Diamond

Diamond

Fort. Sector 4.

Westward exit.

409 AF.

She had known it since the moment she stepped back into the Fort.

Something was there. She felt a presence so powerful that it made her heart beat faster. For the first time in so long, she felt that genuine excitement. Tara had split up from Ivan in pursuit of that presence.

"You have it too, don't you?"

She heard the voice to her right. Turning towards it, she couldn't contain herself.

Tara's lips curled into a creepy smile once more. Her crimson eyes glowed brightly after reflecting the face of the person she was staring at.

"Yes.."

'I've only fought weaklings all my life.'

She set her knuckles eagerly. Her legs shifted to the stance she does before she starts to run. She was still panting from sprinting there without activating her ability.

".. finally..."

Her eyes focused on het target. Blue energy emerged from her body; a powerful visible force causing the wind to twist and the earth to shake slightly. The sudden force made her body tremble as well, vibrating at a incredible speed, desperate to let loose.

"..I get to fight a real esper!"

The fat man in a tight suit smiled, right before she collided with him.

Covering a distance of more than three metres in a single second, Tara dashed towards her foe, slamming her self against his torso. The sheer force of that single attack shook the earth once more.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk.." The bearded man shook his head, before punching her away, sending her small figure flying several feet away from him. Tara's body hit the ground several times, before she finally rolled to a halt.

Lying in a small pool of her own blood, about seven feet away from the fat man, was Tara. The girl was bleeding from her stomach; the spot that was battered by the mysterious plus-sized guy. Her hands crawled over to her belly, covering the wound and pressing her guts back in. Blood still spurted out from her mouth. Yet she smiled with those blood stained teeth.

"Finally..."

Her hair raised up again. The force re-emerged.

"Tsk. You haven't learned anything yet? You don't stand a chance against me. I'm an A-rank..."

Boom!

The man's arm suddenly bent to a funny angle. Tara had one of her fists planted on his upper arm.

"How did you..."His voice was firm, but pained. He looked as though he had two elbows rather than one for a moment.

"Getting into a running stance isn't a prerequisite for my ability. It turns out your belly saved you last time...You don't seem to be as strong as I thought you were." Tara frowned.

Sweat poured from the man's face. Tara practically disappeared again, reappearing a few feet away. The man's leg was stretched out for a kick placed at where her neck was a second ago.

The man smiled, dropping his foot. His broken arm twitched and then suddenly set itself back in place. The sound of the bones shifting echoed in the air.

When his arm was finally okay, he punched the air, stretching the muscles.

"Some reflexes for a teenager."

A vein bulged from Tara's forehead.

"Why is it always about my age?!" She screamed, before rushing forward again, her body glowing with power.

The collision happened again. It was louder than a gunshot this time. Tara was suddenly positioned with two of her hands on the floor, and one of her legs striking her enemy's belly in the exact same place as before.

"Tsk...You're nimble."

"You're not weak."

Her leg didn't tear through his flesh and bones like she expected. Instead, it was stopped on his skin, though his shirt was torn at the place her foot collided with it.

"What's your name?" The man questioned.

"Why do you ask?"

"It's an overused line from old movies. Also, I sincerely want to remember the kid...no, the enemy of the state I murdered. I want to remember this."

"Tara."

"Gary."

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Fort. Sector 6.

Eastward exit.

409 AF. 12:23:56

A small crowd gathered around the gate. Their numbers were something around 30 in total. Altogether, they amounted to the force of the strongest and most-experienced adventurers in the Fort.

However, they had already divided themselves into groups. Each guild stood apart from others, talking to each other or just waiting.

Of course, the Wyrm guild had the highest number of participants, numbering up to 12- a whooping 40% of the adventurers present for the raid. All of them could be recognised in an instant with their badges pasted proudly on their chests. The dragon's badge representing the Wyrm guild. They stood to the right of the gate.

To the left was Stalwart. Only three people representing their guild. Two men and one lady. Though, every single one of them had huge bulging muscles – including the lady, they were also fitted with weapons and tech from the crown of their heads to the soles of their feet.

At the centre, in between those two guilds was the Cobra guild and the phoenix guild. They had five and six representatives respectively. Unlike the Stalwart and Wyrm guild, their fits weren't as flashy, but they still stood out. These two guilds were the only ones interacting with each other and they could be told apart by their distinct dress choices. The phoenixes dressed in red or yellow or both, while the Cobra's had a green snake tattoo on their backs, which were mostly exposed. For members without exposed backs, they had the same tattoo as a drawing on their clothes on the exact place on their back as the tattoo would have been.

Of course, standing apart from all the guilds are the independent adventurers. Each of them stood out from each other.

The sun guild had the third highest number of participants; eight A-rank adventurers. They gathered right in front of the gate.

And finally there was the Sage's guild's esper team. 13 espers strong, but their leader was nowhere to be found.

"Why is he taking so long?"

"Where is diamond?"

The reporter supported her camera with her two hands. She had to capture it all, let everyone in the Fort know all about the heroes risking their lives to protect them. The problem was, there was one missing. The most important one.

"Where is the Fort's greatest battle esper when we need him?"

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