Taken

The sprawling city of Meteor City stretched out below.

It was a chaotic sea of neon signs, flashing billboards, and towering skyscrapers.

Scott clutched his grappling hook gun tightly and tightened his jaw as the cold wind whipped against his face.

Behind him, Mist struggled to keep up but managed to fire a blast of scalding vapor. The attack curved around a streetlamp and slammed into the path of the Dark Elf, giving them a brief moment of relief… but Scott knew it wouldn't slow their pursuer for long.

He darted through the crowded streets, leaping over parked cars and weaving between buses with practiced ease.

『I was supposed to be the one doing the hunting! Fuck!』

Reaching a streetlamp, he scaled it quickly and used it as a springboard to launch himself to another one nearby. Landing with a smooth roll, he was already on his feet, sprinting forward at a pace that left most people in the dust.

Meanwhile, Mist wasn't about to waste time dodging obstacles, so she flew straight through the chaos, phasing effortlessly through streetlamps, signs, and anything else in her path.

But she still couldn't catch up to Scott.

"Can't you fly any faster?!"

Scott yelled over the roar of the city below.

"Excuse me?"

Mist snapped back as her figure phasing briefly into vapor to dodge a shuriken thrown by Dark Elf.

… CRIIIIINK!

The shuriken embedded itself in a nearby vent.

"If I could move faster, I wouldn't be here, would I?!"

"Whatever!"

Scott groaned and shot his grappling hook toward a distant building. The line hissed as it zipped him through the air, barely dodging another expertly thrown shuriken.

The stream chat exploded.

[HOLY SH*T! DID YOU SEE THAT MOVE?!]

[The dark assassin chick is insane. Where did she even COME FROM?]

[Mist's vapor thing is hot, ngl. But the assassin ninja chick is hotter 🔥🔥🔥]

[DONATION: $100 – Let's go, Nightwatch! Don't let this ninja chick make you look bad!]

[Bro, save your girl! STOP RUNNING!]

---

Still flying, Mist scowled at her phone as it hovered in her peripheral view, streaming the chaos in real time.

"Why are they commenting on how hot she is? She's literally trying to kill us!"

"Welcome to the internet…"

Scott muttered under his breath as he fired the grappling hook and swung onto another rooftop, landing with a smooth roll.

Spinning around quickly, he hurled an electric shuriken at the Dark Elf. She barely flinched and expertly deflected it with one of her twin swords.

[Damn, I like that ninja chick ( ˘･з･)]

[Fr, she's so nonchalant…]

[I love me a nonchalant girl, like my woman]

[Bro does NOT have a woman 😭🙏]

Not wasting a moment, Scott picked up his pace and summoned four more electric shurikens.

"This has to work!"

Jumping into the air, he spun like a tornado and threw all four of them in rapid succession.

The Dark Elf moved with precision and blocked three of the shurikens with ease. For the last one, she adjusted her grip on her left sword, then used the edge to redirect the shuriken's momentum and send it spinning back toward Scott at an even greater speed.

"SHIT──!"

Scott saw it coming and executed a flawless backflip, dodging the shuriken entirely.

Mid-flip, he fired his wrist-mounted grappling hook at her, but she sidestepped it effortlessly.

In response, she tossed a small sphere his way.

"That's a…"

Scott reacted quickly and kicked it aside just in time.

… BOOOOM!!

The sphere exploded high above them, creating a massive flash that lit up the sky and sent shockwaves echoing through the city.

The explosion triggered panic on the streets below.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"It's a bomb!"

"Why are we panicking… this happens every Tuesday!"

"We're all gonna die!"

People screamed and ran in all directions like startled animals, while cars crashed into each other and into streetlamps in the chaos.

Without pausing to check the damage, Scott took off running again, his focus locked on staying ahead.

Mist landed beside him and crossed her arms.

"Seriously, though. Why is it a sexy assassin chick after you? Shouldn't it be some big, scary dude? This feels personal."

Scott gave her an incredulous look as he threw an electric rope over the edge of the building to swing to the next.

"That's seriously what you're worried about?!"

"Yes!"

Mist shot back and turned intangible again just in time to avoid another shuriken from Dark Elf.

"If someone's going to kill you, it should at least make sense! Like, some rival hero or—"

"Not now, Gwen!"

Scott cut her off then grabbed her arm mid-vapor form to pull her along as they swung to the next building.

Below, the chat kept up its relentless commentary.

[Bro, why are they flirting mid-chase?]

[Mist's just mad ninja girl is hotter, lol.]

[Ninja Girl supremacy! Y'all can't tell me she's not peak waifu material.]

[DONATION: $250 – Can someone explain how the shuriken are curving mid-air? That's sick.]

└ [She's probably Chinese or something…]

└ [Bruh, that's racist 💀]

└ [But I have a Chinese friend (´･_･`)…]

└ [That's not how that shit works (ㆆ ᴗ ㆆ)]

[WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT NIGHTWATCH TAKING THAT BULLET EARLIER?!]

