Is that! Ivan squinted his eyes. Through the jagged portal of broken glass into the dimly lit control room, he swore he saw a faint shadow of a man. After a blink, the figure disappeared. Eerie silence hung in the air. There was not a word from or an inkling of Vasco or his uncle. His cousin's grip on his sleeve loosened.
Suddenly, another hand gently wrapped around the back of Ivan's neck. It had the dry texture that one would get from frequent hand washing. Ivan immediately knew it was not his cousin's. He tensed up, and his eyes drifted over to a man donning a black suit and turtleneck. This imposing stranger wedged himself between him and his cousin and draped his arms across their shoulders with a cool, dominating presence.
He was ageless with dark brown curly hair that rested on the mantle of his red cloak, stained with fresh blood. Shrewd crimson eyes looked back at Ivan with disappointment. "Pardon the intrusion, but you have something of mine."
Ivan remained frozen in place. Steady. I can't give him the satisfaction of seeing me tremble like some spineless coward. I've been through rigorous training. I've sworn my oath and am prepared for death, and yet—I've seen that face before. I know what that face is capable of.
The face of a monster that was once praised by Sublime Weavers for his involvement in creating a miracle drug, and then condemned by the same, when his inhumane methods were revealed. I never thought I'd meet my father's old friend so soon. Worry crept into Ivan's eyes. "Where is my uncle?"
Sageman blinked, and after a long pause, he replied, "I will be retrieving my apprentice, and I advise you not to interfere. Foolishly, your uncle and the rest of your kin did not follow my advice, and they–" He gestured towards Nikola.
Ivan clenched his fists and aimed the back of his elbow at Sageman's midsection. His cousin had deadlier intentions and unsheathed his small sword. Before either of them could land a hit on him, Sageman slammed their heads together and retreated.
Ivan rubbed the stars out of his vision. Tsk, that stings. He turned to see Sully recovering his sword and joined his cousin.
Ivan leaned over and whispered, "What should we do?"
"You will escape through the back way, and I will remain here."
"There is no way I'm letting you fight him alone!"
"You are no match for him."
"Neither are you."
Sully ignored him and instead focused on Sageman, who removed the restraints from his apprentice.
Despite a gentle nudge from his master, Sable continued to lie slack in his chair.
Great, he is still indisposed. That is one saving grace.
Ivan watched Sageman kneel beside him and listened to his apprentice whisper into his ear. Although their exchange was inaudible, Ivan could tell that Sable was venting to his master by the murderous glances he gave to his captors.
Sageman closed his eyes and nodded. At one point, he appeared to hold back a snicker, to which his apprentice frowned. "Oh, did they, now? I guess I can't let that slide."
His crimson eyes landed on Ivan. "Brat, you dare say that I failed my apprentice in all regards, and your superior has the nerve to believe I lowered my standards." His voice was calm, but it was still laced with venom.
"Didn't you?" Sully cracked a smug smile. "Ivan defeated him fairly easily."
Sable stewed in anger, while his master tilted his head to the side and chuckled, finding it amusing.
Sageman then scanned Ivan with an appraising look."Sable lost to you? He excluded that part." He glanced back at his apprentice, who avoided his gaze out of embarrassment. "Well, I don't care much for spats between apprentices. I also don't mind that you chopped his hand off. It is his fault that he got caught in the first place. I told the fool not to get too greedy."
Ivan furrowed his brow and tilted his head, befuddled. What! He isn't going to tell him?
Sageman gave Sully an amused smile. "One-Winged Crow technique. Pfft, I might steal that from you."
Ivan facepalmed. I can't believe this!
Sageman crossed his arms and lowered his brow. "However, by your words, it appears that the Inquis are treating me lightly. It is as if due to my prolonged hiatus, you forgot how much of a threat I am, and that is something I can not forgive." Sageman's pupils constricted, and his eyes flashed with intensity.
What is this feeling? Dread? Every inch of my body is screaming at me to run. Ivan fought to remain in place. No? I felt this before from a rogue Weaver my uncle caught once, but it was not as strong as this— I recognize it now. It is that primeval switch hidden and locked away in every man. He reeks of bloodlust, and it is fixated on— me.
