Serpent Noire

An NYPD detective finds himself in the middle of a Snake and Balete conflict, as he worries for his partner who also has been dragged to the Border Realm.

## Prologue

*11:50 PM*

*September 21, 2018*

*New York, USA*

A bolt of lightning streaked across the cloudy evening sky as rain faintly showered above New York City.  The streets were slick with water reflecting the bright lights. Raindrops tapped gently on windows and umbrellas as people hurried by, seeking refuge from the cold rain.

I hated it when the world went out of its way to set the dark and menacing vibe. It’s like it wanted things to go down badly for me all the time. I arrived at Columbia Street’s Waterfront five minutes before the agreed time, despite Terry sending me the message on my day off. I entered a gray sedan parked nearby.  Harbored ships could be heard from a distance despite the melody of water falling to the earth.

“You made it, Kid. Early, too.”

A silver-haired man sat at the wheel, he was in his early fifties, sporting glasses and a similar plainclothes outfit as I did, minus my jacket of course. He greeted me with a smile as I sat down and closed the car door behind me, muffling the rain outside.

“Whenever the Feds call, I don’t delay, Terry. Remember the last time we were late to the scene? ”

“That work ethic will get you places, Detective Keron.”

With a chuckle, Terry turned on the engine and the sedan made its way closer to the waterfront.

“Now I assume you read the file I sent you on the way here, but let me put you up to speed since it’s your first time dealing with them.  Guanlong Chinese Merchants Association, or  as we call them, The Guanlong Tong. The criminal connection comes with the name.  They’ve been beefing with other Tongs over Manhattan’s  Chinatown rackets and businesses for years, so we know a lot about how they operate. We got the regs staking out their main turf at the intersection of Canal Street and Mott Street.”

The rain intensified, the sounds of the city faded away, replaced by the steady downpour. The glow of streetlights and skyscrapers are diffused through the rain, creating a hazy atmosphere. It’s the kind of vibe that I had conflicted sentiments for, it was relaxing if I was back at home, but was a pain when I was on duty.

“With all that history, now’s the time they decided human trafficking for magi?”

“They got a new head honcho in charge, kid, some bastard son who graduated fresh from London’s Covenant. He learned how useful having human familiars are, or how profitable their insides can be if you sell em’ to the right people here in the US. This is just a simple operation to get ourselves evidence and bust some perps too.”

I remembered my time in training, those classes on how magi take advantage of the black market, how both magi and civilians would have their organs extracted and sold as ingredients for rituals and formulas. There’s really a lot of sick bastards you could find around the world.

“Cheapest they can get are from Europe, or Africa, the poorer the countries they come from the better their margins.”

The sedan drove towards the harbor, scarcely lit even with the streetlights. The rain began to create a thickening mist that hung over the waterfront.  To the left, the tall buildings of Brooklyn's industrial waterfront loom through the mist, while to the right, the Hudson River churns dark and choppy. The headlights of the sedan reflect off the wet pavement, casting a soft glow on the brick buildings lining the street.

“I got a bad feeling about this.”

I said. A sense of dread loomed over my gut , not helped by the muffled but otherwise steady rain and gloom.

“I’ll take point, kid. Leave the talking to me. Remember, I’m Kirsch Avagantamos, Mage of the Rhine Covenant here on a personal project that needs a lot of… test subjects  and to be as far from home as possible. You are my trusty bodyguard. Come on, I told you to come up with a name.”

“Jimmy Macc,  grew up in the Bronx, did whatever I could to scrape by,  been working for the highest bidder ever since.”

“Shit hits the fan, you start burning mana. Alright, Jim. We got some samples to collect, ya?”

I nodded. Terry’s serious tone was now in effect. Always admired how we took every role seriously. It was only right that I followed suit. Clear your mind, Keron. You are Jimmy Macc. The streets were cold, you gotta do whatcha gotta do, if they catch you slippin, ya’ll gonna end up dead, or worse, doin’ time.

As the car slowed to a stop, a gust of wind rattled the doors. Terry stepped out and walked towards the pier, bringing a silver metal briefcase. I walked beside him, feeling the tranquilizer gun in my jacket for assurance. Our  footsteps echoed on the wet stones.

Terry’s eyes glowed a shade of green, a simple spell, silent and helpful for seeing better in the dark, a spell I always wished I could. Unlike Terry and other mages who can use the mana in the world as fuel for spells, all I could do was burn it up. My body was built differently, and no matter how hard I tried, I just can’t convert that energy to spells.  You wouldn't be a mage if you can’t even cast the most basic of magic. Although the Feds from the Department of Magic  found my ability useful in fighting mages, I always wondered if they truly acknowledged my hard work and efforts, or if I was just a useful tool to them. I shook my head. Get yourself together, man. Focus on the here and now. My attention went to the five men dressed as dock workers waiting for us.

“You’re the German, yes?”

The leader of the group stepped forward. Terry nodded.

“Good evening, gentlemen. I trust our little deal will be short and sweet?”

“Yes, the delivery is arriving soon enough. You have the money?”

Terry handed the briefcase over to me. Like a true henchman,  I walked forward and opened it in front of the man. As if it glowed gold, the leader was drawn to it like a moth to a flame,  Before his gloved hands could grab it, I slammed the case shut.

“Only after I see the merchandise.”

Terry said, causing the man to narrow his eyes and scoff. As if on cue, a vessel emerged from the mist, taking the form of a sleek-looking boat. An enigmatic woman clad in a black overcoat stood at the bow of the boat, an ominous bone-white mask obscured her face as she stood at the bow of the ship, her long black hair blowing in the wind. Her mask was a blank visage, not even a single hole or slit for vision. Looking at her was like looking at a faceless mannequin. I did not catch the Mandarin but the men asked what sounded like a question and the woman responded to them with a serious voice, a little youthful sounding, but there’s a sharpness to it that suggested danger. Terry caught something off with the accent, the way she pronounced did not sound native, perhaps? He retained a composed impression, but I always noticed that little mouth twitch his mentor did in times of uncertainty. Whenever Terry started feeling like this, it always put me on edge too. The Guanlong group leader nodded and gestured at Terry to hop aboard the boat.

“Leave the cash and browse to your heart’s content.”

Terry nodded at me, so I tossed the case towards the men. I hope bastards you choke on it. The men greedily took off with the case and disappeared into the darkness, unaware of the tracker implanted with the fake cash. I hoped the regulars were ready to do their part with those perps later.

“Pray tell where did you find such specimens, my good woman?”

Terry asked as they stepped on the deck of the ship. The masked lady remained silent, answering only when we felt a rumble below deck.

“You’ll soon find out.”

Lightning shot across the sky, and I felt a chill, colder than the wind and rain embracing him in the night. A sharp pain spread across my body, starting from my foot. I looked down and saw a spike coated in blood, my blood, impaling my foot. At first I thought it was metal, but from the crude and jagged shape, it was extremely sharp stone.

“It’s a set up!”

I glanced up and called out to Terry, only to see a spike go through his chest. The mana in his clothes barely did anything to stop it from piercing him. The spike retracted, returning to the masked lady’s palm. He barely had enough time to cast a spell. My eyes widened as the man who trained me, the man who believed in me when no one else could, fell backwards. Impossible! Terry has never gone down this fast before! My body moved on its own, sensing imminent death, and I leaped to the side of the deck. The spike that impaled my foot erupted upwards, nearly cutting it off.

“You’re under arrest!”

I pulled out my two guns from my jacket, Tranquilizer on the right, a Glock 19 on the left. I had to get close to actually use my mana-burning on her, but the extent of her abilities were an enigma. She can make very pointy rock spikes, but that’s it.  A single band of silver decorated her ring finger, featuring a beautiful crescent moon and a star with spiraling six points decorated it. An ominous piece of jewelry that screamed magical to me.

“You’ll die braver than most.”

She said as thunder rumbled from a distance, muffling the sound of stone piercing the air. In a blink of an eye, the masked figure was right there in front of me, her hands turned into sharp stone blades, slicing my two guns in half before I could barely react. Before the barrels fell to the wood of the deck, the blades whispered death once again. The sound of stone piercing flesh and bone echoed in my head, a deep pain radiating outwards from my hand. I caught the blade aimed straight for my neck. All my focus went to my hand.

Breath, Keron. Take in the energy, imagine the fire. Burn the Mana.

At first, it was a shock, a sudden burst of agony left me gasping for air, but I had no time to pause. The rain and wind intensified, my heart beat erratically like a drum. The masked woman retracted the blade, striking my leg with a kick. The feeling of cold hard stone smashed into my leg. My bones felt the sheer force that definitely left a crack. My focus was so engrossed on my hand that the rest of my body was undefended. I gritted my teeth and fought on, driven by a fierce determination to survive. Terry needed medical attention. I was the only one around who could help. It wasn't a matter of “Can I survive?”, but “I had to survive.”  The pain became a kind of fuel, a fire that burned within me and pushed it to my limits. I tried to grab the woman to try and knock her to the floor, but she was too agile, evading and avoiding my every attempt.

“Interesting.”

She said mockingly as she took a few steps back, blood pouring out of my foot and hand. The woman was poised to strike. I focused on my entire body this time around. Anywhere she would strike, I would eat away at her mana-powered attack. At the sound of thunder rumbling, she lunged forward, but there was no blade to be seen. My read was off. She vaulted over my shoulder, and a sharp pain pierced the nape of my neck. There wasn’t any magical energy, nothing to burn away. All I could sense was the thud the woman made as she landed behind me, and a chill that ate away the strength on my legs. My right hand instinctively moved towards my nape. She embedded a  small dart-like thorn into my flesh. My arms lost sensation. Another loud thud. The hard and wet flooring of the deck welcomed my numbing body. .

Shit. Can’t move. Terry- Terry-, I’m- s-

My thoughts began to haze up. Terry’s unmoving body slowly creating a pool of blood was the last image that burned itself into my mind.

Sorry.

## Chapter 1: Ambush

The morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating the otherwise drab and cramped kitchen. The scent of sweet syrup and sizzling eggs wafted through the air. My stomach growled in anticipation. Mama placed a plate in front of me, stacked high with fluffy pancakes that oozed with melted butter and were drizzled with a generous amount of maple syrup. My mouth practically watered at the thought of digging in. Next to the pancakes were two sunny-side-up eggs, perfectly cooked with the yolks still runny and the whites just set. Mama added a sprinkle of salt and pepper, bringing out the rich, savory flavor of the eggs. A mug of hot Milo steamed next to the plate, the aroma of rich chocolate and creamy milk wafting up to my nose. With a thousand-watt grin, I picked up that fork and took a stab at the pancakes-

“Wake up, Até. She’s here.”

*September 24, 2018*

*5:26 AM*

*Maw District, Bakunawa City, Border Realm*

A nudge to my side snapped my eyes open. The hazy kitchen and all its aroma, fucking gone. The sunny room was replaced by the early morning darkness. I found myself at the mouth of a gigantic skeletal serpent laying like a straight line on a nearly submerged island, surrounded by an endlessly vast sea. The entrance to the city was the maw of the ancient beast.  Whoever thought it was a good idea to settle here was metal as fuck.  I got up from the giant spire of a tooth I was leaning on, height rivaling the two story buildings you’d see back home. Below us were wooden platforms and docks that floated on the waters near the throat of the beast. Several boats were docked at the platforms which led to several buildings connected by a series of bridges and walkways that crisscrossed the water district of the city. At this time of day, the Mouth district had a good amount of people out and about already, but they paid us no mind. The locals on the lowest level of the city avoided getting caught up in outlander business, especially when they knew not to mess with the people who had guns. Dim lights shined from the windows on the hollowed out fangs of the beast, casting a faint and hazy light from the roof of the skeleton’s mouth. Those damn watchmen better not interfere or we’ll rip the bribes right out of their corpses.  A familiar man crouched in front of me, dressed in the same black suit jacket, tie, slacks, and white shirt as me. I knew that cheek scar and graying hair anywhere.

“Damn it, Cards! I haven’t had that dream in ages! Why the hell did you wake me up now!”

“The ship’s coming.”

True enough, from the mist, the shape of a boat took form below us. A sleek boat glided across the surface of the murky water, slightly illuminated by the light from the fangs above.  Right. We're supposed to get the Star-Ring back from a Balete Thief. They picked a bad day to interrupt my dream.

“Awful timing. You’ll have to treat me to pancakes later.”

“If that’s what it takes to make things right, Até.”

We stayed hidden, patiently awaiting the right time to strike, the right distance of the boat to our vantage point. The morning mist made it hard to spot us stalking from above.

“Target spotted.”

I whispered as a woman emerged from the boat’s cabin and walked towards the bow of the ship. Long black hair went down to her shoulders, a blank mask obscured her face, clad in the typical black overcoat of Balete Collectors who sail across the globe to yoink valuables from mages, or steal actual people and sell them as slaves to their wizard lords here in the Border Zone. She confidently stood on her boat, unsuspecting of the shadows that might strike from a city she deems safe territory.

“Jump her.”

At that signal, Cards pulled down his necktie, the cloth disappearing and transforming into a black balaclava mask. His visage now as blank as our target, he leapt downwards, striking like a dive-bomber. The deck of the boat shook from the impact. A magnetic tune hummed and iron particles poured out of his sleeves, forming a jitte for each hand, the left being shorter than the other. The two stared at each other, their bodies tense and poised to strike. I quickly moved to a better position as I heard Cards give her the offer, jitte trained at the masked figure.

“Surrender the ring and you won’t get hurt.”

The sound of grinding stone filled the air as a stone-like spike protruded from the side of her fore-arm. Intel said the target's magic involved transmuting her bones into stone and other body modifications. She turned into a living weapon. We were trained into becoming one. Sparks flew as steel clashed with stone. I pulled down my tie as well, the reinforced fabric masking my face.

I dashed across the jaw, lept downwards and landed on the wooden platforms. She was likely to escape deeper to the city, so I had this exit route covered, the two dueling as the boat got closer. Sparks flew as a flurry of feints, slashes and stabs, and blocks were exchanged. Metal and Stone clashed in a brutal dance. Cards had the speed, she had the durability. As they drifted closer to the wooden platforms, and a bunch of the locals scattered or watched from a distance,  I aimed my index finger at the thief, raised my thumb and formed a finger gun. I breathed in deeply and imagined a strong gust of wind and a pistol trigger being pulled in my mind’s eye.

Bullets made of compressed air shot straight towards the thief, three hitting her squarely in the back. The noise of cracking stone echoed as the impact caused her to flinch, forcing her to block the shots from my direction, but that slightest lapse of concentration was all we needed. With a swift strike, Card’s jitte landed a solid blow to her leg, forcing her to take a knee. Once again, Cards trained his weapon at the thief, closer to her head this time, I approached the edge of the platform quickly.

“Hand over the ring, and we’ll be on ou-”

A sudden beam of red light fired from the thief’s finger. A big spike in magical energy surged in the air as the light pierced the deck. In a blink, the boat disappeared. The legs of the thief glowed with magical energy and she stood on the surface of the water, while Cards fell to the murky depths. I opened fire, finger tingling from the air and mana. With a running start towards me, she jumped high and soared through the air and dodged my shots, landing several meters behind me. The magical energy in her legs charged up again. She’s making a run for the Spine district above us.

With her focus on me, she dodged my bullets without much effort, so I had to go for our main target, that finger wearing the ring. I whipped out my balisong, flipped open the blade, channeled mana and air into the handle mid-flip, and aimed. The wooden platform cracked from the shockwave left by her magic-empowered jump. With a powerful throw, the balisong cut through the air with deadly speed, boosted by an air spell. A bright spark flashed as the Balisong struck the ring itself. Okay. Not exactly what I was aiming for. I expected a finger to fall down, but instead a man’s body fell out of the ring and plummeted into the wooden docks. The thief quickly climbed up the skeleton’s spine, disappearing into the darkness. Fuck!

Cards climbed up the platform, drenched in sea-water. A crowd formed around the man who fell into the docks, an unlucky local had his cart crashed. The look on his face told me he wanted to complain, but hesitated at approaching the two masked outsiders who just took on one of the retainers of their mage-lord.

“Please tell me you tagged her, man.”

“I left some of my Abo-Alon on her. We’ll track her down.”

“Yeah, but she’ll be deeper into Balete turf, we’ll need more gear to deal with everyone that will get in our way in this city.”

I was hoping we didn’t have to, but looks like we’ll need to give Charles a visit and stock up on weapons and equipment. Last thing we needed was being jumped by her allies without better gear. As Cards got closer, his attention was caught by the body that fell from the ring. We both checked out the unconscious man shortly, shooing away the citizens. It was a black dude in dreads and civ clothes, probably mid twenties. His foot and hand were still bleeding. He’s breathing, at least.

“An unlucky civilian?”

“I hope this answers your question.”

I said. A quick pat-down on the man’s body revealed a shiny brass badge labeled “New York City Police, Detective”, sorry bastard must have gotten in the way of our little thief and ended up as ring cargo. The Balete were more than happy to kill or capture law enforcement outside of the Border Zone, so this guy was lucky.

“I grazed the ring with my Key. It must have disrupted the enchantment and ejected this guy out- Wait, shit! My Key!”

