Arden looked around the restaurant. Half of it was on fire while the rest of it was covered in patches of ice. He ignored the unconscious Hel, and instead turned his attention to the heavy breathing Yaan. Arden knelt down next to him.

  “Where’s your hideout Yaan?”

  Arden wasn’t in the mood to mess around anymore. His night of work ended with bloodshed. All he wanted was to get some money to make his life a little easier while searching for his sister, but fate had other plans.

  The confrontation with Yaan was something that he wanted, just not at this moment. It needed to be quieter. Now, it was going to be publicized. And so would he.

  Yaan stared up at Arden in shock. Fear was permanently etched into his face and he started convulsing.

  Arden smacked him across the face.

  “Tell me!”

  Nothing. Only more convulsions and tears.

  Arden stood up to take a breath and saw Vera picking up something from the ground. It was the polaroid picture that had killed Savish.

  “Arden, look at this.”

  She showed him the picture and he felt relief seeing what was in it.

  “Is that her in there?”

  “It looks like it.”

  The photo was of Savish, but it wasn’t a static image frozen in time like every other picture. Savish could be seen moving, smashing her fists into the transparent wall that separated her from reality.

  When Vera showed the picture to Arden, Savish looked at them with relief. She could see the outside.

  Her desperate attempts to break out grew more frenzied and desperate. She mouthed words as she tried to break through, but it was impossible to determine if the words were guidance or swears.

  “It's good that she's alive,” Arden said. “Do you think attacking it from the outside will get her out?”

  “Let's ask her first. Savish, can you hear us?”

  Savish nodded her head and gave a thumbs up.

  “We are going to try and break you out from the outside. Do you think it will work?”

  Savish stopped for a moment, then shrugged.

  Vera looked from her to Arden.

  “I guess that'll have to do.”

  “Go for it,” he said. “I'm going to try healing for a bit. Then I'm going to find out where they're keeping Sya.”

  “I'm going to put out the fires first.”

  Arden sat down crossed legged next to Yaan’s pale form. Whether he was pale from blood loss or fear, Arden didn't care. He started circulating his newly absorbed biomass through himself, just like he'd done with the Godstone’s stellar essence in his trial. When he reopened his eyes, the fires around him were all snuffed out, and soothing left in the previous ignition points. He looked down at Yaan as his body slowly repaired itself and spoke.

  “I don't know if you can understand the words that I am saying, or even hear them,” he began. “But if you want to live, you will tell me where my sister is before the authorities arrive. And before you get cold feet, don't forget we have another person who can tell us.”

  Yaan stared past him with hatred burning in his eyes. After staring into space for a few seconds, he very slowly nodded his head.

  An orange light shined from Vera’s direction, and when it dimmed another Starborn was there.

  Savish was back.

  Arden smiled at her and waved her over.

  “I’m sure Cayde will be happy to hear the news,” he said. “When you got got, I had to stop him from running out to join you.”

  Savish looked over the remains of the once nice restaurant. The scuffle between Starborn had left it a smoldering wreck decorated with black scorch marks, ashes, and ice. Shattered tables and damage to the structure itself was everywhere, especially from where Yaan swung his katana.

  ‘Before I forget…’

  Arden turned his head down to Yaan, looking to steal his katana, but was left disappointed. At some point when Arden wasn’t paying attention to it, Yaan must have sent it back to his soul cluster. Apparently, Yaan wasn’t as blinded by fear and pain as Arden initially thought.

  Arden faced Savish and saw her looking at him with a strange expression.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You look like something on the menu.”

  “Thanks.”

  Savish looked between the fallen Yaan and the unconscious Hel. Rage clouded her face as Vera approached her from behind.

  “So,” Savish said. “These are the ones responsible for tonight. They came into my restaurant, harmed my guests, and trapped me in a photograph.”

  She glared down at Yaan. She desperately wanted to worsen his already extreme injuries, specifically the chest wound. But she was more interested in his hands or lack thereof.

  “What happened to his hands?” she asked.

  “You know how some places punish criminals by taking a finger on the first infraction, then a hand the second, and then death the third time?” Arden said. “This was his second time. And he knows what will happen after a third.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Where are his hands?”

  “Don’t worry about the little things.”

  The three remaining Starborn approached Hel. Arden kicked him in the side with his foot, but got no reaction. He clicked his tongue in response.

  “How did this guy get you?” Vera asked. “When I fought him, he just fought. There was nothing special about him.”

  “I don’t know. I think it was an ability with a limit though, which explains why he didn’t use it on you. It probably has to do with his eyes.”

  “Should I take his eyes?” Arden asked. “It’d teach him for ogling my girlfriend.”

  “That’s why you went this far?” Savish asked.

  “That’s the whole reason they were here.”

  Arden explained what Yaan told him. About how Vera was the target because she was an attractive woman, and how Yaan had apparently done the same thing to many others in the area. Including his sister.

  “Wow,” Savish asked, now knowing the full story. “And this is as far as you went?”

  “Yup. Because this guy’s uncle would be very unhappy if I did do worse,” Arden looked up into the air. “He’s probably here right now actually.”

  The temperature of the restaurant rose by several noticeable degrees. Soot, ash, and smoke from around the restaurant all converged to one spot and formed the shape of a human. There was a spike in pressure, and the black cloud disappeared.

  The person standing in place of the smoke was a man who appeared to be in his late 30s. Reddish brown hair similar to Yaan’s sat atop his head and covered his face, cut short in both places. His short beard had several noticeable gray hairs sticking out, indicating his age. With his custom fit suit, he had the looks that would attract any younger woman into the older gentleman.

