Sanctuary Agency-Chapter 33: The Fool [2]

〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙

〘Time: 12:10 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Spade District〙

Momo sat with the girls in a booth, staring at her phone and not touching any of the food in front of her. Stressed out, she ran her fingers through her hair, her leg shaking with extreme anxiety.

Karin noticed Momo's growing unease, gently placing her hand upon her lap for comfort. "Momo, relax. He'll show up. Maybe, it's something important with the Agency. He'll be alright out there."

"It's not that...I'm worried about if he's going to have a run in with the Crooked Spades, or the law enforcement. I mean...it's dangerous out here for him, Allie, and Jade. They are outsiders remember?" Momo said, slouching in her seat with a soft sigh.

"You shouldn't worry too much about Ryder, he's trained by the best," Wendy assured, taking a sip of her lemonade.

"And you can believe that!" Allie hummed, beaming a confident smile toward Momo.

Momo looked at Allie, returning her smile with a soft exhale and set down her phone. "Alright, I'll calm down. But, what are we gonna do about Fredrick and his challenge with Ryder? We can't let him go."

"Yeah, but Ryder really isn't one to run from a challenge when given. Especially if it's a public call out like this one, he's going to be driven to respond due to his tribal pride. It's in his code," Wendy said, her voice laced with a knowledgeable tone.

Karin hummed thoughtfully, leaning back against her seat as she began plotting up an idea. "I don't know... Fredrick is strong and has 8 years of experience on Ryder, plus he's constantly being trained by the Aces of Royal Creek."

"Man, those fake 'MaRtIaL aRts gUrUs'? My grandma could beat those frauds while high off her mind and laced with laxatives," Momo scoffed, rolling her eyes at the mention of Royal Creek's Aces.

"Momo. You're one of the Four Royal Aces," Karin said, glancing at Momo with a dull side eye.

"Minus me, of course. That Paradox don't want shit with me. She doesn't need that," Momo said with sass, pushing up her glasses and huffing.

Karin shook her head with a soft chuckle, feeling her phone buzzing and her alerts going off. Everyone's phones began alerting them, a notice showing on everyone's phone.

〔Code CA - 1 Y/O/F Piper Summers and 25 Y/O/F Valerie Summers-Rich has been reported missing. Please contact your local law enforcement with any possible sightings of the suspect.〕

"What the hell..? Hey, K, we just saw Valerie not even ten minutes ago did we not?" Momo asked, glancing over at Karin.

"Yeah, but who would even want to kidnap her and her daughter? She's the most unproblematic person when she's not defending her fiance," Karin replied, looking up from her phone and glancing out the window.

The cars continued to drive along the roads of the plaza, each one moving at the speed limit, families and friends entering and leaving the area alike. Along the sounds of connection below, the wind rippled in my ears as I soared along the skies, landing on the top of a building.

Phroa materialized next to me, searching and scanning each car with crosshairs in her eyes, her tiny wings fluttering to keep her afloat. "Master, have you managed to bond with Valerie enough through that ordeal?"

"I don't know...why?" I asked, looking down below at the cars as well, hoping to find one that stuck out.

"If you have at least a 10% Bond or Attraction with a woman, you can scan her Essence using Sixth Sense. You unlocked it yesterday after beating The Hearts," Phroa answered, looking over at me with a focused gaze.

I nodded, taking out my phone to see what Sixth Sense was all about. Tapping on the Art of Love Skill Tree and pulling up the Empathy Sigil, I clicked on the skill Sixth Sense, its information showing on screen.

〔Sixth Sense - Clairvoyance Lv. 1〕

〔Description: This ability allows the user to detect Essences of one's soul. Essences can be detected via Love Sigils, High Bonds/Affection, and/or Imprints. This ability also grants the user of Synco, Visions, and Retro.〕

〔Extra Effects: Pairing with Heart Scanner creates Soul Searcher, Pairing with Tengoku/Jigoku Mode unlocks Tranquil Emotions/Killing Instinct.〕

"Imprinting, huh..? You think I imprinted on Valerie?" I asked, glancing at Phroa with a questioning gaze.

"Only one way to find out," Phroa nodded, turning her gaze back to the roads below.

I turned my gaze toward the district below, taking a deep breath and exhaled softly, an ethereal green energy flowing around my body as I began to activate my Sixth Sense. The beautiful, yet chilling sight of multicolored energy began to flow around me, the air filled with the echoes of emotions below.

