Chapter 18 - 17. Ambush
The alley was dimly lit, the kind of place where secrets liked to fester. Dust clung to the air like old memories. Leo Steelheart stepped lightly, his dark coat fluttering around his ankles, while Arnold trailed a few paces behind, lost in thought. The two had spent the past week frequenting the virtual cafe-portal of the great world of honour. Leo had used the sessions well, condensing his sixth bead, a gleaming, high-quality sphere of mana that pulsed with faint golden veins. His fire attribute had subtly shifted—now ten percent was touched by the evolving Flame of Honour.
Their walk was interrupted by a sharp scraping noise.
Arnold's pupils constricted.
From the rooftops and shadows, five figures emerged. Four men and one woman. They wore mismatched leather armor, faces masked with cloth soaked in dried blood. Leo froze. The air was off. Wrong. Tense like a drawn bow.
"Ambush," Arnold muttered. "And not just any street scum."
One of the attackers raised a curved wand. "Leo Steelheart. Your commerce choked too many throats. It's time someone returned the favor."
Leo's eyes flicked to the symbol stitched onto the attacker's collar—a black sun engulfed in flames. Recognition struck. Ignisia Trading Guild. A rival commerce that had once challenged Steelheart's rise and vanished from the market years ago.
"They still breathe?" Leo whispered.
"They're breathing now," Arnold growled. "Let's make that temporary."
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Leo's six beads spun around him in a tight, slow spiral. One pulsed, already aching from the morning's training. He gritted his teeth.
"Fire Grasp!"