My heart sank. I might as well have lost a phone or wallet. That Balisong was part of me, and I’ll be damned if I lose it thanks to some masked little- Ah, there it was! Embedded safely onto the lid of a wooden crate, one of the many that were scattered about these platforms. After retrieving the Key, I walked back to Cards, who was investigating the detective’s body.

“She hit him with a thorn-dart.”

He said as he extracted a hardened barb not unlike the thorns of a rose. A common Balete weapon for knocking out a target.

“Let’s get him to the safehouse. We’ll be sitting ducks here if the thief returns with backup.”

“Sure, but you’re carrying him, man. I’m not lifting his ass while climbing the skull. I’ll knock him out if he suddenly wakes up and gets too annoying, though.”

The sooner we dropped off this guy over at Charles’, the sooner we could track down that thief. We wasted no time in getting to one of our bases here in Bakunawa, a magic workshop built on the upper surface of the skeleton’s skull. The Balete who decided that stairs were for plebes was an asshole, to say the least. You were screwed if you didn’t know how to fly, or at least levitate with magic, or know how to scale a giant skull.

Cards picked up the cop and gave him a piggyback ride. The metallic swarm that turned into his weapons transformed into a baby carrier sling of sorts, which made sure the guy didn’t fall off when we scaled up the skull. Mana seared through our eyes as we empowered our sight in the dark. Simple Reinforcement went a long way when climbing a treacherous cliffside, er- skullside. Cards took point while I watched to make sure sleeping beauty didn’t fall. I wondered what would have happened if he woke up dangling dozens of feet in the air while being carried by a masked stranger in a suit. The Plum Blossom darts disguised as buttons on my suit were ready to be launched if he started panicking on us mid-climb. Balete aren’t the only ones with tranquilizers. We passed by the pod houses that lined the sides of the upper skull, fungal growths in the skeleton hollowed out and made houses by the citizens who did know how to fly, or climb. Their flat fungal-cap roofs made for excellent platforms made the climb a lot less of a hassle. The Tong’s workshop-safehouse stood on top of the right eye-socket of the skull, carved into one of the hollowed out horns of the serpent. At the top of the horn was a sentry nest where Asuka Hazuki stood. I noticed the suit-clad woman’s slight nod as she watched us enter the circular door into the safehouse. We crossed the threshold, the sensation of the workshop’s invisible alarm barrier passing through us harmlessly.

“I thought you guys were looking for a ring, not some dead dude”

The deep, deadpan and slow paced voice of Charles Blanc, alias “Penguin” for his impossible survival in a South Pole mission, greeted us. Unlike Asuka, who wore her blacks while on sentry duty, Charles wore a plain shirt, basketball shorts, and went barefoot while inside the safehouse. With long unkempt black hair and a beard, Charles stood at a towering 5’6, same height as me. He reclined on a chair behind one of the many tables in the middle of the hideout, cluttered with broken gun parts and brass tools used for repairing magic weapons. The room was lit by orange lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and a faint smell of burning iron wafted inside.

“Not dead yet. Found ourselves an American civ.”

I said, as Cards placed the unconscious cop on one of the sofas hugging the wall.  He then walked towards the ladder at the far edge of the room, climbing up to the armory on the second floor.

“The target ran deeper into the city, so we’re here to stock up. Grab a lot of Flashes and Stims, boi, and anything that will help deal with flyers.”

I called out to Cards when I heard his footsteps upstairs. A smirk crossed Charles’ face as he glanced at the detective.

“What about him? You’re just going to leave him here? I don’t baby-sit civs for free, you know.”

“Drinks on me once you head out of the Border Zone, and I dunno, a 100 pesos?”

I rummaged through my pocket and handed a crumbled purple bill to Charles.

“Throw in a free meal and we’re even.”

“Deal, Just keep him out of trouble, hell, keep him unconscious as long as you can, as long as he’s alive by the time we get back. Cards and I talked it out on the way here, we’ll pull some strings and ship him to the US.”

“And here I thought you’ll turn him to the Hermitage meat grinder and get a quick buck.”

I scoffed, mock-offended at Charles’ suggestion.

“Come on, we’re not uncivilized. I only do that to people who deserve it.”

## Chapter 2: Snakes

“-Three stims each, a razorline to down anyone in the air, and we both get two flashes, Àté. Stocks were too low. Didn’t want to use them all up .”

“They really need to get a new shipment.”

“Don’t look at me, we’re just standing in for Mendez. I don’t keep the inventory here. ‘Sides, everyone keeps using flashes, not my fault you guys rely on them alot.”

“Give me the razorline. I never miss twice, and I want to keep that fact.”

“Well… except for that time you had to shoot a third shot-”

“Shut up and give me the razorline, Cards.”

Three voices snapped me out of sleep, two men and a woman. One sounded American, the others had an accent I couldn’t pinpoint. And at that moment, reality hit me like a truck. Pain pounded in my head. I groaned and blinked my eyes open, struggling to focus on my surroundings. Everything was a blur. I tried to move but the pain intensified, causing me to grit my teeth and clench my fists. It felt like a hammer was pounding against my skull, and my temples throbbed with each beat of my heart. I brought my hand up to my head and felt the sticky sweat that had accumulated there.

I tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea washed over me, and I had to fight to keep from retching. My stomach churned, and my mouth felt dry and parched- TERRY! I tried to call out for his name, but no sound came, my voice was still dead. That was when I realized that something was coursing through my veins, a toxin? Venom? Prime suspect was the dart that the woman shot me with. Whatever it was, it made me feel weak and dizzy. I tried to shake it off, but the venom was still flowing in my bloodstream, and my heart was still racing, and my breathing shallowed and labored.

It took a lot of my willpower to force my body, but my vision began to clear. I found myself lying down on a rather comfy couch. Looking around made me realize I was in a circular room, and the place was cluttered with shelves, tables, and chairs. Said shelves and tables were filled with strange metal devices and tools that ooze magical energy. There were also gun parts lying about and stray ammo here and there. This was not a safe place to be in. The curved walls were of smooth, ivory-colored bone while the floor was made of a dark-tinted bone that gave the illusion of polished wood. A lone ladder stood in the room which led to what I assumed was the second floor.

“You’re finally awake.”

The man who wore a black suit, probably around 5’8, called out to me. He had a brown complexion and graying hair, strange to see on a young man. This caught the attention of the woman, also in a black suit. She had short black hair, and had this tomboyish vibe. Both had a single pearl-like ear-piercing on their left ear. The other man wore a white shirt and basket-ball shorts that contrasted with the professional look of the two. Basket-ball shorts over there was most-likely American, with his accent and all. His pale complexion was also a smoking gun. He looked like the stereotypical Jesus image you’d see, with the long hair and beard.

“Stay put, detective. We’ll be back in a few hours. ”

The woman said dismissively as the two began walking towards the circular door.

“W-wait!”

My voice finally listened to me, and despite me straining to let it out, I caught their attention.

“Where am I?”

“Worst place in the world. Border Realm, Balete Country. Mao and Cards over there saved your ass from being sold to the Balete as property, or worse, materials.”

Basketball shorts said nonchalantly as he sat on one of the chairs and placed his feet up the table. Border Realm?. Shit. I’m in a plane of existence where magi and magic ruled. While science and technology dominated Modern Society in what we called the "Physical Realm", and where magic was strictly monitored and regulated, the Border Realm was a wild west where everything goes. It's a place where different societies of magi called home, and the Balete is one of those groups you did not want to meet. Terry told me about them once, xenophobic mage-lords in Southeast Asia. They keep mostly to themselves, but the man was right, it’s one of the worst places to be in for an outsider.

“Keron Marseilles, NYPD. I’m gonna need your help. I don’t know how I got here, but it must be due to the suspect me and my partner were after. I need to find her, and find my partner. Last I saw him, he was bleeding out thanks to that woman. You said Balete so I assume you guys are Philippine Mage Law enforcement?”

The woman stopped on her tracks and let out a derisive laugh before she turned her gaze towards me. She had sharp eyes that had an intensity to them, the look of a chick who did not hesitate to kill. Oh no, don’t tell me.

“Not sure if they taught you cops about this part of the world, but there’s no magical police here. You’re talking to Snake Tong. And as long as you play nice, we won’t hurt you. Just stay put, we got a thief to chase. Leave this to the pros.”

“No no no no, I’m going after the suspect too. This is not over-”

I forced myself to get up, stumbling a little before getting to my feet. Training taught us more about the Snake Tong than the Balete, that’s for damn sure. They run the magic in the Philippines and are more like a mafia mixed with a merc company. They were normally ruthless, especially to local authorities and law enforcement-

“Here.”

I caught a strange green tube the man in the suit tossed towards me.

“If these Balete did you wrong, hurt and took your partner like that, We’ll give you a hand. That’s a stim, press the button and inject it into a vein.”

“Bruh. Are you kidding me? Pota sayang lang an san stim, magagadan yan pag tig upod ta.”

While I failed to catch half of what she said, it was clear that the woman did not agree. I pressed the small button on the top part of the tube like a pen, which made a needle emerge from the other end. While he two continued to discuss in what I assume is Filipino, the basketball shorts guy called out to me.

“Hey, they trained you guys to use stims?”

“Not really.”

“Welp, your body will get used to it eventually.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“That stim is going to hurt like hell, but it’ll heal you up.”

“I-i’ll keep that in mind.”

“New York, huh? Been a while since I visited. Had a white with spinach there once, at Joe’s Pizza. Best rated place in the city, apparently, but based on the reviews, I expected Joe himself to walk out of the kitchen and suck me off, cause that pizza tasted as good as the New York-style ones they had in Tampa.”

“Really? There’s no good pizza in Florida, I guess.”

That was all I could reply to him. His little monologue about Joe’s Pizza was not what I was expecting. The hole on my foot and the cut on my hand wasn’t going anywhere, so I decided to give the stim a try, at least. I gritted my teeth and held my breath as I plunged the needle of the stim into my veins. The cool metal against my skin was nothing compared to the searing pain that followed.

As the contents of the stim invaded my body, I felt like I was on fire. It was as though my veins were filled with hot lava, burning everything in its path. The pain was excruciating, and I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find the breath to do so. The burning sensation was quickly followed by a sensation as though my body was being twisted and pulled in every direction, tearing me apart from the inside. I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a guttural cry as the pain intensified. My muscles seized up, and my heart pounded against my chest like it was trying to escape.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the pain started to subside. My breathing slowed, and I could feel my wounds beginning to close and my broken bones mended. The stim had done its job, but at a price that I wasn't sure I was willing to pay again. I opened my eyes and looked down at my foot and hand. The wounds were still there, but they were no longer gaping, bleeding holes. They were healing, albeit slowly, but at least the pain was fading. I let out a shaky breath and pulled the needle out of my arm. I was in better shape, but that kind of pain will take a lot of time to get used to.

“There you go, not too bad was it?”

“B-barely felt it.”

I said, trying to retain my composure. The two in the suits continued their discussion, and I could only pick up words like “police” and “target”. From the tone of the woman, she sounded like she’d prefer me not to be in their way. But in an unfamiliar place like this, getting these guys to help me would increase my chances of survival. While the man seems to be willing to help, I got a way to coerce the woman. And I knew a way that might do it. Mercs will be mercs, after all.

“I got a proposition for you Tongmen.”

The two paused their discussion as they looked at me. The woman raised her brow, and I could feel the skepticism from her gaze.

“I’ll hire you to help me find that woman. You say she’s a thief, right? All the more reason to bring her in.  I don’t know what she stole from you guys, but she’s done human trafficking in the US. Probably in your country too. I won’t stop you from reclaiming stolen property, but I’ll need your help in taking her on. I don’t have cash now, but I’ll pay whatever you guys charge afterwards.”

The woman responded with a blank stare, as if to say “Are you crazy”. The man, on the other hand, seemed like  he was considering the offer. They looked at each other, and then back to me. The woman shrugged in resignation. Trust me, lady, I was not happy with this either. I’d rather not work with mercs with a shifty reputation, but these were desperate times. I had to find the suspect and Terry. If the perp didn’t kill me and planned to sell me, an idea that brought nothing but disgust, Terry was probably still out there too,and he was in a worse condition the last time I saw him.

“Cards is already on board, so there’s no use arguing. Alright, cop. You have a deal. Follow us and try not to get killed. Oh, and get him a weapon so he can carry his own weight.”

## Chapter 3: First Encounters

The man named Cards handed me a black baton. Light but sturdy, one touch and you could feel that it was made from magically cultivated wood. I would have preferred something like a nightstick, but this had to do.

“Aight. Cards, lead the way. Track our little thief.”

With Mao’s order, Cards led us out of the wooden doorway. I took the rear guard as the woman walked in front of me. Say what you want about them, but we don’t see enough ladies in suits and ties. Not many could appreciate the charm of seeing a lady rock that outfit. Even if she was a merc who made violence her profession, my eyes could not help but wander down her waist and down towards her a- Damn it, man. This is a serious situation. Her toned body aside, we left the strange building, only to be greeted by quite a sight. I breathed in the cold morning air as I stepped into the bone-like ground, only to realize that I wasn’t on the ground at all. My gaze looked around the place and I realized that I was standing on the skeleton of a gigantic creature. Before me was a vast and empty sea, the Sun slowly rising above the horizon. Even though it hasn’t fully risen, it was already bright enough that I could see everything. To the north, east, and west were the endless expanse of water with no other land in sight, and some buildings built into the skull of the creature, or carved into the skeleton. Magi in the Border always found the weirdest places to live in.

To the south was the enormous spinal cord, the vertebral spines towering over us like buildings. Each spine had mushrooms growing out of their sides shaped like houses, with spiral staircases leading to their circular doors. But beyond the spines was a giant tree towering over everything. It stood in the center of the spine, casting an ominous shadow. My eyes were transfixed at the ancient tree, no, it felt like an otherworldly creature. Its gnarled roots extended out in all directions, like giant tentacles gripping the spine and vertebrae. The trunk, thick and sturdy, rose up towards the sky, its bark wrinkled and weathered with age. The branches reached out in all directions, as if trying to grasp the sky with its leafy arms. Like the vertebrae, fungal growths of various sizes dot the trunk, carved out with windows, some of which had the light coming out of them. Even from this distance, you could see the trunk as rough and deeply furrowed, with gnarled knots and twists. The texture of the bark looked hard and dense. And I noticed fissures and crevices in the bark, which also served as living areas with the lamp lights shining in them. At the top of the tree was an unnatural growth, a branch made to stand upright, like a pillar with a circular pod at the top.

“Worst place in this city for an outsider, the Balete Tower of this city’s head honcho. That spire at the top is where she’s probably sleeping right now. Or doing god knows what with experiments.

Mao said when she caught me staring at the giant tree.

“Speaking of which, Cards, give him your tie. Balete are notorious for headshots. You won’t be of much use to us headless.”

Gee, thanks, Mao. Nice of you to watch out for me like that. Cards undid his tie and handed it over to me, much to my confusion. What’s a tie going to do to save me?

“Put it on and in case we meet an enemy, give it a small dose of mana and pull it down. It’ll turn into a mask that will protect your entire head.”

Cards said, looking at me funny. He must have noticed the look on my face. Shit. It felt like they were looking down on me for not knowing their equipment. Sorry, we weren’t taught every single detail of your crime group’s arsenal. I wondered if they were giving me the stink eye while I put on the tie, but the two were already walking towards the south, to the spine district.

“So, how exactly are we tracking the thief?”

I asked the moment I caught up to them.

“Magic. Duh.”

“Welp. That answers my question, miss. No seriously. How are we tracking her down? It’s a matter of life and death here, and it would make it easier if I knew how we were going to find her.”

“I placed my, er, I guess you could call them familiars, I placed a few on her clothes when we fought earlier. I can sense where they are right now, but only vaguely. I’ll tell you that she’s going this direction, that’s for sure.”

Cards said as they walked at brisk pace, not exactly the sense of urgency I expected. Terry’s life is on the line, damn it. But I feared that if I let my emotions get to me, these two would just leave me. I haven’t bought their loyalty yet, this arrangement is just held together by a promise. And me lecturing them would have made it worse.

“So. You tried to do a sting op on a Balete? Pretty smart move. It would take a lot of cops to take down Laonsina, lapdog of the Lady of Bakunawa City.”

“We didn’t know we were dealing with someone like her. It was supposed to be a two-man job to bust some traffickers.”

“You two didn’t do your job properly then.”

While she did drop the name of the suspect, Laonsina, Mao’s snark made me clench my fist. Not in anger, but in realization. She was right. I didn’t do my job properly, and Terry had to suffer for it. I was too slow to realize that we were walking into a trap. Normally Terry had the foresight to see trouble like that coming but at that time, something really was off. Terry used to be an Akashic, trained in both martial and magical arts and blessed with supernatural reflexes and precognition. How the hell did Laonsina get the drop on him and spike him through before we could even react? I felt a sense of unease but Terry no doubt went through something more intense. A sense of futility and doom maybe? Is that why he couldn't or didn’t react? His intuition was  always sharper than mine.

