Chapter 12 - Assassination Attempt

"There's a car following us." Raul stated, observing at the side view mirror and confirming his guess was correct examining the car's behavior from the back window. 

"You sure?" Rune chimed in, closing the windows. The flow of the breezy wind, which kept them refreshed, was blocked out. 

"I am!" Raul replied. "It's obvious they are aiming for us. Just trust my instinct! It's telling me they are aiming for us!"

"Instinct, huh..." Callisto muttered. "How many minutes have we got until we reach your house?" 

"20 minutes." Val calmly replied. 

"Then, let's head for my residence." Callisto calmly assessed the situation. "It will only take me a few minutes down the highway to reach there. In addition to the short time, the security in my complex is much stricter than your abode." 

Accelerating, he steered away from the guardrails, and swerved so smoothly that the distance between the black SUV and his red Ferrari was increasing. The car still maintained its current speed at 200 mph, surpassing the other cars swiftly and stealthily. 

Val didn't expect it to be a bumpy ride. Fortunately, the mastermind didn't dare to kill them with guns on the highway as there were lots of eyes on them. They only hired people to push them off the highway, which will result in their natural death by falling off a high surface. If only his children weren't here, he could have rushed out to kill those bugs chasing them at this moment. 

In the meanwhile, Raul surmised the situation and came up with two possible culprits - their rival information guild, Faded Assimilation and people who weren't satisfied with his dad sticking his nose into their business. It was unlikely for Faded Assimilation to strike now, because they had already staged so many incidents that the government was onto them. If the guild didn't lay low, their insiders may be caught soon.

That only leaves the latter option. Either those stinky government officials bribed by the politicians or the werewolves. If it were the werewolves, they were simple muscle heads, with no brains and no brawn. It must be the former.

The culprits must have been manipulated to do this by the greedy politicians, who handled the procurement of materials and the manufacturing process of the drugs. Whether the culprits were drug addicts or blackmailed, it didn't change the fact that they attempted a crime.

He just had to remember their faces and describe their appearances to his dad. Using the network of his information guild, in no time, they could find and torture the two people into answering their questions, though they may not know much since they were underlings. Since they attacked, it was only fair to pay for the damage ten times back. 

As soon as they passed by the highway, the car slowed down, no longer following them. It seemed they had backup plans. Raul scrutinized through the opponent's transparent front windscreen, where he saw two people arguing intensely.

Both of them seemed to be in their 30s, dressed like a yakuza. The man on the driver seat with a rose tattoo on his shoulder and a scar at his eyebrows, was smoking out the window leisurely while his goon, resembling a bear because of his big figures, seemed to be lecturing him.

A few moments later, Raul informed Callisto. "They are calling someone, probably to inform someone waiting to ambush us at your apartment. I think their target is dad."

"How did you know?" 

"I can lip-read."

"That's impressive." Raul knew it was sincere, despite the lack of excitement in his tone.

Rune suggested casually. "Should we kill them?"

Val chuckled upon hearing her idea. "Have you ever killed a person before?"

"Nope, but I know I can do it." Rune's eyes gazed at him with determination. "I have your blood in me after all." 

"You don't need to dirty your hands." Val stopped her crazed delusion. "I only allowed you to mingle with my work at the age of 15, so the duke and I will handle it." 

Callisto playfully commented. "Am I going there too?" 

"Obviously." Val smiled deviously. "Aren't you coming as my friend?" 

Driving obediently, as he promised, they reached the condo. Passing through the security checkpoints in the underground parking lot, he parked as hastily as possible. Val stepped out of the car, carrying each of the kids in his arms. Near the entrance to the lobby lift, there were 4 security guards armed with batons and high voltage tasers, alert for sudden raids or ambushes.

After Callisto locked the car doors, they stepped towards the lift for an in-depth check up which included touching the face, the body and searching through their clothes and bags. Confirming everything was safe, they were let in. Three of them seemed baffled as to why the guards were touching their faces and even to the inside of their clothes. 

Callisto explained. "The reason there are check ups is because a stalker, who was an unstable werewolf, was once let into the building. It killed off everyone violently after transforming into its true form. Now, this condo only allows residents and their affiliates to come in." 

"But, aren't we also werewolves?" Rune asked as Val pressed the up button for the elevator.

