Mr. Titania was looking seriously at Jake, who was staring at the floor. He continued, “I heard from Zack that you were slightly reluctant to coming here. Your appearance and the name Tyler also pointed out that you were the same boy. And even for a newcomer, you found your way through this big house too easily, showing that you had been here before.”
Jake was completely pale now. He said in a weak voice, “I don’t hold a grudge or anything against you, sir. I know that it was not your fault. But I still didn’t want to meet you, not knowing how I would react.”
Sadness overcame Mr. Titania as he said in a slightly chocked voice, “No matter what you say, what anyone says, it does not change the fact that I was the one who killed your father, Jake.”
There was a small sound outside the door. Jake got up and opened it, revealing Zack and Sora crouching near the floor. Both of them were wide eyed and stared at Jake, who sighed and said, “You guys…”
“Jake…”
“Is… is what my father said true?”
Jake said coldly, “Guys, this is a private conversation between Mr. Titania and me. It does not concern you.”
“Let them listen, Jake. They have the right to know.”
Jake gaped at Mr. Titania, who was on his feet. “But sir!”
“They are your friends. They have the right to know about you. And as my son, Zack has every right to judge my actions.”
Jake hesitated but let them come in. They sat on either side of Jake on the sofa, not knowing what to say.
Jake told them again, “Look Zack. It was not your dad’s fault. He–”
“Jake, I think it’s better if I told them the whole story instead of the version you were told by my lawyers.”
He faced the three boys who were squeezed close. “Zack, do you remember the time when Elena was kidnapped around ten years ago?”
Zack nodded. Then he realized something and said, “You mean that Uncle Mike was Jake’s dad?”
Mr. Titania said, “Yes. When Elena was kidnapped, he set out separately to find her. I was accompanied by some of my own men, the police and the guild, and we were able to track the kidnappers. They had asked me to bring in the ransom alone inside. I had no idea that Mike had gone in as well. I faced the men who had Elena tied up and gagged. I was about to leave the money next to them when someone hit the lights. Mike’s assault was nearly perfect, but he had not expected the leader to be a contractor, a skilled one as well. He was about to kill Elena but changed his mind and told me to kill Mike with my fire spear if I didn’t want Elena in pieces. Mike didn’t say anything. Rather, he was looking at me, as if asking whether I had decided to kill him or not. I… was not in my right mind. Seeing Elena in such a situation had put my mind in frenzy. I was angry because of Mike’s interference. I had already summoned my contract. Before I realized what I was doing, the spear had stabbed his heart and blood was spilling out. The kidnapper was shocked, but he just laughed at me and was about to kill Elena, something he had planned to do from the beginning. But even in his dying moments, Mike was able to use his powers and defeated him.”
Sora’s expression was blank. Zack’s was filled with disbelief. And Jake… his face was hidden as he continued to stare at the floor.
Mr. Titania swallowed hard and struggled to go on. “I had just realized what I had done. I was shaking… I was in tears… The bleeding did not stop. But even as I apologized, that idiot only smiled and asked if Elena was okay. When I said that she was, he just smiled and closed his eyes. He died in my arms.”
The room went completely silent. Sora felt sick. He could not hear any more. He glanced at Jake and Zack and wondered how they must be feeling.
“Everyone present at the scene knew the truth. But the news that the head of the Titania family had killed a guild contractor was highly scandalous. I didn’t care. I had just killed the only person who I could call my true friend. I deserved to be hated. I… was a murderer. But my lawyers had been able to keep things in the dark. I was not even allowed to attend the funeral, fearing that I might confess.”
He turned to face Jake and said, “I am not asking you to forgive me. I just wanted you to know the truth. There was no ulterior motive in me explaining to you.”
He then faced Zack. “As my son, you have the right to judge my actions. You are free to do as you wish about my actions. I regret them as much as you regret hearing this from me.”
Mr. Titania gripped the picture frame and gave it one last look till he laid it back on the table and started sobbing uncharacteristically.
Sora didn’t know what to do. But he felt that his presence was not going to help. He got up and walked out of the room. None of them took notice to him leaving. He shut the door as more sobs echoed inside and reached his room. Instead of falling into bed, he sat at its foot and covered his face with his knees, shivering.
The next morning, he got up very early to find that he had fallen asleep in that state. He was sore all over and wondered what had happened after he had left. But later that morning, Mrs. Titania and Elena returned. They tactfully hid the conversation from them, but Sora could make out that neither Jake nor Zack held a grudge against the red-eyed man with the French beard.
It was an emotional farewell for Jake and Sora. The whole staff came to see them off. The place had truly been like home and everyone in it was like a family. Mrs. Titania was in tears as Sora kept telling her that they would drop by from time to time. Zack and Sora even caught sight of Elena handing Jake a piece of paper with a number on it as she said, “It’s not like I want you to call me or anything…” Zack stared at Sora, who shrugged with an expression that said, “Let them be.”
Mr. Titania bent close to Sora and said, “Please support my son, Sora. He’s in your hands.”
