They wore blue suits with black pinstripes that softened the color, making the attire more formal.
— "I love the smell of wood in this room," one of them said, breathing in deeply.
— "I used to love it too, but I don't catch the scent like I used to after so much time here," Gregos replied, motioning for them to sit.
The men accepted the invitation with a smile. — "Reporting: we've arrested a hundred suspects in less than half a day. They are already undergoing interrogation."
— "You're always in a hurry, aren't you, Lunam?"
— "My father always told me: duty before pleasure. It's always worked for me."
— "He's right," Gregos laughed softly. — "What separates us from animals is our ability to choose what isn't the most pleasurable in the moment, but will guarantee something worthwhile in the future. That sacrifice is the price.
— "You sound like an old man giving a moral lesson to boys." Lunam's smile created slight dimples at the corners of his mouth.
Gregos waved his hand, dismissing the remark. — "Anything else?"
— "There was a double murder in an alley near the investigation site. Two guards were brutally killed—one pierced by some kind of hook, and the other had his head dragged against the wall before being crushed."
Gregos leaned his back against the wall.
— "It's a pity to hear we lost two warriors of justice on the same day. These criminals are getting bolder in facing us."
Lunam shook his head. — "I believe it was an Orc."
— "Makes sense, given the brutality and the strength needed to crush a skull. Besides, we don't know of anything else around here capable of that."
— "There's also the fact that both were knights, not apprentices," Adulo reminded them, placing the tip of his finger on the table.
Gregos looked at the man with curly hair and bronzed skin, smiling. — "You don't talk much, Adulo. What do you think?"
— "I believe the killer didn't plan the deaths and acted on impulse. I also don't think it was an Orc; I found vomit on the roof above the alley. It seems to me someone acted on instinct and regretted it afterward."
— "Why didn't you tell me that? I made a fool of myself!" Lunam said, nudging his partner's shoulder.
— "That was the idea," Adulo smirked.
— "Did you call the forensic team?"
— "Yes. Again, we couldn't identify the killer."
Gregos put his fingers to his eyes and sighed. — "This forensic team needs an update. That's the second time this has happened... unless!" Gregos stood up and paced back and forth.
— "What is it, Captain?"
— "Nothing. Dismissed. I have to think."
Both left the room while Gregos's eyes narrowed and his fingers clenched into a fist.
...
The rain poured down, soaking the sand of the training grounds. A few soldiers patrolled, enduring the clinking of their armor being struck by raindrops. A shadow passed unnoticed among the sentries, leaving faint footprints in the wet sand as it headed toward a group of buildings at the back of the complex. It entered one of the buildings. Inside, several corridors had cells on both sides, crowded with people, some with arms reaching through the bars holding cigarettes.
Passing through the cells, his raised hood covered his features, his eyes glowing. Some men backed away from the bars as he passed. Despite the crowd, the silence felt like a veil covering every cell, haunted by tormented souls.
The footsteps seemed to strike every man and woman imprisoned there, while a black tail dripped a luminous green substance into the locks, opening every cell. No one dared to take a step forward and run; they remained stagnant between flight and the dread of the bizarre being with a scorpion's appendage.
He didn't take long to finish with all the cells and exit through a door on the other side of the building. The prisoners looked at each other for a moment before an avalanche of footsteps broke the silent veil. The door the man had entered through was burst open, and the prisoners fought to squeeze through at once, running toward the damp sand fields.
The guards, caught off guard, rushed to contain the breakout, but they were crushed by a horde of Orcs, who punched and shredded their bodies with massive fists. Some of the soldiers managed to push past the green giants and began swinging their swords, splitting men and women in half like someone cutting butter in the morning. They leaped through the crowd of fugitives, dancing a choreography of death, the sand now soaked with warm blood as the screams of the dismembered rang out in unison.
Vincente remained still, watching the catastrophe unfold. He retreated and ran toward the other exit as fast as he could. Bursting through the door, he realized the field was empty. Horses neighed in the stables, but all the soldiers were occupied dealing with the escape.
Gregos watched as the man ran past the stables and vaulted the wall with ease.
— "Shouldn't we catch him?" Lunam asked, tilting his head.
— "No. Our prey is right there." Gregos pointed to the roof, where a hooded creature swung its macabre tail.
The three of them moved almost instantaneously to the roof.
— "You know, in any other situation, you might have gotten away with this, but unfortunately for you, we are here," Lunam said as he warped space, closing the distance to Gantz instantly. His blade gleamed with sharpness as it sliced through the raindrops. To Lunam's eyes, Gantz seemed paralyzed, but like a spirit, Gantz's eyes moved, tracking the blade coming for his neck. With just a light tap of his hand, he diverted the sword, making it pass over his head.
His tail vibrated, vanished, and reappeared where Lunam had been before he warped space and retreated. The roof tiles exploded, obscuring the view on both sides. Adulo emerged from the side of the explosion and swung a scythe directly at Gantz's waist. Gantz dodged by jumping headfirst over the blade without taking his eyes off Adulo. His appendage mimicked the scythe's crescent shape and delivered a decapitating strike. While attacking, he stopped a blue spear coming his way with his right hand, and with his left, he summoned Leonardo's Blade and parried Gregos's sword, which was coming from above to split him in two.
Everyone vanished as the pressure from the blows leveled the building to the ground, turning everything into rubble in seconds. The fugitives stopped, the soldiers too, as both sides watched in horror as the building collapsed. The cloud of smoke covered them, and the deafening sound shattered their eardrums as their bodies were tossed in all directions like ragdolls.