“Did I hit a nerve? Sorry, officer. I just can’t help it. Cops don’t have a good reputation here so I sorta just say what I want to say to them.”

Mao said nonchalantly to break the momentary silence that loomed over me.

“I get it. There will always be awful police out there, which is something I’m sad to admit. But not all of us are like that, you know.”

I just couldn’t let that slide, as Terry wouldn’t let it slide if he heard her say that.

“Feel free to prove me wrong, detective. But that remains to be seen.”

“Aight, bet.”

We continued walking across the spine. I glanced at the edge to see the ribs of the giant monster forming a cage over the city. The gaps in the ribs allowed sunlight to reach the district below. I noticed several podhouses on the vertebrae featuring gardens built on their flat roofs, growing what I assume to be a strange form of brown rice, some featuring shirtless farmers, both men and women, and metal collars wrapped on their necks, tending and harvesting the gardens. I caught a glimpse of scars on the backs and chests of the farmers, no, were they slaves? They had to be, judging from the armed taskmaster overseeing their actions nearby. He wore colorful clothing made of elaborate patterns and carried an iron rod that glowed with magical energy. This place really was alien to a New Yorker, but some things from Earth carried over to the Border Realm, slavery and assholes. The man with the rod saw me staring at him as we passed by and he gave me a stink eye and said something aggressive in his language. He spat at Cards, and I felt a sudden spike of magical energy from him. In a blink, something metallic shot out of his sleeve and intercepted the shot of saliva and redirected it to the ground, well, the boney surface we walked on, all without Cards glancing away from where we were heading.

“Try not to stare too much, detective. They don’t like outsiders. One look at us and you can tell we don’t belong here. Best not to give them a reason to approach us.”

He said, leading us closer towards the towering tree in the distance.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

We passed by more locals, some were the slaves, bare-chested and given only a loincloth to preserve their modesty, who climbed up and down the roof-top farms carrying baskets of crops to and from a large houspod that I assumed was their storeroom. They avoided eye-contact with us at all costs.  Others were well-dressed men and women in colorful silks and jewelry, and ornate weapons like swords and knives on their belts. Some had elaborate tattoos covering different parts of their body, uncovered by their garments. From their head all the way to the forearms and legs, colors ranging from black to purple, intricate geometric patterns, stylized animals, and monstrous figures from myths decorated their skin. Their bling was not just for show, since I picked up hints of magical energy from the ornaments and the tattoos. They all walked around like a patrol, so I assumed these were the guards watching over their plantations. Everytime we passed by one of these guards, I always felt their gazes digging into the back of my head.

“I thought you Filipinos take pride in your hospitality? It’s like everyone has a problem with me here.”

I said, earning a chuckle from Mao.

“We’re not in the Philippines. Sure, the entrance to this city is in Philippine waters, but don’t get your hopes up. The people here are Balete. They don’t identify as any people from a modern country. To them, everyone that’s not Balete is an outsider asking for trouble. So don’t feel bad if they call you slurs and glare at you. That’s just the outlander experience here.”

She said with a shrug, as if to say “you can’t do anything with these people”.

“Wait. They called me slurs?”

And here I thought I left the narrow-minded idiots back home.

“Well, something like that. That guy who tried to spit? Basically called us shitty foreigners, but said it like how you’d say a slur, like how those wizards in America would call you nasty shit. What were they called again, Cards?”

“KKK.”

“The Katipunan? No no no, those with the ridiculous ghost outfits the Americans sent and the boss and the vets fought in the 20s. The burning cross guys, you know, they were called something else”

“The Klan with a K, Até.”

“Aaah, yeh. That’s the one. Dumbasses can’t even spell ‘clan’ properly.  Just ignore whatever they say to you here, detective. These are just a bunch of Balete who think they’re better than everyone because they don’t need stairs.”

“T-thanks, I guess.”

For a bunch of mercs, I did not expect them to be this talkative and banter like this in a light-hearted manner, especially since Mao just said to my face earlier that she did not respect cops.

“So. You like sports?”

“What?”

She smacked me with an unexpected question that interrupted my thoughts. Was she planning on making small talk the entire time we track down the perp?

“Yeah. Just as much as anyone. Football, the American one of course, Baseball, MMA. That sort of thing.”

“I see. Pretty normal and boring, but don’t let me stop you from enjoying what you like. I prefer mine to be more exciting and action packed.”

“MMA not action packed enough? What do you like then?”

“The rules are too restrictive. A no-rules brawl is more exciting. Snake Ball is better than Baseball too.”

Okay, now she caught my attention. No one talks down on baseball like that.

“And what pray tell is Snake Ball?”

“Combat training in disguise.”

Cards remarked without glancing back at us.

“It’s Baseball, but the defender who has the ball is allowed to attack the runner, who is also allowed to fight back in defense. No killing and weapons, of course. Just good old fashioned fists.”

There was a nostalgic look on Mao’s eyes as she explained. The image of her mercilessly beating the shit out of an unfortunate shortstop was something I did not need in my mind. I shouldn't have asked.  Before I could say anything else, my gaze was suddenly transfixed at a person walking towards our direction. They were clad in a full set of armor made up of bone-like plates, with some gaps revealing a layer of darkened leather. A purple silken skirt decorated the waist, decorated with golden bull-like patterns. Their helmet resembled a gas mask made up of amber-colored bone, a visage resembling an insectoid creature, with mandibles and pointed ear-pieces. I could feel the piercing gaze coming from the helm green crystalline goggles.  Three golden earrings are attached to the left ear on the helmet. They had black leather-like gloves protected by the bone bracers. Two ornate revolvers of brass and wood were holstered on their belt. The armor on this person contrasted deeply with the guards who wore light and airy clothing. But what stopped me in my tracks as we got closer was the necklace tied to his belt. It was a simple oak carving of the Hindu Aum symbol tied to a black lace, with a small chipped part at the bottom of the symbol. It was Terry’s, no doubt about it.

“Hey! Where did you get that?!”

My pent up worries for Terry exploded at that moment and I couldn’t control myself. I yelled and pointed at the armored man.

“He’s got my partner’s necklace! He’s got to know where Terry is!”

“Oy! Sain mo yan na kuha?!”

Mao said, translating my thoughts to the armored man. The man stood still and eyed the three of us. His hands were moving for the revolvers on his belt. The mana in the air spiked in response as a gray metallic swarm emerged from Cards’ neck and created a helmet, while Mao pulled down her tie and her head was covered by a black balaclava.  She turned towards me and the design on her mask that snugly fit her face caught my eye. Distinctive white cat-fangs adorned the front of the mask. The fangs were prominently displayed against the black fabric, and positioned in such a way that they lined up with her jawline, which gave an air of fierce intensity.

“Don’t just fucking stand there, pull down the tie!”

My hand quickly tugged the tie downwards, but nothing happened except my head was dragged down. Shit. They did say I needed to channel mana through it, but they didn’t exactly know about my situation with magical energy. I pulled again, feigning confusion.

“Fucking- here!”

Her mana surged through the necktie as she pulled it down for me. The tie suddenly disappeared and I felt a soft and stretchy material cover my face. A gunshot that glowed fiery-orange cut the tension in the air as the armored man drew his revolver at lightning speed and fired at Cards, who took the shot to the chest. He stood firm, however, as if his suit jacket absorbed the force like it was nothing. I readied my baton as we advanced.

“Get behind me!”

Cards said to me as more gunshots thundered. Mao dashed towards the man, her legs glowing with mana. The nearby slaves working in the gardens were rattled, while their taskmasters and their guards simply watched us. The armored man suddenly launched himself into the air, floating effortlessly while he rained down red-hot bolts. I counted 14 shots in a few seconds. Those looked like six-shooters but he didn’t need to reload, what with his bullets being made of pure magical energy. He flew towards the tree tower, disengaging from the fight, but Mao was a step ahead of him.

“You’re going nowhere!”

She yelled as a metal wire shot out of her left arm. Caught off guard, the armored man’s leg was entangled and he violently dragged back to ground level, crashing into the surface. Surprisingly, neither his armor nor the ancient bone surface were cracked., despite the force of the fall. The wire remained wrapped on his leg as the three of us dashed towards him.

“Answer me! Where did you get that?!”

I walked closer to the downed man, my grip on the baton tightening. I had to control myself, losing it and taking out my anger on him would solve nothing, but even so, I couldn’t control my voice.

“Alright, Faceless. Just answer the question and-  SHIT! FORCE BELT!”

Mao grabbed me by the arm and shoved me aside, her exclamation from nowhere caught me off guard. But it was too late.

## Chapter 4: Aprósopi

A blinding light would illuminate the area, which poured out of the belt  buckle of the armored man. The sound of rushing wind and a roar louder than thunder filled my ears. Suddenly, a powerful force would slam into me, knocking us off our feet and sending us flying towards different directions. Cards was tossed the opposite way while me and Mao were launched to the right of the edge, tossed into the air. In a few seconds, I felt the wind on my body as we were falling down towards the maze of wooden docks and buildings caged by the ribs below.

It felt like I was hit by a giant invisible hammer, several parts of my body wracked with pain as the energy of the spell coursed through me. That supernatural force definitely shattered some bones.  I didn’t have time to nullify the mana that hit me, let alone process what happened. We plummeted to certain doom, my heart pounded frantically. I felt the wind rushing past me, and the sound of it whistling in my ears was deafening. My body was weightless, and the sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I frantically scanned the horizon, searching for something, anything, to grab onto or slow his descent.

But then, the falling sensation stopped. Was I dead? No. I was still mid-air, but simply unmoving. I was floating in one place mid-air! And then I felt a force on my back, the sensation of several tiny needles pierced through my clothes. Then I was pulled back up the spine with incredible force. All I could see was Mao’s falling figure shrinking as the distance between us increased.

‘WHAT IN THE GODDAMN?!”

I screamed on instinct, only to realize that what was pulling me back up was a swarm of metallic-gray insect creatures, the ones that Cards used earlier to intercept the slavers’ spit. The swarm lifted with incredible speed and strength, and I quickly found myself back at the spine, abruptly dropped into the bone-floor. There I saw Cards already standing up, the swarm that carried me suddenly combining with another swarm that came from his sleeves and formed a large rectangular riot-shield, handle and everything.

“What about Mao?”

She was still falling to her death, but Cards appeared dismissive, his focus entirely centered on the armored man who was also standing up.

“She’ll be fine. That height is nothing for her. Focus on staying alive. Stay behind that shield.”

His laidback tone was replaced by determination and resolve, focused on doing one thing, fighting the foe. I nodded and took a defensive stance. It was good that I instinctively kept my grip on the baton tight. Would have lost it from the fall otherwise. I guess Cards here knew riot-shields were part of our training. Although I wish it was transparent, it was better than nothing.

The armored man flew up into the air again with extreme speed and began suppressing us with rapid-fire shots. I took cover behind the shield while Cards began deflecting shots with a metallic baton.  No, it was longer, and had a prong as a handguard and for grappling and catching weapons. I kinda want one of those now. Though I doubt I'd be able to deflect shots like that, with him using magic to empower his reaction time and speed. The armored foe flew circles around us, probing for weak spots. The impact of the energized bullets reverberated through my arm, sending a jolt of pain up to my shoulder. But I gritted my teeth and held my ground, he's not shaking me that easily. The heat rapidly emanated from the shield as the magic bullets continued to rain down on us, but he will run out soon. It’s ridiculous that he never stopped to reload, so perhaps those guns eventually overheat.

And overheat it did. Even from a distance, I saw the barrels of his revolvers glowing  red-orange. He dropped down and landed gracefully before us, nasty single-edged blades emerged from vambraces. The blade extended into a sword, complete with a handle, and before we knew it, he charged at us with two machete-like weapons in his hands. A metal swarm emerged from Cards’ left sleeve, forming into a shorter version of his modified baton to even the odds against the dual-wielder.

Cards met him head on, the boney surface shook as he launched himself at the armored foe. The onlookers, the guards, the slaves, and their overseers watched from a distance as the two locked in a duel. Sparks went flying as their bodies moved like water, form and volume, but shifting and changing every few seconds. Parry, strike, dodge, reposition, like a dance of death. Despite looking like he’s slow with the weight of that armor, the enemy was agile, responding each block with a strike of his own. Cards maintained balance of offense and defense, unrelenting in his attacks. I stood back, assessing how to approach this.

The two look evenly matched in melee. If I joined in, it would shake things up a bit. I could ditch the shield for now and try to go for joint lock, but the moment that guy sees I dropped my defense, he’d probably go for a quick draw and double tap my heart. Besides, Mao said it herself earlier, this guy was a Faceless, and Terry told me all about the Faceless mercs. Armored and armed to the teeth, they devoted themselves to become a living weapon, so who knew how many hidden tricks he had built in that armor.

As if reading my mind, a sudden flash of bright light came from the armored man’s left knee, and a bolt of blue magical energy fired and hit Cards in the leg. The enemy took advantage of that split-second flinch and pressed the attack. Oh hell no! I wasn’t going to be like the anime side-characters commenting on the sideline.

“Fighting dirty, eh?!”

I tried to draw his attention by being as loud as I could. I charged head on, shield brandished in front of me. My eyes briefly focused on Terry’s necklace tied to the enemy’s belt. I grit my teeth and tightened my grip on the shield and the baton as I closed in. The enemy kicked Cards away, his leg seared with magical energy that launched Cards towards the nearest vertebrae-wall, before he turned his attention to me. But something was different. His approach was less guarded compared to when he fought Cards. He’ll pay for underestimating his enemy.

I closed the gap between us, and he gave me the courtesy of the first blow, as if he was goading me to attack first. I threw a swift strike to his left forearm to disarm him, but he didn’t bother to avoid it. Instead, he blocked it directly with his bracer. I felt a jolt of force. My baton made contact with his armor, an unyielding material. My arm reverberated with the impact, causing a slight tingling sensation that ran upwards. Despite the strength behind the blow, the bone plating held firm, barely showing any signs of denting or cracking. The warrior stood there, no counter attacks. Taking the opportunity, I struck him square in the head. With my height and reach advantage, I hoped to stun him, but again, his armor shrugged it off. If anything, I was the one feeling the force of my own attacks. I felt a twinge of frustration at the realization that my weapon was essentially useless, that’s why he was so carefree in approaching me. Damn it! Useless it might have been for direct attacks, I still had the chance to exploit some openings, get him to the ground and lock him with the bat-

“Pitiful”.

A gruff and merciless voice came from the armored figure as I nearly had my hand cut off. His blade moved so fast that I barely reacted to it. If it wasn’t for the shield, he would have struck me down with a follow up attack. A spike of pain climbed up my left arm as the force of the sword hitting the shield was not entirely absorbed by the metal barrier alone. Before I could do anything else, he thrusted his palm and a gout of fire came flying towards me. I hid behind the metal shield. It held strong, blocking the flames and protecting me from the worst of the blast. But the heat was overpowering, the metallic swarm conducted heat greatly. l felt my hand and arm seared by the heat as I struggled to keep it steady. The sheer force of the flames threatened to knock me off my feet, and as he walked closer towards me, I felt my arm shaking with the effort of holding the shield.

I had to make a quick decision. The pain in my arm was becoming unbearable, and I risked serious injury or even being cooked to death if I hesitated. I ditched the shield, dropping it to the ground and dove out of the way of the flames. The armored man continued to unleash wave after wave of fire, but the adrenaline pumping in my veins and my reflexes made me dodge and weave my way through the inferno.

Without the shield, I was a sitting duck at range, so I had to stick to him like glue. My limbs screamed out in pain, as if to tell me it was a bad idea, but I ignored the warning and charged. But before I could get close, there was a sudden impact, and my world went black. It felt as though a car collided with my face, and I was thrown backward, landing hard on the ground.

For a moment, I was dazed and disoriented, trying to shake off the shock of the blast. But as I slowly regained my senses, I realized that I was still alive. He must have shot me  square in the face, but the mask stopped it from being fatal. As Cards said, “my head is protected”  Even so, I could still feel the force of the shot reverberating through my skull, and my head throbbed with pain and I just knew if I tried to stand up, I’d be horribly unbalanced.

I opened my eyes and saw the man approach me, revolver aimed at my chest. He was trying to finish me off. He was going to kill me if I didn't do anything. My hand moved on its own and tossed the batton towards the armored man. He barely flinched and shot the baton away like it was nothing. Shit. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate.

Terry. I’m sorry. I failed you. Damn it. We'll both end up MIA.

But the last shot I anticipated did not come. I hesitated at first but opened my eyes, only to see the man aiming his gun but his finger did not pull the trigger. Looking upwards, I noticed that a swarm of Cards’ metallic insects was grasping onto the man’s helmet and was in the middle of pulling it off him. I caught the glimpse of a well defined chin and a frown.

“Put the gun down.”

The voice of Cards called out to the man with authority. At first it baffled me that he was able to stop the guy from killing me, but then I realized what Cards was doing.

“You kill him and I will make you break your creed. My Abo-Alon has eyes just like the crowd watching us. Do you think his life is worth breaking your warrior code, Faceless?”

