782 Strategic Meeting (1)
"Quakestrike, can you hear me?" Those words came from Erik's helmets built-in radio device.
"Yes, sir."
"Where the hell are you?" Momentum said. It was clear he was enraged since Quakestrike left his position.
"Sorry, sir. I got words of people spotting the target nearby and went investigating."
"Are you out of your mind?! I told you not to act alone! That guy is extremely dangerous! You were in that room with the rest of us, yet you still think you can fight him alone?"
"It won't happen again, sir," Erik said, faking any hint of remorse. Yet, beneath his facade, he remained indifferent to the reprimand. He wasn't the real Quakestrike, after all.
Momentum let out a weary sigh, his frustration palpable even through the device. It was clear Quakestrike wasn't new to this kind of behavior.
"Nevermind, come back to the Villa. We are going to have a strategic meeting with those bastards from Etrium's mercenary guild. Don't be late."
"I'll be there soon, sir."
Things were turning well for Erik. There were many things he wanted to get by spying on the Blackguards, among which where was their base located, and what were their plans.
If he stole the identity of some high-profile person, he could send his clones to thwart whatever operation they were undergoing. Plus, he needed to find out who uncle Benjamin really was.
Erik didn't need to contact his clones. He already told them where and when to meet, so there weren't problems.
They could take care of themselves, and escaping from the city in a group would not be a tremendous problem for them.
For that reason, Erik ran back to the Villa where he killed Max.
Based on what the man on the phone just said, he was going to get some valuable intel soon.
Erik didn't wait and immediately started running through the streets, headed toward the villa.
As he did so, his presence did not go unnoticed.
Citizens paused in, their expressions morphing into ones of confusion and surprise.
They gazed at the figure of the Blackguard, an emblem of authority and power, moving with uncharacteristic haste and urgency among the city streets like a common citizen.
Since a flying Thaid had been spotted inside the city, it wasn't so weird for a Blackguard to be spotted inside the city. However, that wasn't a common sight either.
Whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowds. People pointed and speculated, their eyes following his every move.
It was an unusual sight for many reasons. One was that Blackguards were known for their composed and imposing demeanor, not for dashing through the city like a fugitive.
It didn't take much for Erik to arrive at the location. The damage from the previous battle became clear as he got there.
The once-imposing structure now bore scars of conflict, its walls and rooftops punctuated with signs of struggle.
Erik also noticed additional guards who patrolled the grounds with heightened vigilance.
He entered from the main door. The guards didn't even check his identity. They just saw his attire, and for them that was enough to let the man pass.
Erik moved with confidence, his steps echoing the authority and power of a blackguard. He tried to be as similar to Quakestrike as possible, trying to copy his arrogant demeanor.
"Morning, sir." A guard tried to make an impression on him, but Erik didn't even look at him.
On the front porch, there was a woman waiting. She too had the same attire Erik was sporting, but it had the distinct features of the Blackguards' female uniform.
She was masked, as Erik was, and he didn't really know who the girl was.
"Early bird, huh? That's a new one for you," the woman said. Erik pictured her sporting a mocking grin. The man didn't really know how Quakestrike usually talked to her.
However, from what he observed, Quakestrike was quite the jerk. So he followed suit as best he could, trying to make the best impression he could came up with.
"Shut the fuck up, bitch."
"Polite as always," the woman said.
Despite the harsh words, she had the same tone as earlier. It was clear she was used to Quakestrike antics.
Then they rushed inside. "Momentum is mad at you. He said you went searching for Romano alone."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Prick."
They entered another room of the Villa, a part of the building that hadn't been destroyed by the scuffle.
There, there were all the surviving Blackguards. He recognized them for the insignia on their chest. The woman who greeted him earlier had one showing the name 'Stickyfingers'
Among them were Momentum, Dreadnought, and many others he fought against but didn't kill.
But the ones without insignia remained a mystery. Then, his eyes lingered on the left.