  Chorzo, the leader of Miasma.

  There was an expression of neutral dissatisfaction on his face as he looked around the restaurant. His scowl deepened upon seeing Arden and Yaan, almost as if they had done something to anger the strongest person in the slums.

  His orange-tier aura pounded into Arden, forcing him to cough up blood, but that was it. He had stood in the presence of a deity not too long ago. A mere orange-tier wasn’t enough to make him submit.

  Vera and Savish spread their own auras to cover Arden. He after all had not practised aura control to any meaningful degree yet. Only Savish’s aura managed to block Chorzo’s to any meaningful degree, as she too was orange-tier.

  They glared at Chorzo with weary expressions, not wanting another fight. But they would if they had to. Vera would fight simply because of being with Arden, while Savish felt that she owed it to them.

  When Arden spoke, they felt that the situation would only get worse.

  “If the first words out of your mouth aren’t ‘thank you,’ then we have a major problem.”

  Vera and Savish cringed as they prepared themselves for a fight.

  “Why would I thank you?” Chorzo said in a deep voice.

  There was no rage, no indignation. His voice was flat. His countenance betrayed no emotion.

  “Because I solved one of your problems for you. You owe me. Twice actually.”

  Chorzo slowly nodded his head.

  “You were the target of the bounty back then. And today as well, you were a victim to my nephew's schemes.”

  Chorzo looked down at the pale Yaan trying to look everywhere but his uncle. When Chorzo saw what was left of Yaan’s hands, he displayed his first sign of emotions.

  It was brief, but it was enough for Arden, Vera, and Savish to notice.

  For only a few seconds, several Emotions flickered across his passive Face.

  Pity. Rage. Regret. Pain.

  Chorzo pitied his nephew. For being strong enough to become a Starborn, but using that strength for his own nefarious purposes.

  Chorzo felt anger in Yaan’s presence. Angry that his nephew ended up nearly dead and missing his hands. Angry that he felt angry on behalf of Yaan, who thus far had only done wrong in his life.

  Chorzo felt regretful. He wished he could have set his nephew straight at any point in his life, so that he could have any chance at redemption. But he knew that any sort of salvation would be wasted on his nephew.

  Chorzo felt pain. To know that he would lose his nephew just like he lost his own children was almost too much to bear.

  “What did you do to him?” he asked with a solemn tone.

  “I defended myself. And protected the citizens from him. Both you and him should be glad that he is still alive.” Arden gestured to himself and Vera. “If we weren’t here, these two would have wiped out the restaurant.”

  Savish felt that she didn’t need to be included in what Arden just said, given she was taken out before the fight even started.

  Chorzo’s eyes narrowed. Displeasure shined through them.

  “I heard your discussion with Savish. If you and your friend weren’t here, then my nephew and his accomplice wouldn’t have shown up here and threatened everyone.”

  “And your nephew would still be running free with his accomplice,” Arden countered. “He would be abducting more women, like he tried to do today, and like he’s been doing since the cascade.”

  Chorzo said nothing. What Arden said was correct. It was his interference that allowed Yaan to be stopped. Not only that, but it didn’t matter if Arden and Vera came to this restaurant or any other place. Yaan would have come for them anywhere, thanks to his accomplice’s power.

  “...What do you want?” Chorzo asked.

  Arden smiled to himself. He had him. Vera and Savish had similar reactions, and just like Arden, they kept them hidden. Masks were necessary in the world of politics.

  “I want to find my sister. Your nephew knows where she is, because he’s been grabbing women for months now. I want to be there when your forces save them and destroy Yaan’s hideout.”

  “That much is easily done.”

  “I also want the rewards for capturing Yaan. I know he has a bounty issued between your Miasma and the Association. It’s a given that since we captured him, we get rewarded for it.”

  “Is that all?” Chorzo asked, upset that he knew he would have to reward the people who nearly killed his nephew.

  “One more thing, and this one should be easy for you. Keep our names out of this mess. We don’t want headlines. We just want to live normally.”

  “Normally?” Vera asked.

  “Somewhat normally,” Arden amended. “This can only be seen as a positive for Miasma. Take the credit.”

  Chorzo thought about it. He didn’t need to weigh the benefits. There were no downsides. If Miasma was allowed to take all of the credit for themselves, their reputation would soar. They would be seen as the ones who stopped the serial abductor and rescued all of the hostages.

  “Your terms are acceptable,” Chorzo said. “A media blackout regarding this event will be simple for Miasma. No one except for Starborn were seriously injured. We already have everyone from tonight taking refuge with Miasma. We can make sure they don’t say anything. You will have to come with us for the time being as well, though.”

  “This won’t be to threaten us into silence will it?” Arden asked.

  “Of course not. Regardless of my feelings for what you’ve done to my nephew, you have done Miasma, and the city of Foruta as a whole, a great service. You’ll be taken in, healed, then released once our matters are finished.”

  Chorzo looked at Savish.

  “Your husband will want to see you, so you should come as well.”

  Arden and Vera shared a smile. This worked out better than they ever thought possible. They joined the night crew to earn a few bucks to afford a place to stay while looking for Sya and Cirai. Now, they were about to be given a large sum for Yaan’s bounty, and a place to stay for the foreseeable future. And they had the person who could share Sya’s location.

  All in all, Arden had had worse nights.

  Arden lowered his hood over his face. If they were going to the same place as the mundanes caught up in tonight’s attack, he didn’t want to show them how badly he was hurt.

  “Lead the way.”