As he wandered around, looking for other places, Sora’s grumbling stomach marked lunchtime. He tinkered with his G watch for a few seconds. Then, with a satisfied smile, he set off to a famous restaurant nearby. Guided by the GPS on his watch, he finally found the place. The sign at the front read:
‘THE DEVIL’S KITCHEN.’
There was quite a crowd around the restaurant. His stomach was demanding food urgently and he pushed the wooden door open.
A whiff of the delicious food was enough to make Sora’s mind go blank. His body was filled with ecstasy and he could not control the drool seeping out of his mouth. With great effort, he was able to bring himself back. He was panting, feeling drained and starving. His craving for food was greater than a blade vulture’s desire for blood. He muttered, “Devil’s kitchen. What a fitting name.”
The place was teeming with people sitting and devouring food. Sora’s stomach growled again, attracting humoured stares from everyone nearby. He found a seat near the counter and sat there.
The waiter said, “Welcome, what will you have?” Glancing at the menu hung on the wall, Sora replied, “How about the largest pizza you have with every veggie available?”
The waiter grinned. “Do you want to super-size your order, sir? It’ll cost more though.”
Sora grinned back. “Why not? I’m starving anyway.”
Within two minutes, the largest pizza Sora had ever seen was placed in front of him. It was big enough to take the space of the two seats next to him, which were fortunately empty.
The aroma was enough to make him faint. The molten cheese was dripping slowly onto the huge plate and the vegetables were sizzling slowly. Sora gulped and said, “Wow!”
The waiter said with a broad smile, “No one has ever finished this masterpiece alone. So, dig in.”
Sora took a slice of the delicious pizza. It was twice the size of his palm. He licked his lips and took a big bite.
What happened to him next could not be properly described with words. His eyes went wide as he slowly chewed. The cheese melted further in his mouth. The bread, the sauce and every topping seemed to be a delight to his taste buds. His mind was close to exploding. Then, as it finally went down his throat, the only way to describe his feeling would be complete euphoria.
He licked his lips and whispered, “Unbelievable! I’ve never tasted anything like this!”
The waiter said in a proud tone, “Of course. This is one of our specialities. Now, will you be able to finish it?”
He was answered in five minutes. The white plate sparkled clean as Sora licked the cheese off his finger. The whole place was dead silent as they stared in disbelief.
Sora leaned back with a content look and said, “That hit the spot!”
The waiter goggled as he said, “Are you even human? How did you finish that?”
With a laugh, Sora said, “Just a hungry teenager. It was a thousand Zens, right?”
He paid the bill and left. The whole place eyed his back as the door closed behind him. Sora said out loud, “That was one of the best meals I have ever had! I’ve got to come back here again.”
With his stomach content, Sora wandered into the market street, which was called Genesis Alley. Shops of all kinds and sizes were laid side-by-side, some internationally renowned while others were just street vendors.
Store owners were shouting out features of the different products they were selling. One shouted, “Get your very own ‘Automated Pens’. Now you don’t have to lift a finger to finish your schoolwork. It writes whatever you tell it. An amazing offer for the world’s first automated pens.” Many more bizarre items were on display all over the streets.
As he went on, Sora stopped in front of a queer stall with awkward looking small coloured balls. Sora noticed some weird smells coming from them. He bent down to examine them when someone whispered in his ears, “You have quite an eye for things, young sir.”
He jumped back surprised only to find a very short old man in front of him. He had a long white beard that reached the floor and his sly eyes seemed to indicate that he hid many secrets. Sora asked, “Is this your stall, sir?”
The old man replied in a crackling voice, “Yes. This is a store that sells a wide variety of objects with numerous abilities. They can help you in desperate times and let you fulfil the wishes of any child your age. And it is conveniently shaped like that of a sphere and can be easily used. An essential product indeed.”
“So these are objects that help you pull pranks on others?” asked Sora, trying to read between the lines of the old man.
The old man smiled and said, “If you must. But that is what I meant when I said, ‘wishes of any child your age.’ I guess you are a cautious one. Many fall for the catchy words and buy my products. It usually gets me a good profit.”
Sora said, “Well, I wouldn’t want to waste my money on defective or fake products.”
The old man smiled again and said, “I never said they didn’t work.”
Sora turned to face the cunning man and said, “Is that so? So what do you say these things do?”
The old man took out a box from inside the stall and opened it. It was filled with an array of colored balls as big as a marble. He picked up a red colored ball. The old man said, “That’s a tear bomb. Throw it hard and it’ll burst, releasing a red cloud of smoke. Anyone who inhales it will start tearing and his or her eyes will start burning. They’ll faint soon after that.”
With his inner curiosity surfacing, Sora asked, “What does this one do?” The old man glanced at the maroon ball and said, “That’s a knockout bomb. It will release a colourless gas, which makes those within its range fall into deep slumber.”
As he rummaged through them, Sora found one pale brown ball with a particularly nasty smell. The old man said, “That one is… well… let’s say that those affected by it better stay close to the toilet.”
Sora grinned and said, “I want five of them, definitely.”
