Chapter 66: Confrontation

“[Yeah],” Liam replied in the same distinct language the Houndkeeper had spoken. The he stretched his palm out and made the unnamed axe materialize before him, before extending it toward his summoned creature.

“[To replace your spear],” Liam said, offering the weapon. As he did, he noticed the screen that floated before him

[Summon can be maintained for 28:59]

Apparently it had already been a full minute since summoning the Houndkeeper, and the timer indicated he could maintain this summon for about thirty minutes maximum. These were part of the hidden upgrades that came with leveling up.

The Houndkeeper gripped the axe in its hand, and the weapon’s gold patterns turned azure-colored, oozing with bluish energy for a moment, as if the Houndkeeper was indoctrinating the axe to recognize its new wielder.

“Hmm…” Liam muttered as he watched the axe undergo these changes. Perhaps it was the weapon’s way of resonating with a wielder to unleash its true effects, or maybe it was simply the Houndkeeper’s power. Either way, Liam had decided to give this weapon to the Houndkeeper due to the summon’s blue flame affinity, and it seemed like a good choice.

“[That’ll be all],” Liam said. The Houndkeeper nodded slightly before red energy engulfed it again, and slowly it disappeared back into Liam’s Private Space.

…

A few hours later, the moment they had all waited for finally arrived. Liam himself was already changed into the clothes that Quinn had left for him in a suit bag. He went from being in a formal suit to wearing all-black tactical gear: combat boots, cargo pants with multiple straps and buckles, and a slim-fitted short-sleeve shirt that outlined his lean yet muscular build, complete with shoulder harness, fingerless gloves, and a face mask covering the lower half of his face.

The rest of the team began entering his room after he let them in at the sound of their knock. They were all wearing similar clothing, though some had longer sleeves and others short ones. However, the only person not dressed in tactical gear was Nacht, who had initially stated he preferred to stay as he was.

Soon after they were all assembled, Nacht stood closer to the window, staring out through it, while the others gathered around Quinn as she addressed everyone. “You guys remember everything we talked about earlier,” she began, and everyone around her nodded in unison.

Then she brought out a case containing special comm devices—one-eared buds that were all interconnected. Everyone reached in and took one piece each, and then she walked toward Nacht, who stood at the window area, and he picked one for himself.

She gave Amira and Kevin each a special tracking device. “Put them in your pockets,” she instructed. “This device tells our friend your location at all times. Should you start approaching any exits, rest assured he’ll already be there waiting.” They nodded and took the tracking devices, which were as small as buttons, placing them in the small pockets on their cargo pants.

“Alright, guys, let’s go bring these fuckers down,” she said, and slowly they all moved out of the room, heading outside and stepping into different SUVs with a van following behind.

…

After about a forty-minute drive, as they approached from a distance, they saw the twilight scene of what appeared to be a federal facility. The imposing stone structure featured classical Art Deco architecture with clean geometric lines, multiple stories, and a central entrance flanked by columns. The building’s windows glowed warmly with interior lighting against the darkening sky.

They had driven through long, lonely roads with mountainous structures on both sides, making it clear that the facility was set up far from the main city. Eventually they came to a point where the cars parked on the side of the road, and from their position, the building wasn’t far from them.

They could see more of it from where they stood. There was a flag on a tall flagpole in the foreground, and on the flag was what looked like feathers—but it was the insignia of a Quill.

The agents of USOV and Nacht had all stepped out, ready to proceed. Quinn simply said “as planned,” while motioning her fingers toward the facility, and at that moment, Liam and Nacht exchanged glances and nodded, knowing what to do next.

They both took off in flight, blitzing straight toward the building that was within reachable distance from them. The other agents spread out as well, each masked and holding distinct weapons as they approached the main gates swiftly. Yes, it was a confrontation, and they were coming right through the front gates.

…

From Liam and Nacht’s aerial view, they could see the large expanse of land where the facility was built, with a few dark-colored vehicles parked in the circular drive area in front of the main entrance. At that moment, they both released their magic energy, as this was the first step of the plan—to draw the Quillforte demigods out to them.

…

From Within the Main Facility…

Regular scientists walked about in white coats, each answering to or getting items for two main persons who wore the same scientific white lab clothes. These were the lead scientists within the lab: one had long pink hair and purple eyes, and this was Helda, while the other was a blonde man with glasses who studied the chart readings on a monitor screen, Zebelon. They were both somewhat immersed in their work.

In front of them were the humans they experimented on, each one floating within large glass cylinders. Suddenly, one of the Visors in their employ ran toward them and said, “Sorry to disturb your work, but surveillance detected some figures moving toward us at high speed. I think we might be having unwanted guests—”

Before she could conclude what she was saying, everyone within the facility froze for a second as if they were pressed by the weight of the atmosphere itself, but this was due to the magic energy both Liam and Nacht were surging out at the same time.

However, the siblings Helda and Zebelon looked at each other, and Zebelon said in a tone that sounded urgent yet calm, “They’re intentionally trying to draw us out.”

Helda sighed. “I know.”

Immediately they both pulled off their lab coats and gloves, and Zebelon—a tall, lean man with blonde hair wearing a formal dark pinstripe vest over a white dress shirt with a black tie, matching pinstripe trousers, and black dress shoes, started heading out with a rather confident demeanor. “Stay here, I’ll go check what this is,” he said, slowly walking out of the facility.

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