“…So, Pierre has something to do with the missing persons?”

“Based from the small intel we got, we believe so.”

Fein reclined from his seat and thought for a bit…

“That person behind the phone bugs me. If Pierre is a Vassal, and has the power to raise the dead, someone is his outside collaborator, which we have unknown information so far.”

“Don’t forget the outskirts village, captain.” Gris remarked. “Sightings were also found there by a trader, remember?”

“Right… I can say that place might be where he stores bodies… Shit. It’s all messed up.”

“What’s in it for those villagers, then? Money?” asked Gen.

“Probably. He’s a noble, and that’s a fact. He might be bribing those people to hide them…” Wiz speculated.

Mido also posed a question. “Then, how would Pierre go from here to there, just to transport the bodies?”

“He could backdoor some people into letting him pass. He’s a noble, after all. Privileges come with his title.” Fein answered. “And if the ‘case’ was concluded days ago, those bodies were already transported.”

“Wouldn’t the bodies start to rot though?” Enna asked, which actually made sense.

“If the ability was meant to raise the dead, the Vassal would probably choose to maintain the body for as long as possible.” She added.

“That guy must’ve used some preservation substance or something…”

“Should we initiate a discreet search around his building?” Sora suggested. “We shouldn’t be rash, however, so not everyone must go there.”

“Agreed… Although Pierre might have some countermeasures, so we must be wary.” Said Fein. “Now… as to who will sneak in… I’ll lead the team. My ability works best on indoor situations like this.”

“Alright. I’ll hold the front then.” Gris volunteered to stay and guard their vehicle.

“Mido, Gen, Sora. You’re with me.” The three nodded and the latter two immediately armed themselves.

“Mido. Take this.” Gen handed a short sword to Mido. It had a more ergonomic and modern look, and had a sharp edge on one side that could easily slice flesh from the looks of it.

“Are we killing someone?”

“Just a precaution. If anything goes bad, we won’t have a choice.”

Fein gathered everyone on the table as the sun is starting to set.

“Gris. We’ll contact you if things go haywire. Until then, be ready to leave.”

“You got it!”

“Everyone, be careful. We’ll do this as smooth as we can, and everything will pull through after.”

D-7 waited for a little while until it’s the dead of night. The streets were silent, with lamp posts serving as the only lighting on the main road. The people were all inside their houses, minding their own businesses. Fein and the others already snuck through a few blocks, nearing Pierre’s home.

“Gen. What do you think is this man’s motive?” Sora whispered as they crouched behind wooden crates at an alley.

“Beats me. But that guy has a dash of sadism in him… I won’t have to guess much.”

As the group were sneaking, they realized something: the guards were almost not on night watch. Usually, a poorly-defended small city like this is a sitting duck for attacks in the middle of the plains, but it seemed like nobody cares. So far, there were only about six guards patrolling, and the four had already passed through far from the Beaver.

Suddenly, they were met by a brick wall. It stood tall among the rest, and Fein realized it was the same wall as Pierre’s.

“This must be the side. Use the ropes.” They tossed grappling ropes from the ground to the wall’s topmost. All hooks connected, fortunately. They soon rappelled upwards slowly and silently.

Halfway, Mido suddenly tripped himself.

“Bastard! Keep yourself together, Mido!”

“Sorry!”

Since Mido was never trained to rappel, let alone do basic espionage, there’s no excuse that he is a newbie at this. However, his fast-learning trait carries even to his physical self, so he was up on the double on picking up his slight mistake.

The topside was surprisingly undefended; not even barbed wire was put on it. They easily rappelled downwards on the other side of the wall, and landed silently, using the grass as cushion. When they scanned the surroundings, nothing was lit. Even a single window that has any trace of light was not found on the house.

The vicinity presented to them bleakly as if it was abandoned.

Theian Precipice.

“I’m using thermal… What the hell?”

“What is it?” Gen whispered.

“No one’s in here… There’s no heat signature, even from a light source or something. But I sense movement inside. I’m sure of it… What’s more, it’s cold…”

“When I thought no people means easier break-in… Now someone might be blending inside?”