Sully pushed Ivan back and sprinted towards Sageman. Once he was at the appropriate distance, he leaped into the air and came down spinning at the speed of a buzz saw. His blade only sliced air when Sageman sidestepped his attack and swiftly dodged the finishing strike, a powerful lunge to the opponent's back.
Ivan frowned. Blast it! He evaded Murder Call.
"Interesting, so even with that diminutive aether heart of yours, you can still use a sliver of aether." Sageman ducked another slash from Sully and retreated. "It always amazes me how the impaired find a way to manage their limitations."
"Limitations? What a load of bollocks. The vast majority of Niviliese do not possess an aether heart capable of controlling aether. Weavers are outliers." Sully then fell into a stance, angling his blade diagonally in front of his body and above his head.
Sageman positioned himself sideways and kept his posture relaxed. "Outliers. I suppose so, but that is likely to change soon. "
Ivan's eyes widened. Soon! Is that what his apprentice was alluding to? What madness is he planning?
Sully engaged Sageman again. He moved to assault Sageman at all angles, up, down, sideways, and some feints for good measure. Yet, Sageman's feet glided across the floor with the footwork of a master swordsman and danced around him effortlessly.
This monster is a different breed of Weaver, and it is terrifying. Ivan's finger rested on the trigger mechanism for his needles. His eyes darted around as he searched for an opening. All I need is a few seconds. Any window that I can jump through. But they are moving too fast, I can't get a shot in.
Sully appeared on Sageman's right, but failed to pierce the Weaver after he dodged out of the way.
"Another Shadowstep, this is becoming rather dull." With deft hands, Sageman deprived Sully of his weapon and turned the blade against him. The sword's tip lacerated the flesh of Sully's face, forming a large gash from his right cheek to his bottom lip. Sageman finished him off with a forceful kick in the gut that sent him careening into the opposite wall.
"Ahhhh!" Sully collapsed onto the floor.
"Sully!" Ivan resisted the urge to rush to his cousin and kept his focus on his opponent.
Sageman blinked and flexed his fingers. "And there goes that weak aether nullifying field."
Sageman's hands went to his hips, and he tilted his head back with a chuckle. "A pity, you can't even use your family's signature pattern effectively. Maybe I should stop by the Main Inquis residence for a decent challenge, I'm sure even Elosie, as old as she is, could squeeze out a drop of sweat from me."
Grand Auntie! Dread and anger rose within him and Ivan fired three needles at Sageman.
In one swift motion, Sageman caught all three between his fingers and threw them back Ivan's way.
Drat! Ivan deflected the needles with the bracers underneath his sleeves.
Sageman dashed towards him like a leopard and threw a jab into his ribs that made Ivan gasp for air.
Ivan's chin then met the bone of Sageman's knee with enough force that it chipped a couple of his teeth. He fell backwards and was about to welcome the darkness to eclipse the rest of his vision, but a tug on his shirt pulled him back into consciousness.
"Wake up, kid. I haven't broken a sweat yet." Sageman pulled Ivan up to his feet just to backhand him across the cheek and draw blood.
He mercilessly assaulted Ivan's face with strikes, only halting to prop him up when he faltered. "Come on, kid. You can at least try to land a hit on me."
Ivan kicked, but it was caught by Sageman. He twisted his leg and sent Ivan twirling to the ground. Ivan attempted to trip Sageman, but the Weaver hopped out of the way and dodged a punch from Sully.
"Ah, you finally joined back into the fight. Took you long enough. Such a neglectful superior, allowing his poor junior to fight me alone?" Sageman mockingly wagged his finger at him.
"Shut up!" Sully helped his battered and bruised cousin up.
Ivan was in a daze, but soon sobered up when he got a full look at Sully's marred face. It was cut all the way down to the meat.
That is going to leave a nasty scar.Sully… Ivan felt the need to look away.
Sully, however, fought through the pain and locked on to their target. "Ivan! Mob the Falcon!"
Ivan nodded, and both of them rushed towards Sageman. They performed a rapid sequence of synchronized attacks with Sully striking high and Ivan striking low in an attempt to overwhelm their opponent.
Sageman switched to the defensive. He blocked one of Sully's jabs and moved to counter, but Ivan blocked him instead. Thus, allowing Sully to strike again, slightly hitting Sageman in the chest and pushing him back.