Cards approached, his arm stretched out and pointed at the enemy’s head, emphasizing his control over the swarm. A sigh came from the armored man as he lowered his gun. I watched as the onlookers, from the guards to the slaves, all observed with anticipation. Glad my life placed in serious danger entertained these people.

“Hand over that Akashic necklace while you’re at it.”

The man begrudgingly tore the necklace from his belt and tossed it towards Cards, who caught it without effort. But then I saw his belt buckle glow white and mana spiked in the air. Oh no. Not again.

The air around us crackled with magical energy.  Suddenly, a burst of force erupted from his belt and hurtled towards me with incredible speed. The boom louder than thunder left my ears ringing, but I was prepared this time. Rolling away, I managed to escape the full force and was just pushed back several meters instead of being sent flying. The swarm that held his helmet hostage, who were at point-blank range, were scattered everywhere. Cards too was prepared and avoided the shockwave, but the Faceless was free once again and his revolver was aimed straight at me.

At this range, I can at least try to dodge-

“SURPRISE MOTHAFUCKA!”

Suddenly, something hit the Faceless’ hand. I sensed mana but didn’t see anything. An invisible bullet? Whatever it was, it struck his hand and threw off his aim, the heated shot flying over my head by several inches. The rather crude battlecry came from Mao, who ascended from the ledge and lunged at the man with a flying kick, launching him to the side. But she did not stop there, she made a finger gun with her right hand and I saw the air near it distort for a split second, before sensing magical energy fired from the “gun”. Invisible bullets hit the armor, the kinetic force stronger than the strikes I made earlier, as he looked like he felt that last hit. He then launched himself into the air, disengaging from the fight. Mao responded by launching the metal wire from her left sleeve. The Faceless was expecting it, however, and his blade slashed and sliced the wire before it could hit him again. He and Mao exchanged shots as his figure grew smaller the more distance he made between us, and he retreated to the top of the towering tree in the middle of the spine.

“Tch. I missed all the fun.”

Mao saw off the flying armor with a final shot. The crowd returned to what they were doing as if nothing even happened. I felt the tension in my body disappear, and a sense of fatigue hit me. The two walked towards me, Cards placing Terry’s wooden amulet in my hand.

“At least we got this back. You alright?”

I stared at Terry’s amulet silently, grasping it tight in my hand.

“Yeah. I just need to catch my breath.”

“Looks like the Faceless fucked you up bad. Shot you right between the eyes there.”

Mao pointed at my forehead. Now that she brought it up, the pain from earlier returned, and I just knew that this will turn into a massive headache later.

## Interlude

The haze of green emitting from the luminous crystals on the ceiling bathed the dark room in an arcane aura. I stood before Lady Haliya, who was previously reading from the giant tome floating in front of her as she laid down on her luxurious beddings, intricate patterns and golden embroidery decorated the sheets. She wore a silk nightgown, adorned with a beautifully weaved sash representing the colors of Clan Haliyahan. A golden amulet adorned her neck, radiating beauty and magic at the same time.

“And my debt to the merchant is cleared. The last shipment was more than enough.”

“Honestly, Laonsina, your insistence in entertaining that man’s  demands baffles me. One word from me and you wouldn’t have had to waste time collecting slaves.”

I would have been a liar if I said my Lady’s words did not flatter me. I was not worthy to have her use her authority over the slavehunters and merchants on my behalf, but I was a woman of my word. I repaid my debts regardless of the people I was indebted to.

“Anything exciting happened on your little trip outside?”

“Two Snakes tried to attack me when I arrived.”

“Did they now?”

My Lady’s attention was diverted from her book, a mildly amused grin on her face.

“So, they came back for the Ring? What did I tell you, Laonsina? They too follow our ways.”

I idly rubbed my ring with my other finger. If they wanted this back, they were more than welcome to pry it from my hands.

“They might try again, most likely when I leave Pana San Halas. They must be setting up another ambush like back at the docs at the Maw. “

“While it would be very amusing if they tried to just walk into my tower looking for you, I doubt they would be careless enough to present themselves after they attacked. Did any of the guards try to stop them?

“No, my Lady. The Snakes did not attack civilians or cause any damage to the city, so their blades remained sheathed.”

“The pact is kept then. If they cause any drastic disruptions to Bakunawa, they’ll be put down like any pactbreaker. In any case, be a dear and wear this.”

A shiny emerald stone etched into a silver necklace  floated towards me from my Lady’s cabinet at the far side of the room. It radiated with mana, but whatever enchantment it contained eluded me. As expected of her keen eye, she immediately noticed my confusion.

“It will let me see your battles with them when you inevitably bump into them again, and also has some effects that I will not say. I want to surprise you and our little Snake visitors.  I do love watching your fights, and some twists here and then allows life to be less drab. Make it entertaining for me, will you?”

My lady said as she glanced up at me while her head hung at the edge of the bed, her eyes gleaming mischief.  There was only one appropriate response to this.

“It will be done, My Lady.”

I bowed my head, good retainers followed orders. To make the Lady wait for her entertainment would be a crime, so I excused myself from her quarters and went back to my room at the western edge of the tower. While my Lady gave me a gem of surprise, I figured it would be good to surprise her with tools of my own. Agimat Amulets, rings, even one-use enchanted trinkets, anything that would have made the battles flashy and action-packed, I packed everything and placed them within the Ring’s pocket. Throwing needles and daggers enchanted with various effects, I spared no expense. My weapon rack was getting crowded anyway. As I emerged, re-armed and walked the branch pathway down the tree-tower, I saw a figure rapidly ascending to the sky. In a minute, he was already floating in front of me. From the amber-colored bonemold, there was only one person underneath that armor.

“Back already, Yangu? I thought presenting an Akashic trophy to your elders would take longer? Or do they need me to be there since I was  the one who-”

“It was taken from me.”

“Taken? By who?”

“Snakes.”

He landed beside me and slightly hung his head, ashamed that the gift I gave him early was now gone. Even more surprising were the thieves.

“Snakes? Two of them, I assume?”

“Yes. And some outlander, but he was barely a threat. I am ashamed to say that I got careless and they forced me to give it up, not my finest work.”

I donned my mask and placed a hand on his shoulder. He raised his head in response to my gesture, and I could tell that underneath his helmet was a look of surprise.

“If you came to apologize, don’t. We shall reclaim it together. And at the same time, we will be doing a service to Lady Haliya.”

“You’re a woman after my own heart, Laonsina.”

His voice perked up and we shared a nod. I hope you will enjoy the show, my lady.

## Chapter 5: Back To Square One

My left arm, no, most of my upper-body’s left side started to sting, my skin burned to the point where even exposure to just the air was painful. I closed my eyes and noticed the persistent ringing in my ears and the headache that was beginning to manifest from the exact point where I took that super-heated magic bullet. I forcefully opened my eyes, but it was too late, my mind was already made aware of the pain. I found myself sitting at the couch I woke up in once again.

Mao and Cards stood by the center table, talking to each other in Filipino, or was it called Tagalog? Not too sure, what I did know is that I understand nothing of what they were talking about, save for the occasional “fucking” or “shit” that Mao sprinkles into her sentences.  From the way Cards’ expression shifted from concern to bemusement, they are either planning on dropping this “contract”, if you could even call it that, with me, or are thinking of a way to break into the mage-lord’s tower without getting us all killed. My gut was telling me that it was probably the first one.

I sighed heavily and looked at the wooden Aum symbol in my hand, realizing my mistake. Just right after the fight with that Faceless, the adrenaline and desire to find Terry got the better of me. I insisted that we pursue and interrogate him, but the two just looked at me like I was crazy, and to be fair, I realized that it was insane to suggest that we chase the flying man while I was burned and shot in the head already. I wanted to chime in, but I wondered if they started speaking in a language I did not understand because they didn’t want me to be part of the conversation. Terry, what should I do in this situation? But there was no answer, only the cold wooden amulet digging into my palm as my grasp tightened.

Looking back, the mages we took out back home were all thanks to coordination with the team, and proper equipment. I should have never rushed blindly, even if Terry’s life was at stake. If I got myself killed, and I nearly did, who would help my comrade in need now? Only after facing a heavily armed and armored enemy did reality dawned on me. We needed a better plan, we can’t just blindly try and track down Laonsina while waltzing through a hostile city. Strategy aside, I was also a sitting duck. Even if I can burn away mana from incoming spells, it’s not as effective when I’m fighting an armored Faceless who has a lot of weapons and hidden tricks. Sure, I can weaken the magic of an incoming enchanted bullet, but it was still a bullet at the end of the day. I won’t be doing myself any favor if I allow bullets to still hit my body.

The pain in my head where I got shot grew stronger as I realized that little fact. I glanced at Cards, still engrossed in his conversation with Mao. He got shot in the body but came out just fine. The part where he got hit barely looked like it got hit by a superheated shot. He must have reinforced his clothes. And the fact that mage groups like the Snakes outfitted their agents with special clothing, made to be durable with magic or secret techniques whenever they make the clothes. And combine that with Reinforcement magic and you multiply the effectiveness of what essentially is armor by two, four, maybe even eight if they’re a really good mage. And then there’s me who can’t even use the most basic strengthening spell on my own body. I’m stuck at  one while Mao and Cards had twice or thrice the protection with their outfits. One part of me wanted to ask them to give me more than just the mask, which now returned as a necktie on Cards’ suit. A helmet and something to protect my torso would have been enough.

The circular door suddenly opened and a woman clad in the same black suit as the others walked into the room. She had dark hair that went all the way down to her chest. She was shorter than Mao, and had a stern look on her face. She immediately caught me looking at her and I felt her piercing gaze reach me from across the room. Her eyes were analytical, sizing me up, as if assessing if I was a threat to her, and my instinct told me that she was quick to look for my weak points. Ma’am, I was just nearly burnt and shot, I’m not exactly in the right condition to be a threat to you. I wanted to say that, but the unwavering intensity  of a warrior coming from her gaze made me realize that it was best to not snark at her.

She spoke in Tagalog, catching Cards and Mao’s attention. “Something something police” is what I got from her prompt sentence. The duo nodded, the woman returned with another nod as well. She then pointed that intense gaze at me again.

“I’m Asuka Hazuki.So you’re the contractor. I’m obligated to keep you alive while you’re here inside the safehouse but  I warn you now, Detective Marseilles, cause trouble  in the den on my watch and you’ll regret it.“

I didn't know if I felt safe or threatened. This was the first time someone offered to kick my ass in such a polite and formal tone. She delivered that like a business woman presenting her business card to me that simply said “I’ll kill you if you cross us”. She did a small bow before walking towards Cards and Mao. Out of nowhere, something small but solid struck my chest.

“Aargh! What-”

The offending object plopped onto my lap and I realized Mao threw a stim at me. I looked at her, she looked at me with an impatient expression, her eyes said “Da fuck are you waiting for? Stim up!”. All the magic in the world and the only way to heal me was to inject a torture stick inside me. The three Snakes continued their discussion, leaving me to heal myself. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth before sticking the damn needle into a vein. I let out a gasp, and then a groan, but the three paid no mind to the fact that my body felt like it was being filled up with lava, muscles breaking and reassembling, my skin and organs feeling like they were turned inside out, and then my heart pounding erratically in the span of a minute. It felt like an hour, each painful effect lasting for minutes at a time. And then the pain faded away, along with the headache and the burns in my body. I wanted to have a word with whoever invented this damn thing, but I realized they were probably the sadist type that I would rather not stay in the same room with.

“You used up 2 stims already, anymore and we’re going to charge you the next time you use up supplies.”

Mao said, snapping me out of the post-stim stupor. She was smiling, but I knew that she wasn’t joking.

“In that case, if you are going to charge me for using your equipment, give me a suit. Or anything that can be armor. I don’t want to go outside unprotected. Less chance of me using up more stims and dying, right?”

I said. I  sounded way more demanding than I meant to be, but give me a break. I nearly died for Christ’s sake.

Mao chuckled while Asuka remained stern. I couldn’t read Card’s expression. It was like a mix of concern and relief at the same time. He walked towards the ladder leading upstairs, leaving me with the two.

“Sure. You should have said so in the first place. If it’s a contractor’s request, then we’ll oblige. It’s a rental though, so if you lose or get the suit destroyed, it’s coming out of your wallet.”

“Damn mercs and your money. Fine. Whatever. Just get me one.”

“Yeah yeah, calm your tits, cop. Cards’ is fetching one for you.”

Mao said, she then turned towards Asuka. This time she wanted me to know what we’re talking about since she started using English.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us and fight that Faceless? If anyone’s got a shot at cutting through his armor it’s you.”

Asuka shook her head.

“My orders are to watch over the Den. If I leave and help you get rid of your problem, the place will be vulnerable with only Senpai at the sentry.”

“We’ll split some of the reward money with you if you help.”

“No thanks. You’ll do fine. As long as you don’t do anything foolish.”

I felt Asuka’s eyes scan me for a second before returning her focus to Mao. Gee, thanks.

“Besides, where's the rest of your Unit? Ask them for back up.”

“They’re watching the exit up on the surface, and Katja and Gjerta are on vacation. We've called up Mitsune. She's already on her way.”

Mao stopped herself from continuing her sentence the moment she noticed the frown on my face. At first I realized getting back up would give us a better chance, but getting another Snake to help meant I'd be paying more. The scowl quickly disappeared when I realized how selfish I was thinking. Terry’s life takes priority over money. She chuckled at my reaction before speaking up again.

“Don’t worry, detective. We ain’t charging you extra for another person helping. She’s doing this from the kindness of her heart, so you better be grateful.”

She said with a derisive smirk. I returned a false smile. Before I said anything else, Cards returned with a full suit set, complete with the trousers, shirt, suit jacket, and tie, neatly folded and stacked on top of each other.

“Alright, dress yourself up. Gotta look your best when dealing with the Balete.”

Mao said as Cards handed me the clothes. Asuka looked away from my direction, probably to preserve my modesty while the other two went back to their previous conversation, although this time they spoke in English. Guess they wanted me to be part of the conversation now.

“It wont take Mistune long to arrive, but we don’t have time to fuck around and wait for her while the Balete could be doing all sorts of fucked up shit, so here’s the plan. We need to find a way to lure Laonsina to us. It’ll be suicide to walk into the tower. If you think fighting one Faceless was bad, there’s more of his kind hanging out at their master’s lair. Not to mention other mages who wouldn’t take kindly to outsiders waltzing in there.”

Mao said. Cards and Asuka nodded in unison, the latter sitting down behind the center table of the room. Even if she wasn't planning on joining us, she was listening attentively.

"And how exactly are we going to lure her in?"

I asked while changing into the trousers first, facing away from the three. I didn't exactly know what Balete wanted or what could be used as bait. If anything, she probably would be avoiding us instead.

"I have a couple ideas. But first thing's first. We have to talk about you, Detective."

She said, her tone shifting to a more serious one. I felt the air feel cold while I felt the three staring at me from behind.

"Did you run out of mana earlier? Couldn't even pull a simple Tie with your mana to activate the mask we gave you? Or maybe, you don't even know how to use magic?"

Her words were like venom, slowly flooding my body with paralysis. I figured I'd keep it a secret from them but they were sharper than I thought.

"When we fought the Faceless, you never casted a single spell. Not even just to Reinforce your body or clothes.”

Cards followed up. His tone was less accusatory and was more of concern.

“Either you’re holding back, which would have gotten yourself killed if it wasn’t for us, or you’re a former Sleeper who was taught about magic when you joined the cops.”

Mao said. The tapping of her footsteps inched closer as I put on the shirt and jacket silently.

“So? Which one are you? We better sort this all now. No use keeping secrets, especially if it’ll just get in the way of this job. If you want  us to work together, we should know what we are all capable of. I can use Air Magic and shoot air bullets. Cards over there controls metal familiars and can make weapons and armor with them, which I’m sure you got a good show of earlier. What about you? Surely the force didn’t recruit you without proper magic training, that or you’re just an expendable Sleeper pawn to them.”

Sleeper wasn’t the worst thing I was called by a mage, I suppose. But those last words echoed in my mind, contrasting to what Terry told me all those years ago. “You’re not expendable, kid. We all got a purpose in the force, in the team.”. Should I really really tell these mercs and give away the ace up my sleeve? Or was it stupid to keep them in the dark? She’s out of line but she’s got a point. What’s the use of my ability to nullify mana if I just end up dead before I could use it? I had a higher chance of living if they were aware of my situation, but part of me didn’t want to reveal it so carelessly. Was it pride? A desire to keep an air of mystery between us? Mao revealed what they could do like it was nothing. It was the confidence of a woman who basically told me “Yeah I revealed what my magic is. Whatcha gonna do about it?”. In a battle of magi, knowledge was power. Keeping your foe guessing is an advantage you can’t waste, especially when you are against an enemy of equal or stronger force. There’s a reason why most mages used basics and fundamental spells like “Reinforcement” as an opener in fights. Every mage worth their salt knew how to strengthen the concept of something, so it wasn’t much of a loss when you tell your enemy that you can do the basics.

“If you can’t use magic, then it’s best you stay back. There’s a lot the NYPD didn’t teach you when it comes to Balete.”