“Captain. It might be the ability.” Mido suggested.

“Using his ability to guard his home… That guy...” Fein snuck into the front porch and tried to feel for something.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding a metallic surface, I can latch onto. Shit!” Fein cursed as he grabbed for every crevice.

“Ooh, it’s cold…” Finally, he felt a side of the foundation that had a metallic bar.

“Grantor, through surge of energy, manifest. Steel, I muster. Through jolts of energy, expand my senses.”

Transistor.

A crackle of electricity emerged from Fein’s right hand and flowed through the bar. When he closed his eyes, he saw a juxtaposed rendition of the house’s walls. His ability, Transistor, allows Fein to charge metallic objects, and with mastery, enables the surfaces to be extensions of his senses.

“I hear… faint steps. Be wary.” The other three positioned themselves just below the windows, beside the door.

“Any idea how many are there?” Sora asked.

“Not yet… Granted, using my ability to sense is unrefined…”

“Let’s quietly bust in then.” Gen suggested.

“Wait.” Fein held a hand, eyes still closed.

“There are two—no, maybe three faint steps. I can’t say for sure.” He stopped his ability, while regaining his composure.

“Got it.” Gen immediately whispered an incantation.

“Grantor, manifest thy shield, and let no song pass through.”

Stalwart Resolve: Sound Barrier.

A translucent bubble engulfed much on the front porch’s vicinity. It muffled their sounds but had the slight disadvantage of their steps rebounding back inside the house, increasing their chances of getting caught by whoever was inside.

Sora managed to quietly break the window glass using a handheld device that he stuck unto it’s surface. The glass silently dislodged itself from the window’s corners and was easily set aside by Sora. Leaping unto the opening, however…

“Shit! Guys—” Sora yelled as hands slipped from the railing. He was swiftly tackled and dragged into the dark bowels of the house. The three had no time to pull him, as they were all crouching. Fein quickly stood up and saw no one. Not even Sora. Only the dark, cold interior of Pierre’s house.

“Something’s wrong…” Mido commented, trying not to shiver from the cold air wafting from the window.

“You think? Sora just got dragged inside!” Gen snapped.

“Gen. Think straight, and asses the situation.” Fein looked at him and urged him to calm down. “We’re not through with this yet, even if our cover is blown.”

“Right. My apologies, Fein.”

“Now, Mido. Can you light a fire in the middle of that room?” Fein pointed to the window. It was the same area Pierre and the team talked in. Mido immediately used his ability, Firis, to conjure up a small orb of fire the size of his fist and levitated it unto the middle of the room. Sure enough, no one was there, but the sound of footsteps and struggle permeated the top floor.

“Sora! Fein, let’s go!”

“I’ll keep the fire in here!” Mido said as they leapt one by one into the room. As they landed to the floor, the immediately sensed the cold surface in their hands and knees. Mido placed the fire in between them to warm up their bodies a bit more.

“What the hell is this… The cold… It seeps through our coats!” Gen groaned as he shook his arms to warm them up.

“We need to be quick, else we’ll be frozen meat.” Fein commented as he saw a series of footsteps amidst the almost-iced up floorboards. With a crackle of electricity, he surged past the two and into a flight of stairs, leaving behind an aqua trail of light. The two followed him, with the fire trailing behind. As they were ascending, they heard a loud pulse, much like a hydraulic piston, and saw a mass of blur whizz past into their view and to the wall, followed by a loud thud. An orange glow retracted from it soon after, and back to the left side of the wall, away from Gen and Mido’s vision.

“Argh! Be careful! It’s a Vassal!”

It was Fein. He groaned from the blow to his chest, but luckily, his uniform absorbed most of the shock. Gen immediately threw his ability, an aqua-colored phantom shield, to Fein’s position, giving them enough time to regroup in front of him. In the upper hallway, they faced a hooded, ragged man. He had a build much like Gen’s. Bandages and cloth were wrapped to his limbs, and his clothes were composed of scraps of fur. He hid his face with a cloth mask. Judging from his appearance alone, this man was trying to combat the misplaced cold atmosphere inside the room.

