C322 - Deal
Khan didn't remain still in front of that initial success. He shot forward and threw a kick in the spot right behind the source of the suppressed cry.
A grunt followed his action, but he didn't feel anything. Khan couldn't confirm whether he had hit the man, but he still launched another kick aimed at the source of the new sound.
Nothing happened after the kick. The area remained utterly silent, but something eventually reached Khan's senses. A few drops of blood materialized mid-air before falling on the ground.
Khan's thoughts ran quickly as he reviewed his initial guess. The mysterious man clearly had access to something stronger than simple invisibility. It seemed that everything in the spell's range blended with the environment and became impossible to perceive.
Khan had never been in a similar situation. He believed to have hit the man with one kick, but he didn't feel that event. He could only charge forward whenever blood appeared in his view and hope that his attacks reached his target.
A strange fight unfolded. Khan kept chasing after every sound or item that appeared out of nowhere. The mysterious man resumed his attacks after he understood that the bleeding didn't allow him to retreat. Still, he failed to inflict deadly injuries since Khan dodged and counterattacked as soon as he felt pain.
Khan didn't fail to realize that the battle would have been entirely one-sided if the man had access to fast and powerful attacks. Still, he didn't lose himself in those thoughts. He would win as long as his opponent ran out of mana.
Each exchange was fast and only featured short breaks. Khan attacked if the man's blood betrayed his position and remained passive when he lacked clues. Yet, everything eventually went quiet for a relatively long time.
Khan didn't dare to move, but his body darted forward when a trace of mana appeared behind a house in front of him. That clue lasted for a mere second, and he didn't find anything when he reached his destination, but a similar event happened after he waited a bit longer.
Khan had immediately realized what was happening. The expert had reached his limit, so he was trying to run away. However, he had to disperse his spell to catch his breath from time to time, which gave Khan a chance to follow him.
The man's breaks started to happen more often. He had initially managed to go around a whole house before dispersing his spell, but that distance shortened as Khan continued to chase him.
Meanwhile, Khan's reactions quickened. He went from complete stillness to full-speed in an instant, and his opponent began to feel pressured by his relentless chase.
Eventually, Khan reached the source of the last trace of mana only to see a faint humanoid figure materializing in front of him. The event made him accelerate right away to deliver a powerful kick at the center of that shape, and everything changed after that attack.
Khan finally felt something. He sensed a sturdy and firm body under his half-broken shoe. He perceived the amount of mana that only a second-level warrior could have, and he even heard the thudding noise generated by his opponent's fall.
It was as if his kick had lifted the veil that prevented him from seeing the true nature of the environment. Khan could finally sense, see, and hear his opponent, and his power was in line with his initial guess.
The man was face down on the ground. He had long hair, and the dirt on it prevented Khan from seeing its true color. His clothes were nothing more than the usual rags worn by the other citizens of the Slums, and the same went for his smell.
The knife held by his injured hand was nothing special. It was sharp, but it didn't contain any mana. The man didn't have anything else worth mentioning either. He even looked poorer than other fellow citizens.
Khan disregarded the man's appearance after a quick inspection. He didn't hesitate to slam a kick at the base of his back and place his other foot on the injured hand. It was time to start the interrogation.
"Who are you?" Khan asked in a cold tone as his free hand reached the dirty hair to turn the man's head. "What's your role in the Slums?"
The face of a middle-aged man unfolded in Khan's view. The dirt on his skin covered eventual moles or similar traits, but Khan couldn't miss his clear green eyes.
"Why would I even answer?" The man voiced a weak laugh.
Khan pressed harder on the injured hand and lowered his knife. The sharp membrane covered the weapon as it approached the man's nape. Khan could kill his opponent in an instant, but he didn't need a corpse.
"Do you not care about your life?" Khan threatened. "Do you have any idea what the Global Army will do to you once I bring you back?"
"Actually, I don't care," The man laughed again. "Go on. Capture me. The lab will disappear as soon as I go missing."
'Is this a bluff?' Khan wondered. He had never mentioned the lab, but the man seemed to know something. Moreover, the amount of mana inside his body had to place him among important figures in the Slums.
"You are hesitating," The man teased. "How does it feel to be against someone who has nothing to lose? It's terrifying, isn't it? The Global Army has given you so much power only to see it become pointless."
"Is there a lab here?" Khan asked, ignoring the man's last line.
"Who knows?" The man whispered.
Khan didn't know what to do. The man had spoken the truth. Threats were useless against someone who had nothing, especially if he was willing to throw his life away. Khan couldn't see a path.
"Did you lose your tongue?" The man continued when Khan remained silent. "I bet you didn't expect someone from the Slums to put you in such a difficult situation. My life must be worthless in your eyes, but you still can't bend it to your will."
"Let's make one thing clear," Khan whispered as he bent forward even more. "I have fought and killed many times, but I've never considered a life worthless."
"The knife on my neck says otherwise," The man responded. "Will you kill whenever your superiors give the order? You are so young, but the Global Army has already corrupted you thoroughly."
"Do you think I fought you because of my orders?" Khan asked. "I have orders, but you decided to threaten my girlfriend. That's enough to earn a death sentence in my mind."
"You are quite dark," The man exclaimed in an amused tone. "Does your girl know about this side of you? You are way scarier than me."
"That's none of your business," Khan stated. "Now, time's up. Tell me what I should do with you."
"I told you," The man sighed. "I don't care."
'This is pointless,' Khan cursed in his mind. The man had put him in a pickle, but he didn't have many options. Bringing that mysterious figure to a barrack was the only reasonable approach.