---

"Stay focused!"

Scott barked as they landed hard on a rooftop.

But as they hit the ground, Dark Elf suddenly appeared out of nowhere and leaped from the shadows. Her movements were impossibly fluid—like a dancer trained to kill!

"Damn it—"

Scott reached for another shuriken, but Mist was faster and unleashed a concentrated blast of fog that enveloped the area.

Dark Elf hesitated for a fraction of a second, clearly annoyed by the reduced visibility. She reached into her utility belt and hurled several small, metallic spheres into the mist.

Mist smirked and confidently arms crossed.

"Oh, please. What are those supposed to──!!"

BOOM!

The spheres exploded in a fiery burst of heat that disrupted Mist's vapor form and sent her hurtling backward into an alley.

"Ahh!"

Mist cried out and painfully clutched her burning body as she struggled to stand.

Scott's heart leapt.

"Gwen!"

He turned to face the Dark Elf, who stood over the alley's edge like a specter of death.

"High heat disrupts vapor… not that hard."

Dark Elf spoke with a cold voice and sharp red eyes.

These were her first words since chasing them down.

So, the chat went wild.

[OH MY GOD, SHE JUST YEETED MIST.]

[Ninja Girl 1, Mist 0.]

[SOMEONE GET MIST OUT OF THERE!]

[DONATION: $500 – Nightwatch, bro, it's time to STEP UP.]

[Ninja Girl is OP, ngl.]

---

Scott charged forward as his arc blade ignited with a crackle of electricity.

"Get away from her!"

Dark Elf extended her twin swords, making the blades slide out with a sharp metallic hiss as charged straight at him.

Clank! Clank!

CLANK!

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.

Scott parried her strikes with his own sword while throwing in quick kicks and elbow attacks to keep her off balance. But she didn't let up for a second-her strikes came so fast it was hard to keep track, and her movements were wild, almost impossible to predict.

Then, with a swift kick, she hit Scott's injured arm dead-on, making him cough out a pained grunt.

"Damn it!"

Scott hissed as he staggered back.

Before he could recover, Dark Elf spun on her heel and delivered a brutal chop to Mist's neck.

"Gwen!"

Scott yelled, but it was too late.

Mist crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Dark Elf didn't spare him a second glance.

With a flick of her wrist, she tossed a smoke bomb to the ground and vanished into the night.

"NO!"

Scott roared and slammed his fist into a nearby wall.

The chat exploded once again.

[BRO, GO AFTER HER!]

[She just took Mist OUT. Holy sh*t.]

[DONATION: $1,000 – That was INSANE. Nightwatch, you HAVE to get her back.]

[Ninja Girl is literally the coolest villain we've ever seen.]

[HE LOST THE FIGHT BUT WON OUR HEARTS 💀💀💀]

└ [Chat, what color of glazing is this (´-ι_-｀)]

└ [Fr tho, the glazing is crazy. He clearly got his ass handed to him, and that's not a bad thing.]

└ [Of course it is, why would he lose to a girl?]

└ [You can clearly see he was wounded (ㆆ ᴗ ㆆ)…]

[IMO, I don't think he'd have won either way… as much as we praise Nightwatch's skills, he's pretty inexperienced when compared to people like Rope Girl.]

└ [Says the guy typing this from his couch 💀]

└ [Fr, average Rope Girl simp (・ε・`*) …]

---

Scott crouched on the rooftop, breathing hard and clutching his side. Every muscle in his body ached, but the rush of adrenaline kept most of the pain at bay.

He narrowed his eyes and scanned the city below for any sign of Mist—or Dark Elf.

But there was nothing.

She was gone.

Scott swallowed hard. "She… took Mist."

The stream erupted into chaos.

[WTF! SHE'S GONE?!]

[BRO, WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE TOOK HER?!]

[My girl Mist… 😭😭😭]

[Donation: $50 – Save Mist or I'm unsubbing, bro. I'm DEAD serious.]

[Man, how did this even happen? I thought Nightwatch was supposed to be unstoppable?!]

[Because he's clearly NOT. Did you see how that ninja chick folded him? -50 aura points.]

[Yo, what do you think ninjas do when they vanish in smoke bombs? Like, do they just walk away awkwardly or teleport?]

└ [Probably just moonwalk outta there, lmao.]

└ [Nah, they hide in the shadows until it's socially acceptable to appear again.]

└ [Or they die in the smoke and are replaced by a clone. Kek, Big brain fr.]

└ [Bro, chill with the jokes. Mist just got taken.]

Scott's fists clenched as the weight of failure pressed down on him. His breathing was painfully heavy and his mind raced with possibilities.

Then, a notification popped up in the corner of his vision.

[DONATION: $100 - Look up, Nightwatch. There's a helicopter not far from you… it might be her ヾ(＾∇＾)]

Scott's eyes snapped skyward.

Sure enough, a sleek black helicopter hovered in the distance as its lights sliced through the night.

"There."

His voice was low but firm.

He fired his grappling hook at a nearby ledge and took off as his body moved with purpose.