"The guards are working under vampire nobles in the Valerian Empire and all are specialized in makeup and disguise. They knew you were werewolves and recorded your names, appearances and addresses in the book as a disciplinary measure but as my acquaintance, it's my responsibility to guarantee that you guys won't be a threat to the people inside."

"Then, we just need to stay out of trouble." Raul claimed as all of them stepped into the elevator and Callisto pressed his key card to the fiftieth floor. 

Val snickered maliciously. "I am afraid that's not possible. Did you notice that too, Lis?" Previously, while the guards were busy exploring their bags, the two had a brief peek at the record book, which displayed the name 'Emilio Veister' documented in the same page. That struck Val as bizarre after hearing the details of how this condo worked. 

Along the highway, Callisto briefed them about the residents in the condo vampires owned. All inhabitants in the lower floor from ground floor to the twenty fifth floor were certified full-time employees. People, who lived at the top five floors, were rich vampires heirs to businesses they would later inherit. This condo was used for building connections within the business industry and gaining the tycoon's favor.

At this time of the day, the floors were usually empty because they were either lazy, partying about, going to school or working in their father's business. Depending on the reason, they would usually come back in the evening at 6 or early in the morning the next day. 

From the given info, he assumed it wasn't strange for Emilio to come back to the condo twice. Now, it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon and most workplaces wouldn't let their employees go off work at this time. The earliest they'll get off work in this country was at 5 in the evening. 

There was no reason for Emilio, a single individual, to come back without a reason unless he was taking a vacation. Though there was a 50-50 chance for both, they'd better be careful since he could be a werewolf shapeshifter into their home. 

"I did." Callisto muttered, pondering if this was what his hunch was notifying him about. "I hoped there wouldn't be a ruckus for us today."

"What do you mean Your Grace?" Raul then turned to Val. "Dad?" None of them answered him for both stayed silent, maintaining their vigilance.

The elevator opened its door courteously. Callisto stepped out, surveying the halls. The corridors were empty and no visible friend nor foe was in sight. As the duke led them to his room, Val warned Raul. "Hold on tight."

Callisto unlocked the door with his key. Treading carefully into the room, his senses were at its peak. Detecting something sharp slicing the air coming towards him, he quickly deflected it with the knife hidden inside his coat. It was a small poison coated dagger. Even if the dagger landed, the poison would have little or no effect on him since he was poison resistant. He quickly closed the door to prevent the assassin from escaping.

"Despicable." He stood still while Val took the children into the living room. They sat next to each other, free of worries. At least the open space was safer than going inside one of the dark rooms. "Can you take care of your kids?"

"Um." Val nodded. 

The sound of wires humming in the air was so subtle that it was hard to catch on. It seemed the assassin set up some dirty tricks in the room. 

Just as he was coming up with ways to identify the assassin, another dagger with a wire string attached to behind was flung into the air. From the direction it was shot, he could guess where the assassin was hiding, but he probably moved away from his hiding spot as soon as it was thrown. Wait. Its direction was....

No, the dagger wasn't aimed at him, but for Val! 

As soon as he realized it, coming forward, he caught the dagger with his bare hands, just a centimeter away from reaching his heart. In the optimal throwing stance, imbued with all his strength, he threw the dagger back into a dark corner of the room, where the twins saw no one.

Light footsteps emerged from between the shadows. The tall cloaked figure with long gray hair strode towards them. 

The duke's eyes sank down on the dagger, which penetrated shallowly into the assassin's right arm. "Tch." He was disappointed that his strength was weaker than he thought.

"You aren't my target today." As soon as his gaze fell on them, the children felt a chill down their spines, quivering uncontrollably. "Why are you obstructing me?" 

While Callisto was distracting him, Val checked on his kids. Despite this suffocating grip over his neck, Raul managed to speak out. "Dad, that guy's insane."

"Insane?" Val looked at the cloaked figure, who was relaxedly conversing with his enemy, before asking Raul. "How?"

"He reeks of that aura you've been telling us to stay away from. It is so heavily enveloped around him that I can't believe he is a vampire." Val frowned. How could he have not sensed it if the drugs were so excessively consumed in an organism? There was no way he couldn't have detected it when his senses perceived better than his children.

