Untrustable

Chapter 9: Best Affection, Worst Distraction

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Area 37  11:51a.m.

  "How does it feel to see the sunlight after three years and a quarter?" Seth asked, a smirk present on his face as he made his first strike, landing the impact on Jensen's blade.

  "Light's beautiful, marvelous, just like my victory." Jensen replied, easily dodging and parrying the strikes from Seth, since they aren't quick at all.

  "Interesting... I like the way you speak now." Seth stated and performed a swift counterattack, but end up parried by the steel of Jensen.

  "You grown old, Seth, slower as ever." Jensen mocked, proving his statement correct by easily making all his opponent's strikes miss and cut through the empty wind.

  "You hadn't see the worst I have to offer." Seth hissed as he deliver a devastating series of rapid strokes, forcing Jensen into a full form defensive state, parrying and dodging every single strike he receive, desperately trying to make time for a counter attack but failed all the time, interrupted by another quick slash.

  Raiden was kept busy by a few more Arbiters, two against one, ain't easy job for him, tackling two opponents at once can be a big pain as he needs both hand and eye coordination, and a lot of focus.

  Jensen continued on, the two elites fought in silence, only the noise of clashing steel echoed throughout the vast field and fade into a hollow sound when it traveled further into the shadows of the forests. No blood was drawn, for the skills of both experienced fighters proved a tight competition without a winner, only sharp metal blunting each other and desperately trying to draw blood from their enemy's owner.

  "Time wasting." Jensen murmured as he performed a back handspring and smashed a cylinder onto the earth, causing it to erupt into a thick mist of white smoke. Jensen waltzed through the smoke, ambushing the two Arbiters which were busy with Raiden and offered them a slow death by slicing off their main veins, allowing red blood to stream from the wound.

  "We move." Jensen ordered as the both of them took off and sprint away from the fields.

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Arbiter Station Military Department

1:26 p.m.

  Seth makes his way through the corridors, neat rows of lights lined on the low ceiling above him. A few offices present on both sides as he walked along the black carpets, the mud from his boots slightly staining the fabric brown.

  He glanced at himself through the washroom mirror, he always looked strange without his sunglasses. He brushed through his brown hair and roughly swiped over the light mustache he had and soak his face in water which he filled earlier in the concrete sink.

  Seth knocked twice on the head commander's door after his refreshment in the washroom.

  "Come in." The voice soft but steady. Seth entered the room.

  "Seth, I'm expecting good news." The head commander exclaimed with a slight grin on his lips. His office appeared big, with his table in the center which was topped with paperwork and stationary and also including his name plate, Cole Hanz, a rifle behind the leather chair, flag of the Arbiters beside the table and a comfy sofa in front of the table.

  Seth took his seat and adjusted his sitting position, his nervousness overcoming him and his voice started chattering. "I... can't get him, sir." Seth informed, though nothing too serious would happen but the tension was always present within Seth.

  The head commander slammed the table, a loud thud. Seth did not jump as he was expecting that. "That's impossible, we spared around ten elites and he escape?!" He yelled.

  "Precisely" Seth answered.

  Cole slammed the table once again, walking around in his office, pouting, whispering to himself and cursing for a minute and only he began to calm down, frustration could be clearly seen on the little wrinkles on his face. "Explain." He ordered.

  Seth gave out all the explanation, like a witness questioned in the high courts.

  "We need something to give him a dead end, something to stop him." Cole stated as he sinks comfortably into his leather armchair, two fingers slowly caressing his chin.

  "Brute force can never be an option, Jensen outranks any of us except me here, but he always have something up his sleeve." Seth suggested.

  "What about an ambush?" Cole asked.

  "Neither, he has eyes behind his back, his instincts and sensitivity to his surroundings are good, calculate the bullets he parried away." Seth answered.

  "Outnumber him?" Cole questioned.

  "Not recommended, sir, it will work but he can take down more than few of our men, which actually is a big price to pay. Besides, if other people are informed about news such, there will be an outbreak, or maybe a revolution, we may be risking an attack on this Arbiter Headquarters." Seth answered once again, his voice confident.

  "Is there a not bloody way to settle this brutal dispute and eliminate this dangerous man from the surface of the earth?" Cole asked, he raised his voice a little.

  The atmosphere of the room turned silent. Cole left his seat and started to walk around again. Seth stared blankly at the paper works on Cole's desk, his brain functioning to think of a solution at the same time.

  "There is one way." Seth finally stated, a feeling of cruel happiness present within the spread of his lips.

  "And what is it?" Cole asked. His face brightening up as he smiled a bit towards Seth.

  "Skylar."