Cass's heart began to race. Dani and Rudy both stared at him, perhaps looking for an indication of what they should do.
"Don't bother running. We have the place surrounded. And Tindra, I know you can hear me over there. Don't try anything. We have Blessed."
Dani looked out the window with a stern expression while Rudy was breathing heavily as he paced the room.
"W-what happened Cass!? W-what do we do!?"
For Cass, the answer was obvious: Getting arrested would be a death sentence. Judging by the group they'd amassed outside, he knew what this was about—and it seemed they had already decided on his guilt.
"Dying for someone else's crime? I think I'll pass."
He had gone over that night in his head many times. Even though his memories were a blur, he had concluded that there was no way he could've killed those enhanced thugs in his weakened state, even if he wanted to; though he very much doubted he'd turn himself in if he hadn't reached that conclusion. Cass got up, grabbed a small pack, and began loading his most important notes and books into it. He also took bandages and the adhesive he used to keep himself from bleeding to death.
"What're ya doin', Cass? You're seriously gonna run!?"
Cass ignored Rudy's question. He was too busy calculating how far he could go while still making it back without dying of separation.
"Even if I make it, they'll be watching this place like a hawk…How many Blessed are out there? What kind of abilities do they have? How can I escape them?"
Suddenly, a huge smile appeared on Cass's face, causing Dani's face to tense.
"What are you smiling for?"
He turned and giggled; she frowned in response.
He rummaged through his runic circle drawings, checking each one as his smile grew larger and larger. He rolled up several and tucked them under his arm.
"I get a chance to test these out!"
Rudy was completely lost. "Test them out? What are ya talkin' about!?"
Cass didn't answer. He was busy staring at the pyramid of cubes on his window sill. They were monuments to his first successful sorcery spell, how could he possibly leave them? After sliding them into the bag, he gave one last appraisal of his apartment and shot towards the front door…He paused—his dopey grin finally fading.
"See you."
That was all he could think to say. Rudy had stood up, his hands at the ready, unsure of what to do and with a confused look on his face.
Daniella still sat in her chair, eyes fixed on Cass, with an unreadable expression. "You'll die."
He froze as he crossed the threshold, turning to look at Daniella. He put on a less than convincing smile.
"Well, I suppose it's possible. I don't mean to brag, but I've faced far worse. Not even a 2nd tier Blessed could take me down, and I doubt they have anything so formidable in the city police force."
After a moment she looked out the window. Rudy went to say something but before he could, Cass darted down the hall.
"I'm sure all the exits are being watched. Which one leads to the best escape route?"
Cass ultimately decided on the sewers. There was a manhole located not far from the side entrance. If the police were serious enough to have a Blessed stationed down there, then Cass was screwed either way. The air outside was still. Karsten was giving orders to some of the beat cops forming the perimeter; most were looking at the Doxy. The real threat to them was Tindra. Cass was nothing more than a normal human as far as they knew. Granted, their assumption was partially correct, and more importantly, their assumption meant the Blessed would likely be focused on her, which Cass could use to his advantage…hopefully.
Suddenly, a loud bang rang out from the back exit of the apartment building. Reports of the door blowing open and strange colors bursting into the alleyway caused some of the nearby cops to shift their positions towards the back of the building. Less than a moment later, Cass shot out of the side entrance heading straight for the manhole.
"So far so good."
Several of the officers sent to watch the side had moved to the back. Henry's ridiculous parlor trick had actually come in handy. Unfortunately, the diversion didn't last very long. There were still a few cops who spotted Cass in the side alley and were closing in on his position. They drew their weapons.
"Get on the ground!"
"Mana pistols. Not surprising."
He had hoped they'd only use regular firearms, but seeing as Tindra was here, he expected they wouldn't. Cass continued running towards them. Right before he thought they'd shoot, he leapt into the air, right over the cops—stunning the men and causing them to hesitate as he landed and continued on. He didn't want to start a fight, if possible. The manhole was less than 30 meters away once you exited the alley. To his dismay, as he rounded the corner, a large man descended from the sky, cutting off his path. Cass could sense him before he even saw him—a Blessed.
"Did he see my little jump or were they just that thorough in covering their bases?"
The man was around 6 and a half feet tall with dark skin and bulging muscles. He wore a standard swat uniform with Ebonheart Police Department (EPD) written across the vest.
"Let's not make this any harder than it needs to be."
