บท 50: Let There Be Light (5)

As Jason breathed heavily to recover from the effects of essentially downloading the new knowledge, his eyes darted around the workshop. There was a lingering soft glow to them as he activated the Scanner to work with his new knowledge. Jason's mouth twitched then spread into a broad grin as he took in the many schematics that were generated.

'It seems like I already have what I need!' Jason was thrilled to discover this. It meant that he would not have to waste much time preparing to deal with Wraith. 'I should be able to complete it in time for tonight!'

Jason entered a trance-like state as he busied himself with his workshop under the attentive gaze of Syssie. She could not help but smile and feel a sense of pride as she watched him work. 'Hopefully, this will be enough. He's barely scratching the surface of what he will be capable of, but he's already fighting for his place in this world.'

A few hours passed while Jason was in this state, and the sky was already darkening outside as he completed the last stitches on his outfit. 'There! I've managed to combine it with my clothes, so it won't be easy for Wraith to spot it until it's too late!'

"Syssie? What rank is this invention?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm, it's an F-rank support item. Do you want to hear the evaluation?" Syssie's lips curled up into a playful smile as she responded.

"Don't bother." Jason sighed as he waved a hand in the air towards her. "If that's all it is, then there's no point, right? I won't be selling it, and I can't gain any PP."

Syssie chuckled as she slid off the cold metal worktop to get a closer look at the modification he had just made. "That's true, I guess. You should be focused on creating better items anyway."

Jason smiled at the softness her voice carried in the otherwise cold and lifeless room. "So, shall we go test it then?"

A few hours later…

As the blanket of night crept across the sky, Sam eyed the mercenary sitting across from her. There was a hint of fear lingering behind her calculating gaze as she waited for the man to speak.

"Like I said, Sam, this merc you hired me to deal with is something of an enigma." Wraith sighed as he fixed his calm gaze on her. "He's appeared from nowhere. He appears to have quite a bit of experience. I'm certain he's never used his power if he has one. Then to top it all off, you have his style to be concerned about."

"His style? What do you mean by that? Why should his methods concern us?" Sam's tone was polite and respectful. She would never casually dismiss this expert that had worked closely with her father throughout the years.

"Hm, his style of using ranged weapons is similar to a woman from long ago who disappeared after giving us a lot of trouble." Wraith's expression became thoughtful as he recalled the past. "We named her Black Arrow, and she almost succeeded in assassinating your father and me a couple of times."

Sam's expression turned into one of shock and disbelief. "Do you think there's a connection between them?"

"Maybe…" Wraith stared Sam straight in the eyes. "It could be her son or someone she's taken as a disciple of sorts. This could be4 some sort of test for him. To succeed where she failed."

Sam's expression became a little nervous as she understood what Wraith was trying to say. Basically, it was highly likely that she, as the next leader of the gang, was his target. Sam slammed her fist down on the table in frustration.

"Are you saying I have to hide like a rat until he's taken care of? You know I can't do that! The tournament for the new guardians is just around the corner! This has to be settled by then!" Sam's expression turned ice-cold as she glared at Wraith.

"I know you and your father have big plans regarding the tournament. So there's only one thing I can suggest to end this quickly." Wraith replied in a confident tone.

"Which is?"

"Since he's likely after you… Let's bait him out!"

On a rooftop on Crafters Street…

"I'm telling you this is a trap!" Syssie grew frustrated as Jason refused to listen to her.

"Maybe… but the opportunity is too good to ignore." Jason sighed as he stared down the Arbalest's iron sights at his target.

Sam stood amongst the thugs encamped in front of his store. From what he could see, it looked like she was scolding them. Jason knew the risks. He did not believe for a moment that this was a coincidence. 'Wraith must be close by…'

Jason's mind raced as he tried to predict what might happen. 'Are they hoping that I'll overthink it and delay my shot? That would buy time for Wraith to find me, but it's too much of a gamble. Then what? They have to have a plan.'

Jason took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 'No matter what their plan is… I'm ready for it.' The Arbalest thrummed as he squeezed the trigger. Jason did not even wait to see what happened and instead quickly moved to pack up the bulky weapon.

Shouts went up from below, and from the sounds of it, he could already tell he had failed. He spared a glance to see why Sam was not dead, only to discover the air around her shimmering like some kind of shield.

'That explains it! She had someone use their ability to protect her!' Jason cursed as he now knew for sure this situation was created to expose him!

Jason slung the Arbalest over his shoulder as he made a beeline for the rope he had secured for his escape route. His heartbeat wildly in his chest as he knew that Wraith could attack at any moment. His footsteps sounded like drumbeats in his ears as he raced across rooftops, down stairs and through the streets.

'Where the hell is he!' Jason's mind was in a state of disarray as the attack he expected never materialised. Jason turned the last corner and saw the looming wall of rusted cars before him. A moment of elation seeped into his mind before he realised something was wrong.

The rope was gone!

Jason slid to a halt as his eyes scanned the cars again. Sure enough, his escape route had been cut off! Jason's heart picked up its pace as the dull sound of confident footsteps entered his ears. His breathing became uneven as he turned slowly to find Wraith emerging from the shadows.

"Nice place you picked! I won't have to worry about my ability here." Wraith felt like laughing. There was no direct moonlight in this area. What made it a good choice for infiltrating the town also made it a deathtrap when faced with his ability.

"You sound pretty confident," Jason sneered beneath his mask. "But, you haven't trapped me."

Wraith hesitated for a moment when he heard that.

"I've trapped you!" Jason chuckled to himself before bringing the Viper around from his back. "Let there be light!"