CHAPTER SIX: THE NORTH BRIDGE

'How dare he make a fool out of my men and me,' he says to guess the commander's thoughts, as the commander paced around a partially transformed Caleb. He looked around, observing members of his squadron laying shoulder to shoulder with concrete. He was grateful he didn't have to pay any medical bills this time, but the thought of being sent back by a teenager irritated him more than he would have liked it to.

"Shall you come with me quietly, or will I have to make you?" he asked, trying to calm down.

"You seem to have the innate talent to ignore intentions," Caleb replied nervously.

"There's no escape point child," he replied catching Caleb looking around for an escape route. "I have men stationed around here, and they'll shoot you down the moment you leave our little circle right here".

Caleb looked at him quietly for a moment before speaking.

"I would have caught a whiff of their scent by now".

"What if they're too far away? Would your convenient nose work then?" he asked picking up one of the polearms his operatives dropped. Caleb continued pacing parallel to him, both moving in a circle.

"Look, I'd rather not do this. I'm not paid enough to beat up kids" he said yawning.

"Now that sounds more like an insult than concern" Caleb said mockingly. And after laughing nervously, dashed towards him.

"Sigh" he said before spinning the polearm. "And to think you could have made this easy for me".

Caleb jumped into the air to slam him into the ground. The commander looking at this barely calculated move, stepped back a bit. Caleb dove into the ground with so much force, the road cracked when his four limbs touched the floor. The commander thrusted his polearm towards Caleb whose face was at the same level. Caleb jumped back still on all fours. The commander grabs the middle of the polearm's shaft with his other hand and shifted his weight, swinging the tip of the spear upward.

"Kid. Don't let me get serious", he says calmly.

"Come on. Let's see it", Caleb says, standing up. The commander runs towards him, swinging the polearm. Caleb jumps back a little bit to put some space between them. The commander thrusts the spear to his chest, and Caleb blocks it with his arm and is rewarded with a kick to the chest.

The commander jumps back a bit.

"Sturdy, aren't we?"

"Best quality, you might say" he replies assuming a fighting stance "Time for me to get serious".

"There you go again mocking me" he said removing the tip of the spear turning it into a staff. "Come at me".

Caleb dashes towards him, and he reacts to the punch in time, blocking with the shaft of his staff. The commander reacts by pushing Caleb's fist back with the staff. He steps back a bit, spinning it before taking his stance again, legs wide apart, one hand holding the staff and the other behind his back. Caleb runs at him again, this time throwing a jab to the right, he squats a bit, the punch grazes him and he hits Caleb in the jaw with the staff. This was becoming a slow fight. Too slow for him watching.

The commander spun his staff again and assumed the same stance as before.

"Come at me boy", he said in a lower tone. "I'll end this now".

"That's what you think" Caleb said looking around him. "I can't see your snipers,

so, what's stopping me from leaving here n- "

"What's wrong with the drone" he asked.

"He's probably too far, sir. Or his communicator just got damaged. The video footage isn't rendering anymore."

"The jab to the right" he said before chuckling. "I'm going down there."

"But sir- "the operator started saying.

"It's an order. Don't say anything about what happened here today" he said before jumping off the building. Jumping from building to building, he wondered what this kid was and how to contain this level of magic. He looked north-east. He could feel the amber radiating from him. The faster he's contained, the better for him.

On getting to the nearest building to them, he looked down and saw the fight had changed tides a bit. The kid was pushing his junior a bit. He didn't like disrespect, so he decided to teach this kid a lesson and proceeds to jump off the building.

The wind rushing against his face was a thrill that got him bubbling. His thoughts rambled on to the last time he had a proper fight. The last time he fought one of them. One of the Kaiju. Those monstrosities. But that day, he showed them who the real monster was. Unfortunately, he lost all his rivals that day.

"Those cowards" he muttered to himself as he landed feet first on solid ground, breaking up the ongoing fight.

Both combatants turn to look at 'he who just fell two stories.' Coming out of the dust cloud was a kid about an inch shorter than Caleb. He had red hair neatly tied back into a ponytail. He wore the same uniform the commander wore, except with the addition of a short grey cape. He had red bloodshot eyes and a visible scar on the right side of his face, almost touching his ear. He turned and picked up a claymore more than half his size. He picked it up by the base and rested it over his right shoulder.

"Sir" the commander saluted.

"You were supposed to report to me about two minutes ago" he started while slowly making his way towards them .

"Yes sir, but we ran into some difficulties capturing the participants- "

"By difficulty, do you mean him" he asked pointing his weapon at Caleb.

Alright, I think I've bought enough time Caleb thought to himself I better make my way out of here.

"You" the captain begins saying interrupting Caleb's train of thought.

"You'd stand down if you know what's good for you".