Cards said as I stewed in silence, absentmindedly doing the buttons of my shirt. Hesitation was weighing down on me like an anchor.  But the thought of these two leaving me here with Asuka, the suit being given as just a safety net in case we got attacked here, was killing me inside.

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”

Mao said with a chuckle, laughing at her own usage of the expression, God knows why.

I closed my eyes and exhaled a big gust of air from my nose before turning towards the Snakes.

“I can’t use Mana. I’m built differently, if you could call it that. All the mana my body takes in gets burned away. Can’t cast spells if I nullify any mana I try to use.”

I said, self-consciously muttering the sentence in the end.

“Huh. So you’re like a walking Key?”

The unexpected response from Mao caught me off-guard and I turned towards the Snakes. Sorry, what?

“Like this.”

She pulled out a folded butterfly knife, the handle made of an ornate black wood. She flicked the knife open, the blade danced effortlessly between her nimble fingers. The glimmering blade  . was carved from a single piece of high-quality steel, with a serpentine design,  sinuous waves of metal frozen in time. She traced an intricate path through the air, drawing patterns of elegance and danger. Even for a few seconds, it was a hypnotic spectacle that blended the danger of a blade with the grace of a delicate waltz. Every flip, twist, and twirl carried an unspoken message of skill.

“THIS is a Key. Standard Issue. Stab a fucker with this and you’ll open up their defenses. It weakens mana, so it’ll take care of a Reinforcement spell or any enchantment the mage is wearing. Sound familiar? So you're like a key, except you’re a grown man who can talk and run.

There was a smile on her face, a smile that said “Cheer up, you’re as useful as this illegal knife”. It did little to brighten my mood, only getting a sigh from me. She noticed this reaction and quickly held out her hand towards me.

“Alright, so it’s not that complicated after all. With that out of the way, onto the plan.”

Terry’s amulet, which I placed on the sofa before changing into the suit, suddenly floated in the air and zipped across the room, as if an invisible bubble picked it up. The wooden amulet made its way to Mao’s hand, and I stopped myself from marching to her and snatching it back from her.

“This will be our bait.”

“Wait, hold on, that’s Te-”

“Yes, yes, it belongs to your partner. I get it. It’s also an Akashic Amulet, a trophy for Faceless warriors. We already dishonored the guy for nearly revealing his face and taking his trophy, so he’ll definitely want this back.”

Mao said, a devious smirk on her face as she went through her plan in her head.

“And it’s good that he actually was the type that made sure his face was not seen. If he didn’t care about showing it to people, I’m not sure what could have happened earlier.”

Cards said. There would have probably been a hole in my chest right now, or a cauterized wound that would have been the killing blow.

“Why would you want to draw in the Faceless? Shouldn’t we be looking for Laonsina? And can I please get that back? I haven’t really agreed to your plan yet.”

Mao scoffed, placing the amulet inside her suit pocket.

“You have no say in this matter, Detective. You hired us to help, and this is our way of getting everything sorted out. You’ll have to trust us with this. We’ll lure in Laonsina. Don’t worry about it.”

“I find it hard to trust you if you don’t tell me everything that you’re planning.”

I couldn’t help it. I raised my voice, the frustration and anger becoming more apparent the longer I spoke. My hands were clenched hard to the point that I felt nails digging deep into my skin. But then I realized that they might have saw this as a sign of aggression, like I’m about to throw hands with them, so I chose to let out my thoughts instead of bottling it up.

“Because I’ll be honest with you, merc. Terry’s life is on the line here and I’m not going to leave it to chance, if you are just betting on Laonsina showing up with this plan of yours-”

“Look who’s talking, Mister ‘I’m going to shut up about the fact that I can’t use mana’. We’ve dealt with Balete before. We know how they act and think, and we certainly know more than you in this. In fact. If it’s not for Cards, I’d toss you out to the fucking wolves outside. Your little ‘contract’ with us is nothing more than a hindrance to our actual job here. And if you don’t listen to us and just be an uncooperative ungrateful bitch , I’d be more than happy to break off this formality”.

Shit. The tension in the air was so sharp that I felt as if it was already slicing my skin open. Mao’s glare was unbearable, reminding me of the disdainful faces some women gave me in the past.

“If I may-”

Cards placed a hand on Mao’s shoulder. His gesture silently said ‘I’ll handle this’.

“It’s understandable that you don’t trust us, Detective. And to be frank, my sister here doesn’t trust you either. And it’s not like I don’t want to trust you, but I also have to be considerate of her opinion too. We’ll have to find common ground here. You want to rescue Terry, I understand that. But think about this for a moment. There’s only three of us, and if we just walk into the lion’s den, the chances of rescuing him will be zero. Sneaking in is also unlikely.  A Balete mage’s tower is filled with so much security and traps that we’ll be found out the moment we even get close to the base of the tower.”

Cards said, his tone calm and diplomatic. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t de-escalate the situation a little.

“Now if you must know, the plan is to lure in that Faceless and hopefully Laonsina to us in the Water District. We Snakes and the Balete have an agreement, we try not to disrupt each other’s affairs. Except for when theft is involved. Or in cases of self-defense. They stole our ring, so we are more than welcome to get it back, and take care of anyone that gets in our way. We’ll head over and stir some attention in a way that no Balete Agent could resist. The thought of Snakes besmirching her and her mistress’ name and potentially breaking the treaty because of her has a high chance of getting her attention. Now it might sound like we’ll be relying on luck, but as Até Mao said, you’ll have to trust us on this one. “

“F-fine. It’s worth a shot I guess.”

I’m thankful that this guy was the voice of reason, unlike the callous bundle of fun he’d call his sister. Don’t let her get to you, Keron. Besides, nothing good ever came from looking a gift horse in the mouth.

## Chapter 6: Guard’s Nest

We walked right out of the Den, the cop in tow. He’s been more and more on edge, and that did little in making our job easier. I swear, if Katja or Fang was the one with me instead of Cards, he would have been either bound inside the den, his feet frozen to the ground. That, or his head would be separated from his shoulders already. But we just had to deal with it. The sun was already up and beaming its morning light upon the city. I took a quick peek off the edge and I saw more and more boats sail in and out of the maw, with fishing boats coming back with their night haul or going for their morning catch. The hustle and bustle picked up, the perfect time to cause a scene.

“Aight. We’re heading down.”

I said, guiding the detective towards the edge, the wooden walkways and buildings formed an almost maze-like sight.

“And how exactly are we going to-”

Without a second thought, I shoved him with a weak blast of wind that I quickly formed in my palm, not enough to cause damage, but enough to push him off the edge.  I dove after him, channeling another gust of air behind me. It gave me just the right boost to catch up to the panicked cop flailing about as he plummeted towards the water.

“WHAT THE FUC-”

The sheer terror in his eyes turned into a flash of anger as he looked at me while we fell, the  exhilarating rush of wind brushing against our faces.

Extend your will. Gather the air. And then. Updraft.

Mana surged into the wind as we free-fall, control was mine. The wind obediently surrounded me and the detective, gliding us down towards the nearby wooden walkways. Like a feather floating on a gentle breeze, we landed softly with an unremarkable thud of our feet. The gusts swiftly dissipated, leaving no single trace. The locals at the Water District glanced in either mild surprise, not because of the magic but because it was an outsider casting spells in public, or just pure dismissal. Tough crowd.

Cards descended near us, metal platforms formed underneath his feet that carried him downward like an elevator. Keron was still catching his breath, clearly not used to free falls.

“Don’t be a baby, officer. It was just a little jump.”

He glared at me, glanced at the Spine dozens of stories above us and then back at me, his eyes screamed “Seriously?!”. I adjusted my tie and shrugged.

“Next time, warn me first before you do something like that.”

“Sure. But the moment you get stubborn, I’ll blindside you again. Now, less talking, more walking.”

We ventured deeper into the district, navigating the wooden stilt houses and platforms that rose above the water. For a place where the poor peasantry and the slaves made their homes,  the architecture and designs from slender supports to the humble shacks seamlessly blended with the massive bones that loomed over the district. Say what you want about the Balete, but the intricate craftsmanship that went into constructing these dwellings, wood magically altered and designed with carvings and reliefs akin to the tattoos of the guards and warriors that made their rounds in the district.

Speaking of which, the locals casted wary glances our way. They didn’t say anything, mostly because we dealt with the lower caste of Balete society. They might dislike us, but they were too afraid to throw insults at Snakes that could easily dunk on them with magic. Power was everything to these people, and they knew where they were in the pecking order. The atmosphere was still pretty tense. The peasantry silently minded their own business, but the occasional warrior threw the typical insult, or spat at the ground we walked on. The detective was once again letting his eyes wander.

“Don’t stare at them too long, Detective. You might accidentally pick a fight with someone. We’re walking in the wrong neighborhood.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

He kept his head down for the most part, which was for the better. Amidst the whispers and cautious gazes, we continued looking for that certain place. They followed the winding paths, passing by wooden racks of freshly caught fish, from tiny-ass tadpole-looking fish to slimy eels with luminous scales, and the occasional ones that might as well be razor sharp teeth with fins. I don’t care if I grew up on fish, I ain’t eating what these Balete call seafood.

I glanced at the pearl on Cards’ left ear before sending him a message.

「Where exactly is that guard bar?」

「It’s right underneath the tower. As long as we don’t get into any trouble, we’ll be there in no time.」

Cards’ voice echoed in my head, the same way my own words were sent into his mind.

「You mean if the cop doesn’t get us into trouble?」

「Hopefully.」

「Think we should tell him more about the plan, Cards old boi?」

「Keeping him completely in the dark might be a detriment in the long run, Até. I say we shouldn’t keep too much secrets from him when it comes to what we’re doing to fulfill his contract.」

「Contract? Funny way to call the hollow words of a desperate man.」

“Oi. Officer.”

Keron, who was lost in thought as he walked behind Cards, turned towards me.

“We’re going to cause a scene with a bunch of guards. Laonsina is bound to show up, or at least that Faceless looking for the necklace.”

I dangled the wooden amulet in front of him before hiding it back in my coat pocket.

“Important thing is that you don’t do anything stupid and  get yourself killed. You’re Mana Burn is going to be useful, but not so much if you’re dead. Just follow our lead and we’ll keep you alive.”

“Only if you guys don’t do anything stupid.”

“Like running after a Faceless? Yeah. Pretty dumb if you ask me.”

He scoffed. Damned reckless cop.

After navigating the maze of alleys, narrow walkways, and bridges, we discovered an open-air eatery nestled near the edge of the Water District. Set against the backdrop of the tranquil water were tables and chairs arranged under the shade of the twisted roots from the tree tower above the area, the furnishings made of the same wood from the tree tower. Overhead, strings of colorful paper lanterns swayed gently, casting a warm and inviting glow upon the surroundings. Banners and rugs dyed yellow, the colors of this city’s Clan, decorated  the circular bar counter in the middle of the eatery.  This would have been a great place to relax and enjoy a meal near the peaceful waters. It would have been, if not for the people hanging around.

Off-duty guards made up most of the clientele, taking up most of the tables and seats. Most of them had their spears or swords either placed on or near their tables, some even had their helmets near their gourds and cups of booze. The scent of spiced alcohol and fish from the grill at the counter wafted over the moment we walked into the eatery. The bartender, a woman in her forties wearing an apron over a rough tunic, stared at us as we made our presence known. Some of the guards at the nearby tables also paused their talks or their gulps of booze and food just to leer at us.

“You bois take a seat. I’ll fetch us some drinks.”

The two sat down at the nearest table from where we entered, Keron, while he tried to act composed, still looked uncomfortable from the guards and the bartender staring daggers at us, no matter how he tried to hide it. One group hurled the typical “Lusi niyo, Luwasan!” and other insults aimed at outlanders. The cop didn’t need to know what they said, but I figured the vitriol they were delivered with was more than enough to show us that we weren’t welcome here.

“I’m good,  Até. What about you, detective?”

He sighed as he looked at the bar, all sorts of ceramic jugs and jars were lined on the counter, while large urn-like barrels stood in the center of the circular counter.

“Get me something tame.”

“Lightweight, huh?”

The detective immediately scowled at such a suggestion. He also didn’t appreciate the look of pity I gave him.

“I actually have a pretty good tolerance. I just don’t want to down alcohol that I know nothing about.”

“Whatever you say, officer.”

I marched toward the bar, never breaking eye-contact with the woman behind it, and took out two luminous pearls from inside my pocket.

“Two Lapan, please. Make it frothy.”

## Chapter 7: Bar-Room Blitz

The bartender lady poured a strange drink into a ceramic cup. Even from a distance I noticed the murky and somewhat viscous liquid. Its color was kind of a deep amber or coppery hue, like aged spirits.

“Officer, catch!”

With blatant disregard of the fact that it would spill the drink, Mao threw the cup at us from across the room. The patrons of the establishment shared my reaction of dismay, and I was expecting the drink to spill all over the place.

Clunk.

But the cup landed perfectly on the table and in front of me, not a single drop spilled. That’s when I noticed that magical energy surrounding the cup fizzled out. She said she could make air bullets, so what stopped her from making a bubble to keep the cup safe. Damned mages, they always had tricks hidden up their sleeves.

The cup was brimming with a crown of froth, almost exactly like sea foam.   The drink’s scent was both distinct and unsettling. An aroma wafted through the air that carried an unmistakable and overpowering briny tang, reminiscent of the ocean at its most intense. The sharpness of salted brine mingled with a faint undertone of… lemongrass of all things.  I narrowed my eyes at the drink. This was kinda fishy, literally. I glanced at Cards, who gave me a shrug.

“The Balete love that stuff. Apparently it’s good, but I never tried it.”

He said, before glancing around and gauging the reactions of the other patrons. They seemed to have returned to their drinks and food, but the air of hostility was still pretty present.

“Fuck it.”

I needed a drink after all the shit that happened anyway. I took a quick sip from the cup and my mouth was assaulted by a mix of flavor. What I could only describe as salty and bitter, intermingled with an airy effervescence, and that slight hint of crisp lemongrass flavor.  The consistency was not entirely smooth. I picked up a slight thickness, akin to a syrupy texture, as it went down my throat. The taste of the ocean lingered in my mouth, and that’s when I realized it.

“Did they make booze out of fermented fish?”

I said out loud,  the froth clinging to my upper lip like a delicate, salty kiss

“Fish bile to be precise, at least that’s what I was told”.

With that, I slowly put the cup down and push it towards Cards. I hoped these guys would have any breath mints with them that I could ask for, or anything just to get this taste in my mouth.

“Here. You take it. It’s one way of getting a savory drink, but it’s not for me.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

A small swarm of his familiars emerged from his sleeves and delicately pushed the cup towards the center of the table, away from us.

“Salamat!”

With a thankful tone, Mao walked right back towards us with a cup of her own fish bile in hand. She had an awfully excited grin on her face. She must love this stuff, for whatever reason-

“Whoopsie~!”

With a fake-whimsical yelp, Mao seemingly tripped on an even surface and she spilled her cup at the table of guardsmen near ours, drenching one of the men’s head and shoulders with the vile syrup. The pungent smell of salty brine stuck to the unfortunate guy and that lemongrass wasn’t going to help him. I couldn’t even imagine how long it was going to take getting the smell and stain off.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry.”

Mao said with her tongue so far in her cheek that she could probably taste the wall.  Her voice projecting over the stunned silence of the entire establishment. The drenched man did not take too kindly to the false apologetics and he quickly stood up, glaring at Mao. The black geometric shapes forming a shark tattoo on the man’s right arm seared with mana, glowing purple from the surge the moment he clenched his fist. Mao gave him a smug smile, taunting him with that mocking grin. It worked.

The guard threw a punch aimed at Mao’s face, it almost felt like someone fired a gun. The mana accelerated the blow to almost unreactable by normal means. But it only struck the air. A split-second dodge made Mao go underneath the outstretched arm, a flash of steel glinted, and before we knew it, a gash was traced across the man’s tattoo. Blood covered the tip of the butterfly knife in Mao’s hand, and before the man could follow with a counter , a swift scoop kick to his balls, augmented by Mao’s reinforced leg, made him let out a scream of pain before a large spike of mana filled the air. She fired an air bullet point blank at his left leg. In an exchange that lasted a few seconds, and the men in the area wincing collectively at what Mao done, the guard went down to the ground.

“You all saw! He attacked first,  that was  self-defense! Siya nag-po’on!”

Mao said, announcing her intentions to everyone, her hands raised as if it would wash away her actions. It did the opposite and the thirteen guards inside the place stood up, drawing daggers or picking up their swords and spears.

“I don’t like these odds, Cards.”

I said, going for the hidden retractable baton they gave me inside my suit jacket. He looked unphased and responded by pulling on my tie. The black fabric snugly wrapped around my entire head, save for my eyes. He then stood up, taking out two grenades from his jacket.

“Close your eyes tight.”

He said, his face also covered by a black balaclava. Suddenly, my vision darkened. A swarm of his familiars formed in front of the eye sockets of the mask, as if providing a second layer of protection. Wait, were those flash- SHIT. I shut my eyelids as fast as I could.

