'Again?!'
Emir thought as he quickly sidestepped the boy's attack and grabbed his wrist, twisting it until he dropped the knife.
The boy fell to the ground, whimpering and trembling with fear.
"Who sent you?" He demanded his voice firm and commanding.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about."
The boy stuttered, his eyes darting around nervously.
Emir then searched the boy's pockets and found a piece of paper with an address on it.
"This is where you were headed, right?" He asked, holding up the paper.
The boy nodded, still trembling.
Emir sighed and sat down next to the boy as he handed him a bottle of water from his rucksack.
"You don't have to be afraid," he said.
"I won't hurt you. Just tell me why you were sent to attack me."
The boy hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
"I don't know who sent me."
"I was just told to attack you and deliver this address. They said if I didn't do it, they would hurt my family."
Emir nodded in understanding.
It was a common tactic used by rogue hunters and gangs to manipulate young kids into doing their dirty work.
"It's okay," Emir said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"You did the right thing by telling me... I'll make sure your family's safe."
"But you see, I don't appreciate being threatened, and it's clear that you didn't fully grasp the concept of consequences, given that you attacked me."
The boy looked up at Emir with a mixture of fear and confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice trembling.
"I mean that there are consequences for your actions."
"You can't just go around attacking people, and if you were forced to do it, then you should've at least made sure to finish the job, but you failed... so consequences."
The boy hung his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I didn't know what else to do."
Emir sighed and stood up, gesturing for him to follow.
"Come on," he said.
While walking, Emir asked, "Kid, you live in the slums, don't you?"
The boy nodded silently, looking down at his feet as he walked behind him.
"Good."
"Then you can be my guide."
He looked up at Emir in surprise, his eyes widening.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"I've got to figure out who sent you and the other hunter," Emir explained.
"And the most effective approach would be to locate the origin."
"You'll help me track down who sent you by taking me to the source. So your knowledge of the slums will be put to use."
The boy hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.
"Okay." He quietly spoke.
Reaching the bunker of the sector, they descended the stairs and walked through the winding, narrow streets of the slums, with the boy leading the way.
Emir kept a close eye on his surroundings, ready for any potential threats.
While the kid kept himself quiet, still shaken from their encounter earlier.
After some time, they arrived at a run-down building with a flickering neon sign above the entrance, quite fitting for a cyberpunk dystopia.
"This is it," the boy said quietly.
"This is where they told me to go."
Emir nodded and motioned for him to stay back.
"Wait here, I'll take care of this."
He entered the building cautiously, his hands on his knife.
Inside, he found a large group of what could be best described as shady-looking individuals huddled around a table.
They looked up at him as he entered, their eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"What do you want?" One of them growled.
"I'm looking for whoever sent some kid and a hunter to attack me," Emir said, holding up the piece of paper with the address on it.
They exchanged a glance before one of them stepped forward.
"I don't know about that hunter you talking about, but that kid was sent by me." He said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Emir narrowed his eyes, his grip on his knife tightening.
"Why did you send him?" He demanded.
The man shrugged nonchalantly.
"Just a little test."
"We wanted to see if you were really as good as they say."
Emir scowled.
"And what if I had killed him?"
The man shrugged again.
"Then we would've found someone else to do our bidding."
Emir gritted his teeth, failing to control his rising anger.
"That's not how this works," he said firmly, planning his attack.
"You mess with me, you die; never forget that."
He quickly assessed the situation, taking in the number of opponents and their weapons, which only amounted to cheap-looking knives.
Emir had to act fast before they could overpower him with their numbers, so he planned to attack first.
'You're up!'
With swift movements, he drew his knife and lunged at the closest man.
He dodged Emir's attack and swung his blade at him, but Emir parried it with ease.
Emir then followed up with a quick jab to his stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
Without hesitation, Emir stabbed his opponent's chest and then gutted him to the neck, ending his life.
Emir stepped back as a group of two gang members rushed at him, their knives gleaming in the dim light.
His eyes remained locked on their movements, his senses heightened to a razor-sharp focus.
As the first attacker lunged forward, Emir's instincts kicked in as he activated his TDS ability and sidestepped, his foot pivoting with a hair's breadth of distance, effortlessly evading the knife's strike.
In a fluid motion, Emir retaliated, his right arm unleashing a fast slash.
The blade of his knife sliced through the air, finding its mark in the assailant's neck.
Blood sprayed, and the attacker dropped to the ground, dead.
Emir snickered.
"Next!"
Sensing another opponent closing in, Emir spun on his heel and faced him.
His left hand then shot forward, twisting the knife out of the attacker's grip.
His knee jumped and crashed near the man's elbow, breaking his arm.
Then his right hand delivered a lethal stab to the man's heart.
"Augh..."
As his opponent staggered backward, Emir's left foot rose and hit the man's ribs, crushing it entirely.
The second assailant collapsed, gasping for breath, seconds away from death.
Emir smiled and stepped back.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins, sharpening his senses and heightening his focus.
He took a deep breath, grounding himself in the present moment, readying himself to face the next wave with the same precision that had brought down their companions.
"C'mon! We don't have all night, come at me at once!" He bellowed, riling them up.