There were many people he assumed were from the mercenary guild, but among them was Lyria Bannon.
The same woman who gave him quests related to the Blackguards, and who tasked him to find Catrina and Doran.
Seeing her there didn't surprise him, but he had to suppress himself from strangling the woman.
As soon as he stepped inside, Momentum stepped forward. "How many times did I tell you not to act alone, Quakestrike?"
On the communication device, Erik, unsure on how to reply, tried to be courteous with Momentum, but judging by Stickyfingers' reaction to him, it was clear the guy didn't care about this man that much.
It was also clear, based on the man's behavior, that he was the group's leader.
"No replies, uh? Well, let's see if you will talk when I report to our superiors."
"Do as you wish."
"Gentlemen, we are not here to fight among ourselves. We are here to share news about the target, Erik Romano." One of the Blackguards, without an insignia, said.
"Is there any news about him?" Phantom asked Lyria.
"None. However, Momentum said Quakestrike got some lead and went to investigate. Did you find anything, perhaps?" She turned to look at Erik.
"None. If he had been there, he had already left when I arrived. The prick…"
"So, what do we do?" Dreadnought asked.
"For sure we will keep patrolling the area," Momentum said. "But I bet he already left the city."
"Was there any news from the exit gate?"
"None," Lyria said. "Judging from how he entered the city the first time, he should have made quite a stir if he tried, so I guess he is still in Caelora city."
"Don't be so sure about that. Did you forget he was able to find intel about Max easily?"
"Yes. Assuming that was made us able to ambush him here. But it's not that ability that worries me. For all we know, he may simply be or work with a skilled hacker. The problem is that he has shown multiple brain crystal power, just as we thought."
"Do we have something we can use against him?" an unnamed Blackguard turned to look at Lyria.
"All the members of his family died, and even his friends back in Frant are nowhere to be found. It looks like he has someone smart on his side that took care of the matter while we were searching for him."
It was then that Lyria turned to look at the same man. Based on his demeanor, he was the leader of the whole investigation team, likely over Momentum and any other person present.
He nodded, and Lyria understood what she had to do. With a wave of her hand, she gestured everyone else to leave the room. The man wanted to remain alone with the group. Quickly, only the Blackguards were inside the room.
"Can we use another family member as a hostage? A friend or lover, perhaps?" Phantom asked.
"As Lyria said, everyone disappeared. Besides, he has no other relatives aside from his father, who is being kept a prisoner in Frant by the Crystal Cross Gang and Volkov under our orders."
<WHAT?! > Erik almost shouted in a rage. Erik understood that was the reason he didn't return when he left the biological supercomputer to him.
"Should we let him know to bait him?"
"No," the man said. "Lucius Romano knows many things, and he is the only one who can bring us to 'that' place."
<Place? What place? >
"So? What do we do?" Momentum asked.
"There is not much we can do. However, I will tell the higher ups to send more squads to Frant and Etrium. We are bound to find something sooner or later. For now, let's focus on searching for him here in the city. As someone said already, I am of the same idea he is still here."
"Should I tell Lyria to increase the number of patrols?" Momentum asked.
"Yes, but it won't be easy to find him. We already know he can steal others' brain crystal powers. Based on how he took away Max's corpse, it is clear he can now also shapeshift. This also confirms he was the one behind the mass shapeshifters' death. This means not only he can turn into another person thanks to Max's powers, but also into animals."
"We need to reinforce security, then. If he can change his appearance, he may even be here, right now."
"Indeed. I will talk to the higher ups about this. We are all compromised here, so we should refrain from going back to Hin. If he infiltrates our base, we will be in huge trouble. From what I've read about him, he is a very vindictive person."
However, they didn't know Erik could also read their minds, and he got some info about the Blackguards' base in Hin.
Unfortunately, there was none inside this group of people who knew where the place was. Not the members of the team, and not even the leader of this operation.
May privilege price will lower.
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