Chapter 36: Ch76. Slight of hand - 6 (Black suits and combat boots - 2)
The leader of the trio glared at Kurt, and after a few seconds, he broke out in laughter.
"What if you don’t want to? HA! That’s rich from a kid who just recently woke up from a two-year coma. Boys, get him!"
’So he knows about it, huh...’ Kurt frowned at them as the man’s underlings charged at him with weapons raised.
It was the first time Kurt ever raised his hands against anyone or anything. Or at least that this world’s version of Kurt had ever done that, but he raised his fists and waited for the men to reach him.
Kurt didn’t have any concrete combat experience, but in the last few days, after Octavius actually acknowledged Kurt’s effort and growth, the boy got roughed up several times while trying to go all out with his dad.
So, Kurt didn’t have much concrete experience, but from what he felt from the men, they were just regulars, and now...
Kurt was an awakened.
And even if they were trained in some form of combat...
Kurt now had the chance to put his training to the test.
He waited until the two had their batons almost at the point of touching him, one aimed to his head, the other to his ribs, both man to his sides, and in the next second, Kurt stepped forward with an armed first and swung his right elbow right at one of the man’s chin, immediately throwing his left elbow towards the other man’s temple.
They both fell almost instantly to the floor, just as Octavius told him a person would, when hit to their most delicate points.
Kurt stepped back and smirked towards the last man standing, when something lit up in his mind.
"Wait... You are..." Kurt finally was able to recall who the man was.
He was the one who attempted against Rhegal’s life during president Foster’s press conference.
"Why the hell are you here? And how does the Association know about me?"
Beep
The system echoed in Kurt’s head before the Association’s terrorist answered.
[EXP ACQUIRED!]
[YOU ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO REACHING LVL 02!]
Kurt’s eyes went wide when the system gave the message, and the expression was mistaken by the man.
"So you who I am? Yet you still refuse to come with me?"
"Yes, or else?" Kurt raised his fists again. ’Okay, Kurt. Think. He clearly is powerful, but to what extent?’
Kurt tried his best to think, but sighed in frustration as he figured out that the only way he had to find that out was to test the MD agent by himself.
A vein bulged on the man’s forehead as he glared at Kurt.
"You have some skills to be able to take my men down, but I’ll show you how different the levels between a regular and a wielder are."
Kurt’s senses blared, alerting the imminent danger, but the man appeared in front of him before Kurt could think of anything.
’Shit!’ Kurt prepared for the impact.
But there was nothing but a slight gust of air.
Kurt widened his eyes and looked around.
He was alone, only the two men he took down were there.
There was no sign of the MD agent.
"What the..." Then the impact came.
A blow straight to Kurt’s ribs that made him see stars, but fortunately, it wasn’t enough for him to pass out, so he kept his bearings, thinking and focusing.
And the more he focused, the more he remembered of one particular skill that Kurt had used in his world.
A skill that made Kurt feel very familiar with what was happening right then.
"A stealth ability..." Kurt knew he wasn’t even a match against the agent, but it was worth a try. "I didn’t know that agents from the monitoring division had stealth abilities. Are you an assassin or something?"
His talk was all word of mouth, because he was actually trying to focus his senses to his surroundings, and the agent didn’t say a thing, too. So his only choice was to keep buying time until an idea hit.
Kurt felt a blow to his leg, which made him fall to his knees, but he bore the almost unbearable pain, but he got up and kept focusing.
’Come on, Kurt. You can at least scare him if you’re able to touch him. Just once...’
His skin crawled ever so slightly, just as when he sensed the bodyguard about to walk between him and the burgundy suit man, and he stepped backwards, towards the staircase.
His eyes went wide as the memory lit up in his head like fireworks, and the idea finally hit him.
’The baton!’
He didn’t have a chance against that wielder, but if he at least had a weapon, he might at least be able to scare him away.
It was worth the shot.
Kurt turned around and leapt up the staircase, two steps at a time, sometimes even three, when he felt his skin crawl again.
He stopped and leaned slightly backwards by instinct, feeling the alarms blare inside his head, his instincts telling him to run like nothing.
He felt the blade cutting through the air where his arms were supposed to be, and shock filled him.
’He’s strong, but... He’s not trying to kill me?’ "Why aren’t you trying to kill me?"
One more step, and every movement ceased.
Even the air seemed to become still.
"How deep in that alien filth are your father?" Kurt finally heard the agent’s voice.
Kurt’s brain worked fast as lightning after the agent asked the question.
"You’re a wielder, and you’re afraid the Ishir aren’t here to help?"
"You catch on quick, kit. I have to give you that, but why? Why does he trust them, and what did he do to the president to make him trust that otherworldly scum so fast?"
Kurt tried to sense where the voice was coming from, but it seemed like the agent was so fast that his voice was coming from everywhere all at once, almost without delay.
"Master Blake?" The butler’s voice sounded from the hall. "Is everything okay? I heard some noise."
"Damn it!" The agent’s voice sounded again in a hush, dangerously close to Kurt’s ear. His senses didn’t catch on it this time. "This isn’t the last time you’re going to hear from me, kid. And next time, there won’t be anyone around to save you by the gong..."
And just in a few seconds, both the fallen men and the agent weren’t there anymore.
Everything was deadly quiet, and James appeared from a corridor, looking at a panting Kurt.
"Is everything okay, master Blake?" The butler asked again.
Only then Kurt noticed how wet he was.
His clothes were drenched in sweat, and his hands trembled.
’Saved by the gong, huh? That’s how death feels like, then...?’ "It’s okay, James. Thank you for asking, though. I just came back from a specially hard running session."
Since the unconscious men weren’t there to prove anything, Kurt didn’t find it necessary to tell the butler about what happened. Even more, because of what the agent told him before leaving.
Kurt got up and went up the staircase, towards his room.
’This isn’t the last time you heard from me, kid.’
He remembered the other Kurt’s memories of his skills, and a particular one made him smirk.
’Yeah... I hope it isn’t the last time I hear from you, dude... But for now, let’s just put your name on my black list.’
He pulled out a U-Wallet from his pocket, that he picked from the agent when his arms almost got sliced by the attack.
He observed the transparent fiber rectangle and shook it twice, raising a brow.
"I thought that association agents had their profile data in holowatches, not U-Wallets... That’s for regulars’ use only..."
But when the information on the agent appeared on the device, along with the man’s picture, his eyes went wide.
<NAME: ADRIAN COLLINS>
<SAN: 875.352.00009.2315.0>
<CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY>
"What the hell...?!"
