Operation: Daphne (Part 1)
Chapter 7
Operation: Daphne (Part 1)
Wolf Creek (Day 14)
A black pastel-colored hue covered AJ's sword as white lines outlined it. The sword looked painted though it was a real one. He stood with his legs wide and knees bent, the cut on his face bled but he smiled. Standing in front of the C-ranked three-meter-tall giant, AJ felt elated. The giant swung his mammoth-sized sword and AJ jumped on it. Running up its smooth surface, he pounced on the giant's face. Taking out a dagger, he stabbed his opponent's eye. Falling down and hoping to a safe distance, AJ grinned
AHHH!
"There's no way my tombstone will say that I died --- TO A PUNY BASTARD", the abnormally proportioned giant glared
Laughing, AJ paced forward, "Scums don't get tombstones"
---A few hours ago---
In a rented carriage, Arnold and his students passed the Chant House. The Chant House was of old architecture. Made completely of white marble, and with dozens of pillars holding the roof, it was spotlessly clean. It stood on a small hill, raised higher than the other buildings. The stairs to the establishment shone silver and women made gold decorated its entrance. The building was the embodiment of the word 'luxury'
Musicians performed on the sidewalks outside it, and their music livened the atmosphere. Soft tones, carried by soft winds. They were the aspiring and ambitious young men who traveled from all over the world to reside in the City of Hymns
"Princess Valentine is a young lady, 16 years of age, and has loved music her whole life. This city is the gift bestowed to her by The Late Empress", Arnold explained
Ajax loved playing music in his past life and took pride in his ability to handle many different instruments. The City's current lifestyle and history intrigued him
"Why do they just play religious songs?", AJ asked as he noticed the lack of individuality in the songs he heard
"That has always been the trend. Music is for The Gods. To ask for 'Their' blessings, to appreciate 'Their' love", Arnold raised his hands to pray
"The Chant House is where musicians dream of performing", Arnold's eyes glimmered, "Every first week of spring, the musician who performed at His Majesty's Wedding plays his Violin here, kindly inviting the season of happiness"
Seeing the wide smile plastered on his Master's face, AJ teased, "Master, you definitely tried getting laid by strumming the guitar. Didn't ya?"
Arnold smacked his head and puffed, "SILLY BOY, I WAS ALWAYS A WARRIOR AT HEART"
"Master it's nothing to be ashamed of. Ladies love a man who can play the instrument", AJ whimpered in pain, "besides I find a man who puts in effort to get some action, quite admirable"
Sarah giggled at AJ's antics
The chaotic ride continued for two whole hours as they exited the City of Hymns and entered Colin Harbor, making their way to the rundown district of Junk dog
A bridge divided the Junk dog District from Colin Harbor, and it also divided its people. The very act of passing through the bridge was monitored by armed guards on each side. Junk Dog was a part of Count Colin's estate and thus its treatment confused AJ
"Isn't Junk Dog a part of Colin Harbor?", AJ asked
"Only on paper. In reality the Junk dog district belongs to Smashers"
"Smashers?", AJ raised an eyebrow. The novel never mentioned a name as such
"Smashers is the criminal organization under David Baratheon's control", Arnold leaned forward, "David Baratheon is a disaster-class villain. An S- ranked individual who fought Duke William, survived, and escaped"
"FUCK! David Baratheon", AJ exclaimed
Junk dog was filled with low, broken shacks. The clouds above were blocked by billows of smoke. The water was toxic, mixed with the chemicals flowing down from the factories on the other side of the bridge. The people slept on the sidewalk outside, their mouths foaming
"NHD has ruined many lives. An illusionary drug whose distribution Duke Maxwell, along with other nobles have banned on their lands", Arnold pulled over his hood. The kids did the same
"Count Colin hasn't properly weeded out his backyard", AJ observed
"Count Colin is promised help after the capture of David Baratheon. If the madman is agitated, he might kill many innocent people", Arnold covered his body in aura and sat vigilantly, "in fact the Smashers have been quiet recently. Something terrible might be brewing in the shadows"
"Master, why are we here?", Sarah bit her nails
"I've taught you all I could. Now we gather information for your last mission", the carriage stopped and they got off
"Was this mission necessary on a Sunday?", AJ complained
"You're weird", Sarah replied, "why can't we work on a Sunday?"
"Because it's Sunday. It's a universal rule that sane people don't work on Sundays", AJ argued
"Well, you'll have to", Arnold said
The dirt below was moist and the place smelt of sewage. Arnold made his way to a small church on the end of forked road and barged in nosily
The church too was broken and run-down. It's usual candles and antiques missing. The church was dusty, and moss covered each of its walls. By the altar, sat an old man crying. He was extremely thin and wore huge spectacles. Begging to the statue of the Goddess of Life, he continued to weep
"Andrew Schwetzel?", Arnold asked
"Ye— ", the man's voice got caught in his throat
He stared at the ones that had just entered, "are you Arnold?"