As I scanned below, I began to wonder if I had truly Imprinted on Valerie and what her essence would even look like. Scanning each car, my eyes began to drift to a red dodge, the sight of black energy peering through the metallic frame.

'Black energy...is that her? Can I even use Soul Searcher on her..?' I thought to myself, activating Soul Searcher and attempting to scan the black essence that was driving away.

〔Imprint Detected.〕

〔Essence scanned.〕

〔Valerie's Mood: N/A〕

〔Bond with Momo: 10%〕

〔Attraction Meter: 10%〕

〔Vitals: Low〕

"Found her. That 2X40 Dodge headed on the highway for the escape. I don't want to pursuit him and risk alerting him. Instead, he will lead me to him," I said, plucking a feather off my cloak and tossing it in the air, the feather glowing and shifting into a raven.

With a simple command, the raven screeched and began to soar along the skies, following the red dodge out onto the highway. I stood up on my feet, spreading the wings of my cloak and taking off to the skies as well, following the raven at high speeds.

Bear frantically checked his mirrors, trying to stay natural and collected, his heart racing with adrenaline as he began driving along the highway. "Who the hell was that masked man..? Took down my whole crew with ease...Whoever he is seems to be working with this broad."

Once Bear felt he was in the clear, he began to press down on the gas, racing down the highway toward his hideout. The raven raced ahead, weaving through traffic and flying up and over bridges to keep up with Bear.

I followed closely behind up above, following every turn and shake with an observant eye. I didn't dare to let Bear's car out of my sight, tracking him down like a hawk with its prey. I didn't care if Valerie was Fredrick's fiance at this moment, I didn't see status, only the danger a mother and her child was in.

〔Phroa: Master, they are headed towards an area named 7th Arc. Looks like a neighborhood, the slums.〕

"Yeah, I see that. Alright, let's save them and not waste any more time," I said, releasing a burst of wind to propel myself forward at a greater speed.

The chase continued with my pursuit against Bear, my gaze sharp and focused. The sound of sirens blared as they searched for the suspect that took Piper and Valerie, each cop unit racing down the highways.

Unknowingly to them, they were driving by the prime suspect, someone I had my sights set on already. Lover of my enemy or not, the innocence of someone shouldn't be made collateral just for a statement. My heart surged with urgency and half of the reason I couldn't explain...I didn't have to save Valerie, but it was the right thing to do in this situation.

〘Date: 2/13 - Wednesday〙

〘Time: 12:10 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, Royal Creek - Spade District: 7th Arc〙

Bear parked his car in front of a boarded up house, quickly stepping out and rushing to the trunk of his car. He swung the door open, grabbing Valerie and Piper out of the vehicle, dragging the two toward the house.

"Yo! Open the fuckin' door! Tell Escobar that I got her! I caught the Floating Butterfly!" Bear called out toward the two men on the porch.

Without a second question, the two men rushed into the house to give the news. As Bear dragged Valerie onto the porch, he heard a loud thud in front of him, looking up and noticed my figure landing on the hood of his car.

"I've found you...Bear," I said in a dark, calculated tone, my raven shifting back into a feather and reattaching to my cloak.

Bear grunted softly as he noticed me in front of him, his body freezing with slight hesitation. 'How the hell...how the hell did he find me?!'

I stared at Bear with a reaper's gaze, my eyes lingering onto him like a beast ready to pounce for the hunt. Without further words, my body began moving in blurs, Bear gasping and hurrying into the house and closed the door quickly.

"Shit! Yo! Arm up right now, there's a crazy lunatic on the loose!" Bear warned the entire house, getting everyone on high alert.

With his warning, everyone in the house began to grab their weapons, arming up to defend themselves against The Fool. Bear began dragging Valerie's and Piper's unconscious bodies up the stairs, pulling them into a room and tossing them on the bed.

Bear stared at Valerie, his eyes scanning her body with a mix of hatred and corrupted desire. He placed his hand upon her thigh, riding it up her leg toward her skirt with morbid attraction. His movements suddenly stopped as the sound of gunshots and commotion picked up downstairs.

"What the hell..?" Bear softly questioned, stepping away from Valerie and hurrying out of the room and walked toward the balcony of the lounge, noticing his crew was aiming at a moving blur around the living room.

The first guy dropped to the floor after a bone shattering chop to his neck, the second groaned as he was blown away by an explosive Superkick to his face, the third screamed in pain as his arms were torn out of their sockets, rendering them useless.