In this room, only the twins had trouble breathing when they inhaled a waft of the drug. Raul could withstand it better than Rune, who had difficulty breathing and couldn't even talk. Did that mean only half bloods could detect the enhancement drug? 

Val glanced at Callisto who nodded, understanding his intentions. He'd better finish this quickly before the guards noticed anything wrong. 

"Don't stray from your seat."

Warning them, Callisto dashed towards the assassin, bringing forth another knife. Unlike the traditional stance, he aimed straight for the neck and used the other for defense. Before it pierced through his neck, the assassin bent over his back, slightly evading the knives.

Seeing an opening, the duke knocked the assassin down in the knees, where the heavy heels on his shoes made the pain detrimental. Gritting his teeth, the assassin stood up immediately, leaping forward to unleash a mid-air attack onto him. Despite his full body weight on the sword, Callisto easily blocked off his two daggers with one sword. 

Yawning, the duke displayed no signs of fighting back. Reassured that the duke was looking down on him and not taking this fight seriously, he used this opportunity to retreat only to attack again. As soon as the assassin pulled his daggers away, as fast as lightning, the duke horizontally slashed his torso. He was deceived! 

Heightening his senses, in his sight, the knife was moving slowly towards him. Before the sword's tip hit him, swiftly jumping backwards, the distance between the two was increased. His opponent's attack was rendered ineffective. 

The duke found it somewhat amusing to witness the cloaked figure bouncing around the room when he distanced himself from his onslaught like an undying cockroach. Leaving the jokes aside, was he practicing gymnastics or something? He was too flexible and agile for an assassin. It would be more appropriate to call him a slime. 

Coming up with ways to limit the slime's options, he altered the tempo of this slow fight. His sharp knives repetitively aimed for the head, the neck and the torso. All slashes were quick but precise. Some managed to cut in deep, some went in too shallow. Equally matching his pace while regenerating his wounds rapidly, the assassin managed to leave a few scars on the duke. 

Hearing the incessant clangs and clashes reverberate throughout the room, the twins were nervous for the outcome of this fight, whereas, Val was casually peeling some fruits on the glass table as refreshments for them to feast on after the fight. 

His defense remained impenetrable except for his shoulders. Whenever Callisto aimed for his shoulders, he would have some difficulty pushing the duke back. Not sure if his weakness was just a bait, Callisto sped up his strikes, aiming randomly to test his theory out. 

The assassin was a professional at utilizing tricks as well as an amateur in carrying them out. The reason why Callisto said so was because the assassin's facial expression barely expressed any signs of pain. Though assassins may be trained, as long as he was a living organism, there was no way he wouldn't feel agony. His wound at the shoulder wasn't real, but in the midst of battle, it could distract people for a few moments, baffled as to whether to make use of his weakness.

The assassin was puzzled as to the reason why the duke was not falling for his trick. Before he knew it, his daggers were deflected from Callisto's swords, all scattered hazardously around the floor. Backed into the wall, the assassin could feel the invisible wires he installed that could slice a vampire's body in a snippet. Despite his narrow escape, he charged unfazed at Callisto, this time with a proper fighting stance. In his hands, there were no weapons.

Callisto wandered into his thoughts as he effortlessly evaded the brutal assaults of the assassin. Close range combat? Was he trained in martial arts despite being a commoner? No, commoners wouldn't be able to afford training lessons. Besides, his fighting style didn't resemble vicious street fighting, like plucking the eyes out, or throwing a hazardous material at him. 

Besides, he wouldn't have been able to afford the drugs unless he was a servant of a noble. Maybe a noble handed the drugs out at a cheap price to ruin the commoners? There were plenty of commoners who would take a chance at getting stronger to get high paying jobs for their family or their greed to elevate their status...

"You are distracted." The assassin was a tiny bit annoyed at his distraction in such a critical time. The duke seemed to be taking it too easy, evading the reach of his short fists. He was provoked, nonetheless, he hadn't lost the calm in him to make rational decisions. When the duke was about to swing his knife at him, he deftly struck the duke's wrists with his palm, thus.... 

Far from his anticipations, the sword didn't slip out of the duke's hands nor did it fling into the air, instead, it remained still in his hands. "Why...?" In spite of the assassin's confusion, without hesitation, the sword plunged down, gashing his torso beautifully, as blue blood splattered over the marble floor.