[HE FOUND HER! LET'S GOOOOO!!!]

[Bro, parkour is about to be insane right now.]

[Can he even make it?! That chopper's fast af.]

[Donation: $25 – For the love of God, save Mist, Nightwatch! She's the only reason I'm still watching!]

[Y'all are a bit hard on him tonight (¬_¬)…]

Scott darted between rooftops, each leap, roll, and grapple executed with precision. He barely slowed when vaulted over debris and broken antennas as his every move was a perfect blend of skill and fluidity.

[This man is BUILT DIFFERENT.]

[He's making Rope Girl look like an amateur, fr.]

└ [Definitely not.]

└ [Jeez, Rope Girl has so much simps it ain't even funny.]

[DONATION: $50 – Bro's got the stamina of an Olympic athlete. Respect.]

As he neared the helicopter, Scott launched his grappling hook. The line zipped through the air and latched onto the chopper's landing gear. He began reeling himself in and his muscles strained against the increasing wind resistance.

Inside the helicopter, Dark Elf stood by the open door with her twin swords strapped to her back.

『He's back…』

She turned to the pilot.

It was Trickshot lounging with one hand on the controls and the other holding a bottle of whiskey.

"He's coming. Should I kill him?" said Dark Elf.

Trickshot took a slow chug as his one good eye brightened with amusement.

"Nah. Grave wants this job clean. If you couldn't snag him outright, we'll use the girl as bait. He'll come to us, and we'll use him to lure out Vargas."

Dark Elf nodded, then stepped closer to the door.

She crouched at the edge, watching Scott inch closer with each passing second.

Easily, she produced four shurikens.

"Let's see how far you get…"

She hurled the projectiles in rapid succession.

[NO WAY SHE'S THROWING MORE!]

[Bro, can he dodge those?!]

[Donation: $75 – Nightwatch, you got this, man. Don't let her flex on you again!]

Scott twisted his body mid-air and narrowly dodged two of the shurikens. The other two struck his chest but bounced harmlessly off his armor.

"Yes!"

Scott smirked, gaining ground.

The chat roared in approval.

[HE'S GOT THIS!!! LET'S GOOOOO!!!]

[Bro's armor is MVP right now.]

[Dark Elf looks impressed. Tell me you don't feel the sexual tension, lmao.]

└ [Shut up, bro. Be serious for once.]

Just as Scott closed the gap, Dark Elf nodded slightly.

"You're persistent. I'll give you that."

In one smooth motion, she drew a blade and severed the grappling line.

"Shit!"

Scott cursed as gravity yanked him downward.

[OH NOOOOO!!!]

[HE'S FALLING!!!]

[Donation: $100 – NIGHTWATCH, PLEASE TELL ME YOU CAN FLY DAWG?!]

The wind howled past him as he dropped toward the city.

Turning in mid-air, Scott tossed two electric shurikens at the helicopter.

They lodged into the undercarriage and exploded.

… clink────BOOOOOOM!!

The helicopter jerked sharply, causing both the Dark Elf and Trickshot to lose their balance.

"Hold it steady!" Dark Elf snapped as she braced herself.

"Working on it!" Trickshot growled, gripping the controls.

Meanwhile, Scott crashed into the edge of a rooftop.

"AGGCCHKK────!!"

His back slammed into the concrete, breaking through railings and iron balconies before smashing into a dumpster several stories below.

"NGHHHK──!!"

The chat collectively winced with each impact.

[OHHHHHH!!! THAT LOOKED BAD!!!]

[Bro hit every damn thing on the way down. 💀]

[How's he even alive right now?]

[Y'all think he's alive? LMAO]

Inside the dumpster, Scott lay barely conscious and his vision was swimming. Before he could move, three small metallic bombs clinked against the edge of the dumpster and rolled in.

"Oh, come on…"

────BOOOOOOM!

The explosions rocked the alleyway and sent debris flying.

A chorus of screams and metallic groans filled the air.

For a long moment, the stream was silent.

Very silent…

[Is he… dead?]

[This is Nightwatch… he can't be, right?]

[I… can't see anything. Is he alive?!]

[Donation: $500 – Somebody please tell me he's okay.]

[Bro, this was the best stream of all time… RIP if he's gone.]

[Get well soon, man?]

[We need Part 2, NOW!]

└ [Can you fuckin' show some concern???]

└ [Why should I? I'm one of his highest donators after all. He should do his job and stop bitching around!]

└ [Jeez, that's harsh man 💀]

[If he survived that, he better wake up with a new power-up or something, lmao.]

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Emma watched everything unfold.

She was already racing through Meteor City at superspeed.

"Nightwatch… please, wait for me…"

She zipped through every alley, searching for him.

The city was huge, but at least she knew where he was, so finding him wouldn't be hard. The real question was whether he'd survive long enough for her to reach him.

"Please… *sniffle* be okay…"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she pushed herself even faster, weaving through the city's twists and turns like a blur of yellow lightning.

"I'm coming!"