Relative silence descended on the edge of the dilapidated bridge. The only sounds were Kane sighing with closed eyes and Luna beginning to growl softly as she pulled out her weapons, one in each hand, her instincts going into overdrive.
'Of course it was a ruse,' he cursed inwardly, ruffling his hair, and looking up at the sky. Anger and frustration grew inside him.
'Did I really believe they were doing this to annoy the Mecha Cartel,' he continued, 'or was that just something I made myself believe out of desperation for techniques? The only thing I can't understand is why they would they risk their carefully maintained reputation for me?'
The main draw for most people who bought from one of the six syndicates, despite the higher price, was their reputation for both product quality and loyalty to their customers.
Obviously, no one would care about Kane and Luna's fate, but if this got out, it would forever remain a black mark on the Cabal's reputation.
Outwardly, the only reactions he showed were a helpless sigh and ruffling of his hair. Hearing Luna's growling next to him, he put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down a little.
It helped, but she kept her weapons drawn and quickly sent him a furious message through their telepathy. "What do we do, Master?!"
"Simple," Kane responded calmly. "We hear them out."
Meanwhile, to the side, Nova had started fidgeting. Despite her short relationship with Kane and Luna, she actually kind of liked them. Separately, she didn't care for them much, but their close bond was something she admired.
Still, she didn't care enough to get involved; she just hoped this wouldn't blow back on her somehow. Her people needed her, and they needed those techniques.
"Alright, Mister Archibald," Kane started in a flat tone. "Why don't you tell me why we 'are' here then?"
He kept his weapon sheathed for now. It would feel good to have it in his hand, but it would be useless against this man. If they were to get out of this, it wouldn't be through fighting a Domain Awakening stage Mystic.
"Hehe," Archy chuckled jovially. "I had heard you were good under pressure, but seeing it firsthand is something else. I guess that megalomaniac of a father you have did something good after all."
This time, anger flared in Kane's eyes as he balled his left fist, and pointed his right index at the bald man in front of him. "That man may call himself Father, but he doesn't deserve the title!" he seethed. "Don't you dare attribute anything positive about me to that rusty excuse of a man!"
"Oof, struck a nerve, I see," Archy smirked with amusement. "Although it's nice to see you aren't always so calm."
Taking a deep breath and feeling Luna's supporting hand on his shoulder, Kane calmed himself again.
"Just… tell me what you want," he sighed towards Archy, asking the same question again. "If we're not here to trade, then why are we here? Why go through the trouble of luring us to this spot? I doubt it's to kill us…"
"Correct," Archy smiled, causing a carefully hidden relief to spread through Kane and Luna. Even Nova calmed down a little. Despite having already been pretty sure this wasn't going to become a fight for their lives, it was still nice to get a little confirmation.
"Instead," Archy continued, his tone unchanged and casual as he pointed to a specific point on the bridge's edge. A big red cross had been drawn there. "I'd like you, Kane, to step off that edge in exactly fifteen minutes."
Once again, silence fell. Kane and Luna's gazes were drawn to the edge, and they both raised a confused eyebrow. "Why…?" Kane asked the question for both of them, now feeling utterly bewildered. The edge of this ruined bridge stood about 20 meters (~66 feet) above the water—a drop like that wouldn't kill him.
'Falling into the polluted water from such a height would be an annoyance at worst… Surely they're not doing all this just to embarrass me?' Kane thought, completely at a loss.
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to explain the exact reason," Archy smiled mysteriously. "All I can say is that nothing is ever truly free, and I've been asked to collect."
Both Kane and Luna's eyes widened significantly as realization set in.
"M—Master, wasn't that from…" Luna began telepathically but was interrupted by a quickly agreeing Kane. "Yeah… that's what the voice from my dream said. In the end, all of this is related to that rune after all," he muttered with a hint of frustration at how little he understood about all this.
"I can see you've realized what this is all about," Archy chuckled. "Now, I would really hate to have to force you over that edge, so please," he extended his hand towards the cross invitingly, "take your place. We should be ready when the time arrives."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Luna quickly exclaimed, a little panicked, her voice laden with concern. "This is clearly not just about diving into the water, so what's going on here? What's going to happen to him?!"
Archy turned to the catling with a piercing, somewhat threatening gaze. "I'm afraid this doesn't concern you, Miss Luna. I suggest you stay here, lest you get hurt. You'll see him again when the time comes."
That last sentence immediately set off alarm bells in Luna's head and she instinctively jumped between Kane and Archy. "No!" she cried out with a hint of panic. "He's not going anywhere without me!"
During the entire conversation with Archibald, Kane and Luna had been discussing possible escape plans telepathically, but they hadn't come up with anything.
Thus, Luna knew there was no getting out of this. Neither did she know what this was all about. All she knew was that there was clearly more to this, and she refused to be separated from her master.
Kane reached out his hand to grab Luna's shoulder, his face scrunched up in concern, afraid she would anger this Domain Awakening stage Mystic and get herself killed.
Fortunately, Archy didn't seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to appreciate Luna's loyalty.
Still, he looked behind Luna at Kane and said in a tone more serious than before, "I suggest you tell her to back off, Mister Kane. They only want you. Your little catling here is likely to get herself killed if she goes with you."
Kane's concern grew, and he used his hand on Luna's shoulder to turn her around and look into her eyes. His intentions were clear. "Luna—" he started, but was immediately interrupted.
"Shut up!" Luna snarled threateningly, her eyes blazing with fury and a hint of madness.
"You don't get a say in this, Kane!," she continued, a finger poking against his chest. "I'm going with you and that's the end of it! If you dare try and leave me behind a day after making me your Valkyrie, I will track you down, kill you, and then kill myself for the crime of harming my master! Got it?!"
Kane blinked, realizing that this was the first time he had heard his own name from her mouth. From the moment they met, she had always called him Master, and it had become synonymous with his name over the years.
He opened his mouth to respond when the sound of an approaching hovercopter suddenly started filling the air. Everyone's eyes quickly panned towards the quickly nearing vehicle, and Archibald frowned. "It seems your father found us after all."