Quinlan's twisted his body as an unknown sense of danger took over his mind. He crawled away from the unknown attack and saw a needle impeded where he was.
"You saw that?" Tyson said with mild praise in his tone
Quinlan's breathing was labored as he instinctively retreated backwards. Tyson didn't give him the chance and clung to him like a gum. The sense of danger forced Quinlan to stay on the defensive dodging the paper thin projectiles.
"How do you fight something you can't see!!" Quinlan thought as another needle barely passed him
His body was decorated in thin line and blood seeped out and Tyson didn't even pant after the back and forth. His eyes looked at him with mild interest like a cat hunting a mouse that actually fought back.
"You can't be a bounty hunter with skill like that you would never come after me. Perhaps are you a relative of one of my targets? Here for revenge?" Tyson said out "Doesn't really matter."
Quinlan's sense were screaming at him to ran away, give up for now and come back when he was stronger. Although he knew Vladimir fairly well, he won't give him another chance if this one failed.
Even as he thought he dodged each needle by the skin of his teeth and using the items in the storage as shields sometimes. Quinlan's mind pulled out a memory when Vladimir gave him the test.
"I need to inform you. Tyson is stronger, better, more experienced, honestly you can't beat him in any category whatso ever. He has taken down people who others thought it were impossible and at your level it's a losing gamble." Vladimir chuckled
He had said he would still to it and the teen smiled softly
Vladimir spoke, "People like that are arrogant, Lan. They are predator and you are prey, literally. You must remember this or you'll lose your head. Fight like prey, you only get one chance and make sure it takes his life. If not he starts taking you seriously."
A needle shot into his shoulder and Quinlan held down the scream in his throat. He kept himself hidden behind some boxes and looked at the shadow closing in. He felt his mind narrow done to survival only as he dashed toward another pile of boxes.
"I don't know why you're making yourself suffer like this." Tyson called out "Give me the key and I might let you go."
His black aura had thickened around the room forming smog and made it harder for Tyson to pinpoint him. Small wisps were secretly gripping toward him as he walked calmly around. Quinlan quietened his breathing and tracked Tyson's movements.
Tyson fired needles everywhere and one jabbed into Quinlan's calf. The assassin's gaze snapped toward him, he had tracked the sound of the needles and moved to the direction that didn't create one.
Quinlan tried to dodge again but he was grabbed by a hand. Tyson's fist connected roughly with his chin and the taste of blood filled his mouth. Tyson continued his physical assault, he took it hiding his killing intent tightly and forced his body to stop any actions of counterattacks.
"One strike....save it for that one." he thought to himself
The smog surrounded them. Quinlan forced himself to make a pathetic sound that even his timid personality would be ashamed of and scrambled forward with a limp.
"Was petty revenge worth it?" Tyson laughed
Quinlan teeth crushed burning up with humiliation and Tyson walked toward him with a smile. He said something about searching his body for the key but Quinlan didn't catch it. He focused all this mind and senses.
"It's been fun but I need to go." Tyson sighed
His guard was down, Quinlan could feel it from his tone, the lack of fear for death and movements. Tyson was confident he would kill him and it was now or never. His enemy was still talking about something and stretched out his hand holding a dagger.
Quinlan turned sharply when he entered his attack range. Tyson's eyes widened in shock as the scythe punched into is jugular veins and artery with all his strength left in his body. He forced the black aura to eat away at his nerves that created a moment of paralysis.
He watched the mixture of emotions in his eyes something like shock, surprise, fear and then nothing. He did it...Quinlan's body slumped down on the ground. The victory felt bitter compared to his previous fight.
"What's wrong?"
He turned to the source of Vladimir's voice, a small hummingbird looking at him with glowing blue eyes and it turned its head.
Vladimir was genuinely confused, "A class holder can only 'eat' one class so I choose the absolute best for you Lan. It will take time to fully absorb it but when you do, strength is guaranteed."
"This type of fight is demeaning." Quinlan told honestly "I won because he was careless, if he had fought seriously I-"
Vladimir interrupted, "So what? You are weak."
Quinlan swallowed the coppery taste with a bitter expression and Vladimir's sigh echoed throughout the room.
"We all started from crawling on the floor at some point. I will not go on memory lane regarding it so whether you claw yourself is up to you and if not Val and I can still protect either way." Vladimir told dryly
Quinlan beamed, "You can be sweet sometimes, at odd moments."
"I take family seriously, Lan." he said bluntly "I'll send Blake over. You can sleep now, I'll take care of everything."
Quinlan felt himself drifting off under Vladimir calm emotionless tone and found it oddly dependable. He missed the slightly proud gaze reflected in the humming bird's eyes as he finally slept.
ding
Blake looked at his phone with a message from Valentine with coordinates called 'Pick Up-Lan'.
"I always knew they cared." Blake commented "To some degree."
He raised his gaze toward a Sebastian. Several Pioneers laid underneath his secretary's feet and his face was blank as he turned his eyes toward the others.
"Are you going to continue attacking or may I leave? Mrs. McVon?" Blake asked "I have some family matters to attend to and arrest without cause is still illegal."
Lesia looked at her son on the other side trying to find the old him or a piece of him felt behind. She sent a look to a man and he walked up with ferocity. Sebastian took out enlargened scissors the size of a spear while his other hand had his short sword.
"Without verified evidence, you may not forcefully question and/or detain Mr. Nox. This is my first and last warning, move aside or else." Sebastian's cold voice echoed
Everyone paused as the thick hostility increased in intensity in the room. Blake felt a slight irritation about his road to Quinlan being blocked. Perhaps Sebastian could feel it because he became more violent and his mixture blue-purple aura leaked out trying to suppress the Pioneers.
Blake stared at Lesia and spoke, "Your turn."