Meanwhile, back in Papati. A few blocks away from the bloodied street was a closed bakery. Within the bakery, a gathering was taking place.
"What the hell was that?! I explicitly said 'no killing'!"
"Yeah? Well that's too bad."
Jason stared at the youth before him, his gaze fierce. His eyes, which were usually brown, gleamed with a purple hue, his robotic arms clenched in fury.
He took a step forward, his face extremely close to the youth.
"As long as Stephen isn't here, I am in charge."
"Who said so? I personally believe that only the strongest should be in charge."
"Back off, Jaden…" Jason growled.
The youth opposite him leaned in, their faces so close they could feel each other's breath.
"Or what?"
Around the two youths were seven other youths and three body bags. Just like Jason and Jaden, these youths all had robotic parts. Some were hands, some were legs, some were more.
The robotic parts glowed with an eerie red light, while Jason's and Jaden's were tinted with a purple hue, just like their eyes.
"Both of y'all should calm down, this ain't the time to be messing around!" One of the teenagers spoke up. He looked down beside him, where the body bags were placed.
"We all went out after the boss explicitly told us not to, now we have three bodies and a blazing trail to lead the legions to us."
"It's his fault!" Jason yelled as he pointed at Jaden. He took a step back, running his robotic hand through his blond hair in frustration.
"The plan was simple! Take the bags and leave. But no! You just had to be childish! You just had to turn it into a game!"
"Of course, blame it on me! You all would be dead if not for me! I saved you!" Jaden yelled back.
"You saved us?! The fucking legions are most likely sniffing out our trail!" Jason bit his lips; he was so angry he felt like killing Jaden on the spot. But he knew it wouldn't be easy.
"Oh no…. What if they bring in the Bloodhounds…." one of the teenagers muttered.
An eerie silence immediately descended upon the room, the fear evident in all of their eyes.
"We have to go back…"
"Yes. I agree with Timothy. We have to return to the mansion. While I'm scared of the boss, I'm more afraid of the Bloodhounds."
"At least the boss will let us live."
The youths began to panic. Jaden and Jason were at a loss for words. The night hadn't gone as expected.
The plan was simple: break into the vault, steal the bags of confiscated opium, and break out. But who would have thought we would encounter members of Crimson and them? And to think Jaden would go on a rampage at that same time! What bad timing….
Jason was about to say something to calm the youths and himself down when they heard the sound of metallic footsteps approaching them.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
They all immediately went on guard, hues of purple and red dyeing the dimly lit space, low humming sounds vibrating as the youths prepared to attack.
"How funny," a voice suddenly resounded through the space as the sounds of metallic footsteps got closer.
"You rebel against my father's rules and then hide here like a bunch of scared cats. Didn't you know? A wolf that goes against the alpha should be ready to survive the wilds alone."
The approaching figure finally revealed himself, the eyes of the youths widening as they saw him.
They could tell from the voice that it was him, but they had to confirm with their eyes to know they weren't hallucinating out of fear.
Short brown hair, a very athletic build, and skin that looked like a weird combination of leather, metal, and flesh. Unlike the rest of the youths, his eyes gleamed golden under the dimly lit space, like embers in the darkness.
His torso was bare, revealing his macabre body, his legs covered in a pair of loose cargos and black metal-soled boots.
"What are you doing here?" Jaden was the first to speak, his voice firm as he blocked off the approaching figure from the rest.
The young man looked at Jaden, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he spoke in a mocking tone.
"Wow, you finally grew a pair."
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Jaden's eyes narrowed.
"Stephen…. Jaden didn't mean it…" Jason began but he was interrupted by Stephen's chuckle.
"I see. So that's what you are banking on." Stephen began, looking around, his robotic eyes scanning the rest of the youths.
For years now, he had always been in and out of the sickbed. Even after replacing most of his body with biotech, he always had a timer hanging above his head, preventing him from truly being able to do as he pleased.
It had always been a sore spot for him, but not in the way most would think. Which was why, instead of taking offense at Jaden's words, he instead replied with a smile.
"I heard your silly little speech on how the strongest should rule."
"So?" Jason challenged, "We have serious matters to attend to, we don't have the time to babysit you."
"Go on then…." Stephen took a step forward, closer to Jaden. His eyes locked with Jaden's own, yellow pupils filled with a mocking light.
"Take a swing at me…. You must be betting on how long I can last so let's put it to the test, shall we?"
Jaden raised a brow, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes as he subconsciously took a step back.
"Why don't we see which would happen first; me killing you and your brother if he tries to intervene, which he most definitely will, or me running out of juice, thereby giving you the chance to do whatever you want with my life."
A wild grin spread across Stephen's face, a devilish glint in his eyes. His robotic parts, which had been humming, slowly began to increase in crescendo, spreading a golden hue in the area.
Jaden took a step back, only for Stephen to step forward. Stephen raised his hand to reach for Jaden when he was grabbed by another.
"Stephen… please…"
Stephen looked at Jason and clicked his tongue. He looked at the other youths before sighing.
"Jason, Jaden, Timothy, and Thalia, you are with me. The rest of you head back to the mansion and report to my father what happened."
"Where are we going?" Timothy asked.
"Where else? We have to go clean up our tracks before the Bloodhounds lock onto them."