It started raining.
This made Kariel pull up his hood. Although the burning from the acid rain didn't bother him too much, his eyes were vulnerable. And since that was the case, he had to be careful.
Running his fingers over the fabric of his cloak, he felt that it had become completely different.
This meant that the cloak he had picked up was nearing its end.
With this thought, Kariel stood up and looked back towards the Old City. As far as he could see, everything was calm. No loud sounds, no screams.
So, Ghost had either already successfully completed the job, or was still in the process.
In any case, even if he had been discovered, Kariel hoped he was not injured.
Ghost's ability
he impression made on him by the regeneration, as well as his strength, agility, and the speed with which he learned.
But Kariel still believed that there were no free miracles.
One could not possess such power and not pay any price for it.
Immense strength leads to a bulky physique and a mountain of muscle; the pursuit of agility requires the shedding of fat and muscular shackles. Incredible explosive power necessitates constant searching for food to replenish energy; and if you want to fly…
…look at birds, a species that doesn't exist on Nostramo. To conquer the sky, their bones evolved to become hollow.
And the Ghost…
It possessed the most terrifying healing speed Kariel had ever seen. In fact, it could hardly be called regeneration anymore. Rather, the flesh after injury would simply knit itself back together, striving to return to its ideal state.
It instinctively rejected damage.
So what price did the creature, clearly born in a laboratory, pay for this power?
Kariel had no answer, but he knew one thing: the Ghost must not die before him.
He squinted. His thoughts were interrupted by the roar of an engine coming from the other side of the bell tower. The sound was barely audible, but Kariel caught it.
He turned towards the brightly lit road. A huge black sedan was speeding towards him from a distance. There was not a hint of "aerodynamics" in its design. The car looked rough and massive, all its windows were heavily tinted.
"An armored car…"
A painfully familiar sight.
Kariel easily rose on his toes, jumped three times in place, and, pushing off, left the bell tower. He raced across the dark rooftops of the Old City.
His gaze was fixed on the road. The dazzling light of the lanterns seemed blurred in the intensifying rain, distant posts turned into tiny dots, and only the car remained clear.
The acid rain made the air damp and foul-smelling, but he paid no attention to it.
Drops drummed on his cloak and hood, creating a distracting noise. A fine patter, gradually accelerating, like his heartbeat.
Then he bent his knees, jumped, and an unseen force exploded in his body. A blue light flashed in his eyes, his muscles tensed, and the bricks under his feet crumbled into dust under the acid rain.
Relying only on himself, Kariel Lohars soared into the air for a moment.
"I could have been the Nostramo high jump and long jump champion if there were Olympics on this eternally night star…"
In the darkness, Kariel smiled slowly.
He did not like humor and hated jokes. But he smiled, albeit simply out of politeness.
…
"When was the last time we were in Quintus?"
Jando Scryvok asked this question, but his gaze was fixed somewhere to the side, not on the two women opposite him.
He sat in his luxurious leather chair and savored red wine from the car's bar.
Anytime, anywhere, most Nostramo aristocrats put pleasure first.
"We have never been to Quintus," Leina Scryvok replied in an icy tone. "If your pumpkin hasn't rotted yet, Jando, you wouldn't ask such stupid questions."
"Ha."
Hearing this, Jando chuckled:
"Your idea of stupidity is still as primitive as ever, sister. Your words sound like the babbling of a self-satisfied fool… Who did you think I was talking about when I said "we"?"
Leina Scryvok narrowed her eyes, and the terrible scar that crossed her face seemed to come alive and move.
"Sooner or later… I will skin you for your insolence, Jando," she said grimly.
"As you wish. But I think we both know that out of Father's three remaining children, you are the last one to get the black mark."
Leina's face instantly turned crimson.
Jando burst into loud laughter in response.
He threw back his elegant neck and drained his glass in one gulp. The liquid, redder than blood, slid over his lips and disappeared into his mouth. The explosion of taste on his tongue made him sigh with satisfaction.
Then he shifted his gaze to Irene Scryvok.
His elder sister.
"Esteemed sister… do you have an answer to my question?"
Irene looked up from the dark window. There were at least five meters between her and Jando – one could judge the size of the car by this. But the distance did not soften her gaze.
In fact, her gaze made the smile on Jando's face slowly fade, and his right hand crawled towards the side of the chair.
"If I were you, I wouldn't shoot in the car, Jando," Irene said emotionlessly.
"Father lent us the "Iron Pride" for a reason. Firstly, it symbolizes the glory of House Scryvok to some extent. Secondly, it protects against many types of weapons… including bullets fired from within."
