"Thank you ladies and gentleman for participating in this year's auction. To celebrate our 50th anniversary we have a have a special last item for auction! Aren't all of you excited?!"
Elmor shouted with pure rapture. A rhapsody played in his mind. Elmor seemed to have enjoyed himself a bit too much.
Everyone cheered, exhilaration was evident. Soon calming down into drowned silence.
"Have you heard of Livian the Myriad King? No? Yes? Well feast your eyes on this miraculous artifect that leads to Livian's inheritence!" Elmor hollered. A pedestal with a black box on top of it protruded out from the stage, giving a sense of mysticism.
The box than slowly turned into a transparent casing, revealing a dark crystal orb, surrounded by two rings shaped like tiaras in an X formation. Everyone, was quiet, they all felt their breaths stifled by the minute.
Elmor exhaled and continued.
" We as an auction house do not lie and have also confirmed that this is the real deal. Thus, we have decided that the bid will start at 1 trillion Ariz!~ PLACE YOUR BIDS NOW!" The mustached man was enjoying his wild imagination of receiving enough money enough to live lavishly for the rest of his life. (Who will be my golden goose?)
Mitchel, who was sitting in front of Cuojue was fidgeting non-stop. Cuojue who was behind heard mutterings. "Why now....how did they find out? Tch, damn it! This money isn't worth it!" Mitchel than quietly made his way out with haste.
Cuojue decided to follow Mitchel closely, she felt that Mitchel knew something that could prove valuable.
However, there was one big issue. She noticed the guards in the rear were gone and some traces of blood were left behind, but was barely discernible in the dark. Cuojue took this time to enhance her senses and looked around, her eyes narrowed. Shadowy figures moved left and right, without a sound nor presence. Cuojue couldn't feel them, proving that these hidden silhouettes were good at concealment.
'Oh boy, I was right. Seems like praying was useless. Hah...how disappointing.'
Cuojue sighed. She lamented that she couldn't take advantage of the chaos that is about to begin. Her strength as of right now was inadequate, she was like a mouse in a den of lions. Everyone here were either rich or influential people, therefore they had hired powerful guards to ensure their safety. With the current Cuojue, it was impossible to stea- cough cough, I mean to borrow the goods from anyone here.
As soon as Mitchel was about to push open the doors, he stopped. Mitchel had just realized he couldn't budge the door. Now he was scared out of his wits. His hands paled and sweat dripped from his forehead. He was too late, trapped along with everyone in the hall.
Cuojue who saw this frowned. She now knew that the situation got worse. Locking the doors mean that the invaders didn't want anyone leaving alive.
They both turned around to see that the bid was almost over. Mitchel panicked while Cuojue hid to one side and tried predicting what would happen. It didn't take much for her to guess that their goal was the key. But she didn't need the key, her priority was Mitchel, thus she kept close to him, without making a sound as if she was his shadow. Other people's well-being didn't concern her since there were many stronger than her.
"We have a winner! A incredulous price of 68 Trillion Ariz! Oh honored customers, could you come on stage to collect your special item? This is for safety measures." Elmor spoke while his heart thumped with anticipation. Everyone clapped, some were genuinely happy, some disgruntled and some were only here for the atmosphere.
A young man who wore a peacock mask and had a lavish outfit strode along the middle of the auditorium. He was smiling brightly. There was also a tall figure about 2.5 meters in height by his side, draped in a cloak. His face was hidden.
"Haha! Tis' but a wonderful occasion to celebrate. I have finally gotten my hands on an inheritance. Father will be praising me." The man spoke with joy, his bluish hair swaying about. The guard beside him huffed.
Elmor on the other hand brought the case closer so that the young man would be able to see better. The crystal ball sparkled, pulling the man into its allure, like sweet nectar.
"Congratulations honored customer, do know that there will no longer be a refund the moment this item is under your ownership." Elmor smiled ambiguously. The peacock mask man was about to extend his hands to embrace his purchase when suddenly he felt a strong pull from behind. With the young master in his arms, the tall guard quickly made the distance from the stage.
Elmor who saw what happened in front of him was stunned. Just when he was about to realize it, the ground below him turned brightly all of a sudden. Followed by a huge boom, sending a charred Elmor to the back. The casing, however, was fine.
Everyone quickly made distance and their guards covered them. Following this, a series of explosions surrounded the auditorium. People were burning and screaming. Charred corpses were flying everywhere. There were survivors, but invaders suddenly appeared and finished them off one by one. It was now a chaotic brawl.
Different from the other invaders, two cloaked assailants dash to the stage. One of them managed to pick up the artifact. However, he suddenly felt cold. His vision changed from looking at the stage to looking at his body upside down. He was beheaded. The other one quickly took a distance away, afraid to get any closer. The second assailant became cautious since he couldn't see what happened. The attack was too fast.
A man with the tophat came out from the flames that engulfed the backstage. He gave off a powerful pressure with a silent smile, hidden behind was wrath.
