Asher and Jack trailed the heavy cargo carriage through the labyrinth of the docks, the sounds of grating metal and shouting workers blending into a cacophony that echoed against the weathered warehouses. The carriage, drawn by a team of eight horses, moved steadily toward Menthil City, its presence looming like a dark omen against the twilight sky.
Jack fell into step beside Asher, glancing at the two guards seated atop the carriage. "We need to be careful," he cautioned, his voice low but firm. "If we get too close, we might blow our cover."
"I know what I'm doing," Asher replied, his eyes fixed ahead, pulse quickening with anticipation. "We can't let this opportunity slip by. They're hiding something, and I intend to find out what."
As they reached a point where the carriage began to slow, they slipped behind a stack of crates, taking cover as they watched the dockworkers unload. Each crate seemed heavier than the last, their labors punctuated by grunts and shouts.
Suddenly, an old man staggered under the weight of one particularly large crate. With a strained grunt, he lost his grip, and the crate tumbled to the ground. Asher's breath caught in his throat as the contents spilled out, revealing a bound and gagged man lying unconscious among the jagged debris.
"What the hell…" Jack's voice trailed off, eyes wide with horror.
Asher felt a wave of nausea wash over him. "They're trafficking humans," he muttered, rage igniting within him. "We can't just stand here. We need to act."
Jack hesitated, his brow furrowing in concern. "Wait. We need to think this through. If we go in guns blazing, it could turn into a hostage situation. We need to find a way to—"
Before he could finish, a sharp crack rang out, and a bullet whizzed past them, embedding itself into the wood of the crate beside them. Both men ducked instinctively as more shots echoed from above. The guards near the carriage quicklh turned to pursue the situation was quickly spiraling out of control.
"Jack!" Asher shouted, adrenaline surging through him. "We need to split up! Draw their fire!"
With a nod of agreement, they dashed in opposite directions, adrenaline fueling their movements. Asher sprinted down the street through the crowds in an effort to lose his pursuers. Alas he wasn't much faster than the men. He contemplated running to a nearby police office. However he wasn't certain where the closest one was and the Winchester rifles the men wielded didn't seem to warrant a conversation. Feeling his reserves begin to falter Asher turned a corner and summoned his dark knight. He felt dreadful the energy expenditure almost knocked him off his feet. Like a wounded man seeking solace he trudged on rounding another corner. Asher let out a quiet groan at the sight of the dead end. Footsteps resounded behind him and he knew it was only seconds before they were upon him. He turned towards the entrance of the alley and raised his hands. The three pursuers dressed in Savana esque hunting uniforms rounded the turn.
Asher greeted them with a cautious smile before saying" I don't suppose we can talk this through?" One of the men laughed and raised his rifle preparing to gun him down. However before he could a black longsword tore through his chest straight through his heart. The dark knight didn't falter quickly withdrawing her blade she twirled and slashed the second guards neck as he turned towards her. Asher took advantage of the momentary distraction barreling forward with reckless abandon he slammed into the 3rd man disarming him in an instant. Before the man could say a word Asher swung his fist with all the rage he could muster. It was truly a dreadful blow hitting the man squarely in the temple he was knocked out cold.
As Jack sprinted down the cobblestone streets of Menthil, the echoes of gunfire still rang in his ears. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he ducked around a corner, barely avoiding a group of men hot on his heels. They shouted to one another, their footsteps pounding behind him like a drum, urging him to run faster.
He turned into an alley, heart racing. He needed to buy time, to regroup and come up with a plan. As he skidded to a halt, Jack quickly assessed his surroundings. Crates stacked high against the walls created a labyrinthine maze.
He could hear their voices drawing closer, full of bravado and rage. They thought they had him cornered.
"Split up!" one of the pursuers barked. "He can't take us all!"
Jack's instincts kicked in. He waited, crouched low behind a stack of crates. The shadows concealed him well. As the first man rounded the corner, Jack launched himself forward, tackling the man to the ground. They rolled, exchanging blows, but Jack's training kicked in. He struck a pressure point at the base of the man's neck, sending him sprawling, dazed.
Two more men emerged from the alley's mouth, their rifles raised. Jack moved quickly these men were mundanes.. he refused to use his descender abilties on them dodging their line of fire and grabbing a discarded metal pipe. He swung it with precision, connecting with the first man's knee, sending him tumbling to the ground with a pained grunt.
Jack turned just in time to see the second man charging at him. He sidestepped, using the momentum to bring the pipe down across the man's back. The sound of cracking bone resonated in the alley, and the man collapsed, groaning.
Breathless, Jack took a moment to survey the damage he had caused. He had incapacitated them but hadn't killed anyone. The fight had been brutal, but he'd held back.
"Gotta find Asher," he muttered to himself, glancing down the alley where the sounds of chaos had dissipated.
He sprinted forward, the adrenaline still surging through him. As he approached the warehouse, he could see it looming ahead, the silhouette stark against the dimming sky. He slowed his pace, heart pounding—he tried to remember where Asher had gone.
He activated his tracking ability. Allowing him to instinctively feel where his comrades were. Slowly he tracked Asher through the crowds into an alley. Immediately the smell of blood hit him a lot of blood. He began to fear the worse and abandoned caution drawing his gun he quickly turned the corner. The sight before him left him speechless though.
CRUNCH
Two men lay on the ground one of them bleeding buckets from his throat eyes wide. The other still breathing but perhaps it was a worse fate. He was clutching his chest trying hopelessly to plug the wound in his heart. Blood poured between his fingers a stark reminder of his futility.
Perhaps the worst was the sight of the last man..
He was against the alleys wall receiving blow after blow from Asher. His head rocked against the wall with a sickening thud over and over. His legs had been broken they bent at strange angles.
"Who are you working for?" Ashers voice sounded excited..Jack did not think he wanted any answers at all.
"Still not talking huh? Good."
"ASHER STOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!" Jack grabbed Asher and pulled him back. Asher didn't thrash or resist.
"Calm the hell down Asher! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?! You can't become worse than the criminals we chase!
What the hell is going on here?" Jack demanded, a mix of confusion and anger swirling inside him.
Asher glanced up, his eyes devoid of remorse. "Just gathering information."
Jack felt a surge of uneas,"Is this really how we handle things, Asher? Torturing someone for answers?"
"Jack, you don't understand," Asher replied, his voice low, almost dismissive. "These men are complicit in human trafficking. We don't have the luxury of playing nice."
"But—" Jack started, his mind racing. The weight of the situation pressed down on him. "There's gotta be a better way. We're supposed to be better than this."
Asher's eyes hardened. "Better than what? They would have killed us without a second thought."
Jack's fists clenched at his sides, grappling with the emotional dissonance between them. The line between right and wrong was blurring, and he felt trapped in a moral quagmire. He stepped closer, the tension palpable in the air.
"Let me handle this," Jack said, trying to reach for a semblance of reason. "We can get the information without resorting to this."
Asher's lips curled into a slight smirk, an unsettling sight. "And what do you propose? A polite conversation?"
Jack's frustration boiled over. "We can't lose ourselves in this fight, Asher! We have to find a way to stop them without becoming what we hate!"
Asher's gaze flickered to the man on the ground, then back to Jack. The air between them crackled with tension.