“I knew you’d come, Vassals. Now, forget all of this!” He motioned his whole body into a stance, as if to punch something with his left hand.

“Gen, can you shield us?” Mido asked, tending to Fein who was leaning on the wall, recovering from the concussion. Gen immediately expanded the shield, protecting most of their side of the hallway.

“Grantor, focus my intent, and push through with unrelenting force…” In response, a bright orange light glowed from the man’s left hand, illuminating the hallway just enough that rivaled Mido’s floating torch.

The Ring.

It seemed as though he punched the air, but a vibrating sound, the likes of a piston being cocked, reverbed on the small space and followed the glowing ring that propelled itself from his hand into the group. Gen braced as the force clashed with his shield. The ring seemed to spin, trying to vibrate and tear the tonal fabric of Gen’s shield, as sparks of energy erupted like a volcano from the point of intersection, floating into the cold air around them erratically before dissipating.

“Argh! If you think you can break this…” Mustering enough strength, Gen managed to counter the sheer force of his enemy’s ability and pushed the object back to him. This startled the man and gave Mido ample time to cast his fireball into the man’s body. It did not burn him, but the resulting smoke incapacitated both side’s sight.

“Take this!” Gen rushed past the smoke and charged the man with his shield, sending him flying away to a door. Amidst the smoke, they heard yells for help.

“Sora. Where could he be?” Gen coughed as he helped Fein get up. Their vision still blocked, they used the walls as navigation. As they carefully felt the cold wall, they heard a buzzing sound, akin to something being pressurized.

“There it is again…” Fein cursed as he saw an orange glow growing beneath the thick smoke.

“Go prone!” Just as they fell their bodies to the ground, the ability whizzed past above their heads. They expected it to bust the wall behind them, but it did not. Instead, the ring slowly bounced back from it’s presumed point of origin, accelerating as it goes.

“Quickly. The smoke is clearing. Rush through!” Fein engulfed himself in electricity and in the blink of an eye, stood up and took the perimeter, seemingly teleporting himself to it. As the smoke cleared, he faced the hooded man yet again, standing beside a closed door. Fein immediately engaged, using his speed to catch the man off-guard.

“Damn it!” He cursed and punched the air in front of him. The glowing ring expanded to half his height. The force was as quick as the captain’s movement. Fein gasped as his plan backfired and he was hit a second time. He felt like a strong wind pushed him back, but the pain was little than the small, but powerful shot.

‘…So, his ability gets stronger the more concentrated that ring is. From the looks of it, however, his windup time varies: shorter range means faster and bigger radius, but weak, and farther is slower, but hits like a truck.’

“You!” Fein called out as he got up. Gen and Mido were behind him, anticipating for any attack.

“Are you Pierre’s subordinates?!”

That statement seemed to piss him off.

“Very clever, but you can’t faze me!” The speed of the ring became faster, and its trajectory became more aggressive. All the while, Fein tried to dodge, but his body soon became fatigued, both from his ability and the cold around him.

Luckily, Gen managed to pull off his ability, shielding Fein yet again from the ricocheting ring and forcing it back to the man’s hand. Amidst the ruckus, Mido saw the glow of the ring enveloped into the man’s left ring finger, dissipating before being replaced by a normal one.

‘It might be a stretch, but all we need to do is to incapacitate his left arm… By any means necessary.’

“That ability… It’s annoying.” The man remarked, panting. His breathing turned into cold vapor due to the freezing temperature. However, he seemed more exhausted than Fein, who managed to dodge almost all of his attacks.

“The same goes to you.” Gen responded, still holding up his shield.

‘Tch. We’re in close-quarters; this man’s ability will eventually hit us. It’s only a matter of time until I exhaust myself…’

“Gen. Can you charge right through him?” Mido tapped his shoulder.

“You seem to be on to something, Mido. But what about Fein…”

“I can still stand. However, I can only do so much. I’m nearing my limit.”

“As long as you don’t faint.” Gen, concentrating, reinforced his shield; the tones in the space around him weaved together to his hand, and spread around his ability.