"Yes, I'm the one sent here by the Department of Defense. An officer of the law", Arnold took out a blue card and displayed it
The weeping man stood up and in between his sniffles he explained, "I'm a Criminal Defense Lawyer. Recently I rejected a case, because I didn't wanna involve myself in Gang Wars ---sniff--- You see it's been two years since Smashers have shown their presence in Junk Dog ---sniff--- their absence has left a power vacuum. The Riders kidnapped my daughter, blaming my arrogance ---sniff--- cause I rejected to represent them. Her name is Daphne and--", Andrew took out a picture to describe her appearance
She was a five-year-old girl with auburn hair and eyes. She was thin and her eyes held a sense of maturity. Freckles covered her nose, symmetrically on both sides. Upon seeing the picture, Sarah grew sad
Sarah was five feet four inches tall. A beautiful girl with flame-red hair and eyes. Her lips were heart-shaped and just like the girl in the picture, Sarah too had freckles
Seeing his student demeanor, Arnold placed his hand over her head, and resolutely spoke, "we'll save her"
The lawyer thanked Arnold and they walked back into their carriage
"The Riders is a bandit group lead by the Crane Brothers. The Crane brothers are C-rank criminals, and the Riders total thirty members. Walter Crane, the eldest of the two brothers, has 'Beast Summoning' as his Divinity. He rides a Griffon. Thomas Crane is a C-rank criminal and just like his brother, his Divinity is 'Beast Summoning' as well. He's recorded to be a battle maniac with a pack of wolves under his control. The rest of the twenty-eight members are all D-rankers", Arnold took out two files from his storage ring, handing one each to his students, "knowledge of the opponent is critical to the success of any given mission. Select a leader amongst yourself and remember, the priority of the mission is not the elimination of The Riders Gang but the safety of the hostage"
AJ volunteered to be in charge and Sarah agreed
He opened his file, "Operation: Daphne begins"
AJ assessed their battle power to determine exactly how much risk they could take
---Status Window---
Name: Ajax Maxwell
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Rank: D+
Divinity: [Monster Manipulation: A dominated or a recently deceased monster will be absorbed into a black sphere before being orally ingested; making it a part of your army]
---Status Window---
Name: Sarah Arot
Age: 12
Sex: Female
Rank: D+
Divinity: [Explosion Manipulation: Users can create, shape, and manipulate explosions]
Then he proceeded to summarize the opponents' strengths. As they entered Wolf Creek, the children continued to discuss their strategies. As this was his first battle ever, AJ tried to cover all bases, and welcomingly listened to Sarah's input as well. As this was a test, Arnold didn't guide his students and instead quietly evaluated their course of action
Wolf Creek was a forested hilltop, largely devoid of human presence. The trees were tall and thick, the bushes were low and yellow, the atmosphere was hot and humid. The carriage stopped where the path ended and they started to traverse on foot. Arnold led the students to the hideout
Several treehouses built, all connected to each by a network of wooden bridges. The griffon was nowhere to be seen but the wolves lazed on the forest floor. The bandits were drinking and enjoying. The biggest treehouse was erect in the middle of the network. Arnold left the scene and the students put on their blank, white masks, hiding themselves in the leaves
AJ took a deep breath in, and made use of his superhuman senses. His surrounding became crisp. He could now see the grains of the tree he hid in. He could taste the meat being cooked in one of the treehouses beneath him. He could feel the warm, dim fire lit in the fireplace. He felt the different densities and temperatures of the air that surrounded him. He heard conversations of the bandits in houses far away
"When will we receive the commission for our plunder on Dart Village"
"Walter announced it'll be soon. Currently he's gone out to scout for potential raiding areas"
"To hell with tis' I'mma leave if he doesn't keep his word this time"
AJ then tuned out the distractions, and closed his eyes. Feeling the vibrations in the air and through the bark under his feet, a world of black and white was created in his mind. Collecting and processing all the information AJ received through his senses, he recreated an exact replica of the world around. He could now 'see' all the people in the hideout. Two people were currently missing: Walter and a random subordinate. Thomas Crane, a fat, ugly, three-meters tall man, lay in bed. He had unkempt hair and an unclean, shabby beard. AJ felt disgust 'looking' at the vile man, especially after reading his criminal record. He then found Daphne, curled up in a steel prison on the forest floor. She was guarded by a group of three. One of the guards slept, while the other two played cards.
Rustle!
The pair made their way to Daphne, AJ raised a fist and they stopped. Hiding in the vegetation, they swiftly attacked the guards' playing cards, cutting off their heads before they could notice. AJ then approached the sleeping bandit and plunged a dagger into his chest several times. When the guards were dead, AJ suddenly felt the urge to vomit. Taking off his mask he puked his guts into a bush nearby
"It's alright, take your time", Sarah patted AJ's back and comforted him
Hearing the noise outside her cell, Daphne peeked to see masked individuals. Before she could scream, AJ noticed her and pushed forward a letter through the bars. It was the letter her father had written her. Upon reading it, her eyes welled up. They broke her out and made their way to the location they agreed to meet Sir Arnold at
Quietly leaving the place, jumping from tree to tree, AJ stopped once he heard ruckus
WOOF!
WOOF!
The wolves alerted everyone. Their keen sense of smell was a hindrance to the rescue mission
"THREE IDIOTS KILLED. FOLLOW THE WOLVES"
"FIFTEEN OF YOU. ARM YOURSELVES"
"YES!"
"HURRY"
AJ calmly handed Daphne to Sarah
"We've been compromised. Commence Plan B"
"Yes", she whispered, carrying the confused Daphne away, while AJ moved towards the enemy