Chương 4: Shaking Off The Pursuers

Slash! Clang!

The sound of metal clashing against each other rippled throughout the expanse of the Wranglers District. Hao Vee hopped backwards to evade a forward strike from one of the two Pursuers. His grip was firm on the hilt of Vibe Edge. The battle droids were relentless, much to Hao's annoyance.

"Can't you scrap heaps just give it a rest for a moment?" Hao grumbled. "I've got more important things to do than play with you."

"Clunk! Clunk!" The droids responded with more hostility.

Their battle was taking place on an unstable roof, which didn't seem like it could hold much longer under the fierceness of the ongoing fight. Hao desperately wanted to evade the Pursuers to go after the X-Class sword that was currently flowing down the sludge-filled drain, but the Pursuers wouldn't let him.

"Mom, something's on the roof!" Yelled a scared little lass as she cuddled in her mother's embrace.

Inside the rickety house, the impoverished residents stirred in their sleep, disturbed by the commotion and the small debris from the ceiling that was falling down on them. Fear and panic set in as they worried about the threat happening just above them.

Back on the roof, Hao leapt over a thrust from one of the Pursuers. Soon after he did this, the second droid charged towards him, its Laser Crescent gleaming with a menacing aura. Hao sensed the danger and pivoted on his heel, narrowly evading the deadly swipe. With Vibe Edge, he swiftly countered with his Quick Draw skill, landing a solid hit on the first Pursuer's metallic body. The droid staggered back, emitting a shower of sparks.

The two Pursuers regrouped, using their encrypted AI transmission to communicate silently and coordinate a combination attack. The first droid feigned another thrust, while the second swung its Laser Crescent from the side, aiming for Hao's flank. Hao, sensing the ruse, sidestepped the thrust and parried the Crescent with Vibe Edge, the clashing metals were ringing in the night air.

But the Pursuers' attack wasn't over yet. The first droid, recovering from its feigned attack, lunged at Hao with a powerful strike, aiming for his chest. Hao barely had time to react, bringing up Vibe Edge to block the blow. The impact was immense, and Hao was slammed into the roof, the flimsy structure groaning under the force. He made sure to protect himself with his sword, but he couldn't avoid an injury to his side. He cursed under his breath as pain flared through him.

"Ah!" With a grunt, Hao pushed back against the droids, forcing them to retreat momentarily. The roof creaked dangerously. Hao had to act fast before the entire structure collapsed. He rolled towards the edge of the roof, distancing himself from the Pursuers as they tried to regain their balance.

Crumble!

As he watched, one of the Pursuers lost its footing and plummeted into the house below, where the residents screamed in terror. The other Pursuer remained on the roof, recalibrating its equilibrium and preparing for another assault.

"Whew, that was intense. I thought I was going to fall in." While Hao was taking a brief breather, he noticed Colgate and Diana hopping down from a nearby rooftop, jumping over a rail, and rushing towards the area where the drain was connected. Hao realized they were going for the X-Class sword instead of him.

"Those two saw where it fell?" Watching the Imperial Hounds moving briskly, Hao yelled, "I won't let you get that sword! I've put my reputation on the line just to steal it."

And with that, He prepared to give chase, the adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He rose to his feet, getting ready, however, his Vibe Sense alerted him to a sudden danger. A razor-sharp projectile was hurtling towards his face at an alarming speed. With only a split-second to react, Hao instinctively bent backwards, narrowly avoiding impalement. The object whizzed past his face, a hair's breadth away from piercing his skin.

"Dammit, I'm falling!"

His sudden reactionary motion threw him off balance. His feet slipped from under him, and he tumbled backwards into a pile of garbage. The stench of rotting food and the dampness of discarded waste assaulted his senses.

"Heck!" Filthy and covered in refuse, Hao cursed loudly, his frustration boiling over. He struggled to regain his composure. Just as he became balanced, he heard a creepy metallic sound and knew that danger was imminent.

"Clank!" From above, the persistent Pursuer came soaring down, bearing forth its sharp hostility.

Hao's quick reflexes kicked into gear and assisted him in dodging the downward strike in time.

Boom!

The Pursuers Laser Crescents got stuck into the hard floor. This gave Hao the time he needed to escape.

"Got to go." Knowing that he couldn't afford to waste any more time. He dashed out of the alley and onto the concrete path where the long, winding drain snaked through the district. He sprinted along the narrow edge of the drain, trying to maintain his balance as he kept his senses locked on Colgate and Diana just ahead of him, they were at the edge of his range. The cool wind whipped against his face, and he felt his heart pounding in his chest as he pushed himself to run faster.

Colgate and Diana, in their haste, leapt over obstacles and dodged debris, their movements a synchronized dance that spoke to their years of working together. Their figures blurred as they raced forward in pursuit of the X-Class sword.

Hao gritted his teeth and focused his Vibe Sense, attempting to see their every move as he closed the gap between them. The sounds of the city faded into the background, replaced by the rhythmic pounding of his footsteps and the rush of adrenaline flowing through him.

While the three of them continued their high-speed chase along the edge of the drain, they became a spectacle to onlookers who marvelled at their nimbleness.

"Hey, what's going on over there?"

"Not sure, maybe some sort of military operation. Look, there's even a Flight Fighter circling above."

"Huh?" Hao had no time to acknowledge the growing audience; he was consumed by the need to catch up to Colgate and Diana and recover the X-Class sword before it slipped out of his grasp forever.

"Sir, the thief is gaining up behind you. What do you want me to do?" The pilot of the aircraft hovering above relayed to Colgate, having noticed Hao below.

"Do you need me to wipe your ass every step of the way?" Colgate snapped, his impatience growing. "Learn how to act for once, Coulson. You have the big guns, so shoot his ass already! I can't let the sword out of my sight" He and Diana were in a hurry to retrieve the X-Class weapon before it was lost, so they didn't have much time to waste on Hao at the moment.

"Understood, sir. I'll eliminate the target." The pilot aimed his weapons down at Hao and prepared to fire. The hum of the aircraft's weaponry grew louder, which Hao's keen sense of hearing picked up.