After inflicting such a severe wound, the fact that the assassin didn't die was a miracle. 

Clenching his fingers, the sensation in his wrists almost went numb. The duke acknowledged the incredible strength that lay within the assassin's small fists. If only the assassin was kept hidden for any longer, he would've grown stronger, maybe even surpassing him. 

"Blue blood." The duke knelt down, feeling the sticky blood in his fingers. When they were fighting, he noticed the blue blood spewing out of the cloaked figure's body, however, he paid it no mind. Now that he pondered it over, none of the races - vampires, humans, werewolves - and not even the hybrids possessed blue blood.

Scrutinizing the assassin's body which was colder than most vampires, he was able to determine two conclusions. The first one was that he was a mutant species, possibly a triple blood - mixed human, werewolf, vampire. The second deduction was that the assassin was an experimental chimera. Only the latter explained why he was absurdly flexible, engulfed in the smell of drugs. 

As the duke trudged towards him, the sound of the cold sword dragging on the marble floor got closer. This was a new feeling he had never felt before. He was utterly convinced his existence was incomparably smaller than the duke while his body was paralyzed on spot, not listening to his commands at all. He knew his end was coming. Closing his eyes, he tranquilly accepted his fate, waiting for the final blow to erase him from the surface of the world. 

Instead of something cold penetrating deep into his heart, he was forcefully fed something. It was a thick red, viscous liquid, not resembling blood. The assassin knew if he swallowed this, his life would turn out worse than death. In his attempts to spit it out, a blue haired man covered his mouth at the same time, pinched his nose so that he had no choice but to gulp it all down. It was his original target for today's mission.

After a few moments, he let go. "You almost suffocated the man to death!" Raul exclaimed, pointing out how they almost lost a valuable eye witness.

"So what?" Though they were familiar with Val's unpredictable mood swings, the twins still couldn't get used to the change in his gentle eyes whenever they were involved in his matters.

Val wanted to handle the guild's disputes and their distribution on drugs cases all on his own without involving the children, but at this point, it seemed without abolishing his guild, his kids might be exposed to the same level of peril for the rest of their lives. What on earth should he....? Val pondered as he got up from the sofa to calm down.

His ears perked up, sensing the presence of someone moving stealthily outside. His eyes widened, finally remembering that there was another stalker he forgot to seize because if he went out then, the assassin might have harmed his kids. Now that Callisto apprehended the gray-haired man, he was relieved to leave the twins in his hands. 

Cheering up in thinking that there was finally a shred of hope to hunt down those idiotic, power-craving politicians, Val informed Callisto. "I am going out to catch that little rat." He sounded pretty zealous about this.

"Then, you should go fast. At this rate, the rat's going to slip out of your fingers." Callisto notified him, his arms akimbo.

"I know that without you saying, Lis." Val slammed the door shut as he rushed outside, armed with a weapon. 

Leaning forward, Callisto took off the annoying hood and mask that was covering the assassin's face. Without a doubt, his black-orange eyes were an alluring combination in colors he had never seen before. Matched with his oval face and slender waists, he was beautiful yet his actions were so cruel, executed without the slightest hesitation. He must be quite used to this job.

Stepping on his gashing wound, Callisto prevented him from escaping. He wanted the twins not to witness this side of him, however, it couldn't be helped. They were tight on time. 

"Ugh!" The assassin grimaced in pain. 

"Tell me who sent you."

"You guess." He held back his words as if there was a lump in his throat. 

"Don't struggle. I injected the truth serum into you." Callisto snickered as he watched the assassin trying to cough up the serum. "No use. In a special service for you, I increased the substances to be more potent."

"I won't repeat this a third time." A deep voice commanded him. "Tell me who sent you." Unlike his calm voice, the twins could see in his red eyes that he was quite vexed. Nevertheless, they watched on, unafraid of a gruesome show upcoming, because he did it all to protect them.

"Joseph Shaw Heather." 

Joseph Shaw Heather.

This name rang a bell.

Pondering hard, the duke finally recalled this figure. 

Once you search his name in Google, you could immediately find out that he was a popular politician with a fan base of a few hundred thousands on Twitter, and even Facebook. Underneath that kind and gentle persona, lied a man, fueled with the desire to manipulate people into doing his bidding. That was Joseph Heather.