Bab 2: Vibe Edge’s Night Tamer

"Driver, take me closer to the side." Said Colgate. He waited until the Sword-Glider got close enough to the collapsing building before hopping down and joining Diana inside. His confidence shielded him from falling debris. Their mission was now to find Hao Vee's remains and retrieve the X-Class sword from the wreckage before it fell into the hands of some lowlife sword wielder.

Diana, the tall, lithe woman with fiery red hair and an alluring figure, confidently strode through the debris with her sword poised at her side. She was scanning for any signs of their target.

Colgate, on the other hand, seemed more perturbed because so far, he didn't see one drop of blood anywhere, his bulging muscles were straining against his tight clothes as he moved through the ruins with equal stride.

"We really trashed the place didn't we, Colgate…?" Diana skipped over rubble beneath her feet.

"Indeed we did, Diana, but it was worth the retrieval of that item." Colgate agreed.

"Sure." Diana nodded.

The duo engaged in a brief conversation about the destruction they had caused to Wranglers District and the staggering amount of Blade Tokens that would be required for repairs. Colgate, however, reassured Diana that the top brass didn't care about this impoverished area, so they didn't need to worry about the consequences. They could cause as much damage as they like just as long as they kept it contained within the Wranglers district.

"Kyah! Somebody help me!" A voice hollered in the disturbed district.

During the last clearing of the smoke remnant, Colgate and Diana heard the shout from behind them. To their shock, they spun around quickly to see Hao Vee, seemingly unscathed. He had the sheathed X-Class weapon pressing firmly against the throat of the Sword-Glider's driver. The surprise was evident on their faces as they tried to make sense of the situation.

"How did he get over there? I thought he had been blown to pieces by your Bomb Clusters." Diana gasped while side-glancing at Colgate.

"I should have known he'd pull something tricky when the smell of seared flesh wasn't evident." Enraged, Colgate couldn't understand how Hao had managed to escape the explosion. He barked orders at the aircraft pilot to open fire on Hao, regardless of the Sword-Glider driver's safety.

"But sir…" The pilot hesitated for a moment, his conscience battling with the command, but ultimately, he prepared to follow Colgate's orders.

Meanwhile, Hao, with his Vibe Sense active, was fully aware of the events unfolding around him. 'Huh, he's hyperventilating...?' The Sword-Glider driver trembled in fear, his breath coming in short, panicked gasps. Hao could feel his terror quite intensely, but he couldn't afford to let it affect his focus.

In the sea of vibrations that made up Hao's perception, he sensed the aircraft's artillery releasing a volley of bullets, hurtling towards them at terrifying speed. The callousness of Colgate's decision to fire upon his own comrade made Hao's blood boil, but he didn't let that distract him from what needed to be done.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The bullets were closing in quickly like a ruthless storm. Hao prepared to unleash the same technique he had used earlier to escape the explosion. He released his grip on the terrified driver and secured the X-Class sword at his back. With a deep breath, he reached for his trusty Vibe Edge at his side, ready to face whatever came next.

The air crackled with tension as the shower of bullets raced closer to their intended target, as well as the unintended one—the hapless Sword-Glider driver.

"Night Tamer," Saying these magical words, Hao unsheathed the sharp blade of his Vibe Edge for the second time during his daring escape.

In an instant, Hao gripped the driver's hand tightly and executed a radial slash with his sword, releasing a pulse of dark noise that rippled around them at a specific frequency. The Night Tamer ability was one of Hao's most mysterious techniques. It allowed him to manipulate the very fabric of darkness and sound around him.

"What the hell is he up to?" Wondered Colgate as he viewed the scene before him.

Colgate, Diana, and the pilot watched in amazement. Just before the barrage of bullets struck the Sword-Glider and caused a catastrophic explosion, Hao Vee and the driver vanished. In the blink of an eye, they reappeared inside an adjacent building, several metres away from the chaos. Hao had managed to harness the power of the Night Tamer, bending the darkness and sound waves to his will, effectively teleporting himself and the driver to safety.

"Hey, mate, stop overworking your heart. It's beating like drums in my ears." His keen hearing was suffering from erratic palpitations. "Look, you're safe now," Hao told the driver, reassuringly. "I better get going, ciao." Knowing that there was no time to waste, he waved goodbye to the driver then turned on his heel and began fleeing the scene once again.

"Whew." Wiping his forehead, the driver was happy to be safe but the same emotion was not expressed by a certain duo.

"He's getting away Colgate!" Hollered Diana. Her face was twisted with explicit rage.

"He won't get far." Colgate was equally furious.

The Imperial Hounds hurriedly leapt over to the other side of the building and gave chase to their target. They didn't even bother to check on the driver's condition. This just goes to show how focused they were on their mission. They were determined to capture Hao Vee and reclaim the stolen X-Class sword at any cost.

Thus they continued to pursue him through Wranglers District, during which, Colgate couldn't help but think about how they had ever trusted him with such an important task. The memory of their first meeting at the Imperial Storehouse bubbled up to the surface…