Chapter 9: Descent into the Sewers
The lizardman backed away unsteadily, eyeing the Aura Blade pointed straight at him. It looked for all the world like he'd been cowed by Roque's threat.
Just then, Roque's gaze—fixed intently on the lizardman—flicked toward the distant sky. Whatever he saw made his brow furrow slightly.
"Damn. Dragged this out too long."
The female mercenary, hearing that, whipped around to look. There, in Midland's airspace, black dots were growing larger by the second.
But as she reflexively tried to zoom her electronic eyes in for a better view, the lizardman—who'd been clutching his severed shoulder—suddenly threw his head back and let out a deafening roar toward the heavens.
"Kreeeeeh—!"
With that scream-like bellow, the lizardman's scales began to glow an eerie jade green, as if engulfed in emerald flames. Roque didn't hesitate at the ominous sight—he lunged forward, intent on severing the creature's neck before it could pull any tricks.
The lizardman's gleaming yellow eyes locked onto Roque's advance.
Something in that gaze made Roque's body jerk back as if yanked by invisible wires.
An instant later, as Roque retreated, a thick stream of viscous green liquid erupted from the lizardman's maw. It splattered across the entire trailer roof.
"What the hell is—"
The mercenary, positioned behind the lizardman, dodged the spray. But the dizzying stench that followed made her head spin and her knees buckle. Through watering eyes, she watched the trailer plating bubble and melt.
"Nasty stuff."
Roque, balanced precariously on the trailer's edge with just his toes, muttered through a sleeve pressed over his nose. If he'd gone for the kill a second earlier, he'd have been drenched in that acid.
"Grraaah..."
The lizardman, having unleashed his payload, drooled acidic residue from his jaws, groaning in agony. Spewing the stuff clearly wasn't painless—his scales had dulled and cracked. Yet even as he staggered, his eyes burned with clear hatred for Roque.
Meeting that stare, Roque felt an inexplicable mix of desperation and ancient longing.
For a moment, he held the gaze in silence. Then the luminous sword in his right hand faded away. Without breaking eye contact, he spoke.
"One rule to survive long in the mercenary game: don't fight the law. Even if it means botching the job."
With that, Roque leaped back, flipped in midair, and landed smoothly on the Black Knight. He slid through the open driver's window and vanished.
"Wh-what? Why? Why bail now?"
The female mercenary pinched her nose, voice nasal and stunned. But realization dawned, and she spun around in alarm. The black dots—now clearly Midland Police Department AeroDynes—had closed in fast. Red and blue lights flashed atop them.
She glanced back at the Black Knight. The black charger had slipped sideways, blending seamlessly with civilian traffic as if the chaos meant nothing to it.
"Son of a bitch! We're made! Pull up alongside!"
The last modified truck circling the trailer veered in close. But before she could jump across, a megaphone blared from the approaching AeroDyne.
Stop, stop— Cease all movement. You are suspected of trailer hijacking. Stop all actions and cooperate peacefully.
"Shit..."
The silver-haired mercenary muttered under her breath as AeroDynes swarmed the sky above the trailer. The plan had been a quick grab-and-go, vanishing into Midland's urban maze of alleys and subways—the perfect jungle to shake MLPD pursuit.
Then the lizardman, who'd been staring at the retreating Black Knight, snapped his head up. He scanned the three AeroDynes encircling the trailer, then slammed his remaining left fist into the roof—the trailer floor from inside.
Already half-melted by his acid, the metal tore like paper.
Stop. Further movement will be considered hostile. Do not move.
MLPD issued the ultimatum, but the lizardman ignored it, ripping the roof open wider. Once the hole was big enough, he wriggled his bulk inside.
The AeroDynes pivoted in midair. Side panels unfolded like wings, revealing heavily armed officers in black body armor and glowing red-visored masks.
They trained weapons on the ground immediately. The silver-haired mercenary didn't hesitate—she leaped.
"Huh."
Roque, who'd pulled back in the Black Knight pretending non-involvement, gave a low whistle. She'd jumped not toward the modified truck on the inner lane, but outward—toward the drop below the elevated highway. Better a broken leg than capture on that truck, no doubt.
Sure enough, the SWAT team's guns roared. The mercenaries on the truck popped up to return fire but were shredded by overwhelming firepower, crashing into the median divider.
By then, the lizardman emerged from the trailer interior—clutching something. A slender rectangular box, like a small coffin.
Roque instantly knew: that was the dragon relic the megacorps were after.
MLPD guns snapped toward him regardless. Bullets rained down; the lizardman curled protectively around the box. Either the cops packed more punch than the mercs, or the acid spew had weakened him—scales tore, blood sprayed.
Yet amid the barrage, he scanned his surroundings, then decided. Like the silver-haired merc before him, he kicked off the trailer and leaped—toward the drop below.
The SWAT team faltered, guns dipping in disbelief. But they quickly signaled via radio; one AeroDyne stuck to the still-moving trailer, the other two dove after the jumper.
Roque blended into sidestreet traffic, slipping away. In the rearview, he saw the trailer halt, cops deploying to secure the road.
Then the Black Knight's terminal chimed. Screen lit: William the goblin's wrinkled green face. He nodded at Roque's image.
"You got a spotter on me? Intel's coming in hot."
Roque eased the Black Knight's wheel.
"That thing on the trailer didn't look happy to see the cops."
"Cargo?"
Roque's brow furrowed again.
Two police AeroDynes streaked overhead as Roque exited the highway. He traced their path mentally, then eased on the accelerator.
"Too early to quit."
The screen went dark. Roque steered into a rundown apartment block below the highway, mentally mapping the AeroDynes' trajectory and the lizardman's drop point.
Soon he spotted a landed AeroDyne, cops interviewing residents. Slowing, he watched from afar, then turned toward them.
The officer gathering statements eyed the approaching Black Knight curiously. Roque leaned out the window with a nod; the cop tipped his hat in return.
"What's the problem?"
"Can't discuss an active investigation. You a resident?"
"Just passing through on business."
Roque gave a vague reply, scanning behind. Narrow alleys between buildings, claw-marked walls, smashed metal trash cans. Cops milled about, inspecting.
"Carry on, then."
"Uh, yeah..."
Roque drove slowly past, reconstructing the lizardman's fall and path along that alley. Despite his size and wounds, no one seemed to have spotted him—cops and locals alike.
Not many escape routes in a pinch like that.
"Sewers it is."
The alley had a sewer manhole. Cops hadn't clocked it yet—the lid was askew, caught by Roque's sharp eyes.
Mind made up, he parked on a quiet street, checked for witnesses, and pried open a nearby manhole. The stench hit; his face twisted.
"...This'll stink up my coat."
Grimacing, he dropped in. His silhouette vanished into the street.
Underground, Roque rose and scanned. Midland's underbelly was pitch-black, air thick with reeking humidity. But he smirked faintly amid the odor—faintly familiar, laced with the trailer's acidic tang.
"A lizardman in the sewers..."
Muttering, he followed the scent trail. Darkness swallowed him, but it didn't matter. He felt no fear or discomfort in the void. If anyone should be afraid down here, it wouldn't be him.
Soon, Roque and the shadows became one.