CHAPTER 3: THE CADETS
"Answer me! I said talk, you coward!" The Boss roared, his face turning a deep, bruised purple. He shook the walkie-talkie as if he could throttle the man on the other end through the airwaves.
Static hissed, then a voice broke through, trembling and underscored by the sound of breaking glass and heavy thuds. "We need immediate assistance! Fifth compartment... they're already here! The Sorcerers... they're on the train!"
The mysterious man in the corner let out a sharp, mocking whistle. He leaned back, his boots resting on the table, seemingly enjoying the Boss's meltdown. "I told you so, didn't I? But you were so sure. 'Outskirts of town,' you said. 'No one is coming,' you said."
The Boss slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the tobacco tin. "Shut your mouth! If they're here, then you get out there and do what I'm paying you for!"
TRAIN 5 COMPARTMENT
In the fifth compartment, the air was thick with the smell of ozone and the groans of defeated men. A dozen goons lay scattered across the floor, their weapons tossed aside like toys.
Standing in the center of the wreckage was a boy who looked no older than seventeen. He had messy brown hair that fell over his eyes and wore a rugged dark brown shirt paired with heavy black tactical pants. He didn't look like a legendary warrior, but the way he moved suggested a terrifying amount of refined strength.
Dario Cale reached down and snatched the last standing goon by the collar, hoisting him off the ground until their noses almost touched.
"Let's try this one more time," Dario said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register. "Where is the one leading you guys? I'm looking for the head of this circus."
The goon gasped for air, his eyes wide with terror. He looked at his fallen comrades men twice the boy's size who had been taken down in seconds and kept his mouth shut.
"Hey, dude! Don't make me repeat myself. You really won't like what happens if I have to ask a third time," Dario shouted, his grip tightening. A faint, golden hum of energy began to radiate from his knuckles a sign of a Jinx energy beginning to manifest. "Where is your Boss?"
"S-Second compartment!" the man squealed, his courage breaking instantly. "He's at the front! The second compartment! Just don't kill me!"
Dario sighed, his shoulders relaxing as he dropped the man like a sack of garbage. "Is that so? You should have said that from the start instead of wasting my god-damned time. Now I'm behind schedule."
"Dario Cale!"
A girl's voice rang out from the back of the carriage. Dario turned to see a young woman stepping over a pile of unconscious thugs. She had sharp, intelligent eyes and a professional air that contrasted with Dario's reckless energy. This was Alina Glade. She was holding a tablet that flickered with criminal profiles.
"Look at these faces, Dario," Alina said, her voice grim. "These aren't just common train robbers. These guys were posted on the Association's high-priority watch list this morning."
Dario wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek. "You're right about that. They're the 'Vanguard Syndicates,' right?"
"Worse," Alina replied, scrolling through the data. "They are the primary organization dealing with human trafficking in the Northern District. It's been on the rise for months, and the Association has been desperate to track their transport routes. It looks like we stumbled right into their main artery."
Dario cracked his knuckles, a predatory grin spreading across his face. "The Association has been hunting them for a while? Man, I really hope they give us some major promotion points for dealing with these shit-heads. This might be our ticket out of the academy."
He began making his way toward the door leading to the front of the train.
"Wait! What do you think you're doing?" Alina stepped in front of him, her arms crossed. "Remember, Dario, we are still just Sorcerer Cadets. We're in training. We're supposed to be heading to the exams, not taking down a multi-national trafficking ring by ourselves."
Dario didn't slow down. He gently moved her aside, his eyes fixed on the door to the next carriage. "What do you mean by that? Cadet or not, a Sorcerer's job is to protect people. I'm not going to sit here and wait for an exam proctor to tell me it's okay to kick their butts."
He paused at the threshold and looked back over his shoulder.
"Here's the plan: I'm heading to the second compartment to deal with the ringleader and that 'insurance policy' they've got hiding up there. You stay here. Hold this position and beat down any small fries that try to circle back from the rear carriages. We can't let them sandwich us."
Alina bit her lip, knowing there was no stopping him when he got like this. "Fine. But Dario... listen to me! Make sure you don't use your full 'Technique' inside the train. The structural integrity won't hold if you go all out. You'll derail the whole thing!"
"Yeah, yeah. No explosions. I got it," Dario said, waving a hand dismissively as he stepped into the pressurized walkway between cars.
"I'm serious!" Alina screamed after him. "There are still dozens of innocent passengers trapped in the middle cars! Don't go wild, watch your back, and for heaven's sake, take care of yourself!"
Dario's voice floated back through the closing door, calm and confident. "I heard you the first three times, Alina. Relax. I'll be back before the next station."
As the door hissed shut, Dario's expression shifted. The cocky grin vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp focus. He could feel a strange, heavy pressure coming from the front of the train. It wasn't just the Boss or his thugs. There was something else something dangerous and suffocating.
"What the hell is up there, huh?" Dario whispered to himself, his hand reaching for the holster at his side.