Rufus goes to charge in, and as his eyes flash, his precognition activates.
As he breaks out in cold sweats, he stops, frozen in time.
He sees himself nailed to the wall with Epicurus's giant spear in his chest.
His body hangs there like a valued painting, a grim decoration pinned for display.
The room holds its breath. Rufus meets Epicurus's eyes but doesn't flinch. No fear. Just calculation. Then, he lets out a faint breath through his nose, almost like a laugh.
"…No," Rufus says smoothly. "Not today."
He turns, brushing a speck of dust off his jacket, and walks calmly toward the coffee machine. Not defeated. Just delayed.
His mascara slowly runs down his face due to the sweat and the tension.
Darkened lazily asks, "So what do we do now? Osprey isn't confirmed dead..."
#10, still lingering by the edge of the room like a shadow, speaks up quietly. "But… if Mori's telling the truth, if they're both down, can't we just third party it and finish Osprey off?"
Darkened leans forward, voice low but firm. "We walk into a shooting range with Osprey, and you're dead before you blink. One of my strongest, Zinn, took a round straight through the eye. Didn't even have time to flinch. That's how fast he is. That's one of my lieutenants gone like nothing."
He glances around the room, then continues, colder."I say we leave Mori to die. I was going to suggest we collect the God Stick off his corpse, but even that isn't worth the risk. If we enter Osprey's range—"
Epicurus cuts in with a quiet mumble, "Speak for yourself. If I gather my lieutenants, we're taking Osprey down without much trouble."
Darkened's demeanor shifts. The tall, gaunt figure stands, towering over Epicurus like a monolith at the table. His fingers tense slightly around a folded piece of black cloth. Something about his appearance is so uncanny, it's disturbing.
"You speak like I don't have three hundred cultists circling that entire state right now," Darkened hisses. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Epicurus rolls his eyes, clearly irritated. "I'm just saying, don't talk about him like he's some myth. He's still Elite Guard level. Same as the rest of us."
Epicurus yawns, "As a matter of fact, my assistants are spread out in Michigan right now. I'll just do it myself."
Darkened slams his palm down. "We're in his domain. We'd be fighting his battle. If it's one thing I know, it is that you never fight your enemy in a situation he's comfortable in. I have killed so many powerful fighters because they chose to fight me in the dark, my domain. If we fight his fight, we lose."
Epicurus stabs his steak, closing his eyes as he speaks. "Do you have a history with Osprey, Darkened? Why are you so concerned? I'm in control of this operation."
Darkened raises a brow, deadpan. "Because I don't want to be sent to my death?"
#10 timidly raises a hand. "Me either."
Epicurus's voice hardens. "I said I'd go myself."
Rufus, trying to de-escalate, gestures with one hand. "Okay, everyone calm down. Epicurus has trained with multiple members of the Top 5 Elite Guard."
Rufus says sarcastically, "His specialty is single combat. We know this. We should trust his judgment. If he thinks he can beat him, he can. Simple."
At the same time, Rufus twirls his mustache. "It's hard for you to protect all of us while you fight. So them being fearful is only natural. In Italy, we have this phrase—"
Epicurus sighs, "If you two want to be cowards, then so be it. I'll send my remote control helicopter to pick Mori up. He's too valuable to die here."
Rufus's jaw drops. "So you said all that just to not go yourself? You're proving Darkened right. We simply shouldn't enter his shooting range—"
Epicurus yells, "I AM NOT PROVING HIM RIGHT!"
Epicurus gets up out of his chair, grabbing his trident spear from the wall. "Osprey is the best friend of Mr. N. If I go to finish him off, it's highly likely that by the time I arrive, Mr. N will be there. I'm not scared of an Elite Guard level threat. I am on a level beyond that. But fighting Mr. N and Osprey two versus one?
Now that's something even someone of my talent pool won't be able to overcome."
#10 apologizes, "Sorry, Epi... Rufus and Dark Dark can get a bit toxic sometimes. I'm sure they didn't mean to get you angry."
Rufus, angry, holds himself back. "The AI robot and the helicopter... using it for the entire day takes over 3 million dollars. In this economy, is it really worth—"
Epicurus claps back, rolling his eyes, "You guys spend over 45 million a year on sex trafficking. Don't piss me off."
Rufus mumbles, "Do not include me….."
As Darkened opens his eyes with pure shock,
'He should not have said that.'
Epicurus walks off, determined to go himself. "Everyone knows, if you care so much about this country, then you'll make the sacrifice to keep it safe.
Mr. N is the biggest threat to the President's seat right now, and Mori worked for him for years. If he really defeated Osprey, he's truly certified and deserves a place on our Elite Guard. That's all there is to it.