"I don't do standing down" Caleb replied, his paws glowing a faint white hue, his hair following suite.

"How about I teach it to you" Captain Axel whispered into Caleb's ear.

When did he- Caleb felt a dull pressure on the right side of his head. He looked forward and saw the captain standing in the exact same spot. Suddenly he was moving, left, no right, no backwards. Caleb realized he wasn't, his head was spinning. He was losing consciousness and fast. He tried moving his limbs, but he just fell, face first on the floor as his sight went dark.

"Get him to the infirmary" Captain Axel said to the commander "Give him some pain relief for that nasty concussion. Rather the upcoming one"

"Yes sir" the commander responded.

"As for those escapees, I'll find my way around that" he said walking away disappointed. "Also, file that kid for Triplenity, he didn't die from that hit. He's tougher than I assumed".

Another chance at battle wasted, I might as well just hang up this thing he sighed looking at his weapon.

Axel's heart leaped into his throat as he felt the unsettling sensation of being watched. He froze in place, searching for any signs of movement, and finally caught sight of a figure darting into the shadows. A momentary thrill coursed through him, knowing he had caught the attention of someone or something. But as he watched the figure retreat, he realized with a deep sense of disappointment that it wasn't worth his time. The excitement of being watched quickly faded, replaced by a hollow feeling of dissatisfaction. He was hoping for a worthy adversary, but instead, all he found was a weak and timid creature, unworthy of his attention. He shrugged off the encounter and continued on his way, searching for a more worthwhile challenge.

Oisson stood behind the wall with his heart in his hands. He covered up his mouth to make as little noise as possible. His jaws hurt like crazy, and his side hurt. The explosion from the ring had done him a big number and although the kid bought him time, the operatives were still looking for him. He even almost ran into their captain. Today wasn't looking good for him.

"Have you searched this area" he could hear someone say on the other side of the wall.

"Get out of my house" a woman seemed to scream. He heard the sound of pots and pans falling, so he assumed the woman was assaulting the officer.

"Madam, I'm just doing my job".

"By oppressing us common folk? Is that your job? To break into my house and intimidate me" Oisson's heart raced as he crawled past the broken window, where Martha was in the middle of some unknown drama. He knew her, and she had tended to his wounds before, but he couldn't afford to help her now. He had to get away, and fast. Pushing himself to the limit, he squeezed through a narrow crack between two apartment buildings, hoping to lose anyone following him. Breathless, he reached another set of buildings and looked to his left, only to see several operatives heading straight for him. Panic set in as he frantically searched for a place to hide. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto an open dumpster nearby. Without hesitation, he dove in, ignoring the sickening stench of rotting food that surrounded him. As he huddled in the darkness, he strained to listen to the voices of the operatives, trying to decipher their plans amid the tension and fear that gripped him.

"I'm honestly tired of this".

"We could just kill him instead of subduing though. It's easier"

"Too gruesome. I don't want to have to wipe off blood".

"Same to be honest. Let's just forget this happened".

"Agreed" two voices resonated as their voices reduced from inside the dumpster.

Oisson breathed a sigh of relief and climbed out of the dumpster. His clothes smelled like alcohol and turd and all he could think about was a bath. At least it was until he was met face to face by an operative.

"You can relax" a calm feminine voice says to him as she takes off her helmet. "I'm not taking you in".

"So, what do you want" he says cracking his knuckles. He looks at the name tag on her uniform "Asal…"

"A trade" she says dropping her helmet on the floor.

"What are we talking about" he asks calmly.

"I know about you Oisson. I know everything about you. Your past, your jobs, your family. In fact, I know where they are now." She says and takes a dramatic pause "Your ex-wife. Your daughter"

She kicks her helmet towards him.

"What next "he replies as the helmet rolls towards his feet.

"I need your help assassinating someone. You have experience in this kind of business, don't you? Just one person and we're done. I'll offer your freedom, some money and a bath" she said holding her nose.

Oisson picked up the helmet and tossed it into the building behind him. "I don't have much of a choice now do I?"

"Glad you understand" she said and walked out the alley "You won't regret this". Oisson picks himself up and follows the stranger.

The deafening sound of the helmet crashing through the shattered window echoed through the desolate apartment building, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who might have been nearby. The helmet landed on a grotesque heap of flesh that had been charred beyond recognition, emitting an acrid smell that permeated the air. It was impossible to discern any human features on the mass, except for a lone hand that clutched onto a sniper rifle, its magazine fully loaded, and its finger on the trigger as if ready to unleash hell upon anyone who dared approach. The sight of the rifle's stock, engraved with a menacing skull and the name "Asal," only added to the overwhelming sense of dread and terror that consumed whoever stumbled upon this gruesome scene.