As the commotion began to calm down, Bear's eyes widened as he noticed me standing in the middle of the chaos, his body breaking into cold sweats. 'How did he get in here..? Just who the hell is this?!'

I looked around the chaos, making sure everyone around me was incapacitated. The sound of a charging man began approaching me quickly, thrusting his knife at my back, but I swiftly pivoted around and evaded a fatal blow.

I interlocked my fingers together, swinging my fists with destructive axe handle to his skull, letting out a tribal roar as I put my entire being into the attack. The man fell onto the floor, groaning in pain as his read began throbbing violently.

"Go to sleep, waste of space," I taunted, backing away from the man and rushed toward him, punting him on the side of his head.

Bear flinched back at the punt kick, not expecting such uses of force and gulped lightly. His body began to drop into chills as he noticed me looking up directly at him, goosebumps riding all over his arms and legs, his mind not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, the lights in the house began flickering, black lightning surging around each circuit around the house and shutting off the power of the house. Shrouded in darkness, Bear began making a run for it, tripping over his own feet.

"You can't hide...I can find you even in your own walls," My voice echoed chillingly, fading away into multiple whispers.

Bear ran into Escobar's office, panting and heaving heavily, looking up and noticed me sitting on the desk with my head down. He froze in place, watching me get up and reveal Escobar tied up with a flock of ravens around him.

"Like I said, you can't hide...you want me gone? Kill me," I said coldly, shifting my feet and manipulating the wooden floors, dragging Bear closer to me and slamming the door shut.

Before he could react, I struck his core with a knee strike then rose him up, landing an European uppercut. Bear groaned as he stumbled to the side, hitting against a bookshelf. Quickly, he grabbed a black pole from the shelf, swinging it and cracking my against my head.

I stood motionless for a moment, a trail of blood pooling down the side of my head, dripping onto the floor. Bear didn't hesitate, swinging the pole again, but I swatted it away, countering with a primal blow to his chest, knocking the wind out of his body.

"You like to hurt women..? Use them for your own gains..?" I questioned disdainfully, marching toward Bear and grabbing his hair and pressed him against the bookshelf. "Endangering children..? Have you lost the entire plot..?"

Bear grunted heavily as he tried to escape my grasp, aiming a punch at my face. His fist connected to my jaw, but I endured the damage, keeping my eyes on him. He grunted heavily, pushing me off him and taking out his pistol.

"Enough with this shit! I'm taking you down now!" Bear yelled, firing multiple rounds at me out of desperation.

I awakened my Unleashed State, blue lightning flashing around my body then began evading each bullet with perfect calculation. My mask shifted into the Mask of The Ace, my heart pounding with anger I couldn't explain, a drive to save Valerie when no one else would.

"My turn...to show you what it means to have true power. And I won't even have to lift a finger," I said lowly, standing up straight and awakening The Ace within at full force, a demon wing manifesting on my left back, demonic-esoteric energy flooding the room.

Bear and Escobar froze within my presence, realizing that I was a Mask Wielder, my very presence forcing their bodies to submit in fear. Bear began to tremble down to his knees, my eyes never leaving his figure with pure dominance.

"Please, Ace! I-I didn't know The Agency was here! L-Look, I surrender! But, understand this...Fredrick is a force that must be taken down! Taking down Valerie would mean taking down the foundation of Fredrick's empire!" Bear pled, holding his hands up in surrender.

I stared at Bear with a silent, judgemental gaze. Without notice, I shrouded us both in darkness, taking the two of us to The Ace's Domain: The Throne Room. Bear looked up slowly, noticing pillars of light leading toward a stairway to the throne which Alina stood.

"Just as you wanted to privately violate Valerie and her child, your judgement will be just as intimate...but this will be your tomb. All of your memories, your experience, your Talent...belongs to us," I said, snapping my fingers and a golden trail of energy began to form in my hand.

"The Executioner, The Royal Okami Jumonji Yari. Wielded by the Great Dao Xian of Old Esoria. Perfect for final judgement,"

I took hold of Alina's weapon, twirling it around and pointing it at Bear. "Any final words, Bear..? Make them count, these will be the last time your whispers will ever sound."

"Please...I beg for mercy. Why are you trying to save her when she needs to be taken down! Why are you helping Fredrick?!" Bear asked, looking up at me with pleading eyes then paused as he saw my face.

