In Argentus, Kyra's team stood ready in a hall within the Royal Palace, summoned by the King himself.
Selhob, bored and restless, tossed a red orb against the wall, maintaining Convert. "We just returned from a mission. Why are we here again! I want to check on Elara."
"Complaining is pointless," CodeForger responded, his cybernetic eyes scanning holographic data patterns generated by his mask as he kept Accelerate-Mind active. "We were summoned by the King. As for Elara, she is strong. We'll know when we have time."
Gaia, gazing out at the cityscape with Acuity, remarked, "I never expected the King to personally commission a marshal."
"Odd indeed," Igniss chimed in, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed in contemplation.
Daed, pouring himself a glass of wine, offered a different perspective. "It just shows how good we are."
"Patience is a virtue," Sena added, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the others' restlessness.
Speculation filled the room, each team member offering their theories about the mission.
"I bet it's a hit," Selhob guessed.
"An extraction," countered CodeForger.
"Information gathering," Igniss suggested, citing rumors of power struggles among the Celestials.
Sena sighed. "Boys, have some respect. We're in Argentus!"
Selhob grumbled. "I'm bored! Let's have some fun."
Daed grinned. "I bet it's artifact retrieval."
"Not you too!" Sena exclaimed.
"Selhob's right, a little fun won't hurt," Daed chuckled. "You could use some yourself."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!"
"They ruined my leave, so let's have some fun!" Selhob insisted.
"This must be serious. It's the King," Sena maintained.
Igniss reassured her, "Whatever it is, we'll handle it as always."
At that moment, Kyra entered the room. "What are you lot up to?" she asked, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"Nothing, Captain," Selhob replied casually. "What did the King want?"
"Honestly, I expected something big," Kyra admitted, taking a seat on the sofa. "Turns out it's an extraction mission in a Mundane Plane."
"CodeForger wins!" Selhob whispered through gritted teeth.
Kyra activated Mind-Lace and Mnemonic-Transfer, and her team followed suit. She relayed the mission details: an intelligence operative had gone AWOL, unable to contact the Aggregate.
Stranded on a Null-Field with a depleted BlackStone was the initial theory, later confirmed through a trade. He possessed crucial information, classified as Mnemonic-Transfer only, preventing him from disclosing it before his disappearance.
Kyra shared her suspicions about the situation. An extraction for an AWOL operative seemed odd, especially one who hadn't reported his intel sooner.
However, the value of the information he held justified the effort. She questioned the method of contact, but the answer surprised her – it was not the operative who reached out.
A LastBorn, assigned to locate him, had found his trail and made daily trades for information, eventually pinpointing his location. They were to retrieve him from a Plane called Erathos, near ObsidianVoid.
The King also instructed them to first Ride to another Plane and bring someone along – the local Sheriff.
Kyra was surprised and apprehensive. Why would they need a third-rate Rider from a Mundane Plane? She voiced her concerns, fearing he would hinder the mission, but the King insisted, claiming he would serve as a guide.
Kyra reluctantly agreed, receiving the Sheriff's genetic code and life sign for identification. "Weird," she thought. "No StreamBreath Pulsation or CallSign?"
"He must be one hell of an operative!" Selhob exclaimed after receiving the Mnemonic-Transfer.
Daed activated the Akashic-Key. "I've chosen the optimal Nexus-Stream, but it's a long Ride." He gave the time frame which equaled about eighty-one hours of Erathos time.
"That far?" Selhob groaned.
"It's near ObsidianVoid," Kyra reminded him.
"Sounds dreadful. I'm already bored!"
"First time in a Mundane Plane for me," CodeForger said, activating Akashic-Key. "Let's make the best of it."
"The sooner we finish, the better," Gaia agreed, joining the others as they prepared to Ride.
Activating their Runes, they rose into the air and vanished with a blur, reappearing on a prairie outside the Palace. Daed opened a Way-Shear, enlarged by his Kin Rune, while Igniss created a cube-shaped Aegis-Veil with gaps for his teammates.
They entered the Aegis-Veil, and then slowly moved towards the Way-Shear, disappearing within its swirling depths.
Eighty-one hours later, they emerged from a similar Way-Shear on a hill overlooking a medieval town. The Way-Shear vanished behind them, leaving Igniss exhausted from maintaining the Aegis-Veil.
"Remarkable! So primitive!" CodeForger observed.
"Step down from your high castle, will you!" Selhob smirked.
"Screw you, Spikes!"
"Screw you back, Gray-Face!"
"Enough!" Kyra commanded, silencing them.
"I'm detecting the Sheriff's genetic code northeast of our position," Codex-7 reported. "Shall we pay him a visit?"
"CodeForger, lead the way!" Kyra ordered, activating her Runes. They followed CodeForger as he leaped towards the designated coordinates, arriving at the town's outskirts. The townspeople stared in fear as the Riders walked through the streets, their appearances and attire unlike anything they had ever seen.