"However," The man suddenly announced, "I might have an idea."
"Speak instead of wasting my time," Khan ordered.
"You can't find the lab without me," The man explained, "But you won't find it even if you capture me. You need my help."
"So?" Khan said in an aloof tone.
"I want to cut a deal," The man revealed.
"I don't have the authority to offer something like that," Khan admitted. "I don't even want you to get off lightly."
"I've already lost two fingers," The man laughed, "And I'm pretty sure you have broken something with those kicks of yours. Martial arts sure are interesting."
"What do you want?" Khan asked while trying his best not to show any emotion.
"I give you the location of the lab, and you let me go right now," The man suggested.
"How can I even trust you?" Khan snorted.
"You can't," The man stated. "This is a gamble."
"A bad one," Khan shook his head.
"Are you sure you want to miss this chance?" The man asked. "The Slums hide many things. Imagine how much there could be among these rotten houses and dirty streets. Some families might build entire cities, and you wouldn't notice it."
"You have started to sound desperate," Khan joked. "Maybe you do fear death."
"I'd pick death over imprisonment," The man admitted. "Besides, are you sure you want me to fall in your superiors' hands? I can tell you that you have chosen to give up on the labs to capture me."
Khan kicked the injured hand to remind his opponent about their position, but the latter only laughed. He had felt pain, but he had stopped caring about it.
"How much is hidden in the Slums?" Khan asked.
"I can't say," The man replied.
"Then all of this is pointless," Khan sighed. "You are just a liar hoping to pull a fast one."
"You misunderstood," The man declared before showing his tongue.
A series of azure lines had appeared on the tongue. Their light intensified and dimmed rhythmically, but the mana inside them didn't belong to the man. Khan could sense two different energies now that those shapes had come out in the open.
"Is this a restriction?" Khan asked.
"I can't confirm that," The man replied.
"You talked about a lab," Khan reminded.
"I only hinted at its existence," The man corrected.
"How would you even tell me how to find it then?" Khan questioned.
"I can tell you to walk in a specific direction for a set amount of time," The man explained. "There is nothing wrong in helping soldiers move across the Slums."
Khan had to deal with magical restrictions on Nitis. His father also had them, so he knew that loopholes existed. Yet, the main point behind that revelation was the presence of those techniques on a citizen of the Slums.
The man had conflicting features. He was a second-level warrior, and he knew a spell. However, he didn't have martial arts in his arsenal, and his weapons were also ordinary items.
Khan didn't know how to describe his opponent. The man could be a distant member of a family appointed to oversee the secret projects in the Slums. He could also be a citizen of those poor areas who had gotten lucky enough to know the right people and obtain his current job.
Both options were possible, but the restrictions stood in the way of the truth. Khan believed that the Global Army could remove them, but that would take time.
Moreover, if the theory behind the secret organization was real, the prisons and appointed structures might have had traitors and spies. The man might find a way out of the capture, leaving the Global Army without answers.
'I can't let him go, can I?' Khan thought as he reviewed the matter. 'He is dangerous, too dangerous. I won't feel safe with him around.'
Khan had already disregarded his mission. His thoughts now involved his person and those dear to him. Letting an assassin run freely throughout the Slums was simply dumb.
"Would it be easier if I told you how to counter my spell?" The man asked while Khan was immersed in his thoughts.
"Is it possible?" Khan questioned.
"Of course," The man revealed. "My spell has a heavy weakness."
"Which is?" Khan continued.
"Why would I tell you?" The man laughed. "I want you to promise me that you'll let me go first."
"It doesn't work like this," Khan insisted. "It's your time to take a risky gamble now."
The man fell silent, but he eventually heaved a deep sigh. His figure began to blend with the environment, and Khan started to lose track of him. He prepared to press on the injured hand again, but his opponent suddenly spoke. "Wait. I can't run away with you on top of me."
"Why are you activating your spell then?" Khan asked.
"I won't be able to trick your senses anymore if you manage to look past my spell even once," The man explained. "I'm literally under you, so the process should be quick. You should get used to the spell in a few minutes."
Khan decided to trust the man. The latter's figure disappeared completely, and Khan even stopped sensing him. Yet, his feet didn't touch the ground since they continued to stand on top of his opponent.
Little by little, sensations started to reach Khan's mind again. They were initially faint, but he eventually started to feel more and more.
The matter was odd since Khan never became able to feel the man in his entirety. However, he began to feel his mana and its effects on the environment.
In the end, a spherical membrane became clear in Khan's senses. It was impossible to miss now. He believed that even soldiers without his sharp perception would be able to notice it now.
"How could you work around such a significant weakness?" Khan asked.
"It's not easy to find," The man stated. "I don't usually allow someone to study me for so long."
"Is there a way for you to hide from me again?" Khan continued.
"Who knows?" The man wondered. "I don't have access to your resources. I only know about this weakness."
Khan remained silent. His common sense was telling him to capture that man. The mission was important, but he didn't care too much about it.
Still, finding clues about a secret organization in the Slums would add many merits to Khan's profile. It would also grant him access to classified information that would typically require a higher rank. The mission could be his ticket for the hidden aspects of the Global Army.
"Do we have a deal?" The man eventually asked.
Khan put a foot on the ground. His leg became faint inside the spherical membrane, but he remained able to sense it. The same happened after stepping off the man completely. He even felt his opponent moving under that spell.
"If I sense you near my squad or me again, I won't let you go," Khan threatened.. "Now give me those damned directions."
To be continued