Infiltrating The Hideout

 'What type of quest?' 

[ I managed to generate a quest but its still loading. Its details should appear once you have entered Allen's lair. ] Elfie explained.

Lex and Rio shot through the sky. The latter was forced to maintain a speed that would keep them hidden from all cameras in the city.

She wanted to surprise Allen and didn't want him to know of their arrival beforehand. The only way to ensure this was by avoiding every camera in the city and directly head for Allen's hideout.

In a matter of a minutes, the duo reached their location. Rio landed a few meters away from the entrance to Allen's lair.

"The city center?" Lex asked in confusion.

The duo currently stood in front of a tall white government building. The flag of the Ataria region, a plain white sword on top of a black background, hung from the top of the building.

This was the city center of Tinos city, the place where Lex and Rio lived. It was a government building which was used to administer the regions falling under the control of Tinos city.

"Allen put a puppet government employee to look over the city. The entrance to his residence is hidden on the backside of the city center. If not for the specific instructions he gave me, finding the area was going to be difficult. Stick close to me."

Lex obliged and immediately grabbed Rio's hand, maintaining a firm grip over it.

Since it was night time, the streets were empty and the city center was closed. This worked in Lex and Rio's favor as the two of them sneaked to the backside of the building.

[ I don't sense any presences around us. Isn't this way too easy? ] Elfie asked worriedly.

'Maybe he has some guards placed at the exact spot or we will meet them after entering his residence.' Lex guessed.

"Lex, remember that this could be a trap. If we are attacked the moment we appear at his residence, I want you to prioritize your safety. Understood?" Rio asked.

Lex nodded but on the inside, he knew that he was going to help Rio without caring for his safety.

The duo made their way to a small alley hidden behind a mountain of cardboard boxes. Along with Rio, Lex swiftly crossed the cardboard boxes and found himself standing in front of a dead end.

The alley ended into a brick ball made of black bricks. Rio came closer to the brick wall and placed her hands on it.

"Three up, two across…" She mumbled and pressed some bricks in random order.

All of a sudden, the brick wall began to shake. Black mist oozed out from the bricks, swirling around to form a portal.

Lex was reminded of a particular franchise after viewing this. He and Rio exchanged one last glance as they headed inside the portal together.

The world around Lex's eyes vanished for a couple of seconds and his feet left the ground. He soon appeared on a solid surface and took a look at his new surroundings.

"We are inside his hideout." Rio announced.

The duo stood inside a small room full of brooms, mops and other cleaning material. Heading inside the portal somehow lead them to the cleaning room of Allen's hideout.

"I don't sense any obvious trap but let me check for them."

Extending her hand forward, Rio conjured a lightning bolt. She threw it towards the ceiling and before its impact, she controlled the lightning to evenly fall around the room.

The lightning silently hit the ground yet no traps were activated.

"Let's head outside." Rio said while pointing towards the only door in the room. "Mak—"

"Make sure that your guard is up and that you are alert." Lex completed her sentence. "I know. Enough talking. Let's head out."

Rio nodded and the two left the cleaning room, heading into the hideout to achieve their own goals.

***

Inside a room present in the hideout, a bald man and blue-haired woman stood in front of a huge hologram.

The hologram showed various regions of the hideout, including the storage room where Lex and Rio had appeared. 

"So they are finally here. I thought that we would have to go fight them ourselves." Allen smirked.

He began cracking his fingers while eying Rio. His smirk widened slightly before dipping down.

Allen's harsh black eyes observed Lex and Rio holding each other's hands. Anger began to build up inside his body.

"Just when you were about to break, you managed to find someone…" Allen muttered. "Mahiru, make sure that man is left alive. I will deal with him personally."

"As you say, sir." Mahiru bowed. However, her voice shook slightly.

"Is something wrong?" Allen asked, turning his gaze towards Mahiru. 

"N-Nothing. Your a-ability…" Mahiru stammered. Every instinct in her body was currently shouting at her to kneel down and listen to Allen's words.

An invisible pressure was pushing against her body, making her instincts disobey her.

"Oh, sorry about that." Allen chuckled. "Take Para, Dox and Akhran with you. You already know the rest."

"Whatever you say, sir." Mahiru bowed and turned around to leave the room.

"Mahiru, wait." Allen called out. Mahiru paused and turned around to face Allen. The latter casually walked up to her and lifted his right hand to her face.

When his hand was inches away from touching her, a strained expression appeared on his face. Allen gritted his teeth and too his hand back.

"That damn Styx oath. If not for that oath and the fact that I wanted Rio as my bride, I would have married you Mahiru." Allen sighed. "Now go away."

Mahiru didn't reply and simply walked out of the room. Her breathing was slightly heavier than normal and en expression of disgust was visible on her face.

'If not for that Styx oath, who knows what would have happened.' Mahiru shook her head. 'No time to think such thoughts.'

Tapping on the bracelet in her hand, Mahiru summoned a hologram and contacted Para, Dox and Akhran.

She was ordered to complete one task and that was to capture Rio and Lex. Mahiru had no other choice except following the orders given to her.

But for some reason, a strange feeling appeared in her chest.

'Why do I feel like I forgot something important that I was supposed to remember? Why does the name Lex keep revolving inside my mind…'