While I didn’t see what happened, I heard two consecutive muffled explosions and felt a slight vibration and pressure on my head.  A shockwave went past me but it did little to disorient my body thanks to the suit and mask. The swarm flew away and I finally saw what happened. He just flashbanged the entire place. The disorientation hit all of the guards with full force, causing them to stumble from loss of balance, one even collapsed to the floor. Their movements were erratic and uncoordinated as they struggled to make sense of their surroundings. Their vision and hearing were also  temporarily impaired. Some reached out blindly,  trying to find the tables and chairs for support and stability amidst the sensory overload. Others used their spears for balance. They  were completely blindsided by the flashbangs, while Mao and Cards stood unphased, masks on. I noticed that the lady at the bar had a swarm of metallic familiars from a protective helmet and an invisible bubble of mana surrounding her head. The makeshift helmet flew towards the guards as the bubble popped, the duo also sprung into action.

I expected them to stab the guards or slit their throats with extreme prejudice, taking advantage of their enemy, no, prey’s stunned state. But no blood was spilled. The duo sprinted towards the guards, striking or sweeping at their legs and forcing them down to the floor. Cards’ swarm flew towards the guard’s weapons, picking them up and tossing them into the nearby waters.

They downed seven in a matter of seconds, but the others began to get their bearings. One guard in particular stood firmly and tried to defend himself from an approaching Mao, but before they could even close the distance, she thrusted her arm at the guard and one of her sleeve buttons shot at the man like a dart. The guard groaned in pain the moment the button connected with his neck and in a blink, his body lost tension like a ragdoll and dropped to the ground.

Cards also fired two of these buttons from each of his sleeves, striking true and ragdolling the two other guards. But he did not stop there, the buttons suddenly detached themselves from  the two guard’s skin and floated upwards, pausing only for a brief moment before they flew towards the necks of the nearest guards. At first I thought he levitated them, Jedi-style, but then I felt the small signature of mana from each button, his familiars were piloting them like homing tranquilizers. In the span of a minute, the thirteen guards were either unconscious or were still reeling from the effects of the flash bangs on the ground.

“Don’t look now, detective, we got another one.”

A single guard came running in, the ruckus and the flashbang explosions no doubt caught his attention. He had his sword already drawn and was already charging at the nearest troublemaking outsider he saw, me. Adrenaline kicked in and my feet moved before I could even think. Backstep to avoid the downward slash, and I quickly closed in to grab his right wrist and tried to control him from making further attacks. He started punching with his other hand and kneeing me as well, but his strikes felt less-powerful. I still felt blunt force, but my clothes absorbed the impact and dispersed it enough that it was like a scrawny teen punching me. So this is how it felt to be wearing magic armor? I’d be lying if I said it didn’t  give me this sense of invulnerability. But I couldn’t get carried away.  I sensed mana start filling up his following punches, so it was time.

Take in the energy, imagine the fire. Burn the Mana.

I felt his body shudder from surprise. The feeling of losing mana that fast definitely felt off for him. His reinforced strength fading, a few well placed strikes and twists to his arm and his sword fell to the ground.  Before I could even try to go for my baton, I heard Mao shout at me.

“Let him go, Detective.”

“What?! Who’s side are you on?”

“We need him to deliver a message. Let him go. Oi. Sabihi si Laonsina in-hahanap mi siya. Muya mi makua an kinawat niyang sing-sing. Kun diri ka matubod, magagadan ka.”

She said to both of us. The guard looked at me with confusion and spite in his eyes.

“Let him go.”

I clicked my tongue. Even if I did agree to cooperate with them, she’s more or less ordering me around.  I stepped back from the man, who stood there analyzing the scene. He saw the rest of the guards on the ground, disarmed and some even unconscious. And instead of complying to Mao, he lunged for his sword and tried to slash at me again. I took a defensive stance, baton at the ready, but suddenly, he came to a sudden stop.

His entire body flinched as a blue luminous flame suddenly ignited in his chest. His body slowly started fading away, as if he was becoming a ghost. Even his clothes, his armor, and his sword, began to turn transparent. His grasp weakened and he dropped his weapon. The moment it fell to the ground, it faded in again into its solid state. As he continued to fade out, the figure of a woman slowly materialized behind him, starting from the gloved hand grasping at the blue flame. She wore the same black and white suit as Mao and Cards. She had short gray hair, shorter than Mao. At first I thought she was a spirit, but the moment she fully lost her transparent look, she had the warmest smile that only a living person could make.

"About time."

Mao said. The woman had sharp eyes and a figure toned from combat. One look at and you could tell you did not want to get into a scuffle with her, and that's without her making you fade away.  She tightened grasp on  the dimming flame on the transparent man's chest. Helplessness and horror plagued the guard’s expression as his body slowly started floating up, his feet leaving the ground.  His expression of fear contrasted greatly with the smile on her face, which widened when Cards and Mao walked up towards us. She had a noticeable Japanese accent, but spoke with confidence as unwavering as her grin.

“ Kept you waiting, eh?”

## Chapter 8: The Kitsune and The Keeper

“You know that it’s a waste trying to have these guards cooperate, right?”

The now fully corporeal woman said, lifting up the fading guard higher into the air. I had to squint to properly even see his body. It was like the world itself was forgetting about his presence.

“Worth a shot. One of these Balete could have been smart and just cooperated.”

Mao said with a shrug.

“So this is the Detective. Nice to meet you. Mitsune Godo. Yoroshiku.”

Mitsune smiled at me before doing a small bow of respect. Such a gesture would have been quite the formality, if not for the guard being erased from existence in her other hand. She must have noticed me being put off by it, so she gave me a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, he’s just overreacting. It’s not hurting him.”

“To be fair, you just erased about seventy-ish percent of his presence, pretty reasonable reaction if you ask me.”

Cards interjected, eliciting a giggle from the woman who has a man’s life literally in her hand. If she's our back up and she could do something like this, wouldn’t it be overkill? These damned Snakes specialize in assassinations so I shouldn’t be surprised.

“You can calm your tits now, Detective. Mitsune’s gonna sneak into the tower and try finding Terry. Our jobs are to cause trouble and lure out  Laonsina. You followin’?”

Mao said, not even waiting for my reply as she took the lead and walked out of the bar first, now with all of its guard clientele unconscious.

“Be careful. You know how those towers are.”

Cards said to Mitsune, even with his mask on, I could tell he must have looked as he sounded. His concern only emboldened the cheer in her expression.

“You too. Don’t let Mao or the Detective rope you into more trouble than needed.”

Okay, rude. Dragging him into unnecessary trouble is something I wouldn’t do. He’s probably the only chill guy I can rely on here. Her comments aside,  from the way they held each other's gaze for just a moment longer than was necessary, the shared concern in each other’s tone and how it made Mitsune’s eyes lit up, these two are most likely together. Damn normies. JK. That was the least of my issues right about now.

“I’ll drop off the guard at the tower while I’m at it. You guys have fun.”

In a few seconds, both Mitsune and the guard faded from sight. She still had the guard dragged by the fire in his chest. If I squinted really well and focused hard enough, I could catch a hint of their silhouettes but the further they got, the harder it was to notice them. And the most concerning part is that I did not detect a noticeable trace of mana when she did it.  Cards must have noticed me stare at the direction she left in, as he placed his hand on my shoulder to grab my attention.

“Let’s go, Detective. We still have work to do.”

Cards began to walk up behind Mao, and of course I followed suit, trying my best not to look back at the mess we made at the bar and not to mention meet the gazes of the onlookers who watched us tussle with the guards.

“Enlighten me, Cards. What’s the next step to the plan?”

As we navigated through the docks and bridge, I realized that I should just be talking to this guy for serious answers. Mao strikes me as the type who would find all sorts of ways to avoid clarifying the questions I asked.

“We acted out of self-defense with a bunch of Balete guards, and that is not enough to guarantee she comes after us. But we still need to play by their laws so we don’t actually cause a war. That’s the last thing we need right now. Let me ask you first, do you know how the Balete view theft?”

“I just know they like to steal people and property from anywhere.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. But it’s more than that. They believe that if you steal something and get away with it and avoid its consequences, you deserve to keep what you stole. But this assumes you can keep it for long. The person that was stolen from has the right to reclaim what was stolen, or anything of equal value as long as they also get away with it. “

With that line of logic, it’s a wonder how they maintain order here. If those rules applied anywhere else, it would have been chaotic.

“So, if we can’t get the Ring back immediately, we're going to steal stuff equivalent to its value. Since Laonsina’s an agent of this city’s Lady, this means that responsibility of the theft goes to her lady. You following me?”

“Yeah, I think. So you’re suggesting-”

“We go rob some shops on the basis that we're just stealing back the value of something Laonsina stole from us. But we ain’t just shoplifting a lot of fish beer and flatbread, no no no.”

Mao said, looking back at us with a devious smirk.

“She stole an enchanted ring, so it makes sense we steal back magical shit. Cards, take the shops up top. Me and the detective will hit the enchanter here in the lower levels. Maybe the alchemist too.”

I rubbed my temple with a sigh, attempting to disregard the beads of sweat forming inside the mask snugly covering my head. I get their idea, and it might just be our best bet. Robberies are something I learned to accept in life, but I never once thought that I’d be on the perpetrator’s side. It just didn’t feel right to me. Even if we are in a city of not-so-welcoming people, robbing them of their livelihood just felt wrong. Watching Mao and Cards beat up and knock out a bunch of guards who were just minding their own business was one thing, but stealing from more innocent people was tugging at my conscience. What right did I have to subject unassuming shopkeepers and bystanders to trouble? Saving Terry. That’s why. But Terry wouldn’t go this far. Right? Did the capture of Laonsina truly excuse our means? The distinction between right and wrong had blurred, and I found myself grappling with the implications of my choices. What am I even thinking? This is Terry’s life at stake here! Hesitation will get me nowhere.

“What’s the matter, detective? Don’t worry. It’s not like we’re going to keep what we stole. We can just bring them back later after we get our target. You can even apologize to them later too if you want. “

Mao said, after she noticed the silence after thinking to myself for too long. Her suggestion made me imagine returning a magic sword to a shopkeeper like an extremely apologetic Japanese salaryman after being scolded by their superior.

“Gee, thanks. That’s reassuring.”

I said, half-sarcastically. Without a second thought, magical energy filled Cards’ legs. I could see the mana glow through his pants. The wooden platform we stood on shook as he launched himself into the air, at first I thought it would crack the entire surface but thankfully it held on. I watched as he skillfully scaled the giant skeletal rib and made his way to the upper spine area of the city.

“Keep up, cop. We don’t have all day.”

I turned back to see Mao already walking, forcing me to jog a bit to catch up with her. She had her mask off already so all I could do was stare at the back of her head. There was an oppressive silence between the two of us. Guess she didn't want to talk. Or maybe she noticed and was upset that my eyes sometimes wandered towards her backside? Whatever the cause was, the silence was getting to me.

“So… do we just go inside a shop, snatch, and run? What’s the plan?”

“Do that and you’re going to have the shopkeep lock the doors and have us trapped. You never stole from a mage’s workshop, haven’t you? Fuckin Amateurs.”

“Commiting crimes against magi isn’t exactly my expertise, you know. But I guess you guys are natural at that.”

“You’re goddamn right.”

She said, proudly. I was intending on delivering it as an insult but she sort of took it as a compliment.

“Follow my lead. I’ll do the talking and stealing. You just act like a clueless outlander. So just keep up what you’re doing.”

“Easy enough, I suppose.”

“Besides, if I let you be the one to run off with whatever we steal, you might break or damage them and we actually have to pay for it.”

"Really? The detective here being clumsy is what you're concerned about?"

I said in a dry tone while shaking my head.

“It’s not like you would actually care about these people’s livelihoods. But whatever, I don't care as long as this plan works."

“True. I wouldn’t give a damn if a Balete mage gets robbed.  My main concern is you not racking up your bill. You break any magical merch and we reimburse it for you, the other choice is you reimburse it yourself and the Balete might ask for more than just money. But hey, you have your own priorities, right, cop?”

The way she delivered “cop” in the end drips with a certain malice. Makes me wonder what caused this in the first place. Or maybe it really is just the general disposition of Snakes. I decided to shut it for now, before I say something that might piss her off more.   We soon made our way through the district until we reached  and crossed one of the wooden bridges to one of the shops near the jaw of the skeleton, one of the larger stilt houses with a banner made of animal hide hanging near the entrance. A symbol of a bottle with a spiral inside it decorated the banner. I guess that was the sign for a magic shop around these parts. We entered  to the sound of a door chime. The interior was dimly lit due to the lack of windows. There was only one small slit in the wall near the counter that was letting in a beam of sunlight. The moment we stepped into the shop, I felt air buzz with mana from all directions. The walls were adorned with shelves that seemed to defy gravity, curving and spiraling like the tendrils of a vine. Shelves laden with bottles radiating ominous magical energy, each bottle had different vibrant colors contrasting against the dark wood walls. Jars and bowls of what looked like alchemical ingredients were also scattered about the displays, some were even hanging from racks on the ceiling. It made for an interesting mix of scents, herbal, earthy, and seawater from outside.

Behind a solid wooden counter stood the shopkeep, her slouching figure shrouded in robes that seemed to shift with shadows. Her eyes, a piercing shade of amber, regarded me with an intensity that felt like they were probing my very thoughts. Her expression was the epitome of the Balete attitude I expected—aloof, dismissive, and skeptical of outsiders. However, there was an air of civility about her, as if she begrudgingly acknowledged our potential as customers. Her robes were a patchwork of red fabrics. I wasn't a fashion man but the color goes well with her brown complexion. Her black frizzy hair went down all the way to her shoulders.

"Outlanders, what magic do you seek from my establishment today?"

Her voice resonated, its tone a mixture of curiosity and thinly veiled indifference. Also accented, she sounded like she was fluent in English, which was probably due to her shop being visited by outsiders often.

“Morning, I’m looking for one-use enchantments. Effective against  the giant flying spiders over at the next island. Got any suggestions?”

Mao said, approaching the counter. What she said made me pause for a moment. Flying spiders? What kind of psycho puts wings on a spider? Not to mention they’re giant. The shopkeeper’s mouth curved into a smirk.

“I got what you need.”

She gestures at the rows of what looked like strips of pale blue coral carved into sticks, no longer than my fingers. They have different inscriptions engraved in their surfaces. They reminded me of Sanskrit, but with its own unique appearance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Balete were influenced by their writing system.

“Cold Coral for different ranges, point-blank to twenty meters away. One blast from this and it’ll stop them from taking flight. It’ll also weaken their carapaces. Assuming you can hit them with it.”

The shopkeeper picked one of the Cold Coral up and aimed it directly at Mao.

“Fifteen pearls each.”

A scowl formed on Mao’s face as she narrowed her eyes at the shopkeeper.

“Don’t try to rip me off, Balete. Fifteen pearls? I can just go to the armory up top instead and find something that’s as useful but isn’t marked up.”

The shopkeeper raised a brow, her smirk unfaltering.

“So you’re going to bet on your Snake enchantments against Damangan? Hah. I’m sure you’re all equipped to deal with whatever you meet outside of the Border, but the spiders on the next island are bred to be tenacious killers. My magics are made specifically for them in mind. Why not be smart and invest in my wares?”

She said without hesitation, her confidence in her own magic was apparent. As expected of merchants. I couldn’t tell if she was bluffing or not. Not even the slightest shift in her expression could have given away the fact that she’s just lying through her teeth. She was a sly dealer in goods in lies, if ever she was just talking up her product.

“Ten pearls.”

Mao said. She too did not budge, her tone indifferent and unaffected. Are fifteen pearls that expensive? It dawned on me that the currency here is completely foreign to me. I’d be lying if I said that I thought they just had a barter system for Border Realm settlements like this.

“Don’t try to insult me, outlander. Quality at a price is how we do things here. If you can’t afford it, I sell different wares too that can help you. Not as good as Cold Coral, though.”

The shopkeeper said with a demeaning smirk as she placed the coral stick back on the counter, neatly arranging it with the other Cold Coral in a row.

“What about those? Are they one of those ‘turns any liquids into potions' bottles?”

Mao pointed at the bottles on the shelves behind the counter. There were around more than twenty of those bottles that appeared to be empty, but even then I could sense ominous energy coming from them. It’s like something is staring at me from inside the clearly empty containers.

“No, those aren’t for sale. They’re my collection.”

She sounded  a bit more easy-going as she looked at the bottles behind her. People eased up a bit when they talk about their hobbies, I suppose.

“You collect bottles?”

I couldn’t help but blurt out my thoughts for a moment. Just the idea of a mage merchant who may or may not have the typical ego of a Balete collecting something so mundane as bottles was a surreal thought to me.

“I collect souls, outlander. The bottles are just there for storage. You’d like to make a donation?”

Ah. I shouldn’t be surprised at this rate. We’re dealing with mages after all. The big question now was are there any human souls inside those things? The more I looked at them, the more it felt like something, or someone was indeed staring back at me. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that I started hearing voices coming from those bottles too. It made my stomach churn a little.

“Huh. Got any interesting souls there?”

Mao, on the other hand, did not react and simply kept that mildly interested air about her, like a customer browsing like any other normal day.

