Cardio City was bustling with activities. People crowded the sidewalks, and the air smelled of the smoky aroma of street food.
Noah strolled casually down the street, a phone pressed to his ear.
"What's up, Asher?" he asked. "Yeah, I was busy with something. Can't really take your call before."
Noah stopped, a smirk forming on his face.
"The boss is calling me?" Noah said, his grin widening. "I see, so he finally made a decision. About time."
He listened for a moment, his eyes scanning the storefronts.
"Let's meet up before heading to the hideout together. Less conspicuous that way," he said. "I will be there in five minutes."
Noah hung up the call and pocketed his phone. His casual stroll shifted into purposeful strides. He walked into a narrow, grim alleyway choked with overflowing dumpsters and faded graffiti. Making a quick check left and right to make sure nobody was watching, the air around him shimmered faintly, and he vanished with a soft *pop*.
---
On the other side of Cardio City, near the Joker Roulette base, the mohawk guy had just finished talking with Noah and began to pocket his phone.
Noah said he needed five minutes to meet him, but Asher knew that with his teleportation ability, Noah could just suddenly appear anytime.
Exactly when he thought that, a voice suddenly said to him, "Miss me?"
Noah asked, as he suddenly appeared behind Asher.
"Whoa, you scared me!" Asher gasped, clutching his chest. The mohawk guy was clearly shocked. He knew this could happen but prepared too late.
Noah snorted. "You know what I can do and yet still surprised by it?"
"Yes, but—"
"Whatever, let's go," Noah cut him off, not giving him a chance to continue. He started walking, and Asher had no choice but to follow along.
"Anyway, how much do you actually know about the other members?" Noah asked as they kept walking. "Specifically, their powers."
Asher sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Honestly? Barely anything. Like you saw before, the older members can demand a newbie like me demonstrate their power, but it doesn't work the other way around."
"I see," Noah mused. "So the newer the member, the bigger the disadvantage. The longer you're in, the more secrets you get let in on?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Asher confirmed. "That's why the only powers I know for sure are Milo's—that's my friend, the one who vouched for me—and that small girl, Willow, who healed Owen's hand the other day. Besides my own, obviously."
"Now that you mention it," Noah said, glancing sideways at Asher as they turned a corner toward a dilapidated warehouse district, "I never did ask about your power."
They arrived at the unmarked side door of a large, rust-streaked warehouse—the Joker Roulette hideout.
Asher shrugged. "Well, I don't mind telling you. It's not exactly subtle—"
"Later," Noah cut him off smoothly, his gaze fixed on the heavy door. "Let's deal with this first."
---
They entered the dimly lit warehouse, the air thick with dust and the faint smell of oil and stale sweat. They navigated past stacked crates and discarded machinery to a reinforced door leading to the inner meeting room.
Inside, the atmosphere was starkly different. A long, polished metal table dominated the space, surrounded by eight high-backed chairs. Industrial lights buzzed overhead.
Liam sat at the head of the table, his posture relaxed but commanding. Owen, the massive buff guy, glowered from a seat to Liam's right, his arms crossed over his chest, radiating hostility. Beside Owen sat the quiet little girl, Willow, and the tall, sharp-eyed Ridley. The only other person present was a lean man with neatly combed hair and wire-rimmed glasses sitting opposite Owen.
"You're late," Milo stated flatly, adjusting his glasses as Noah and Asher entered.
"Sorry, Milo," Asher mumbled, quickly taking the empty seat beside his friend.
Noah glanced at Milo, then back at Asher. "So that's your friend?" he asked quietly.
Asher gave a tight nod.
"Welcome, Noah," Liam finally spoke, his voice echoing slightly in the sparse room. All eyes turned to him. "Regarding your admission to join our group, we've concluded our discussions." He paused, his gaze steady on Noah. "I think you can already see it coming, but we open our arms and accept you as the eighth member of Joker Roulette."
Owen let out a derisive snort, looking pointedly away.
Noah ignored him completely, offering Liam a smooth smile. "Thank you, Boss man. I appreciate the trust."
Liam gestured toward the two remaining empty chairs beside Asher. "Please, have a seat. You're officially part of the team now."
Asher sat beside Milo, who gave him a questioning look. Noah slid into the chair beside Asher, stretching his legs out comfortably under the table.
"So..." Noah scanned the table, his expression curious. "...are the other members not joining us? Bit of a sparse welcome party."
"Unfortunately," Liam replied, steepling his fingers, "they're engaged with other operations right now. So no, they won't be present today."
"Is that so?" Noah said, feigning mild disappointment. "Too bad. I was actually preparing a little 'thank you' gift for accepting me." He leaned forward slightly. "But I wonder if it's going to be as useful if not all members are present."
Ridley leaned in, intrigued. "What do you mean? What kind of gift?"
"It's nothing really," Noah said, waving a dismissive hand. "I just happened to figure out that you guys have a significant... beef... with the Arcane Keepers, right? I might have stumbled across some information that could be rather helpful regarding them."
Owen snorted loudly. "What kind of intel could a newbie like you possibly get that we don't already know? Probably garbage."
"Then forget I mentioned it," Noah said, leaning back with an easy smile. "Just a silly idea. My mistake."
"No, I will decide if it's valuable or not myself," Liam stated, his gaze fixed on Noah.
Owen shot Noah a look of clear dissatisfaction. "Boss!" he started, but Liam silenced him with a raised hand.
"So, Noah, go ahead," he said. "What's this information you have?"
"As you wish, Boss man," Noah said, purposely showing a satisfied smile just to annoy Owen more. "So, is it fair for me to assume the biggest problem you face when dealing with the Arcane Keepers is their sheer numbers?"
"Pretty much," Milo responded cautiously, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "What of it?"
"I got wind of one of their upcoming missions," Noah revealed. "They're planning to deploy a team of four to capture a two-person target."
"I see," Liam said. "So your idea was for us to hunt them down while they're hunting themselves?"
"Well, it's a good opportunity, right?" Noah said. "Their numbers are small, and they will be distracted. Still, though, it would be better if all members joined in this attack for a complete victory. Assuming, of course, you decide to take this opportunity."
"Hah!" Owen slammed a fist on the table, making Willow flinch. "If it's just four, I can handle that alone! No need to drag everyone else into it!"
Ridley laughed beside him. "I think that's still too much even for you," he said.
Willow remained silent, watching the exchange with wide eyes.
Meanwhile, Liam didn't react; he was deep in thought. The silence stretched.
"When is this hunt supposed to happen?" Liam finally asked, his voice low.
"Tomorrow," Noah replied without hesitation.
"Wait," Milo interjected, pushing his glasses up his nose. "How much of this is true anyway? Are you sure this info is credible?"
"Of course," Noah smiled. "I'm not going to embarrass myself by giving you guys fake information."
Milo stared at Noah with a suspicious look, but Noah just ignored it.
"So what are we going to do, Boss?" Ridley asked. "Are we going to do it or not?"
Liam's gaze swept the table, lingering on Noah for a moment, then settled into decisive resolve.
"Try to contact all available members," he ordered. "Let's see if they can make it for tomorrow's hunt."
---