Sora grinned and said, “Will do, sir.”
Saying their goodbyes, Sora and Jake left the Titania mansion taking only their bags and their memories with them.
Sora was on his sky surfer, cutting through the wind at high speed. He would have flown if the place was closer, but the situation was not favourable as he was exhausted.
Sora heard the alert for the second time on his G watch.
“~ To all contractors receiving this message,
A contractor has just sent an S.O.S signal. She has a high heart rate and increased stress levels, suggesting she could be injured. You are within a hundred kilometre radius of her.
If you are a D rank, do not go to her assistance. C ranks may choose to go but those above C rank must go to her aid.
The contractor is Katie Smith.
The co-ordinates of her location are sent to your G watch. Please confirm that you are heading to the location now. ~”
Sora had already given his confirmation. He glanced at the G watch, which calculated that he would reach the place in seven minutes and three seconds.
Sora’s lips had begun to dry. He had gone to rescue some people from a collapsing bridge. Soon after he was done, he received the alert.
The G watch voiced out again. “~ These are the contractors in the rescue mission:
Eddy Cue,
Sora,
Jake Tyler.
Please rendezvous at the point shown on the map. ~”
A small yellow pointer appeared on the GPS not too far from Katie’s location.
Sora was the first to get to the rendezvous point. It was a grassy plain with a small pond nearby. Sora stuck his head into the pond and drank water. As he pulled his head out, Jake and Eddy Cue arrived together in an N-2.
Not wasting time with greetings, Jake immediately briefed Sora. “Katie was sent to investigate a place where bio-chemical weapons were suspected to be manufactured illegally. Turns out it was the place. Security was pretty tight and they had a small army of contractors there as well. Bottom line: She’s in trouble. Now, first priority is to rescue Katie and then, if possible, make sure the people there don’t escape with the weapons and hold them up till the cops arrive.”
> Eddy, the tall, black haired B rank contractor said, “We should get going. I think we can see the place from here.”
Sora nodded and pointed to a small tower surrounded by some kind of factory and laboratory.
As they approached the place cautiously, they noticed that a high wall like a fortress surrounded the place. There were many men guarding the walls.
Jake said, “Katie managed to give us the layout of the place. The west wing is the main laboratory where the weapons are made and stored. Katie is in the south wing, the mass production area, hiding. Eddy, you specialize in stealth missions, thanks to your Shadow Hound contract. So you will be the one to rescue Katie.”
“Wait… Shadow Hound? Seriously?” Sora asked in amazement.
Eddy smirked and said, “Yeah. It might only be a C grade contract, but its traits are pretty cool, right? Anyway, the distance seems to be like five hundred meters from here to the fortress. I can make it.”
Jake nodded and continued. “But we need to make it as safe as possible, seeing as she’s injured. So Sora, our job is to cause as much ruckus in there as we can, draw all their attention towards us. Knowing you, that wouldn’t be hard.”
Sora crackled his fingers with a malicious grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve been let loose. I might get to try out a new skill I’ve been working on.”
Jake said, “Feel free. But be careful not to attack the west wing too much. If the bio-chemical weapon explodes on impact, it’ll be trouble. So let me handle that part.”
After a little more planning, Eddy walked to a nearby tree and sat under the shade. He waited for the signal for him to make his move. A few seconds later, there was a large explosion and the big part of the fortress around the laboratory shattered. Eddy grinned to himself and said, “Those guys really know how to create a diversion.”
He stretched out his hand and there was a small flash. A grayish-black hound appeared in front of him. Even its eyes were black, with only the irises green in shade. Its short tail wagged hard as Eddy patted its long snout and said, “It’s time for work, Contour.”
Contour, the Shadow Hound, gave a deep bark. As Eddy held on to its torso, he started dissolving along with Contour into the shadow cast by the tree.
He reappeared under the shadow of the wall inside the eastern part of the fortress. As he had hoped, the place was deserted. There were a few bangs from the centre of the facility and falling of rubble. He then nodded to Contour, who started dissolving into the shadows again and transported him to the southern part of the facility.
Eddy appeared inside the factory. There were many rust covered pipes in the place where he was. He gestured Contour to remain silent and follow him.
His G watch showed the exact location of Katie. He wasn’t more than a few tens of meters away and he would have preferred to be transported straight to her. But his powers had limitations.
At his current skills, he could only travel through shadows in a radius of five hundred meters on Contour. And he also needed a shadow with dimensions of at least 50 cm to 30 cm to materialize along with Contour through the shadow.
So he took the safe route and got into a more comfortable place to appear. He was on a platform not too far from the roof of the factory. The metal floors did not mask his footsteps completely, but his sneaking skills were A-rank level. He went past a number of queer machinery and held his breath as he looked around for Katie. And sure enough, there she was, hiding behind a large barrel. She was clutching a bad gash on her stomach. But she was not letting her guard down; as Eddy was about to tap her shoulder, she grabbed his collar and held a poisoned knife to his neck.
“Eddy Cue? Is the rescue here?” Katie asked in relief.