“I got all sorts, that one holds a cyclops, that one holds a mage from Brazil who didn’t know when to keep her mouth shut, this one comes from a shadow fiend. You have no idea how many beings it ate and how I had to compress an army of souls into one bottle. The collector became the collected, if you catch my meaning.”

The shopkeeper laughed in a lowkey maniacal manner as she pointed at one of the glass bottles. It was wider than the rest, and its surface was burnt black. Now that she brought attention to it, the strange cacophony of voices that I thought I was imagining sounded like it was coming from inside that bottle.

“Impressive. Must have taken a lot to subdue a shadow fiend like that, let alone find one in Balete lands.”

Mao said, also eyeing the charred bottle before glancing at me. She gave me a subtle nod. I guess that’s our target. Now, how exactly are we going to steal it from all the way here?

“Don’t try to flatter me, outlander. Are you going to buy something or not? If you don’t want to die to the spiders, I suggest stocking up on healing. I got plenty of healing amulets, salves, pills, you can afford those, no?”

The Shopkeeper said, her thinly-veiled disinterest now shifted into growing indifference. From the way she gazed at me and Mao, her eyes were screaming “I don’t need no broke-ass people like you in my store.”

“Hmmm. You know what, I’ll go for those Cold Corals now. I’ll get three, for twelve pearls each.”

The shopkeeper eyes Mao with her unyielding mercantile stare, her face showed no signs of flinching or a shift in emotion.

“Fourteen pearls.”

And suddenly, a Cheshire cat grin crossed Mao’s face.

“Can you maybe give me a discount on that?”

She made the shopkeeper chuckle dryly.

“Okay, outlander. I’ll bite. Why in Kalibutan’s tits would I give you a discount?”

“Oh. You know… you probably know Laonsina, right? Agent of Lady Haliya. She stole something from us, and you are also an agent of the lady, no? You do the math…”

The shopkeeper’s face lit up in realization as Mao suddenly pulled out a flashbang from her pocket.  Before I knew it, Mao’s head was covered in her black balaclava. My instincts were screaming at me to get out of the shop, and I was not about to argue with it. I sprinted towards the door, closing my eyes and placing my hands on my ears. Even if I still had my own mask on, I braced for the worst. Even with my mask and covering my ears, the muffled sound of an explosion and a metal chord ripped through the air. I just kept running, until I noticed Mao was already beside me with the charred bottle in her hand.

“These mages never see the Flashbang and Razorline combo coming!  HA HA! Follow me, detective!”

She said, a genuine smile on her face. That might be the first time I saw her with an expression that didn’t hide annoyance or disdain  like that. Then again, she must be having fun committing a theft.

## Chapter 9: Grand Theft Magi

A bolt of arcane lightning burned right past me, narrowly singing my left ear. The scent akin to sulfur filled the surroundings. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I took all the focus I had to duck and dodge whenever the magical energy sparked behind me. Our footsteps echoed against the wooden planks while a furious mage pursued us, hurling carefully controlled destruction. The shots dissipated the moment they missed, hence the lingering scent. Didn’t want to burn down the district, I suppose.  A quick peek behind us and I saw that there were now four of the city guards running after us as well.

“We got our wanted stars up, detective! Haul your ass!”

Mao laughed while firing air bullets at our pursuers, her other hand firmly holding the bottle.

“This isn’t a game, you know!”

“Heh. Just keep running, detective.”

She smirked and sent a surge of magical energy to her legs, the mana glowing through her black trousers. A gust of air launched her forward, her Reinforced legs and the running start made it effortless for her to leap up the rooftops. The narrow bridge we had to run across trembled, nearly making me lose balance and fall to the water. I clenched my teeth as she started leaving me behind. Is she for real? I swear, if she left me for dead, I’ll-

“I’LL MOUNT YOUR HEADS ON MY WALL, THIEVING OUTLANDERS!”

My thoughts were interrupted when the shopkeeper, who saw Mao speed off with her precious bottle, erupted into a murderous scream. The threat of my head being taxidermied and the bolt of lighting that grazed my leg a few seconds after it kicked my entire body into high gear. Slowing down meant death, or worse. The shopkeeper’s rage tunnel-visioned her and she started chasing after Mao, jumping up the wooden building’s rooftops in pursuit, while the guards came for me. Was that her plan? Take the heat (ie the furious sorcerer) away from me?

I leaped over obstacles, ducked under low-hanging awnings, and twisted through tight corners, hoping to lose the guards, but they were relentless. I lost sight of Mao and the sorcerer, a mixed blessing, since she didn’t tell me where to run. Best I could do is lead the guards on a wild goose chase. No matter how my muscles started to burn and my lungs gasped for air, all my frustrations unleashed while my legs kept running. Mana started spiking up behind me again, and I noticed the guards began blasting spells from their swords, so I had to run a zig-zag and screw up their aim. And then, a sharp sting hit my left leg.

“Son of a-”

The sting turned into a slowly worsening weight hitting my body. No matter how hard I pushed myself, it felt like I was dragging an anchor on land. Before I could try to burn away the mana from the spell, I got hit with two more projectiles from the guards’ swords. A Burdening spell no doubt. Their aim is better than the shopkeeper. The distance between me and them got smaller by the second. Shit. I turned the next corner, and burst into a bustling marketplace. The spells stopped thanks to the crowded area, but I was too obvious to spot in the crowd. Why is everyone short here?! The moment they got too close for comfort, I started knocking over barrels and crates, creating any obstacle to slow them. The whole place erupts in chaos as vendors shouted and scattered, their wares tumbling to the ground.

“Over here, Detective.”

My head turned immediately at the sound of Cards’ voice. He emerged from a narrow alleyway, and my eyes caught the clashing colors from the red and gold cloth tied to his waist.

“Thank God-”

Fatigue hit me like a truck the moment I took a sigh of relief. The damned Burden Spells bit have made even burning mana feel like pushing a giant boulder up a mountain. My body felt as though it had been laden with chains. Reduced to a hunched, stumbling mess. I nearly fell to the ground, but Cards caught me in his arms at the last second.

“I gotcha. Don’t burn any mana, and hold on tight.”

“Wait- hold onto what?”

Without warning, he bent down and slid his strong arms beneath me. His hands, firm and reassuring, found their place beneath my knees and back, lifting me effortlessly off the ground. The fucking princess carry!  It was a scene straight out of a twisted fantasy, damn it!   I felt the heat of embarrassment flush my cheeks. Princess-carried by a man shorter than me. I had half the mind to tell him to just drop me and let me die than endure such a blow to my pride. The rush of wind coursed through my body as we weightlessly floated up. The gigantic ribs that encased the water district got closer and closer by the second. What gnawed at me most was the unspoken understanding in Cards’ eyes. He didn't mock me or make light of the situation, but his unflinching nonchalance only deepened my discomfort.

“Hang on.”

He said, as our trajectory upward zigzagged the moment the guards blasted more spells from their swords at us. There was the small voice in my mind telling me to just let go and toss myself down from the embarrassment, but it was overpowered by another voice telling me to get my fucking act together. Cards dodged to the left, climbed higher into the flight, and we managed to land back in the upper spine of the skeleton, he immediately dropped me to the ground as soon as we reached a solid surface. Must have sensed my discomfort the entire time, as he chose not to say anything else about it. Good.

“Can you walk? We gotta get back to the den.”

The weight on my body had slowly but surely dissipated, and I was able to burn away at the lingering mana from the guard’s spells. Before he knew it, I was already up on my feet.

“The den? We running back to home base already?”

“Yes. Cause we’ll be sitting ducks in any other place. We’re gonna force them into negotiations.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? So you guys are capable of reasonable approaches too?”

I couldn’t help but snap, but instead of being given sass, I realized I wasn’t talking to Mao.

“Of course, we are. We just have to force others into more reasonable approaches sometimes.”

Not sure if that’s an oxymoron or not, but whatever. We’re already in this deep. Might as well just go with it. Cards and I quickly ran across the spine and towards the head of the skeleton.  They might be able to talk them into telling us what they’ve done with Terry, but I kept my skepticism. These guys are willing to hide info from me, so who knows what other stuff they are keeping secret. Along the way, Mao suddenly caught up with us, launching herself from below and landing right in front of us.  Her mask transformed back into her necktie. Gotta admit, that did look cool, but I made sure not to show any signs of being impressed.

“There you boys are. I see the detective managed to keep up.”

She still had the burnt jar on her. Her air magic really was good at giving that shopkeeper a wild goose chase.

“Still can’t believe she’d have this on display. This thing is worth a lot.”

First time I’ve heard of a Shadow Fiend, but if it was some soul eating entity, it makes me want to stand clear of that jar. It’s as if Mao was carrying around a bomb without a carefree attitude, an attitude that soured immediately. The woman with the blank mask, Laonsina, and her armored Faceless minion stood on our way to the den. Something was off about her though, and it only took a second for me to realize that her body was covered in a dense haze of mana. Several amulets hung from her neck, the most prominent being a silver necklace that held an ominous green gem.

“Look what the cat dragged in.”

Mao said with a smirk, a smirk that I did not trust.

## Interlude

Five preliminary layers for repelling magic, from simple spells to rituals casted after a month of non-stop channeling. Three main layers for sensing illusory, physical, and metaphysical stealth. I’ve bypassed all except for the last Bounded Field, the same field that stood between me and the tower’s interior. These Balete took their security seriously. The risk of being detected was high, and I wasn’t in the mood to take it. Ninety nine percent of my physical existence was gone, almost a ghost. It likely took one hundred percent for that field to not detect me, but I’d not exist by then. There were multiple entrance and exit points, so many windows that were baiting me to enter, but even the slightest touch of my almost-ethereal body would have set off the alarm.

「Useless. I can’t break in without the mage-lord noticing. But I got a good feel of the layout. I’m watching one of the entrances now. Best I can do is wait out anything related to our unexpected American guests.」

「That’s good, at least. I’m about to hit the enchanter now. Stay sharp.」

Cards’ voice echoed in my mind. Always looking at the bright side, that man. Got to love that part of him, but this is not really all that good.

「Stay safe.」

I responded, before looking at the large tunnel-like entrance before me. I’ve been standing near them this entire time without them noticing. Lots of people with carts, barrels, baskets, and even giant jars went in and out of the tunnel ramp carved into one of the roots at the bottom of the tree. These titanic roots burrowed through the spine and into the shallow waters below the canopy of ribs. I resorted to stalking this entrance since the ones at the bark or at the top of the tower were pretty much deserted. The living guards here were relegated to keeping an eye on the citizens, while the Mage-Lord relied on their magics to protect their tower, after all. The bottom root-entrance was the only one with actual people.

“Darahon mo ni sa Sarangay”

After listening to the overseer watching the entrance bark orders to carry this and transport that for far too long, finally they said something useful. The overseer had a large earthen jar given to a porter, who was eager to get a move on. I didn’t have a Translator on me to minimize mana signature, but that word was all I needed to hear. Sarangay. That’s the name of the Faceless Clan in this city. They’re notorious for bone armor, and if my suspicions were correct…

I followed the porter and maintained a careful distance of ten meters. His footsteps were careful as he carried his load across the wooden platforms and bridges of the Water District and made his way along the long tail of the serpent casting a shadow from above. It was now or never.

I formed the Fox Hand and aimed it straight at him. The middle, ring finger, and thumb join at the tips to form the snout, the extended index and pinky fingers form the ears. His entire body framed in the Fox Hand.

Share in the Nothing.

The porter was forced to an abrupt halt, a blue flame formed in his chest. I wasted no time and closed the gap between us before plunging my ethereal hand into his body and grasping at the flame. His body tensed up from the sudden chilling sensation of their soul being caught. The wooden platform we stood on shook with a loud thud as the jar.

*Harmony in Nothing. Embrace Emptiness.*

His physical form faded away as he desperately looked around. He wanted to scream but the moment I dimmed the fire enough, and I certainly did, no voice came out of his body. Sorry, friend. This won’t take long.

## Chapter 10: Breaking Point

“Snakes. Outlander. You’ve caused enough trouble.”

The voice of Laonsina commanded attention across the spine of the skeleton, causing the people in the area to stand clear. Even the guards who would have pounced on us stood back. The Faceless stood beside her, ready to clear leather and blast with those revolvers of his. I glanced at Mao and Cards, who were already wearing their masks again. At first I thought it would be better to show our faces for negotiations and make ourselves appear diplomatic, but then I remembered what these Snakes told me. Balete were notorious for headshots. It was still early in the morning, but the sun beaming down on us felt like the heat of high noon, made worse by the tension between our two parties. I wanted to speak up, but Mao spoke first.

“Morning, Laonsina. We just came back from a jog. Aerobic exercise. Care to join us?”

“Cut the nonsense. Your spree is at an end. What you stole is forfeit.”

Mao laughed mockingly.

“That’s rich coming from a thief herself. Hand over the ring and we’ll give these back.”

Cards took off the red and gold Levitation belt tied to his waist while Mao kept her hold on the burnt Shadowfiend Bottle tight.

“This is a command, not a request. Don’t try to barter with me. One last warning, hand them over, now.”

Laonsina said, the green gem necklace slowly filling up with mana. Mao’s unconcerned demeanor was putting me off. We’re not getting any negotiations done here, damn it!

“What about Boney M over there, does he still wants his Akashic trophy back?”

Mao took out Terry’s amulet from her jacket’s inner pocket. Laonsina and the Faceless both had their faces covered so it wasn’t exactly easy to tell how they’re reacting. Their silence was a worrying indicator. Exactly what I was worrying about. They’re using Terry as a mere bargaining tool for what they need. This was not part of our deal! My jaw clenched so tightly I thought my teeth might shatter. I wanted to scream and snatch the necklace from her, but Cards must have noticed as he turned towards me and gave me a disapproving gaze.

“No no no no, that’s Terry’s. Don’t you dare do it you merc bastard.”

Before I could utter another word, The Faceless spoke up this time

“That Akashic’s bones would make a better trophy. As we speak, the clan is probably processing them now.”

His tone was neutral but to my ears it sounded like he was bragging. I wanted to punch whatever ugly mug he had under that helmet. I made sure to not think about that. Anything but that. Terry wouldn’t go down that quick.. He can’t be. No... NO! I struggled to find the words. My vision blurred, my head spun, and a tsunami of rage washed over me as the thought dug deep into my mind. It was a lie. He just said that to psyche me out. Remember what Terry told you. Warfare was based on deception. He’s bluffing. Breath, Keron, Breath. Don’t let them get into your head like this.

“Bullshit.”

Was all I could say, putting all the venom I could muster into that one word. And then, as if he was reading my thoughts, the Faceless unhooked something from the back of his belt.

“W-wha-”

I could hear nothing but the thunderous roar of my own heartbeat. A sickening, gut-wrenching feeling rose within me. The Faceless held aloft Terry’s decapitated head. The right side of his face was bloodied while the left side was completely flayed, skin peeled off revealing bloodied and exposed flesh and muscle.  His eyes once filled with life and laughter, were now empty, hollow voids that stared at me. A grotesque parody of his once-vibrant life, his face twisted into a silent, eternal scream. All the words of vengeance I wanted to scream evaporated when there was a sudden spike of nauseating man filling the air around us. A piercing light broke out of the green gem necklace Laonsina and shot straight into the air. In a matter of seconds, a dome of green glassy material covered a large radius. I immediately tried to touch the barrier behind us to try and burn its mana but upon touch, a shock went through my body and sent me flying back. My fist smashed into the bone ground in frustration.

“GODDAMNIT! GREAT! WE’RE TRAPPED!”

“Calm the fuck down, cop.”

Mao said. My head turned quickly towards her. All of the words I held back, all my emotions, all of them finally erupted.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! You… You’ve gotten on my nerves for too long! You damn mages really have that ‘better than you’ attitude dripping with every word you say, don’t you?! I’ve had enough of all your shit.”

“Calm your fucking tits and let me handle this.”

“NO! I’ve had enough of your damn plan! You think you’re so fucking clever when in reality you’re just making shit up as you go! Negotiation? Don’t make me laugh! Look where that brought us.”

“Get a hold of yourself, Detective.”

Even Cards’ tone sounded condescending to me. Terry’s gone. I couldn’t protect him. I wasn’t good enough. I let that mage harm and kill him. If someone else was there, he could have had a better chance. His blood was in my hands. All because of me. If only I had magic, no if only I was better at my Anti-magic. I stared at my palms, these useless hands could have been faster, more efficient, I would have saved him, saved him from her. My gaze returned to the masked murderer. If these two couldn’t help, it was up to my hands. I’ll prove to these fucking mages that these hands will bring the deliverance! It’ll get vengeance!

## Chapter 11: Stone and Steel

The detective, baton in hand, broke into a sprint. This is what I was worried about. All that frustration was bound to turn into something drastic. I tried to chase after him, but Até forcefully grabbed and pulled me back by the arm, her grip solid.

