Chapter 122: A cat playing with a mouse

Brent ended up making sure that Colby didn’t die at the hands of Esper Parker. He knew that some were upset about that, and there was a part of Brent that was furious at him for not taking the chance to get rid of him, but he stopped Esper Parker for a reason.

It would hurt more for everyone involved if Colby was deemed useless by his brother first. Colby hadn’t experienced that kind of loss yet. He’d been useful for so long that he forgot that kind of ruthless behaviour his brother had.

Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if he was going to treat Colby with the same kind of disregard and disgrace that he treated everyone else, but if there was one thing that Brent could rely on his brother to be, it was cruel.

So, Brent broke up the private torture session that Esper Parker was having with Colby, halting him from ripping off the same arm that Brent was missing from Colby’s body. It was pretty mangled though, and Brent wondered if his brother was going to spare a Healing Esper to help fix him.

Esper Parker did let him go, and let him teleport away, but the fear had been struck and the match had been lit. Brent wondered how long it would take for Colby to come after him again?

Would he be discarded right away? Or would it be a slow, painful asphyxiation?

Would it make him a bad person if he was looking forward to it?

In the time that Brent went to stop Esper Parker and had brought him back to the office that the Captain occupied, the Captain of the Chronos Guild and the members of the Chronos Guild who had summoned had arrived and Esper Gardner and Mr. Caulder were hard at work.

It was good to see that, ugh, ’his people’ were hard at work. Brent hated fucking thinking about that. He didn’t like having his own people, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be the first one to step in the line of fire to protect them.

The Captain also called people up to clean up the mess that was left. Brent was interested in where they would dump the bodies, but also knew that he couldn’t just wander as he pleased. He hadn’t taken the fucking elevator in this building in fear that they would use it to kill him.

He wasn’t safe here, even if they were in an uncomfortable truce at the moment. Even with the people around him, high class Espers who were overly protective of him, he wasn’t on home turf and people wanted him dead.

He couldn’t wander, and he needed to stay nearby and pray that they were going to finish this quickly. Even if Brent wanted to go down below and see the research area, even if Brent wanted to check on the Guides here, even if Brent was sure that something horrible was happening below his very fucking feet, if he went down unprepared, it would cost him a lot more than just his own life. It was a hard pill to swallow, but Brent had been on missions like this before. Where he had to decide what was the better outcome.

Getting out alive, or satisfying his own curiousity?

Nine times out of ten, getting out alive was the better option.

So Brent stood, his hand on his hip, listening with one ear to what Esper Gardner and Mr. Caulder were going over with the other Espers and civilians working with them while he maintained his watch over everything else.

That was when he was approached by a few of the Lieutenants of the Chronos Guild.

Esper Parker, of course, had not left Brent’s side since he’d let the slimy, snot-nosed Colby go, and his eyes hadn’t gone back to their normal colour either. They were swallowed by darkness, in a way that was similar to how Gunther’s eyes looked, but on a completely different scale. Brent wondered absently if Esper Fisher would also look the same when he used his powers, and then wondered if the two knew each other.

He pushed that thought away as the glasses-wearing Esper approached. Upon closer observation, it was clear to him now that this Esper was a Healing Esper. The colour was too vibrant, not rich enough to be the colour of an Earth Esper. That only made Brent want to sigh.

He knew it was a silly bias, but Brent, like many other fools, held Healing Espers to a higher standard than most other Espers. It always hurt more when there was a Healing Esper who was bad or had done bad things. Brent also knew that Taylor, one of his favourite little Healing Espers, would beat the shit out of any Healing Esper that she caught stepping out of line.

A true best friend for Kellen, through and through.

They stood near Brent, but not close enough that Esper Parker was on full alert. The other Espers, Esper Tracer and Esper Harris were also still around, watching intently. The Chronos Espers knew that if any of them even so much as blinked wrong, they were going to be getting the business end of a gun.

They just weren’t sure from who yet.

“How long have you been a Guide?” The brave man asked and Brent gave him a smile.

“A while. How long have you been an Esper?” Brent asked back and the man frowned.

“About five years.” He responded, not hiding anything from Brent. “You mentioned something about Field Guides? I’ve heard the term, but I’m unfamiliar. What are those?” Brent wondered if the man was stupid, trying to get on his good side, or both. When Brent slid his gaze to Esper Parker, the man looked ready to strangle the other.

Brent had a feeling it might be both.

“Have you ever been in a gate, Esper?” Brent asked. Referring to what someone awakened as was a polite way to speak to someone without assuming anything. Brent watched as the other man shifted on his feet, looking embarrassed. Brent was glad that he at least looked embarrassed because he had a feeling he was about to say no. That was an embarrassing thing for an Esper.