"Take a good look at my face. This isn't someone who wants to help Fredrick. This isn't about him..." I began, stepping closer to Bear and pressing my foot down against his head and pointing my spear at his back. "This is about justice for a woman and a baby, for a mother and her daughter you carelessly endangered!"

"She didn't even do anything to you. All she wanted to do was mend any bonds she can with her community because like it or not, Spade District is under Fredrick's rule as well! All she wanted to do...was to show you there was someone who actually cared and you all pushed her away," I continued, lowering the spear closer to his back.

"Please! I beg, Ryder! Don't kill me! I'll do anything!" Bear begged, grabbing onto my ankle with a desperate cry.

"Your fate was already sealed the moment you attacked Valerie. I am now your Judge, your Jury, and your Executioner...and I find you Guilty and sentence you...to Death," I said coldly, thrusting my spear downward, the blade impaling Bear with its golden light.

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Bear groaned loudly in pain, writhing as he tried to escape my hold. I didn't want Bear's death to be simple, as a man like him didn't deserve the easy way out. Activating my Sixth Sense, I could see Valerie's Essence upon his body and stared coldly at him.

Using Synco, I began to synchronize Valerie's Essence onto Bear's soul then began to spam Retro, forcing him to relive his crimes against Valerie over and over. Bear cried out as he watched his crimes on loop, begging for me to end his visions.

"You take pride in knowing you endangered a mother and her child? Do you take pride in causing other's suffering for your own gain?!" I roared, driving my spear deeper into his body.

"Well...now you can take that pride and be Judged by the Highest. May Gaia have mercy on your pathetic existence!" I bellowed, slicing upwards with one swift movement, Bear's body slowly disintegrating into golden particles.

〔Task Complete: Killed Bear.〕

〔Talent/Ambition/Lust EXP +900〕

The Jumonji Yari began to disappear from my hand, the darkness around me clearing and returning me to reality. I grunted softly as I collapsed onto one knee, holding my forehead as The Fool mask returned to my face.

I looked up slowly, noticing Bear was completely gone as if he were never there and seeing a petrified Escobar, his body unmoving and frozen in fear. I grunted as I slowly stood up, making my way toward the door.

"Phroa...how am I looking..?" I asked groggily, limping down the hall from slight exhaustion.

〔Phroa: Let me check...〕

Phroa began manifesting digital particles around my body, scanning my Essence and Heart for data. Once she collected the data, she displayed a holographic screen to the side for me to view.

〔Ryder's Mood: Unreadable〕

〔Art of Love Overall LV.: 3〕

〔Luscious Ambition: 15%〕

〔Vitals: Healthy〕

〔Phroa: You're looking good, Master! You're just low on energy and still in Agent Mode.〕

I nodded, swiping my hand to close the holographic interface and made my way toward the room Valerie was being held in. Opening the door, I noticed Valerie and Piper still unconscious on the bed.

Walking toward her, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, shaking her body in attempt to wake her up. Valerie grunted softly, scrunching her eyes before slowly opening them, turning her head to see me standing in front of her.

Valerie squeaked in terror, sitting up quickly and pushing herself away from me while holding her baby. She heard her baby crying from the sudden movement, her heart dropping with relief and her arms holding her tightly.

"Oh gosh, you're okay... It's okay, it's okay...Mommy's here," Valerie cooed, her voice trembling with deep emotion. She began searching around for her pacifier, her mind wandering all over the place.

I watched as both Valerie and Piper were in distress, my heart aching for the two. Subconsciously, I activated my Tengoku Mode, the calming silvery energy slightly illuminating the room and casting a warm tranquility around us.

Valerie's body began to gradually relax, her gaze shifting over to me with a mix of comfort and vulnerability. We locked eyes for a moment, a comforting silence settling between us as Piper began to calm down.

"Thank you for saving me...can I ask who you are?" Valerie asked softly, holding her daughter close to her chest.

I heard the sounds of police sirens approaching, my gaze flicking toward the window. I turned back to Valerie, giving her a charming smirk before backing away. "You can call me...The Fool."

Valerie watched as I rushed out of the room, her brain flooding with more questions and her heart fluttering with attraction and she couldn't understand why. She began pushing herself off the bed, walking toward the window and noticing Fredrick's car with other units surrounding him.

"The Fool...thank you again," She whispered to herself, turning away to make her way downstairs.

〔Main Objective Complete: Saved Valerie.〕

〔Reward: Credi +12000, Art of Love EXP +5000〕

〔Valerie's Attraction for you rose to 20%!〕