「Let him have his moment」

「He’ll get himself killed. We have to-」

「We did this your way earlier, now we do mine.」

Até’s voice matched her cold stare as she watched the detective charge towards Laonsina. The Faceless immediately drew one of his revolvers and three bolts of mana-heated bullets hit his legs, two in the right, one in the left. The detective tried to dodge, but there’s no way to evade those shots without Reinforcement. If he didn’t have the SS11 trousers, his legs would have been blown off. But even then, the tenacity in his body wouldn’t let that stop him probably. Rage, grief, determination, it must be fueling him at the moment. The Faceless stopped firing as he kept charging. Either he was impressed by the detective’s grit or was saving the shots for us. Laonsina lunged and met the detective head on, but I did not sense any mana being used. What was she planning?

「Don’t.」

「But-」

「You’ll only make his suffering worse, Cards.」

I had half the mind to disregard what she said and just jump in, but she humored my approach earlier so I’m bound by oath to do the same with her.

「Rule One: Evade the enemy mage when you don’t know shit about their true abilities and resources.」

Mao’s tone was stern as the detective went for a probing strike, the blind rage was a bluff, but-

「Rule Two: Eliminate the weakest foe as quickly and efficiently as possible.」

His tactical approach did little when he was suddenly sent flying back, landing hard on the ground.

「Rule Three: Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.」

As his body slid back, a large metal needle embedded itself on his forehead. Enchanted with a forceful impact knocked him out. I’m worried his neck broke or worse, he’s definitely out cold.

“Now, the real fight!”

The Faceless’ battlecry was  immediately followed by a dense chord of mana launched from his wrist, too fast to react too, and even when we were on guard, it was already wrapped around Até’s arms and waist. Before either of us could draw our keys, the Faceless suddenly flew up towards the center of the dome, forcefully dragging Até into the air. All within a span of a few seconds. All I could do was catch Terry's amulet and the Shadowfiend bottle that Até dropped , that was the last thing we needed broken right now. The barrier opened for a brief moment, allowing the Faceless to drag her out of the Barrier dome, before closing again and trapping me inside

「This fuckin’- I’ll deal with him, you get that ring back from Laonsina.」

Her angry voice echoed. So it’s between me and the Stone Heart. They were smart to follow Rule 4, Isolate and destroy. As she turned towards me, I gave it one last try.

We Grasp.

A sharp sting on my hand produced a small swarm of the Abo-Alon, the Gray Tide, stuck onto the Levitation Belt and the Shadowfiend Bottle before flying the stolen artifacts back to Laonsina.

“The deal is still on the table.”

I said as the Tide presented the stolen items back to her, carefully avoiding any motion that would show hostility. She responded by flicking her hand forward, the Star-Ring on her finger bathing both the sash and bottle in mana. The objects disappeared into the ring in a blink of an eye.

“As I said, there is no use bartering.”

She replied, a spike of mana filled the air as a literal spike made of stone replaced her left arm.

We save.

The Tide dashed and dragged the detective back towards me before she could execute him. She must have been taken aback by the strength of which the Tide could pull, thankfully giving me the opportunity to take out one of my two remaining stims and jab it into the detective’s wrist. Laonsina charged with cold determination. Two Jitte, same length, now!

We fight.

The Tide swarmed into my hands and swiftly formed a pair of pronged batons, fast enough to deflect the thrust from Laonsina’s spike. I had to use two at the same time just to push her attack to the side, the sheer force of her attack was stronger than before, like a battering ram that stirred the Tide from its impact. Mana seared through my weapons as I reinforced the swarm’s durability. Sparks flew as Laonsina barraged me with a flurry of thrusts and slashes, her earthen arm’s jagged edges were sharp as they were unbreakable. Her speed and power were amplified, most likely from the multiple Agimat she had hanging from her necks, amulets enchanted with Reinforcement.

Her agility was above mine, even with Reinforcement. The attacks I could throw were deflected by her stone arms with ear-splitting screeches. A single hit from her would be devastating. I abandoned offense all together and focused on defending. But she too shifted the flow of her fighting. Swiftly, she transformed her other arm into a massive stone mace, a solid sphere of earth that would definitely break bones. Each swing sent vibrations in the air that whistled death. Her speed picked up and with one attack dodged, a simultaneous attack came from another angle, a barrage of fury. There came the turning point in this duel. It did not come from the earth-shattering blows or the thrusts that were like lightning streaking the sky,

blade, though there were these in plenty, it did not come from the retreating riposte or a surgically precise strike, though these were traded, too. The Tide were steadily weakening with each clash while her body of stone remained sturdy. Her reflexes were too fast for me to disengage without taking a solid hit, and her exposed skin was too durable for a solid reinforced strike, let alone a Plum Blossom. Such unstoppable force must be halted. I had to be the Immovable Object that stood in her way. Exchanges sent sparks flying. Leaping strikes were sidestepped. Each swing of her arms was followed by a blast of fire or shock from her amulets. All my focus was on blocking and dodging.

**CRACK**

The first pair of Jitte shattered. The stone-arms whistled menacingly as she pressed the attack. Pain spiked in my palms as the Tide emerged and swarmed and formed shields.

**CRACK**

Her strength increased even more, breaking through. I shielded my face with my forearms, mana surged across my suit jacket. It wasn’t enough. The force of the blow reverberated through my arms, nearly numbing my hands as shockwaves of pain crept to the rest of my upper body. Even with the Suit, my bones were on the verge of fracturing, and the muscles screamed in protest as they struggled to absorb the devastating impact. The force sent me reeling back, with the dome’s barrier almost hitting me. But that distance gave me the time I needed.

She stopped for a moment as she saw the karambit I held in my right hand. The Key is my only hope of breaking through her stone hide. I took a defensive stance, now with only the karambit as my weapon. I felt her gaze intensify underneath her mask as she slowly approached. She was going to try and end this now. My muscles, bones, nerves, all around my body, slowly felt scorching from the Reinforcement spells I kept re-casting.

**CRACK**

The other amulets she wore suddenly shattered into dust as misty mana escaped from the wooden and metal pendants. The mana immediately turned into bolts of energy that cut across the air and honed in on me. They were nowhere near as fast as her attacks. I sliced each bolt with the karambit without much effort. Laonsina remained unphased. She wanted to confirm if it was my Key, and she got it right. Her caution meant more time bought, more space created. More opportunities to turn the tide.

## Chapter 12: Resolve

**CRACK**

My eyes shot open the moment the sound of my neck cracking and grinding filled my ears. Searing pain shot up from my shoulders all the way to the crown of my head. The pain crept up every single nerve ending of my teeth. My eyeballs felt like they were about to explode, and it almost made me lose consciousness again but after another second of torment, the pain was suddenly gone. I clasped my forehead and felt a burnt part of the mask I wore. Fucking hell, the I got shot again. How the hell am I alive? My hand suddenly brushed aside a small cylinder, a stim. They still healed me?

**CRACK**

I forced my body to sit up and looked for the source of that sound, the sound of shattering metal. I saw Cards, back almost to the barrier, struggling but still somehow keeping up with the barrage of attacks from Laonsina. My head throbbed with ache just from looking at her. The Mana she gave off was dense, to the point where I could smell this pungent earthy scent from her, hell I could almost taste it. Cards’s primary weapon broke after deflecting Laonsina’s spiked arm and he was forced to fight with just a small curved knife. For a split second, Card’s and I met each other's gazes, before he focused back on Laonsina, but this time he lunged at her with a slash to the arm, but she was faster. Her stone mace of an arm struck cards square in the stomach, sending him into the barrier and the shock of magical electricity scorched his body. His knife flew forward, discarded. Victorious, she stood over him as he lay face down on the ground. Mao and the Faceless were nowhere to be found. But then I saw Terry’s Amulet on the bone surface beside me. How? Did Cards-

Get up.

Her left arm turned into a sharp edge.

Get up, Marseille.

She raised it up and assumed an executioner's stance.

GET UP, DAMN IT!

A sudden rush of energy filled my body and I grasped Terry’s amulet in my hand. I screamed with all my might. I was not letting someone die on my watch again. She turned towards me as I sprinted towards her, baton in one hand and the amulet in the other. I’m not letting it happen again while I breathe! She leaped high into the air and over me, raining down a hail of needles and daggers. I’m not falling for that again!

BURN. COVER MY BODY. BURN!

The needles and daggers dug into the suit, but the force that would have hit me like a truck turned into what felt like strong punches instead. She landed behind me and I turned towards her. A swift lunge to my stomach. Time stood still for a brief moment in my mind, only to be kicked back into motion by Shockwaves of pain radiating from the point of entry. The sensation of cold, unyielding stone filled my body as her spike tore through my stomach and emerged into my back. The heartless weapon left me gasping for breath, as merciless as her eyes that stared at me. My time is nearing its end. My vision blurred as my lower body grew numb.

Death.

Death.

DEATH WILL HAVE TO DRAG ME TO THE DEPTHS.

I grasped Terry’s Amulet tightly. With a defiant roar, the fire in my body, my soul, will rage against the dying of the light. All the strength in me focused into one final action, smashing Laonsina’s head with the baton. I pushed my body forward, the pain intensified as the spike dug deeper, but I needed to get closer. This amulet in my hand was the kindling, The arm in my torso was the firebrand, the fire is my soul!  BURN! BURN! BURN! The spike that impaled me eroded, her arm, her neck, her body, turned back to flesh.

I swung the baton, it wooshed across the air.

Silence. I felt no impact. Her other hand caught it inches before it reached her. Her piercing glare did not falter. I closed my eyes. Damn it, was her damn mask really the last thing I have to see? I tried. I went down swinging.

**CRACK**

A shockwave climbed up my baton-hand , followed by an extremely sudden sound, like a sonic boom. I opened my eyes. Laonsina was backing away, the arm and hand that was once impaling me now clasping at a small metallic object embedded into her neck. I had to squint, but I saw the wrist button from my suit jacket, and one of Cards’s insect familiars attached to it. He just turned his tranquilizer into a homing one.

I turned my head with all the willpower I could muster, and there I saw him already on his feet. Laonsina moved like her body was losing strength, but she lunged at me again. A familiar metallic hum buzzed behind me and a force pulled me backwards as I stumbled onto the ground, avoiding Laonsina’s blade. Damn you, Cards. You and your damned familiars! I wanted to laugh but I felt like I would have coughed up blood. I watched as Laonsina fell to her knees. A shadow loomed over me as Cards moved towards me and stabbed me with a Stim. The pain of healing was nothing compared to the agony of having a hole in your stomach. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth.

“Did you get her?”

I asked, in the middle of gasping for air.

“More or less.”

He said. Come on, bruh. Muster up some enthusiasm.

“And, sorry about this.”

“What are you apologizing for-”

A sudden sting in my forehand forced my eyelids open. A similar button that took out Laonsina was embedded into my hand. You- you- damn… Snakes-

## Interlude

11 meters were between us. The Faceless thought taking me was the smarter choice. Hah. Bet he regretted that after I sent a gust and sent both of us crashing into the spine again. The giant green dome was behind the Faceless as he stood there unmoving. His mana wire shattered the moment we hit the hard skeletal surface. But I had to admit, he took that crash like a champ. I sensed no Reinforcement mana from him. Props. Now if he only just fucked off, that would have been great.

His hand was ready to draw his revolver again. So that’s how you wanted to solve this, eh? The locals once again watched us from a distance, and I wasn’t lying when I said there was a palpable tension in the air. But this was excitement, not looming dread.The wind whispered through the giant vertebrae as the Faceless’ steely gaze bore into mine. He’s got the better firepower considering mine are just air bullets, but he’d be stupid to brush it off. A mage fight is like Chess, underestimate the pawn and you’re already dead. I felt beads of sweat forming on my brow. A strong wind, a pistol trigger pulled in my mind’s eye. His hand twitched ever so slightly, I aimed my index finger. and in an instant, the air was filled with the thunder of gunfire.

I hit him in the helmet, but searing pain struck me in the head as well, and even with Reinforcement, the sheer kinetic force knocked me back. My back hit the ground and I heard his footsteps approach, the skeletal ground  shook with each step.

Expand. Disperse

His footsteps stopped. I stood up. His loud choking was music to my ears. The bullet expanded into a bubble that covered his head. You fell for the Vacuum chamber bullet. That helmet ain’t saving you from that, ha! Faceless. More like breathless. Gotem. It only took ten seconds for him to fall unconscious as the absolute absence of air inside the bubble got to him. I instinctively moved my hand towards the combat knife strapped to my ankle to finish off this guy, but then Katja’s reminder nagged inside my mind. “Don’t kill any Balete other than Laonsina. And even then, only kill if necessary. We don’t want a diplomatic nightmare.” The half-desecrated head of the other cop was still tied to the Faceless belt using the head’s remaining locks of hair. So barbaric. I had to encase it in a bubble and float it towards me. I wasn’t touching that thing.

The green dome shattered shortly after, revealing Cards standing over an unconscious cop and Laonsina.

“HA! I knew you’d pull it off!”

“Luck was on my side.”

He said as he held the ring in his hands. That damn thing was more trouble than it was worth.

“Gambled, again eh? Careful, brother. That shit’s addicting.”

“Yes, I’ll avoid it as much as possible in the future.”

The Detective got Plum Blossomed on the hand, not really surprising. What was impressive was how he planted one on Laonsina’s neck.

“Ah man, you gotta tell me how you pulled this off in detail.”

Naturally, the next thing to do was removing Laonsina’s mask, and what the hell. She’s actually pretty good looking, all things considered. We don’t have images of her on our file, so I pulled out my phone and snapped some shots of her face. The guys in Intel paid a decent amount for updated info like this. I took the liberty of looting all the other enchanted shit she had on her as well, might as well get the bounty on these as well for the team. Mitsune soon arrived late as usual, appearing beside Cards. She placed the abnormally large jar she carried on the ground.

"What the hell is that?"

I asked.

"It has Akashic bones. Sorry to say that Officer Terry is dead."

"Ah. We know that already, look."

I made the head bubble float in front of Mitsune, earning a disgusted look.

"You dropped your Key, by the way."

"Ah. Thanks."

Hoping to change the subject, she handed Cards his karambit, as well as a probing for any injuries.

"Got singed by the barrier. Might have lost a toenail or two. But I'm alright."

He said.

"Alright, we're not out of the woods yet. Mitsune. Bring Laonsina back to the tower entrance. Make sure the Plum Blossom doesn't fall off, alright?"

"Haaai."

She said with fake enthusiasm as she faded into ethereal form again.

"What about the Detectives?"

Cards asked.

"Transporting Terry is no problem, but we'll need to have strings pulled for this piece of work to be transported with his partner."

I said, prodding the cop with my foot.

"I'll talk to Até Katja. She can probably do something about this."

"Goddamnit, Mao! I owe Mathilde 50 dollars now! Why'd you go and actually did your jobs successfully?"

The voice of Charles called out from the den. Comforting that they made a betting pool on our mission. Cards lifted up the Detective again as we walked back to the Den, ignoring the locals staring at us.

"So, how'd you pull a fast one on her?"

I had to know how he did it.

## Epilogue

A thick blanket of fog had settled over New York city at the dead of night. The only sounds that could be heard were the distant wails of sirens and the echoing footsteps of a lone figure. This mysterious person moved with the grace of a cat, navigating the labyrinthine alleys and dimly lit streets with a silent purpose. Their destination: the foreboding NYPD 99th precinct garage.

Hidden beneath a dark overcoat and wearing a wide-brimmed hat that concealed their face, the intruder approached the garage's entrance. A hint of mana buzzed from within their hat.Cameras perched high on the walls were seemingly oblivious to their presence as they passed beneath their watchful lenses. The figure moved with precision, avoiding the narrow beams of the motion-sensing alarms. The security feed simply saw a distortion in the air as the intruder walked through the dimly lit expanse of concrete and steel. Rows of unmarked vehicles and lockers lined the place.

A silver ring decorated by a crescent moon and a six-point star was clung to the stranger’s finger. A beam of light shot out of the ring and struck the concrete floor. In a split second, the unconscious body of Detective Keron and a bag containing Detective Terry’s head and bones appeared where the light struck the ground.

“Unlucky.”

The figure muttered to the unconscious detective before promptly leaving the garage, unseen, unheard. He took off his Cam-Jam Hat by the time he snuck off to the streets of Brooklyn, revealing a head of blonde hair. The  man of Japanese descent stared at the ring in his finger.

“I could use one of these.”

But before Ryouta Okita could say another word, the ring disappeared in a blink. His face filled with shock. Across the liminal barriers between the Mortal and the Border Realms, the joyous laughter of Malayari filled her room high up her tree-tower.

“You should have seen the look on his face, Laonsina!”

She fell to her bed, relishing the dumbfounded look of the Snake agent she bamboozled with a simple Recall Spell weaved sneakily into the Star Ring which she now held in her hand. Laonsina, unmasked and in more simply robes of blue, still stood by her door, head hung in shame.

“I swear, my lady, the moment they come back for that Ring, I will not fail a second time.”

The mage-lord of Bakunawa gave her a gentle smile.

“Of course you won’t. But it’s a shame. Looks like they also took your boat. The Ring is empty. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Laonsina raised her head and met her mistress’ gaze.

“That ship will be back in that ring by sundown, my lady.”

With a smile, Malayari sent the ring flying into Laonsina’s finger.

“Make it a fun sight. I do enjoy these quaint distractions.”