Dust settled where Helena had fallen. Ollie slowly moved his hand off of his bleeding shoulder and into his pocket.

“Stop!” Gabriel’s hands tightened on the hilt of his bastard sword.

“Relax. It’s just a lollipop.” Ollie continued to pull out a lollipop from his pocket and unwrapped it, putting it into his mouth. “Besides, you can’t do shit no more. My backup’s arrived.”

Helena pushed away the rubble, standing up. “Liar! You asked if he was dead!”

Gabriel stepped in front of Helena, shielding her from Gale. “Stop resisting, criminals!”

The Path agents twisted against the frozen water binding them. The one with the AWP had one hand free, and the rest of his limbs frozen in place. He tried reaching for the rifle. Tried to, anyways.

“Dead? Of course he’s dead. He’s a secret weapon. He doesn’t exist. Can’t have everyone knowing about our secret weapon, can we?” Ollie threw the lollipop wrapper away and winked at Gale. “Right, Gale?”

“Uh… yeah?” Gale cleared his throat and did the lowest voice he could. “I mean, yes. Totally secret. Super secret. The most secret of weapons.”

“That’s the worst acting I’ve ever seen.” Tank Top started laughing but stopped as Ollie shot him a look.

“Shut up,” Red Jacket yelled. “Or do you want to make this worse?”

Ollie pinched the bridge of his nose. “What my associate means is that his presence here is classified. He shouldn’t have had to step into this mess that was clearly under control by me.”

Helena pushed herself to her feet. The golden scripts on her mace reappeared and the golden chains around the warehouse reactivated. “You expect us to believe this farce?”

“Believe what you want,” Ollie gestured at the bound Path agents. “But ask yourself: why would Path agents fire on a UK operative during a sanctioned operation? Why would they also try to kill me?”

The frozen bindings melted and then turned into a water rope, pulling both the Bizon and AWP agents towards Gabriel. “Explain yourselves.”

The Bizon agent spat blood. “Go to hell.”

“Now, now. Calm down. Just listen. Brother Gabriel, we’re after the same thing.” Ollie pulled out his phone, showing a series of messages. “I’ve been tracking these distribution networks for weeks. Building evidence. Following the money.”

“More lies,” Helena said.

“Then why was I here personally?” Ollie said. “Think about it. The owner of Glory Industries in a warehouse in the middle of the night? I could have sent security. I’ve got businesses to run. Instead, I came to verify the connection myself.”

“Don’t listen to him!” the AWP agent spat.

“And then you four crashed my operation, right when I was about to bite into the medium rare steak I’ve been drooling at for weeks.” Ollie pointed at Tank Top and Red Jacket. “Ask them who their real supplier is. Go ahead.”

The two criminals looked at each other.

“It wasn’t Glory,” Red Jacket mumbled. “We… we got the tech from someone else. Someone who said they worked for-“

The AWP agent lunged, breaking free from the frozen bindings. His hand closed around the fallen sniper rifle.

Gale moved without thinking. In the blink of an eye, his sword knocked the rifle away. The agent’s eyes widened as the blade stopped just an inch away from his throat.

“Careful, Ollie. These guys are still sending a whale here. We need to get out ASAP,” Gale said.

“Whale what? Wait. Never mind.” Ollie rubbed his eyes with one hand, then looked at Red Jacket. “You were saying?”

Red Jacket gulped. “Guy called himself Spotlight. Said he worked for someone higher up in the Path. Sold us modified Glory tech at a cheap price. Said it was all authorized.”

Helena’s mace lowered slightly. “Brother Gabriel…”

“I see it,” Gabriel nodded. “The Path agents’ reaction confirms it.”

“Which means,” Ollie spread his arms, “that I’m not your enemy here. Someone’s using my company’s tech without authorization. Someone with access to my and the Path’s resources. And that someone sent those two to get rid of me and everyone here.”

Ollie pointed at the agents.

The Bizon agent thrashed against his bonds. “You can’t prove anything!”

“Oh, but I can! Why do you think I brought backup?” Ollie pointed his thumb at Gale without looking. “We’ve been gathering evidence for months. Building a case. And now we have witnesses.”

Tank Top shifted his weight onto his other leg. “Hey, uh, about that deal you mentioned earlier…”

“Still on the table,” Ollie said. “Assuming you’re willing to testify about your Path contact and these two knights are willing to look the other way.”

Helena pushed off from the wall, grimacing. “This changes nothing. You’re still under investigation for your crimes.”