Forgive Brent for his own beliefs, but he firmly believed that if you were awakened, it was your damn duty to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. The Woods family might have rubbed off a little too hard on Brent, but he couldn’t help the way his lips twisted into a disappointed look before the Esper had even spoken.

“I haven’t, no.” He admitted, caught sight of how Brent was looking at him, and looked even more embarrassed. “I…I wasn’t allowed to go to the front lines.” He admitted. “Not that I really wanted to either, if I’m honest, but I was also not allowed.” That sounded fucking ridiculous to Brent. Not allowed?

“Why?” Brent asked, but it was another Lieutenant who answered. One of the few who had remained silent while everything had happened.

“He’s too precious to risk, plus, the front lines are full of radicals and we can’t have them influencing the youth.” Brent would have thought that was a belief that they held if it wasn’t for the hard look in their brown gaze. “Healers are too precious to let them run wild, and your brother said that the Chronos Guild was to cease all Gate jumping, clearing, anything. We would just use his money to purchase what we needed.” She smirked. “Though I suppose it’s your money now.” Brent wasn’t exactly thrilled with her attitude, but he couldn’t exactly deny her the right to be a little sassy.

He was, essentially, committing a hostile take over of her Guild right now. Some sass could be allowed. Plus, it would have been dull if someone hadn’t really fought back. Brent didn’t count the E.A.G. members rushing them as an attack by the Chronos Guild.

“To answer your question, Field Guides are a version of regular Guides that work on the front lines. Usually made up of C Class or B Class Guides, there are A Class Guides who also undergo the training as well. However, most of the Guides who work freelance are C Class and B Class Guides. My trainer when I went to the front lines was C Class.” Brent explained, happy to talk about something else that he was knowledgeable in.

The two Espers, and the others seemed to be interested in Brent’s words.

“Pardon me for asking, but are you A Class?” The Healer asked and Brent nodded.

“Yeah. So when I showed up, everyone was pretty confused. Outside of the guy who trained me. He more or less beat my ass and made sure that I didn’t die.” Brent said with a shrug. “I owe a lot to him. Anyway, the major differences between city Guides or Guides who work in Centers and the like and Field Guides are two things. Stamina, and intention.” That seemed to confuse a lot of people who were listening.

“Stamina…and intention?” The Healer repeated, sounding rather confused and Brent nodded sagely.

“Yes. You can’t be a good Field Guide if you have shit stamina, and you can’t do your job if you have no intention to do it properly.” Brent smirked. “Well, Kellen might say some other pretty shit and wax poetic about being a Field Guide, but that’s what I believe. Your job as a Field Guide is to know shit, carry shit, and make sure that the same number of people you brought into the gate come out of the gate.” Brent said. “Basically, we’re…Guides in the truest form. My specialty was fluctuating Gates. My trainer was stable gates. He got to learn every last little detail about the gates he took people into, paths, patterns, all that kind of stuff.” Brent’s smile was a little wistful as he chuckled. “Me? Because I was A Class, they threw me to the wolves. I’m an expert at clearing gates and gtfoing. It’s a kind of adrenaline rush that I don’t think anything else can beat.”

Well, there was one thing that could beat it. Having sex near a boss, but that was a story for another day.

“You cleared gates?” It was Esper Tracer who spoke, shock on her face. “But-But you have one arm!” She slapped a hand over her mouth as soon as the words left her lips. Brent could feel the power in the room shift, Esper Parker getting a little too angry for his own good.

Brent reached across and put his hand on Esper Parker’s shoulder.

“Down, my man. There’s no harm in it. You wouldn’t be the first Esper to doubt me, and you won’t be the last. However, I’ve cleared a lot of gates. A lot, a lot. I’ve even been requested by other countries to clear gates for them.” Brent said with a shrug. “And, to be fair, it’s not like my grandfather did nothing after I lost my arm. The prosthetics industry that he had already started got a significant boost in funding after I lost my arm.” Brent said.

Esper Tracer looked very embarrassed, while the Healer next to him scanned Brent, curious.

“You couldn’t reattach it?” He asked and Brent was brought back to the moment. The excruciating pain, the laughter, the sound of something heavy hitting the water.

“It was irretrievable.” Brent said stiffly, and that shut that conversation down.

“You said a name. Kellen? Was that who trained you?” The second Esper who had shown up asked and Brent slid a look towards them. She seemed curious, interested in what Brent had to say and Brent smirked.

“Yeah. When I met him I thought he was just a piece of fine ass that I could sink my teeth into. Still do, honestly, but I now know how scary he is. He’s more dangerous than I am, and it’s not because he has two hands.” Brent joked. They seemed confused about his words, but that was okay.

Brent just chuckled to himself, pleased that he had made them curious. If even for a moment, Kellen’s notoriety was going to spread by Brent’s hands. Er, hand.

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