“I’ll follow behind you.” Mido hid beneath Gen’s shadow as he rushed the man.

“Why, you…!” Punching the air yet again, he sent a powerful force using the ring. His ability and Gen’s clashed yet again. The shield struggled as it vibrated due to the relentless impact of the ring, but Gen pushed through. All the while, Mido tried to focus…

‘I hope this works. You might not be there, that voice in my head, but I’ll try to push through on my own!’

He began to call out an incantation.

And so, the flames danced

Rattling the bones of men

Fire clung, reaped, and death.

Suddenly, as they were rushing the man, who’s still trying to repel them with his ability, Gen’s shield began to ‘freeze.’

“Shit! What the hell?!” it slowly cracked as Gen felt the air get chillier and condensed. This, combined with the ring’s force, supercooled the air in a way that affected even Gen’s ability.

“Mido! Whatever it is, do it now! I can’t hold on!”

Without a word, Mido broke away from Gen on the side. And, using his ability, he leapt to the side, shunting himself to an angle that would propel him directly to the man’s left arm, which was reaching out, begging to be hit.

His foot grinded against the air as sparks flew outwards, like iron grinding against iron. It was all too fast. The man has not caught up to his senses yet when he saw Mido barreling towards him.

“S-Shit--!”

Firis: Immolate!

Mido grabbed the man’s arm and it immediately combusted. The cold mitigated most of the heat, but the man experienced pain nonetheless.

“Argh! Fuck! Get off me!” He frantically reached out to Mido, who’s still holding his arm, and now managed to wrap it behind the man. The ring came back to his burning arm, and deactivated.

“Your ability… You use it through punching. Now that your arm is burning, however…” Mido said while behind the man, restraining his arm through a combination of fire and sheer strength. Gen grabbed him by the cloth and pulled him back a few meters away, releasing Mido from the chilling cold directly behind him, which originated from the door.

“You can just all die, you know? Stop meddling with our city—Ahh! It burns!”

“Give us our colleague and we’ll release you.” Gen pointed his sword unto the man’s throat.

Mido’s flame doubled in intensity; it’s a miracle that the man’s arm has not been scorched and fallen off yet. In retrospect, however, Mido himself learned to hone his flame in such a way that it would not cause unnecessary harm. It’s still imperfect, however, as the cloth, catching on fire, was starting to reduce itself to cinders.

The door opened. Gen braced for whoever emerged from the room behind it. What greeted him, however, was the sound of someone yelling, and two silhouettes of people. One was restrained by the other.

“Peram! NO!” As the figure emerged, it was a woman. Her stature was short, her height not taller than Wizbette’s. Her hair glistened beige amidst the dark, and her dark eyes revealed both fear and fury. She wore the same tattered clothes as the man Mido restrained, but she seemed to not bother the cold.

“Hey! Why did you call out--?!” Peram, the man panicked. His breathing became more laborious, and the sheer expression on his voice denoted fear.

“I’ll… I’LL KILL THIS MAN IF YOU WON’T LET HIM GO!” She thrusted her captive in front of her and presented an ice shiv to his throat.

It was Sora.

“That bitch… Sora!” Gen was about to move to their position, but the woman also had spikes that stabbed Sora on his thighs. He screamed as the icicles slowly pierced his skin and threatened to bust his veins.

“Argh! Gen, don’t!” He yelped from the immense pain, and soon found both of his legs weak, his blood frozen from the point of contact.

“Don’t take another step! Or I’ll cripple this man!” She threatened, Gen, in the middle of both sides, froze in place.

Fein, who was behind Mido all the time, was exhausted, but had a plan. He surprised the woman by abruptly using his ability to at least break Sora out of her grasps. With his lightning ability, he managed to swiftly bypass the man and Mido, and was about to approach Sora, when…

“Stop being sneaky.” The woman threw a frozen book at his trajectory, splintering it on the point of impact and stopping Fein on his tracks, just meters beside Gen. Now, wounds were starting to show up of Fein’s face.

“Fein! How did she…”

The man chuckled.

“Heh. So… Let’s see who gets out of here… Alive, or in pieces…”