“For the crime of investigating criminal activity involving my own company?” Ollie said. “For working to stop unauthorized trafficking of my tech? For bringing evidence of corruption within the Path as one of their agents?”

“Silence!” Gabriel said quietly. “This whole operation did not follow lawful Aur conducts!”

“Indeed so because those very conducts are asinine.” Ollie said, holding out his phone. “Don’t underestimate me, water boy. One word from me, and this place will be swarming with my people. I’d rather we work together on this.”

Helena’s golden light flickered as she looked Gale up and down. “Your ‘secret weapon’ doesn’t seem very well-trained.”

“You-you wanna test that out, huh?” Gale puffed out his chest.

Ollie rubbed his temples. “We really need to work on your communication skills.”

“The Path agents tried to kill you. That much is clear,” Gabriel said, eyeing the Bizon on the floor. “And their weapons… These are Glory tech. How do you explain this?”

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“Keen eye, water boy,” Ollie said. “Those aren’t exactly Glory tech. It’s a counterfeit. Someone’s copying my designs. Poorly, I might add. The question is: who has access to both Path resources and my technical specifications?”

“Typical North Americans knowing no honour!” Gabriel spat.

Helena leaned on the railing of an aisle beside the broken wall. “You’re suggesting a conspiracy within the Path itself?”

“I’m suggesting we have a common enemy,” Ollie said. “One that’s using my company’s reputation as cover for their operation. The real question is: are we going to waste time fighting each other or work together to find them?”

The warehouse fell silent except for Helena’s ragged breaths. Both knights looked at each other, nodding but not yet talking. Another sweat droplet dripped from Gale’s chin and splat on the concrete.

“Your evidence,” Helena said. “You’ll share it?”

“Full cooperation as I have even stated to Path execs,” Ollie said. “All my files on unauthorized tech. Records of suspicious transfers. Everything I’ve gathered on this ‘Spotlight’ character. All transactions in Glory’s Bazaar. Welcome for viewing.”

“And your… operative?” Gabriel gestured at Gale.

“Will assist as needed,” Ollie said smoothly. “Though his identity remains classified, of course.”

Gale tried to look mysterious and dangerous. The only problem was, what does mysterious and dangerous even mean or how does it look like? He didn’t know what was happening, but at least his friend was safe. He was now part of whatever movie he had been watching. Still, it was mission accomplished. Ollie was safe.

“So,” Ollie spread his hands, “do we have a deal? Or should I call in the rest of my team?”

Helena straightened, placing the mace onto her hip. “If you’re lying…”

“Then you can arrest me later,” Ollie said. “But right now, we have two Path agents who tried to kill a UK operative. We have witnesses ready to testify about unauthorized weapon distribution. And we have modified Glory tech that I definitely didn’t authorize.”

“He’s manipulating you!” the AWP agent shouted. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

“Really?” Ollie’s tone rose. “Because it looks like attempted murder to me. Care to explain why you shot Sister Helena?”

The agent’s mouth snapped shut.

“We should take them in for questioning.” Gabriel’s water ropes tightened around both agents. The ropes dropped them down and put them both at his feet.

Helena dragged herself towards Gabriel and crouched in front of the AWP agent. “Talk. Who sent you?”

The AWP agent spat at her feet. The water around his throat restrained his head up.

“Careful,” Gabriel warned, his bastard sword moving to hover over his neck. “That wasn’t a request.”

The Bizon agent laughed. “You UK dogs think you know everything. You don’t even see what’s right in front of you.”

Helena stood back up and moved to the Bizon’s side. She smashed her mace right in front of him. “Then enlighten us.”

Gabriel crouched and the water around the agent’s pockets opened up. The AWP agent thrashed around, but the water held him tight.

“Nothing,” Gabriel said, pulling out empty wallets. “No ID, no-” He paused, holding up a small vial filled with purplish liquid with tiny grey grains. “Dust. Modified.”

Ollie stepped closer. “May I?”

Gabriel handed him the vial. Ollie held it up to the light, studying the crystals inside.

“This isn’t from… I mean, this isn’t the standard distribution by Glory Tech,” Ollie said, turning the vial. “The colour of the liquid is wrong and the grains are off. Someone’s been tampering with the formula.”

“Like you don’t know,” the Bizon agent grinned.

“What does that mean?” Helena asked.

Gabriel slapped the Bizon agent’s face. “Speak, criminal!”

“It means,” Ollie interrupted smoothly, “that someone’s copying my work. Poorly. These modifications could kill people.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” the AWP agent said.

The water rope tightened around both the agents’ throats.

“Explain,” Gabriel said.