"What a pain."
All signs pointed to a physically enhanced Blessed. Cass's chances of outmaneuvering him and getting to the sewers were slim. He feigned to the right using his normal human speed. Luckily, the Blessed used a "light" touch, thinking he was dealing with a normal human. At the last second, Cass dashed to the opposite side at full speed and made a break for the manhole. The Blessed was caught off guard and slipped as Cass shot by.
"Halfway…a third…a quarter!"
Right as he reached the manhole he was yanked back by his jacket collar.
"The bastard stayed on his feet!?"
He wasn't as reserved with his strength this time. With incredible speed he grabbed Cass's arm; his eyes were full of malice.
"That was a big mistake." His voice was more than stern.
Cass placed his hand on his own chest as he struggled to free his arm from the man's iron grip. Suddenly, his jacket was ripped off his body—torn away in the man's hand as the cop sank into the concrete—giant cracks forming a spiderweb beneath Cass's feet. Momentarily stunned, he saw the man embedded in the street and a curtain of fiery red hair whipping like a flag in the wind. Cass's look of bewilderment only intensified as he was scooped up and Tindra leapt into the air.
"Have you lost your mind!? You attacked a cop!"
"We'll be kept at different prisons, you know!?"
Gunfire erupted; streaks of blue tracing across the night sky in their direction. To their left, Cass saw a woman traveling through the surface of the surrounding buildings; her body and their facades seemingly blending into one as she surfed through it like it was water. She had a mana rifle zeroed in on them and was catching up at a steady pace.
"Sniper!"
The rifle would pack a punch for Tindra and knock her off course, but with a well placed shot, it would likely kill Cass. His hand was still on his chest. It was hard to focus mana with his heart beating so fast. A round went off and flew right by Cass's face. Tindra pulled him to her chest and did her best to cover him with her body.
"Hey! I didn't attack any of you!"
The next shot hit Tindra's shoulder as she landed on the ground. She grimaced and let out a pained yelp as she leapt again.
"Damn it! I need to focus."
The sniper had Tindra's head in her sights.
"If I block it with my hand, it should lessen the impact on her…"
But Cass didn't need to worry. A blinding flash of light erupted from his chest. For a split second, the obsidian streets and buildings below turned white in the intense light. The sniper staggered and covered her eyes. Cass's shirt had completely vanished.
"It worked!"
He had succeeded in creating his flashbang from the colorful light spell. It was his first successful modification to a runic spell. Even if it was the simplest spell Cass had seen, he still felt an immense sense of accomplishment. Tindra landed and sprinted as fast as she could into the Old Ward. The remnants of the rune scroll Cass had put under his shirt crumbled to pieces and fell onto the filthy streets below.
His devious grin didn't match the situation they were in. Reaching the middle of a dilapidated building, she finally set him down and sighed. Her eyes were fierce.
"What!? I didn't do anything this time! I mean it!"
She sat down on a crumpled pillar. "Son of a bitch." She growled.
"It must be about those murders at the dock." Cass said.
They were silent for a while.
"How's your shoulder?"
She looked at him but didn't answer. "Did you get hit?" She finally said.
"No, just lost most of my jacket…and my shirt."
She looked him up and down for a moment. "What was that light?"
"Got a flashbang from a friend of mine. Thought I might need it with the way things were heading."
He didn't miss a beat with his story, and it was mostly true…technically. If he thought about it, calling Henry a friend might be the biggest stretch.
"Do you think Dani and Rudy are okay?" He wanted to change the subject as soon as he could.
"They'll be fine. Dani knows what to do."
"What to do? What do you mean?"
"In case we need to skip town."
"Are they supposed to meet us or something?"
"We'll meet with them. After I settle the score with Dhall."
"You can't be serious. The cops are pissed off and actively looking for us."
"Whaddaya think that son of a bitch will do to the Doxy while I'm gone!" She snapped at him, the veins in her neck visible.
"Who cares."
She shot up and was in his face before he could flinch. "Watch it, boy!" The vein on her forehead was visible now too. Even the toughest, drunkest customers knew to tuck their tails and run when they saw that.
"All you'll do is get yourself killed." Cass bowed slightly. "So forgive me if that matters more to me than a building. No matter how sentimental it is."
Cass didn't avert his gaze, which seemed to agitate her more. Finally, she looked away. "I'm gonna kill that bastard. You do what you want."