"Then I have a knife," Jando replied calmly.
"You can try," Irene Scryvok said calmly. "But I don't guarantee your hand will remain intact."
Jando squinted. A second passed, then two, and he suddenly smiled relaxedly, removed his right hand, and even apologized.
"I apologize, esteemed sister. And I sincerely hope you will answer your foolish brother's little question…"
"Twenty years ago."
Irene turned back to the dark glass and quietly replied,
"Twenty years ago, we were here."
"Twenty years ago…" Jando nodded thoughtfully. "The famous Great Purge, right?"
"Yes."
"How interesting."
Jando smiled again.
"Seventy percent of Quintus's population disappeared in that Purge. I remember my feelings when I read about it in the family library… What a pity I wasn't there."
"Do you think you would have survived?"
Leina Scryvok sneered contemptuously, missing no opportunity to needle Jando.
"Six houses were forever wiped off the face of the earth in that Purge, and one of them was Lohars. You don't seriously think you could have surpassed any of the Lohars in swordsmanship?"
"No, Leina. I never thought so. In fact, if I could have been there, I would have gladly died."
This time Jando didn't retort, but calmly shook his head.
He raised his head to the hatch in the roof. Leina watched him, not understanding what this eternally self-satisfied bastard was planning.
Then she saw that his face was becoming more and more melancholic.
Suddenly, Leina shivered. Not for the first time, Jando's behavior baffled her.
"You belong among the "Knocking Teeth" or the "Silverwing Fall"… Jando, you are not worthy to be with us," Leina said with disgust.
"Perhaps," Jando looked at her and nodded vaguely. "I forgive your stupidity, Leina."
"You!…" Leina jumped up and lunged at Jando. At that moment, Irene turned around.
She saw a triumphant smirk on Jando's lips and fury on Leina's face.
But for some reason, in this tense and oft-repeated scene… Irene Scryvok felt an inexplicable unease for the first time.
The next second, she received the answer she didn't want.
CRASH!
With a deafening roar, House Scryvok's "Iron Pride" stopped dead in its tracks. There were still a good eight kilometers to the first post of the "Glorious Warlords."
The heavy wheels were still spinning, leaving black marks on the road, repaired at the cost of workers' lives. But it could no longer move.
Irene Scryvok could confirm this. Something on her left wrist was now humming low and intermittently.
An engine malfunction signal.
Chaos reigned in the cabin. Jando and Leina fell on each other, but instead of clawing at each other's throats, they both looked at their elder sister, who, buckled up, sat impassively in her chair.
Irene paid no attention to them. She smoothly and quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, pressed a button on the right armrest, and the heavy metal door separating the passenger compartment from the front opened.
Behind the door stood forty soldiers in black armor with weapons in their hands.
Irene stood up and met the gaze of their commander.
A slight nod, and the soldiers unbuckled their seatbelts. The side doors of the front compartment opened by themselves, and they stepped out.
Then the heavy door closed again, as did the partition between the cabins.
Everything happened quietly, quickly, and ominously.
Seeing this, Jando whistled and, squinting, said,
"Father didn't say the "Iron Pride" was this big… Does it fit so many people?"
"Some things must be earned to be known. For example, that it doesn't even need a driver."
Irene looked at her brother with an icy gaze.
"Enough talking. Get ready, Jando. And you, Leina."
As she said this, she rolled up her left sleeve. On her pale wrist was a small silver bracelet. Irene pressed it several times, and four seats in the cabin folded down, revealing weapon caches.
Jando whistled again, this time with surprise.
"So many assault rifles? And all of them the best models from the Prime?"
Leina snorted coldly, pushed him aside, walked to the arsenal, and, choosing a weapon, said in an icy tone,
"Shut up, Jando, and…"
"Target acquired, fire!"
A sharp cry from outside interrupted Leina. It was followed by a deafening roar of gunfire.
Thirty assault rifles, crafted by the hive masters of the Prime, exploded with a sound almost unbearable to the human ear. Both Jando and Leina winced. Only Irene remained unfazed.
But only she knew how wildly her heart was pounding.
"What's happening? Why am I so uneasy?"
"Cease fire, cease fire!" shouted the soldier's commander. "Fire support group – stand by, others – reload! Find him!"
"Him?"
Jando raised an eyebrow and joked:
"The attacker is only one? I thought the "Iron Pride" was hit by a grenade launcher."
"Shut up, Jando," Irene said quietly. "Take a weapon."
"Why, elder sister?"
"Take a weapon and be silent."
As she said this, Irene raised her head to the ceiling of the passenger compartment.