The agent’s eyes bulged as he struggled for air. Gabriel loosened his grip slightly.

“You want answers?” the agent gasped. “Ask Glory about Lab 7. Heh.”

“Enough games,” Ollie cut in. “Brother Gabriel, Sister Helena. I think we can agree this situation requires… delicate handling.”

Helena stepped back. “What are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that I keep you personally informed of my investigation.” Ollie shrugged. “Direct line to your superiors. Full transparency.”

“And in return?” Gabriel asked.

“In return, you let me handle the cleanup here. These two clearly have a vendetta against my company. Let me prove they’re wrong.”

The Bizon agent thrashed harder. “You can’t trust him! He’s lying about everything! Even that guy-” He jerked his head toward Gale.

Gale grimaced as best as he could.

“Your… operative,” Helena said carefully. “He’s not Path, is he?”

“As I said, classified,” Ollie replied smoothly. “But effective, wouldn’t you agree?”

Helena touched her injured side where Gale had struck. “Indeed.”

“Then we have a deal?” Ollie asked. “You take these two for questioning, I handle the rest, and we keep each other informed?”

Gabriel nodded slowly. “Agreed. But if we find you’ve been lying-“

“You’ll know where to find me,” Ollie spread his hands. “Glory’s Bazaar is always open for business. We don’t just have guns. We have all sorts rift weaponry from swords, armour, poles. Whatever our United Knights may find useful.”

Tank Top and Red Jacket remained bound on the floor, watching the exchange with growing unease.

“What about them?” Helena asked, pointing with her mace.

“They’ll cooperate,” Ollie said. “Won’t you, gentlemen?”

They both nodded quickly.

Gabriel’s water ropes lifted the Path agents to their feet. “We’ll take these two now. Sister Helena needs medical attention.”

Breath of the Void’s tendrils rippled and fed Gale information. Two figures approaching fast outside from the northwest. One with a bow and one without a weapon except metal stuff on his hands.

Guide, Gale mouthed silently and not moving his mouth as much as possible.

[Warning: Two Attuned combatants detected. Ether signatures similar to Sister Helena and Brother Gabriel. Threat Level: Moderate]

“Ollie,” Gale said quietly. “We’ve got company.”

Ollie put his hand into his right pocket. “Gale, there is no whale.“

“It’s not a whale. It’s two people. Similar to Helena,” Gale replied. “Coming in fast.”

Before Ollie could say anything, golden arrows of light pierced through the warehouse windows. They struck the ground around Tank Top and Red Jacket, forming glowing chains that bound them in place.

A woman’s voice rang out from above: “In nomine regis, sanctus vinculum!”

“Sister Mary!” Helena shouted.

The side door burst open. A man wearing brass knuckles charged in, each step leaving ripples of golden energy. “Brother David, reporting. Target confirmed.”

“Perfect timing,” Helena straightened out, revealing the shoulder that had long stopped bleeding and closed. “Glory and his operative were just about to leave.”

“Were we?” Ollie smiled. “I thought we had a deal.”

“The deal was for us to take the Path agents. We never agreed on when you’d leave, did we?” Gabriel said.

More light arrows streaked through the windows, creating a web of golden chains across the warehouse floor.

Gale dodged left and right, avoiding all the incoming arrows. Ollie took out another grey marble from his right pocket and flicked it up. The marble spun immediately and orbited him, dissipating every arrow that tried to encase him.

“Now then,” Helena said. “About that full transparency you mentioned…”

“Full transparency is off the table now, fellas. You’re showing hostility and here I was showing you my hospitality,” Ollie said.

“We already know you’re a scheming bastard, Glory. This isn’t enough to convince us to back off,” Gabriel glared.

“Well, now you should’ve said that in the first place instead of wasting time barking at each other. My index finger is itching for some action.” Ollie loosened his tie. “We doing this or what?”

“Your reputation precedes you, Glory,” Helena said, 4 lines of script circled her mace. “But you’re outnumbered four to two. We know there’s no reinforcements.”

“Last chance to surrender peacefully,” Gabriel called, water coalescing into razor-sharp tentacles around him.

“Peaceful was never really my style.” Ollie’s marble spun faster as he drew both deagles. “And that classified operative, that one’s true.”

David stretched his fingers with a crackling sound. He circled toward Ollie and Gale’s left. Mary shot arrows at the exit routes, covering them in chains.

Gale felt their presence. Their signatures weren’t that strong compared to his own. He could probably take one or two of them, except maybe Sister Helena. Her signature overflowed, much like Ollie’s.

“Stop them!” Helena shouted.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep