10 Corner Call

Kai didn't engage immediately.

He picked up his pace, shifting through the winding, complicated pathways of the Ridge. The sheer number of streets and pathways made the Ridge a veritable maze, and he quickly started to outpace the group behind him.

Through his hearing and a few backward glances here and there, he got a general idea of his peeping party. Two humans. Guys, judging from their builds. Wearing body armor nicked from Elsia – an old version, the one without the sleek Skrittersilk weave, the bulky black ones with huge shoulderpads that looked a little ridiculous. Pistols jutted out from their hips, but no other weapons were visible.

One elf. Not dressed for combat – rocked a pretty good suit that would have shone were it not for all the dust in the Ridge. Masked – one of the Don's higher ups. Three orcs, huge guys, all of them, wearing comfortable clothing but the scarring webbing their arms and faces showing that they fought plenty.

It was obvious the humans and the elf weren't used to the streets, and the orcs followed their orders, so since the chain of command was clueless, the whole gang stumbled about the streets, hurrying to try and catch up to Kai.

Kai led them to a long and narrow alleyway that ended in a dead end, a tall building of plated steel standing in the way.

When he stopped in front of that wall, he heard multiple footsteps halt behind him.

"Finally, you stop running." The elf stepped forward, arm stretched out to the side, holding his men back for now. "Give in without resistance, and everything will be so very easy. I assure you."

"Running, eh?" Kai reached to his hip and took out his dagger, concealing it in front of him. "I just wanted to find a place where none of you could escape."

Kai pushed strength into his legs and drove up, soaring several meters in the air with his newfound physical prowess. He was always athletic and coordinated, so he had a decent idea of how to backflip over the gang, landing behind them, blocking the way out of the alleyway.

His wings spread out of their cloth bindings, two massive shadows tipped with bladed claws.

The humans drew their pistols with a trained motion. They weren't high-tech. Standard revolvers. The orcs grunted and stood in front of the men. Kai shook his head.

The orcs were likely slaves. Meat and muscle bags that stood out in the front lines to beat opposition. The humans with their pistols were just there in case the orcs somehow couldn't handle the situation. There wasn't any risk to them, let alone the elf at the back.

But surprisingly, the elf drew forwards, standing in front of the whole gang. He raised a hand in the air, asking for a ceasefire.

"I am sure you have heard of the Don's law, yes?" said the elf. "Then please, do not make a fuss and come with us. It is for the good of this city, and I can assure you that you will be treated with decency."

"Bullshit," spat Kai.

The elf shrugged. "We are obligated to use force, and we will if we have to. Rest assured though that we will not try to inflict lethal wounds upon you."

Kai flicked out his dagger and held it in his right hand, the blade facing down towards the earth like a hungry tooth.

"If you're gonna give me a handicap, then I'll take it," he said, smiling.

The elf stepped backwards, behind the formation, and waved the orcs forward.

The three orcs barreled forwards, their tusks jutting out their mouths as they roared, arms thick like tree trunks raised in the air.

Kai crouched a little, tensing energy into his body, and burst forwards like a loosened spring. He thrust out his two wings, slamming them into the two orcs on either side of him. He made sure to smack them with the flat of his claws, trying not to kill slaves working under orders.

As for the center orc, he locked hands with him and pushed. The orc growled as he dug in his heels and tried to resist with all his might, back muscles rippling and bulging with effort.

Grinning, Kai exhaled and shoved forwards with a burst of strength, sending the orc toppling over backwards into the hardened path below.

"Shit," said one of the humans. He looked at his fellow human and they both nodded.

Without a second of hesitation, they raised their firearms and shot at Kai.

Kai expected this and had drawn his wings back, covering himself in them, their plated backs more than durable enough to deflect the revolver shots, sending the shells careening into the metal walls of the alleyway.

"Enough!" shouted the elf.

The two humans stopped shooting.

Silence befell the air, the orcs' pained groans the only background noise.

Kai hadn't counted the revolvers running out of bullets, so he still stood behind his wings.

"You've made your point, Daemon: you can handle us easily," said the elf. "Please, do be so kind as to tell us what you want. It is pointless for us to spend resources fighting each other when Elsia's threats loom in the distance."

Kai hadn't expected them to surrender so easily. He was ready to beat out answers from the gang if he needed to, but not this. In any case, he'd take the easy way out, albeit he still covered himself with his wings in case they pulled out a cheap shot.

"Where are the Daemons?" Kai almost shouted since the wings muffled his voice. "And what's the Don going to do with them?"

The elf nodded. "I see. So you are worried about your people. Quite admirable, but your concern is misplaced. The Don is keeping them temporarily in the northern half of the village. They are living off of food reserves that the Don personally amassed for emergencies such as these, and they have roofs over their heads. Nobody has been harmed."

The elf coughed into his hand, clearing his throat out.

"As for your second question, the Don has kept them for safety reasons. Elsia may send drones to fly over the Ridge and abduct them there. Since we do not have anti-air defenses, we felt it best to keep your people where our mechs could defend them."

"I haven't heard bullshit this strong in a long time," Kai snorted. This elf was spewing out PR for the Don. Nothing of substance. He'd need to see the man himself. "I'll believe you when I see it. Which brings me to my second demand: bring me to the Don. Give me an one on one chat with him."

The elf deliberated for a few seconds and then nodded.

"Certainly." The elf motioned for the two humans to pick up the injured orcs. "If you so wish, we can escort you to the Don now."

"I'm not stupid." Kai made one of his wings tap the ground. "I ain't going to the northern side where your mechs can surround and arrest me. Bring the Don over here. Alone."

"Hmm. A difficult proposition," said the elf. He reached into his suit pocket and took out a radiophone, a neat little rectangular object, blocky and about the size of a hand, that acted as a mobile radio device. He pressed it to his hear, and after a few seconds, began a conversation.

"It's me, Vento. Someone wishes to meet you."

….

"No, he wants you alone. You are to come to the Ridge immediately."

….

"Yes, he is a Daemon."

….

"Is that so? Then I wish you all the luck and speed."

The elf pressed a button to turn the radiophone off and shoved it back into his pocket.

"My apologies about that," he said. "The Don is coming to this location. We will back out to make sure he is alone. Expect him in fifteen minutes."

"Everyone except you," Kai pointed at the elf with his wing's claw. "Leave."

The orcs and the men shuffled out, and Kai kept his guard up until their footsteps faded in the distance.

"You intend to keep me as insurance, yes?" the elf commented casually. "To truly make sure the Don comes."

Kai brought his wings to his sides and nodded. "Yeah, I'm not a dumbass. The moment something goes wrong, you're dead, got it?"

The elf raised his arms in the air in surrender and nodded.

All that was left was the wait.