group and their questionable activities, Max was a professional.
He understood orders were orders, even if they meant covering up for the nasty stuff these guys did.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but his duty was to follow orders, not question them.
So, he did what he had to, swallowing his objections and burying his doubts deep inside.
A muffled voice spoke from the TV, its tone provocative and chilling.
The voice targeted Max. Taunts and threats filled the room, echoing off the walls and sending a wave of tension through everyone present.
"It's useless to hide from us, Max." The voice's tone saturated with malicious delight. "We will find you."
Max sat frozen in place, his eyes usually so calm and collected, now wide with an emotion that resembled fear.
He locked his gaze onto the screen, a mix of shock and disbelief etched across his face.
His skin had lost its usual warm hue, replaced by a pallor that made the lines on his forehead stand out.
His jaw clenched tight, muscles twitching in his cheek.
He was rigid, muscles poised for action. His fingers clenched into white-knuckled fists. Each breath he took echoed in the deafening silence.
Everyone turned their anxious eyes towards Max. They watched him closely, their reactions mirroring his shock and fear.
Inside the man's mind, thoughts were racing. He felt an icy dread seeping into his bones, a sense of impending danger that he couldn't shake off. That because he knew what the Crystal Cross Gang was able to do. These were people not to trifle with.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Max, despite the fear, was no stranger to threats, but this one felt different - it was personal, it was direct, and it was terrifyingly real.
He felt his fear change into anger, simmering within him, accompanied by a sense of helplessness that he wasn't used to.
But there was also determination. He wouldn't let this threat intimidate him.
Forged by flames is out.
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