Following Codex-7's directions, they found the Sheriff passed out in the street, clutching an empty bottle. His ragged clothes were filthy, his stench a mix of alcohol, piss and grime. Kyra felt a surge of anger and disappointment.
"Is he serious?" Gaia muttered, her voice laced with disgust.
"Unbelievable!" Sena exclaimed.
Kyra's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration. What could the King and Primal have been thinking?
"What do we do with him?" Daed asked.
"Wake him up, and drag him along," Kyra replied curtly.
Igniss kicked the Sheriff in the gut. "Wake up, you dirty dud!"
The Sheriff groaned, clutching his stomach as he opened his eyes. "Why did you do that?" he grumbled.
"I kicked a bag of dirt, that's what I did!" Igniss retorted.
"Damn it!" Kyra snapped. "You're a disgrace! How can a Rider sink so low?"
The Sheriff slowly came to his senses, realizing Riders surrounded him. "Riders, eh?" he muttered, sitting up and rubbing his head.
"Yes," Kyra replied, barely containing her anger. "You're Gaieuss Mark, correct?"
"Uh! I thought you were Growny's men. Turns out it's just a bunch of paltry Riders." He smirked. "Manner dictates, you first introduce yourselves before asking who someone is."
Kyra clenched her fists, struggling to maintain her composure. "Trade carefully, old man! You're in the presence of a marshal of the LastBorn Aggregate."
"A marshal, eh?" he scoffed. "They let little girls play marshal these days?"
"Again, trade carefully," Kyra warned, her voice low and dangerous. "I outrank you. Show some respect unless you want to be disciplined."
The Sheriff burst into laughter. "Those who demand respect don't deserve it. Respect is earned or forced. And I doubt you can do either."
Kyra snapped. Activating her Sigil, she summoned her Soul-Sever and swung it at him, the tip stopping just short of his throat. "Respect can be forced, right!" she said, her voice cold and steady.
The laughter died in his throat. "Do you think you can scare me?" he challenged, his gaze defiant despite the blade at his neck.
"If not for the King's orders, I would have," Kyra replied, her eyes locked on his.
"The King?"
"Coming here wasn't our idea," Sena interjected. "The King himself commissioned us to fetch you."
The Sheriff spat on the ground. "If that old fool sent you, then I'll hear what you have to say."
Kyra felt her anger rising. Activating Might, she pulled her sword back, preparing to strike. "Disrespecting us is one thing, but disrespecting the King is another! You've given me reason to kill you."
Seeing her fury, the Sheriff stood and activated his Sigil. Sena stepped between them. "No LastBorn harms another without cause," she stated firmly, reminding them of the cardinal law.
Kyra deactivated Might and sheathed her sword. "I want to draw your blood," she growled, "but the law is the law."
The Sheriff deactivated his Sigil. "I need another drink," he muttered, scratching his head.
"Codex-7, search the database for everything on this man," CodeForger ordered.
"Searching LastBorn Archives," Codex-7 responded.
"I can't understand His Majesty's thinking," Kyra said, her voice laced with frustration. "You add no value. You've abandoned your pride as a Rider and disregarded your duties as a Sheriff. You're a failure."
"I lost interest," the Sheriff replied, turning away from them. "Tell your King I refuse his request."
Igniss and Selhob blocked his path.
"Easy there!" Igniss warned.
The Sheriff glared at them. "It's rude to block a man's path. And as a gesture of goodwill, I'll let you in on a secret: Many have died for less." He smiled. "Move!"
"I'd love to see you try," Igniss challenged.
"Enough!" Kyra shouted. "You misunderstand! The King was not asking, he was ordering. Disobeying him is treason, punishable by death. You're giving me reason to enforce that judgment."
"Ah, Enforcer's Law jargon. I don't miss that," the Sheriff sighed, cleaning his ear with his little finger. "You misunderstand, too. I'm not guarding this sector; it belongs to me. I'm not a Sheriff, nor do I want to be. I just want to be left alone."
"You own this sector?" Gaia asked, surprised.
"Yes. It's my domain, a gift from your King. Neither you nor your laws have authority here," the Sheriff declared. "Yet, that old fool won't leave me in peace."
"That doesn't make sense!" Kyra exclaimed, but it explained his attitude. If the King had gifted him this sector, making it his domain, the Sheriff title would legitimize his claim.
As Kyra pondered this, Codex-7 completed her search. "Search complete," she announced.
CodeForger activated Aura-Sight briefly, then Akashic-Key. "Captain!" he exclaimed.
"What did you find, Codex-7?" Gaia asked.
"Name: Gaieuss Mark. Designated post: Sheriff. No other data found."
"That's impossible!" Gaia shouted. "Look again!"
"I searched all archives, including classified information. Nothing else exists, no CallSign assigned."
"Mnemonic-Trade failed; Thûl Classified information!" CodeForger added after deactivating Akashic-Key.
"Captain, this man could be an Ace!"