That's it! A perfectly coordinated Mob the Falcon creates an impenetrable defense against any threat. We might be able to fight him off.
Sageman retaliated against Ivan with a kick, but it was caught by Sully. The Weaver went for his neck but was knocked off his feet by Ivan sweeping his remaining leg. Once Sageman hit the floor, the cousins rushed to pin him in place. Ivan held down his wrist and sat on his torso, and Sully had his legs.
Instead of struggling, Sageman merely laughed.
Why is he laughing? Are we missing something?
"Ivan! Make sure his hands are secure!" Sully pulled him out of his restless mind, and Ivan tightened his hold on Sageman's wrists.
Sageman sighed out of frustration, as if he were a child who was asked to stop playing with his toy to complete a bothersome chore. Oddly, there was a sentimental look in his eyes. "This was fun, but I sense that your uncle will be interfering soon, so we must depart."
"What do you mean by—"
An intense force launched Ivan and Sully up in the air, and they plummeted back down onto the unforgiving tile floor. Before Ivan could recover, a bolt of energy shot through his body.
"Argghh!"
His nerves felt like they were all on fire, and when Sageman's attack ran its course, his limbs fell limp like a waterlogged sponge. Drat, I can't move! I think he got me with a nerve bolt!
Ivan's heart shuddered as Sageman's footsteps drew near. I can't die here. Not yet!
"What are you doing down there, lying on the floor like a crushed frog?"
Ivan felt pressure from the Weaver's foot nudging on his side, and then he was turned over onto his back. He looked up at Sageman kneeling over him with a self-satisfied smirk.
Ivan furrowed his brow and averted his eyes in anger. Blasted blighter, why couldn't this be the other way around?! If only I had trained harder beforehand! If only I–
Sageman reached down and patted him on the cheek. "Don't be disheartened. You did well for what you are. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered coming here and would have sent one of my subordinates instead. I am a busy man, you know." He flicked Ivan's nose. "But when I heard that my apprentice was being held at the same place Winston hid away his shame, I could not pass up the opportunity of seeing you again."
What is he talking about? We've never met before. Ivan gritted his teeth. "What do you want with me? To gloat? I won't give you the satisfaction."
"A tad too late for that, kiddo. And no, I wanted to satisfy my curiosity and see how you turned out. I get no joy seeing you in such a lowly state. It only solidifies my belief that I was right all those years ago, and your father was a moralistic fool. To think that his legacy ended with someone like you. Winston was an imperial tool, but there was no denying his talent. You are so far behind compared to him."
Ivan's face grew red. "And you expect me to care! My father was a traitor! I relish in the fact that I am nothing like him."
Sageman's eyes drifted away. "Is that what they told you? Well, I am a traitor, but your father wasn't. He was too much of a bleeding heart to turn his back on Nivilies." He grabbed Ivan and lifted him onto his shoulders.
"What! What are you doing!"
"Since you showed a minuscule amount of promise. I'm going to do you a favor and correct the mistake Winston made before you were born."
Ivan's arms dangled helplessly in front of him. He could not even kick in protest. All he could do was stare at the floor.
"Master, I think I'm beginning to feel my legs," Sable said in a weak voice.
"Don't bother, come here."
Ivan felt himself dip down, following that, Sageman's other shoulder tip from an added weight.
"Gwak!" Sable cried next to Ivan's ear.
"Let's go, shall we?" said Sageman in a jovial tone.
Ivan's vision appeared to shift and blur. He jolted forward and then back, like someone slammed on the gas and then immediately hit the brakes. His stomach churned as nausea overwhelmed him. He was then thrown to the ground and found himself staring up at the branches of a large oak tree.
Ivan's eyes widened. Don't tell me he managed to teleport his way out of our defenses. Then why…?
"That was an enjoyable detour. They really did try. I should keep an eye on them, though. Their natural aether resistance could prove useful." Sageman came into Ivan's view. "But that depends on how this one does." His hand grew closer to Ivan's face.
Ivan squinted his eyes. What did I do to deserve this?
Sageman grabbed his chin while his other hand began weaving a pattern. "You are representing your kin, so do your best to impress me."