"To think there were rats sneaking in under my watch, how impertinent. As an overseer, I cannot let a single one of you go. I will make all of you regret humiliating me." Although he looked relaxed, his gait told otherwise.
"But first I will need to find out who all of you are. Let's start with you~" The overseer proposed while displaying a crooked grin.
The assailant stayed vigilant while reporting to his superior.
(Rondo, we couldn't secure the key in time. The overseer is here. I request help.)
(Stay put I'm comming, delay the overseer if possible.) Rondo replied.
(Roger.) Kita crushed the communication device and prepared himself for death. One hand held a sword the other in his pouch. Kita's heart was racing, he was prepared for death. Although he had regrets, he was at least glad Tyri was somewhere far away. With her abilities, she could escape.
Seeing that the assailant didn't budge or speak, the overseer got a little impatient. His customers were in danger and the reputation of the auction is at stake.
"If you won't cough up who you are working for, I'll torture you until you speak up." With a single swing, Kita jumped to the side by instinct. Kita looked down and saw that his left hand was chopped off. Boosted by adrenaline, he quickly dodged again while using his cloak as cover. Rolling to the side where his chopped hand was, he stored his hand into a storage cube, before bandaging his wound like a professional.
Kita was now sweating like crazy, his face deathly pale, and his vision was blurry. He was panting hard. Moreover, he didn't have a weapon since he had to throw it aside.
"Hoho? Impressive! You dodged my strikes twice! Let us see if you can dodge some more."
The tophat man swung his unsheathed blade. This time with more force, more speed, giving off a more deathly pressure.
Gritting his teeth, Kita took out a pyramid-shaped device and hurriedly placed it onto the floor. In that split moment of a second, a golden transparent barrier covered Kita. The strike hit the barrier and cracked abit. A linear crevice formed behind Kita. Barely saving his life.
"Tch, so you had a holy type dawnguard. I've changed my mind, your life no longer has value to me. Just perish." Disdain filled his eyes. His sword raised up high, filled with immense power.
Kita gritted his teeth once more, thinking to himself. (Is this how I end? I'm sorry Tyri.)
The guillotine that he expected to drop never did. Or rather he heard a clanging sound. Rondo had arrived in the nick of time.
A man who had a stocky build and was 1.8 meters tall. Every single part of his muscle contained strength and confidence. He wore a cat mask.
The weapon he used was an Odachi. Rondo and the overseer's weapon clashed. Shockwaves were spread out in a 50-meter radius. Everyone who was around moved away while fighting.
Using one of their race's special traits, rondo spoke to Kita using telepathy. Although it was useful, there were range restrictions. Only useful during joint combat.
(Kita, leave. You will only burden me.)
(But the key!-)
(I said leave. You failed your role. I will handle the key. If you don't leave, I will spare no effort for you. I hereby dismiss you. You are on your own.) Hearing that Kita felt dejected. He picked up the dawnguard and quickly made his way through the confusion.
Seeing that the assailant was about to leave, the overseer tried to attack him once again when Rondo repelled him.
Angered, the overseer spoke.
"I see I see, every single one of you thinks I'm easy eh? I will show you that I'm not some puny third-rate. July, go and kill that bastard. I'm gonna deal with this one." The tophat man no longer smiled but had the face of a yaksha. A shadow behind the overseer nodded before disappearing.
Rondo said nothing but readied his stance. They both clashed once again, creating powerful vibrations.
***
Cuojue, who was watching the chaos unfold, followed Mitchel. He was running while huffing non-stop. They were now at the once used to be alley that had been torn down into a flatland of flames. Just as they were about to make it out Mitchel became a target for two invaders.
Mitchel didn't notice but Cuojue did. She quickly pulled him along and cloaked together. Her hand covered his mouth but not the nose.
"Stop struggling if you want to live." She whispered into his ear.
Listening to his savior, Mitchel didn't move, afraid that he might be found out.
The two invaders noticed he was gone and tried sensing where their prey was. But to no avail, he disappeared like thin air. So they just shrugged and went back to the burning auction.
When Mitchel was about to say his thanks, Cuojue knocked him out with a chop to the neck, not too strong and not too soft. His eyes rolled back and his mouth foamed all over his beard. She then hauled him over her shoulder like a sack.
Cuojue hurriedly made her way to where Jake was. She went past the perimeter surrounded by enforcers who were keeping watch of the area. Going by unnoticed, she had managed to meet up with Jake and his men somewhat close to the perimeter.
"Jake, have your guys take this man back to the mansion, I have some uses for him. You follow me." She ordered.
"Yes miss." Jake did a salute and ordered his men to carry the unconscious victim before grouping up with Cuojue. She needed a guard just in case her life was in peril.
Cuojue turned back. Just now when she put Mitchel down, she had a weird sensation. It was similar to a deja vu but not. Her talent must have something to do with this. Both of them charged back to the danger zone.