“And just when I was about to say ‘you look terrible,’ you do this!” Eddy said grumpily as he rubbed his neck.
“Sorry,” Katie muttered. She groaned a little as she tried to get up.
“Stay down,” Eddy said. “The wound will open if you move.”
Katie asked crossly, “You aren’t thinking of carrying me, are you?”
“Tempting, but no,” he said, as he tried to stop the bleeding. He was too focused to notice the man approaching a few feet away with a gun pointed at his head.
Katie shouted, “Look out!” She had wasted her breath. The man was suddenly pulled into the floor. His upper torso was trapped above the metal floor as his legs dangled below. His arms were trapped as well. Contour appeared next to him and picked up the gun with his mouth and handed it to Eddy.
“Contour is great at tricks like these,” he said as he went on to gag the man with a cloth.
Katie stared at the Shadow Hound. Many considered them a bad omen, mostly because of them dwelling in the shadows. Their criticism was wide spread and had resulted in them being shunned and avoided. Yet, there was proof in front of her that they were not so bad. It even came and licked some of her smaller wounds, making her want to cuddle it and run her hands through its silky black fur.
“So we’re going to get out through the shadows?” she asked. Eddy answered. “Yes. But sadly, I can’t take you directly to the safety point. We’ll have to make a stop near the eastern wall once. That’s my range. But after that, we have to go on foot. Shadow teleportation drains a lot of ki.”
Katie was shocked. “There are hundreds of people guarding this place. It would be a miracle if they don’t spot us. And what are those loud bangs I’ve been hearing?”
“Sora and Jake are having some fun. They’re our decoys.”
“They’re here too?” Katie asked, as Eddy nodded and helped her up and walked her to Contour, who was standing under a shadow. He told her to hold on to the hound and relax.
She felt a strange sensation enveloping her. Then, without warning, she started sinking to the ground. As her head went in, she noticed that she was floating in some kind of black space. It was a little hard to breathe as well. Eddy was holding on to Contour’s tail and indicated her to not let go.
There were a few holes in the space around them, bringing in light. But Contour headed past them and dashed towards the biggest source of light. As they entered it, Katie felt like she was being squeezed into a rubber tube. Her body felt like it was being compressed and forced together. But when they were out, the sensation stopped.
The area they were in was filled with rubble. Eddy kicked some of it, which was blocking his way and realized that it was an unconscious person. They looked around and noticed that he wasn’t the only one.
Sora and Jake were facing six contractors at once. They seemed to be having a tough time. Katie said, “Shouldn’t we help them?”
Eddy looked at her flummoxed. “And interrupt their fight? Hell no. I don’t have a death wish.”
Indeed, Jake and Sora appeared to be enjoying themselves as well. Katie could not understand why men were like that whenever they were in a tough spot.
The remaining contractors could not contain Sora’s split step. When they ended up focusing too much on figuring out his movements, Jake launched pieces of rubble at them. And just then, Sora completely caught one of them off guard and used his wind smash at point blank range, rendering him unconscious.
Eddy sent a message through the G watch that Katie was safe. Sora and Jake received the message, but were too preoccupied with the fight against the remaining five contractors.
Jake and Sora stood with their backs facing each other. Jake said, “We should leave soon. All the scientists are already knocked out and tied up inside the lab. So all we need to do is transport Katie to the N-2. But Eddy is too drained to use the shadow teleportation. And they would be noticed if they try to get out by foot. And we’re exhausted as well.”
Sora panted and said, “Guess I have no choice but to use my new technique.”
But before he could do that, Jake muttered, “Sora, what is that there?”
Sora turned to where Jake was looking. A small black object was flying towards them very fast. As it approached them, Sora recog
nized it as an N-1, a smaller version of the N-2, but could seat only one person. As it came closer, he noticed that it was not slowing down, and it seemed out of control, heading straight at them…
Jake and Sora ducked just in time for the N-1 to miss their heads. But the contractors in front of them were not so lucky. It ploughed into two of them, sending them flying.
The latch opened and Zack stepped out. He roared, “Who were those imbeciles who hurt Katie! I’ll fry them alive!”
He spotted the other three contractors staring at him. With no hesitation, he summoned the Phoenix Fire Sword and rushed at them.
In no more than thirty seconds, the three unfortunate men were on the floor, severely burnt. Zack was still raring to go.
“If you ever touch a hair of my Katie again, you would wish you were never born! Where is she, you maggots?”
Sora tapped his shoulder. Zack whirled around. He asked Sora desperately, “Is Katie okay? Is she hurt? Where is she?”
Sora nonchalantly pointed to the right. There, Katie was fidgeting nervously, blushing and smoothing her clothes.
Zack went scarlet with embarrassment. He slowly approached Katie, knowing full well that he had been heard.
“A…Are you o…okay?” he asked, trying hard not to make eye contact. Katie was looking at her feet, her face still red.
“Y…Yes. Nothing too bad.”
“Yeah. We’re fine too. Thanks for asking,” Jake said coldly, brushing the dust off his head.
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 23