The old man rubbed his palms together and said, “And five of the other ones you picked up as well?”
Sora shrugged and said, “Why not?”
As the old man packed Sora’s purchase, he noticed some strange black balls in another box. He asked, “What do those black ones do?”
The sly old man rubbed his palms together again and said, “Those are special balls, young sir. Normally I don’t sell them to ordinary people. But you are nothing close to ordinary sir, especially with your high ki level and your two contracts.”
Sora’s eyes went wide. He asked threateningly, “How did you know that, old man?”
The old man acted as though he hadn’t noticed the tone and replied, “Let’s just say that after all these years, there is hardly anything I don’t know. I have my sources. But don’t worry. I’m not your enemy. Now, you were asking about the black ones, right?”
Sora bit his lip, shook his head and said, “Yeah.”
The old man ran his fingers through his long beard and said, “These black balls are the fruit of years of research. They burst when thrown to release a large black cloud. Those inside the cloud will be devoid of all their senses. They won’t be able to see, smell, hear, taste or touch anything. The conditions would resemble being lost in space.”
Sora scratched his cheek and said, “You’ve got my attention now. Pack those up as well, please. And that will be all.”
The old man handed him a packet with each variety of balls in a separate box and said, “Each ball is five hundred Zens, young sir. So that would be a total of…”
“TEN THOUSAND ZENS! You’re ripping me off!”
“I’m sorry sir. But I’ve got to make a living somehow,” said the old man with a cunning smile.
Sora sighed and paid up. He picked up the packet and turned to leave. Then he stopped and said, “I would appreciate it if you kept quiet about everything you know about me.”
The old man bowed and said, “Of course sir. I might be a greedy and partly senile old man. But I do sympathiz
e with what you have gone through.”
Sora smiled and said, “Thank you.”
With the special balls in his pocket, Sora went deeper into Genesis Alley. A look around made him realize that there were many women in the area. Curiously he looked at the shops and then groaned.
The place was like a lady’s paradise. It was covered with clothes shops, accessories, footwear and jewellery. There was a stifling scent of different perfumes clouding the vicinity. Though the few men there all seemed repulsed, the women seemed to draw in closer. They most certainly seemed attracted to the vile scent. But what seemed most revolting to Sora was the shrieking and squealing of the women there.
He was about to find a way out when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in front of a jewellery stall. He snuck up behind her and peeped at what she was doing.
She was trying on a necklace with assorted stones. But after a look in the mirror in the stall, she shook her head and placed it back down.
“Why not? You looked good in it. Zack would like it too.”
Katie jumped back with a shriek and screamed, “Don’t creep up on me. What are you doing here?”
Sora said, “I was just wandering around. Then somehow I ended up here and noticed you trying on that necklace. Why aren’t you buying it? Like I said, Zack would like it.”
Katie blushed and said, “You’re misunderstanding! It’s not like I l–like him or anything.”
Sora smirked and said, “Whatever you say.”
Just then both their G watches started beeping, flashing an exclamation mark. Sora asked, “What is this?”
Katie said, “It’s an emergency notice. Whenever some kind of emergency arises, the guild contractors closest to the location are alerted and asked to intervene and solve the problem. Tap the screen to get the information.”
Sora touched the flickering screen and at once it showed:
Jewellery Heist.
A group of armed people is attempting a heist in the ‘Titania Jewellery complex.’ There seems to be around fifteen men wearing ski masks.
Hostages have been taken as well.
Local police forces are on their way. Proceed with caution.
Press ‘MAP’ to obtain directions to the location.
Sora tapped the screen and the GPS showing the direction to the store appeared. He then said, “Titania… Is it Zack’s family’s store?”
Katie nodded and said, “The place is almost a kilometre away. Let’s get a move on.”
They rushed past the crowd as they made their way to the crime scene. Katie could hardly keep up with Sora despite running at top speed. They arrived a few seconds later, to find the place swarming with police cars. The Titania Jewellery Complex was a five storey building filled with priceless jewellery. It was one of the most popular jewellery brands in Gara. A crowd of civilians was already present there and was being held back by policemen. A barricade had been set up as well.
As Sora and Katie approached the barricade, one of the policemen shouted, “Back off kids. This is a dangerous place to be. Don’t interfere with our work.”
Both of them flashed their badges and said, “Lucifer’s Fall contractor.”
The policeman jumped and let them pass with an apology. As they pocketed the badge, the inspector, Nitin Ram, spotted them. He greeted them and explained the situation.
“These men are professionals. The first floor is just the reception with no real jewellery, so there’s nobody there now. But we still can’t enter because of that.”
He pointed at the entrance. Sora could see a few thin wires connected to some grenades.
Inspector Ram continued, “They placed those right after they gained control over the building. And there is no other entrance to the building other than a fire escape at the back of the building. But that is rigged as well.”
Sora asked, “Any idea where they might be in the building?”
The inspector shook his head and said, “No, but we do know that there are hostages in all the other floors other than the first floor. So they must have men stationed in each floor to keep an eye on them.”
Katie enquired, “Have they made any demands?”
“Yes, we received a call from them a few minutes ago requesting a helicopter for a getaway. They said that if it doesn’t arrive in an hour’s time, they’d kill one hostage every two minutes. They’ve sealed off every possible entrance we could use, so we have no other choice but to abide by their rules. But fortunately, you guys arrived just when I was thinking of asking the guild for back up.”
Katie then said, “So, I guess the only way of entering is through the terrace on the top of the building. We should try an ambush after breaking–”
“That won’t work,” Sora cut in. Everyone who was listening stared at him.
Katie asked in an offended tone, “And why not?”
Sora scratched his cheek and said, “They’ve asked for a helicopter for a getaway, right? So I’m certain that they have at least one or two men hiding on the top. Inspector, please ask someone to check if the terrace is empty.”
A few minutes later, they got word of two heavily equipped men laying low on the terrace. Sora nodded and said, “Even if we do break in through the terrace, those men might have enough time to inform the others about us entering. Then, we would be putting the lives of every hostage at stake.”
Inspector Ram looked worriedly at his watch and said, “There is only forty five minutes left, Sora. At this rate, we might have to heed their request.”
Katie said, “And since this is a jewellery store, we can’t break the glass and enter as it would trigger the alarm.”
Sora looked around, trying to find another way in. Then, his eye caught a manhole at the side of the street. He grinned and said, “I think I found a way in.”
Sora and Katie climbed out of the broken lavatory inside the Titania jewellery complex. Katie took a deep breath of fresh air and said, “I can’t believe that you made me follow you through the sewer. The stench was terrible!”
Sora sniggered. “Well, we didn’t have much time to consider any other option. We can’t be too picky. And you followed me on your own accord.”
Katie said, “Enough of that. We have to finish this fast.”
Sora nodded and said, “Yeah. Let’s get this over with.”
They walked out of the ladies bathroom. Katie spotted the staircase leading to the second floor on the other side and took a step forward. But Sora held her back and pointed.
A pair of feet could be seen on the staircase. Sora silently ran to the closest pillar and peeped out. The armed man was staring at the main door. He was obviously staying on guard to make sure that no one would go to the next floor through him.
When the man looked the other way. Sora beckoned to Katie and she ran quietly to a pillar closer to the flight of stairs.
Sora was keeping a close eye on the man. He was wearing a ski mask, but his eyes and mouth could still be seen. Just then, he yawned.
Sora flashed a signal to Katie, who at once pointed her fingers like a gun and shot out a small purple ball from her fingers into his mouth.
The man suddenly started choking and clutched his neck. He couldn’t let out a sound. After a few seconds, the man closed his eyes, leaned back and did not move. Sora proceeded cautiously and approached him. He placed his fingers at the side of his neck and felt a pulse. Katie also approached him and whispered, “Relax. He’s only unconscious. Don’t underestimate me.”
Sora grinned and took out a small radio transceiver and whispered into it, “First floor is secured. Moving on to the next floor.”
He received a reply, “~Roger. And a team is ready to take out the eyes on the terrace. Give us the signal after the hostages are rescued~”
Sora climbed up first. Right before he reached the top, he crouched down and crawled up. He glanced above the last few steps to get a view.
There were roughly a dozen people tied up and gagged at the center of the room. He r
aised his head ever so slightly to have a better view of the far side of the room.
Three men with ski masks were intently collecting the jewellery out of the counter on the far side. As Katie was about to take action, Sora stopped her and whispered, “Let me handle this.”
He put his hand into his pocket and silently drew a small red ball. He threw it high into the air.
The tear bomb landed right between the thieves. It exploded with a soft pop, but released a tremendous amount of red smoke, which easily penetrated through the thin ski masks.
They dropped to the ground and started rolling in pain. Tears rolled down their red eyes. Soon they lay unconscious on the floor.
Sora and the startled Katie climbed up quietly and gestured to the astonished hostages to stay silent.
Picking up some spare pieces of rope, they tied the unconscious thieves up. Sora looked back at the helpless hostages and said, “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay like that for a little while longer. And are there other hostages in the other floors?”
Some of them nodded. Sora thanked them and followed Katie up the stairs. He said to her, “Counting the men we took out and the two men on the roof, there should be nine more men in the four floors above us.”
The situation on the third floor was similar to that on the second floor. This time, Sora threw the knockout bomb. The effect wasn’t instantaneous, but the men started becoming sluggish and then suddenly dropped to the floor.
Katie started tying them up, as Sora took off the gag from one of the men wearing the Titania jewellery complex uniform. He asked, “Are there any other hostages in the floors above us?”
The man stuttered, “Y…yes. The manager was taken up to open the s…safe two floors above us.”
Sora then asked, “What other floors are there?”
The man said, “The fourth floor is the staff office and security surveillance room. And the fifth floor is the manager’s office.”
Sora said, “So six other men and one hostage in the next two floors, is it? Thank yo…” Sora suddenly went dead silent. His eyes went wide as he said, “Did you say that the next floor was the security surveillance room?”
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 11
