21 Chapter 21 - Strangled Strangers

" Where are we going, brother? "

" I'll have to be far away from you for quite some time, Ana. But I cannot leave you alone by yourself, so I have to take you somewhere safe. "

" Don't worry little sister! You'll be playing all day with Steve! "

It was noontime, Zio, Ana, and Bella carefully walked on the edge of the ditch. With Bella leading the way and the little sister on her brother’s back, they set out for the safe house. They’re currently 40 hours away from the big heist. Hence, there's not much time left for Zio and Bella to get ready.

" You... aren't doing something dangerous right? " Perceptive and quick to understand as she has always been, Ana hugged Zio tight as if she didn't want to let go. Zio can do naught but letting out a sad smile, and telling more lies for her sake.

" What do you mean? Of course, doing a smith job is dangerous to some extent. But it was nothing a genius like me can't handle! " Zio tried to consort his sister by taking her question not seriously.

" ...liar. " Ana let out a voice so small that Zio can barely hear it, even when she was on his back.

" Ana...? Did you say something? "

" Nothing, I was just a little thirsty. " Ana rubbed her cheek on the back of Zio’s head. Her little fingers and rashes skin that wraps around his neck makes him even sadder. No children should've experienced living in such a harsh environment.

Zio laughed a bit before quickly grab his leather flask and hand it out to his sister. " Can you drink by yourself? Or do you want me to feed you like back then when you were still my cutey cute baby girl...? Well, you are basically still though! "

" Hmph! " Ana reacts to Zio’s joke by twitching his cheeks and biting his ear. That is the best feeling ever for Zio. He is overflowing with joy, to the point that he is confident that he would gladly walk the hell a million times for his lovely little sister.

" Huft... if only you were that nice to me, I'll give you an even better bite. " Bella who has often glanced at the siblings since then, trying to fit in between them both.

" Shut your mouth and keep walking. "

" Ahh, that's it! That's what I like from you so much! "

Zio immediately brushed her off of his precious moment with Ana. But it seems that the effect was the opposite after all.

They have walked for almost twenty minutes already, Zio is starting to feel suspicious. He even considered the possibility of Bella tricking him, and had the resolve to always ready to cut her head off if that were to happen.

" Bella- "

" I know what you're thinking. "

Zio hasn’t even asked the question but she seems to understand already. It was at this moment when he noticed that something's not right.

" ...Where? "

" On the second corridor behind us. "

Zio stopped in his track, bringing Ana into his chest before handing her to Bella.

"Ana, there's something that I forgot, I'm going back real fast. Faster than your chicken. " Zio referred to a Queen Pigeon, a rare breed of a pigeon post which Ana used to have as a pet. That bird is the fastest bird Zio has ever seen with no contenders until now.

" Kiko is not a chicken! She’s a pigeon! And nothing is faster than her, Bleh! " Ana ticked off by her brother and become sulky while sticking out her tongue.

Zio laughed happily; he truly can't get enough of Ana’s cuteness.

" Be careful! and don't go too long! " Ana shouts to Zio when he was about to kill whatever that lurks in the shadow. He grinned and sticking out his thumbs, giving her an OK gesture.

" Go, Bella! " Zio screamed to her, and she nodded before running away.

" Wait! ", But then, Zio shouted again. He forgot that there's something he needs to say before parting with them. Something very important.

" If I find out that she got even the littlest scratch, I'll gouge you out. ", Making sure that Bella got his message, Zio sticks out his thumbs once more and slides it before his neck. Giving her the popular 'death' gesture.

" Ah~ Why would I? You can mess my inside whenever you want though. " Yet, instead of keeping Zio’s threat in mind, Bella’s face got blushing red and touching herself instead while saying the most bizarre thing possible at this serious moment. Zio even starting to question whether it was really okay for him to trust a crackbrain like her.

" Brother, Bella is being weird. "

" W-Well, she has always been. But I don't think she is a bad girl. You should listen to her while I'm not around okay? "

After they parted, Zio unsheathes his sword and ready his throwing knives, preparing to face whatever on his tail. He will not hold himself back, for this is a matter of life and death to him. If he was to die here, then who knows what would happen to Ana.

" There's no use playing hide and seek anymore, get out! "

Two figures came out from the corridor, just like Bella said. One of them is tall while the other one is short, and Zio can tell that they are armed, though not to the teeth. Since he doesn't have the luxury to find out who are they or what is their intention, Zio just simply has to slice their neck open.

Even so, they've been staring at each other for almost a minute now. They didn't make any move, so neither did Zio.

" You are the 'Ironlord', aren't you? " The voice of an adult man came out from the tall figure. It seems that they know the young man’s secret; therefore, he cannot afford to take any risk. Without any warning, Zio quickly throws a knife towards them both, only to be deflected by them.

" Please, listen to us. " Now a voice of a girl came out from the short one. She begged Zio to listen. But why should he? Of course, no one will sit by and listen to some suspicious, armed people who have been following them all the time in the dark, would they?

Zio secretly threw several iron sheets around the underground waterway along with the rest of my knives. " There's no use talking. Come, I'll take you both at the same time. " The older brother tried to provoke the stalkers after he had emptied his holsters.

After they whispered to each other, finally the two stalkers charged at Zio, running without paying attention to their surroundings. A display of such foolery can only mean one thing; a sure win for Zio.

The iron sheets which he had spread around beforehand, move fast like quickly-drawn slashes. Easily cutting the stalkers' flesh from all sides and leaving a lot of openings for Zio to exploit. He then jumped towards them and powerfully kicked the girl in her belly until she was slammed into the tall man before crashing to the wall.

*Stab* Zio skewered them both on the wall with his sword, nailing them next to each other.

" Gu hah! "

They spitted blood as Zio stabbed them right in their lungs. But it doesn't end there, he immediately gathered the scattered sheets and re-shape them into sharp nails. Then, he showered them with the irons, until their limbs are pierced through the wall.

They wanted to loudly scream in pain, but their respiratory system was already ruptured.

" F-Fire magic...! "

The man wanted to cast a magic but Zio quickly crushed his jaw with a punch, knocking him out in the process. That leaves only the girl, harmless and terribly wounded. After he retrieved -or rather- 'called back' his knives which he has thrown beforehand, now it's time for him to tell the stalker girl his message.

Zio opened her hood and find a golden-colored hair rubbing his face along with its fragrant.

" Listen to me, carefully, you stupid bitch. Because you're the only one left that can hear. " Zio grabbed her hair and slapped her face.

" Go back to your master or whoever sent you for me and tell them, 'I don't care if you are a noble or even the queen herself, if you don't wish your entire family to be flayed alive, then keep your hands off of me and my sister and fuck off!' "

After delivering his message, Zio stepped back and pulled out his irons, and re-shaped them again into a ball. He then hurled the iron ball into a pillar of the aisle. And as the sewage channel is already old and ill-maintained, the ceiling easily collapses after the pillar broke.

" Help! Help! My wife is hurt! She's dying! Please, help me! " Zio screamed through the hole to the people above.

The part of the sewage is connected to a main district where many economic activities took place, surely there are a lot of people and guards above the ground who can quickly respond to Zio’s call.

“ I did this only to make sure that my message is delivered properly. Come at me again and I will show no more mercy. " Zio spits on them both before leaving them to catch up with Ana and Bella.