Although Jando demanded an explanation, his body was already acting preemptively – he grabbed an assault rifle.
He and Leina stood side by side, both looking after Irene at the ceiling. They didn't understand why she was doing this, but they wanted to know the answer.
And they got it.
A dark figure stood in the roof hatch, coldly gazing at the trio below.
Jando quickly raised his assault rifle – but in the next second, the figure disappeared.
Silence fell in the cabin. The acid rain drummed on the hatch, on the glass capable of withstanding a heavy caliber weapon shot. Drops shattered, but new ones fell in their place, meekly and relentlessly.
Irene raised her hand, a drop of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
She pressed the bracelet, brought it to her mouth, and quietly said,
"Attention on the perimeter and on the roof, Helmut… Is the attacker alone?"
"Esteemed Irene Scryvok, we have only seen a shadow."
"Continue observation… I will contact the "Glorious Warlords" to hurry with reinforcements," Irene said and pressed the red button on the armrest of her unfolded chair.
House Scryvok always had backup plans.
"Yes, esteemed Irene Scryvok!"
Helmut's voice sounded again from outside. He shouted through the piercing howl of the wind and rain:
"Everyone heard! Hold the formation, be on…"
"BOOM!"
The car was violently shaken.
"Fire! Fire!"
"He grabbed Commander Helmut!"
Jando's cheek twitched. In this chaos, covered in cold sweat, he muttered a curse.
"House Scryvok will crush you, attacker! And it doesn't matter who is behind you!"
Commander Helmut's voice came from Irene's bracelet, full of hatred and rage. But the attacker said nothing, letting Helmut continue to threaten and curse, maintaining a sinister silence.
Irene took a deep breath, preparing to intervene, to use Helmut's life as bait to extract at least some information. However, her plan failed before it could begin.
Helmut's sudden scream was replaced by the quiet sound of tearing flesh, which spread through the cabin without ceasing.
Above the night highway, above the heads of all who belonged to House Scryvok, a chilling scream echoed.
"Damn it…" Jando's cheek twitched again. "What's happening, elder sister?"
Irene did not answer. The next minute became a minute of agonizing waiting for all of them.
Time dragged on slowly, but no one uttered a word. Jando and Leina heard the quiet breathing of the soldiers outside, the dripping of drops on the roof. Irene remained silent, staring at her bracelet.
And then…
…singing came from the bracelet.
Low, drawn-out, with clear melancholy. The melody was soft, yet it resembled the scraping of a blade on the tender skin of the neck.
"Master…" Irene began slowly. "No matter how much other houses have paid you, Scryvok will pay ten times more."
The singing continued.
"On Nostramo, we are the richest. Our connections extend to all five hives. Master, it is not too late to stop."
The singing stopped.
But the voice on the other end did not answer, only chuckled softly. The rain rustled, the wind whistled, and he laughed, his laughter gradually fading into the distance…
Frozen Leina, after a short silence, asked,
"…Did he leave?"
BANG!
A heavy blow fell on the sturdy glass behind Leina, covering it with cracks. She shuddered and collapsed on the floor. But Jando did not mock her. With a deathly pale face, he looked in that direction.
He had just seen a dark ghost flash past.
And immediately, shouts from the soldiers sounded again from outside.
"He's at the side! Fire!"
"Damn it, where did he go?!"
"Continue firing, continue firing! Support group, hold the perimeter!"
"Found you, bastard! Try… what?! No, no!"
"He's there! He killed A-7! He… he… he cut him up!.."
"No, he's here, with me!"
Chaos erupted suddenly, without warning. Madness spread with it. The weapons did not fall silent, not even among the support group. Everyone fired wildly, but this could not hide one fact.
The shots became fewer, and the screams became more numerous.
A gust of wind and rain swept through, and dead silence fell in the cabin.
Jando's hands trembled. He looked at the almost shattered window, and in the soft yellow light of the cabin, he could clearly see muddy rainwater trickling down the cracks.
But from above, down the glass, blood was also trickling.
Jando slowly raised his head and saw a corpse. It appeared in the hatch suddenly, no one noticed when.
It had no arms or legs, its bulletproof helmet was removed. Its face was pressed against the glass, and its black, lifeless eyes stared directly at Jando.
He met its gaze.
Three seconds later, Jando, trembling all over, fell to the floor.
"Elder sister…" he whispered in a trembling voice.
"I see."
Irene replied slowly, her face paler than it had ever been in her life. Then she raised her left hand:
"Commander Helmut confirmed deceased. Scryvok soldiers, report casualties."
Heavy, intermittent breathing came from the bracelet:
"Soldier A-1 assumes command… Esteemed Irene Scryvok, we have suffered heavy losses. Nine of us remain."
"How is that possible?!" roared Leina, who had been sitting on the floor for some time. "How could forty soldiers of House Scryvok…"
"Shut up, Leina."
Irene turned with a grim face. She turned and finally picked up an assault rifle from the small arsenal under the seat.
She skillfully removed the magazine, checked the chamber, then immediately loaded the weapon. Raising the assault rifle in a standard stance, she slowly backed away towards the heavy door connecting the passenger compartment to the front, and stopped there.
"Listen to my every word, soldiers of House Scryvok. There are nine of you left, you have suffered heavy losses, yes."
"But House Scryvok will not forget your sacrifice. The families of all the fallen will receive adequate support, your children will be able to become our soldiers, so… you know what to do."
"Yes, sir!"
Soldier A-1, who had assumed command, roared:
"Everyone heard the words of esteemed Irene Scryvok! We will die for Scryvok!"
"Yes, I heard too."
A low voice sounded through the curtain of rain. It pierced the downpour, pierced the cabin, carrying with it an endless cold, as if crossing the boundary between life and death, sending a chill down one's spine.
"Then I grant you the death you crave, Commander A-1."
"He's ahead! Fir…"
"No! Commander!"
"Don't, please!.."
The last desperate cry pierced the night. Less than six minutes had passed since the attack began. In the cabin, three sat with different expressions on equally pale faces.
"Master…" Irene began with difficulty again, making a last attempt. But the attacker did not let her.
BANG!
Another deafening blow struck the right side of the car with such force that they barely stayed on their feet.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Five consecutive blows, from the right side. One after another, each stronger than the last. The sturdy hull of this car, which had served House Scryvok for over two hundred and twenty years, began to buckle inward.
And in this indentation, a knife blade slowly and smoothly appeared. With a quiet metallic scrape, as if cutting butter, the blade began to rotate, and after a few seconds, a huge circle appeared.
Jando's breathing became ragged. As Irene had said, he didn't know many of the "Iron Pride's" secrets, but he knew one thing.
Its armor was made with adamantium.
Scrape.
With a sharp sound, the cut-out metal circle was slowly "pushed" outward. The heavy piece of metal fell onto the expensive carpet with a dull thud.
The bright light of the highway lanterns burst inside, along with the stench of acid rain and the thick, suffocating smell of blood.
And then they saw a cloaked figure standing among the corpses, looking at them.
Under the hood, a ghostly blue light burned.
Click.
"Ahhh!" Leina screamed hysterically.
She didn't realize that this sound was made by the former Commander Helmut on the hatch. His mutilated body, washed away by the downpour, slid off the roof. Ten minutes ago, Leina would have noticed this.
But now she was not Leina Scryvok, but merely a captive whose soul had been consumed by fear.
And at that moment, she was not the only one in the car held captive by fear.
Otherwise, why was no one shooting?
"Shhh… When someone is about to speak, one should be silent."
A soft, drawn-out whisper pierced the downpour, the wind howled, and the quiet voice sounded again:
"Now run, heirs of House Scryvok."
"Get out of your precious car and run under the dirty acid rain. I want your noble lungs to inhale the primordial stench of the Underhive, I want your pale skin to burn from the acid rain…"
"I want you to feel pain."
"I will kill you, but not now. Torment is always interesting, heirs of House Scryvok."
He chuckled softly, and the light of the lanterns became blurred in the rain fog.
"Your reinforcements are already on their way. For the next twelve hours, you can run, hide, or try to resist. But I want you to remember one thing."
A dark shadow slowly stepped forward. From this single step, Leina's scream became even louder, Jando threw his head back in horror, and Irene… she could barely stand.
Then he slowly raised his right hand, and under the silver blade pressed against his wrist, a tattoo appeared.
"The Vengeful Spirit has come for you."
With these words, he disappeared.
Silence fell in the cabin. The smell of blood, mixed with stench and cold, burst inside. Jando greedily gasped for air, trying to recover.
He glanced at the still trembling Leina, instinctively wanting to laugh at her to alleviate his own terror and enjoy the joy of salvation.
But at that moment, he heard an icy breath at his ear.
"Run," commanded an icy voice.
Five seconds later, three screams echoed in the cabin, and three figures burst out, throwing themselves to run without any dignity under the dirty acid rain they had created themselves.
Behind them, a low, mad laughter echoed through the night darkness.
***
Read the story months before public release — early chapters are on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Granulan