Chapter 34.1

 Katelyn watched from the shadows as Jason crashed into the ground while cradling Alina. She raised an eyebrow from under her hood when she saw Alice run to Jason's arm and her eyes lingered on them until Jason drove away. As the car grew more distant, the numbness gave way to the pain Katelyn felt in her heart.

Jason . . . She thought morosely. Still as vicious as ever . . .

With a sigh, she turned and walked in the opposite direction, her figure walking in the open, brushing past civilians who couldn't see her: her concealment ability was that effective.

Slipping into an alleyway, Katelyn began picking up speed when a shadow flitted over her. Pausing, she immediately spun around only to see a redhead landed on her feet. The newcomer stood up and brushed her arms casually before brushing her hair.

Clutching a white cane and a pair of black sunglasses, Katelyn couldn't imagine a blind person, like the one in front of her, jumping down from a building so nonchalantly. At the same time, she was stunned by the woman's beauty. Despite being past her prime, the redheaded woman was so attractive, even Katelyn couldn't help but feel insecure around her.

"Hello there," Elizabeth said with a smile, her sunglass covered eyes gazed straight at Katelyn. "Oh, no need to sulk over my beauty. Name's Freya. I was hoping to -"

"It's you," Katelyn whispered. She pulled her kukris out and went into an aggressive stance. Her face was hidden by the hood and face mask, but Elizabeth raised an eyebrow when she sensed how serious Katelyn was; the killing intent was almost tangible.

"What's this? You've heard of me? From whom I wonder . . . was it laddie who told ye?" Elizabeth asked playfully. She smacked her head when she noticed Katelyn's confounded eyes. "Oh, silly me. You don't know what I mean, do ye? Jason baby, he's my mhm-oh-so-delicious laddie."

Katelyn didn't answer but her body's subtle movement confirmed Elizabeth's question.

"So you are related to him. Murt," Elizabeth muttered. She knew from the video that Jason most likely had an . . . intimate relationship with the assassin in front of her, but this also meant that he would protect her at all costs. "Well, then. Looks like I'm on a tight schedule. Let's finish this. Well, c'mon now."

As soon as Elizabeth finished speaking, Katelyn rushed forward to strike her; it was obvious she wasn't planning on waiting for Elizabeth to strike first.

So impatient, Elizabeth thought as she shook her head before speaking. "Know what a Practitioner's fatal flaw is?"

Katelyn was only an arm's length away from Elizabeth, her kukri ready to slash her throat when her target sidestepped and dodged the slash by a hair's breadth. A thin line of skin was cut in her throat, but the wound was too swallow to even bleed.

Elizabeth responded by holding her cane from the end and grabbing Katelyn's throat with the loop hanging on the top of her cane. She pulled back and twisted her cane, choking Katelyn who grasped at the black loop suffocating her throat. [1]

"You have so much strength that you neglect your martial prowess. You should be mindful of your surroundings," Elizabeth said quietly while kicking the back of Katelyn's knee, forcing her to kneel. As she did that, she tightened the grip over the leash she had on Katelyn's neck, who gasped as she felt her throat constrict. As the world spun, the latter used a small knife to cut the loop. She slammed her head backward while standing up, trying to headbutt Elizabeth but failed as the latter fell back as soon as she felt the cord get cut.

Elizabeth sighed and was about to step forward when she stopped. She looked ahead for a moment before tilting her head and then finally she giggled.

"Well now, you can come out," she said turning to look at a darkened corner of the alleyway. "Don't be shy, I won't bite. At least, not until I see how you look."

A human shape unfurled itself from its ball form and clapped her heads. She was wearing a black skin-tight bodysuit with a leather vest and strapped weapons across her waist and hips.

"This is a surprise," Melanie said with a glowing smile. "Here I was, hunting for this tramp when I find you fighting her. Who are you?"

"Don't you know it's rude to not introduce yourself first?" Elizabeth asked teasingly. "But since you're such a pretty lass, I'll answer. I'm Freya."

"Freya . . ." Melanie smiled sweetly while looking at her but both Elizabeth and Katelyn felt the killing intent rolling underneath it. "I just heard the most curious thing . . . you know Jason."

"Oh?" Elizabeth looked at Melanie much more carefully, a smirk formed on her face as she realized why Melanie was angry. Her eyes roamed around the latter, especially at her bust and thin thighs. "Don't tell me a . . . bonnie lass like you can hold the lad's attention."

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, granny," Melanie hissed while pulling the whip tired around her waist. The serrated segments were pulled together until they formed a sword.

A sword whip? Elizabeth thought as she unsheathed a thin blade from within her white cane. Not a common weapon . . . so the lassie's a wee snake. [2]

Katelyn, during their conversation, managed to retrieve her kukris and the three began circling each other. Soon a three-way battle took part, shrouded in the shadows and unknown by anyone else.

***

Emily walked out of the arcade and despite her slow and steady gait, she massaged her temples. She brought heroin from the dealer but she wasn't sure if she should use it; her body was crying for more and she had seen how addiction works.

I'll try to get through it without taking another dose, Emily thought. I'll only take a small amount if I can't take it.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened?" Asami asked. She approached Emily as soon as the latter left the arcade with worried eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Emily said with a complicated smile. She was hesitating on whether she should tell Asami what happened when she remembered how much Asami helped her, how she stood by her this entire time and decided to tell her everything.

After listening to everything, Asami's face changed. She didn't expect Accelerant to contain a mixture of drugs. It was easy to see that whoever came up with this was targeting the younger generation; teens wouldn't realize the intricate trap until they walked into it and became addicted.

"Emily . . . maybe you need to see a doctor," Asami said carefully. "We don't know how high the dosage in Accelerant was -"

"I'm fine, Asami," Emily interrupted Asami and reassured her. "I think my Esper power helped me. Healing, remember?"

Asami bought into Emily's lie and sighed with relief. "That's good. I was worried that you'd be addicted too."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Emily said, her eyes flashed with concern but faded almost immediately as she made up her mind.

[1] So, a white cane with a handle where the top part has a loop around the handle, like Daredevil's walking stick, and Elizabeth caught Katelyn's neck in it. (https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB18BsgdYZnBKNjSZFKq6AGOVXa2/105-155cm-Visually-Impaired-White-Cane-Aluminium-Folding-Blind-Walking-Stick-Blind-Cane-Reflective-Red-White.jpg_640x640.jpg).

[2] Melanie was using a sword whip that can break into segments and become a whip or come together and solidify into a sword ala the Garian Sword. (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/role-play/images/4/48/Garian_Sword.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131229162711)