Chapter 8 - Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?

The peaceful surroundings of the cottage were shattered by a rustling in the bushes. Jack immediately sprang up, his hand reaching for his weapon as he signaled Professor Shiva to quietly retreat into the safe room they had prepared for her.

Jack armed himself with his military grade kodachi relic and took silent but swift strides towards the door of the cottage, his senses on high alert as he anticipated the arrival of potential intruders. He heard footsteps approaching, and his hand went to the hilt of his kodachi, ready to strike at any notice. However, to his amusement and great relief, the voices he heard outside the door were familiar. And no sane intruder would be this rowdy.

Jack pulled open the door and smiled in welcome as he recognized a few familiar faces. "Well, well, well, look who's come to play. The famous Heaven's Watch mercenary group, and I thought it was just the wind making all that noise."

Lady Enki snickered, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she bowed slightly. "Sorry to disappoint, Enforcer Jack. But it's just us."

"Ah, no disappointment at all. Just don't expect any tea parties. It's been a little chaotic here." Jack sheathed his kodachi, at ease that it was just reinforcements that had arrived.

"We figured we'd arrive in time for the briefing," Yukie chimed in, flashing him a grin of her own.

As they settled in and caught up on each other's news, the unease slowly dissipated. That was until Ethan suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, speaking of which...where are the patrols? Shouldn't they be checking the perimeter?"

Jack's heart sank as he realized the patrols were nowhere to be seen. "Sh*t! You mean you didn't run into anyone on the way here?!!"

Lady Enki dished out commands decisively, "Team, you'll need to head out. The first priority is to secure all the entry points to this cottage. Second, rescue any of the enforcer's patrol squad members if you find them. Third, do not engage any enemies unless necessary." She paused and then added a warning to her team with a vicious look in her eyes, "If you do engage...you better not lose to some third-rates."

"Jack...these people?" Professor Shiva had heard all the commotion and took a step out of her safe room to peek at the situation.

"Nothing to worry about Professor. They're with us." Jack answered without hesitation as he inspected the nearest windows and drew the curtains shut. "We might be in a little bit of a pinch though. Could you arm yourself?"

Professor Shiva nodded as she did not like feeling helpless in the first place. The only reason she agreed to such tight supervision was simply her way of showing her cooperation with the authorities. She took out an unassuming copper ring from her pocket and put it on her middle finger, and then retrieved a singular metallic arrow that shined with the most beautiful sheen of blue anyone would have ever seen.

Jack did a poor imitation of a wolf-whistle when he saw the blue arrow. "I'll assume that one packs quite the punch?"

"The Varunastra. Passed down in my family. It was a regular ornamental arrow until Starfall happened." Professor Shiva twirled the arrow around between her fingers in a way only an expert could, the look in her eyes icy.

As the rest of Heaven's Watch prepared to leave - Lady Enki cleared her throat and said, "I'll stay behind with the two of you. You too, Ethan."

"Well it's a mighty relief to have the Witch of Scarlet Flames with us here," Jack quipped as he got into battle ready mode.

Ethan was more than glad to stay behind. He had many words to exchange with Professor Shiva, who caught a whiff of his enthusiasm and smiled awkwardly.

"Watch your back, Connor. I won't be there to save your sorry ass this time," Ethan said playfully.

Connor was smiling as he heard this. "As I recall...I wasn't the one being chased by a giant beetle in the Malaysian rainforest."

"Enough, both of you. Remember, the priority is securing the perimeter and locating our allies," Lady Enki snapped at the duo.

With much haste, Connor, Yukie and Takamura left to track and rescue the missing patrol members.

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[Cottage Outskirts, Karakoram Mountain Range]

The wind howled like a gentle beast in the Karakoram mountain range, kicking up some snow. It wasn't bitterly cold, but the three members of Lady Enki's team, Connor, Yukie, and Takamura, were bundled up in their jackets, hats, and gloves as they trudged through the deep snowdrifts. It was not weather they were used to experiencing. The sky ominous and the mountains loomed over them like giants. Connor couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, and he kept glancing over his shoulder, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement.

Yukie's breath came out in a frosty cloud as she said, "We're losing visibility over time so we gotta make this quick. But we can't be careless..."

Takamura nodded, his eyes scanning the terrain. "And we have to be careful not to get ambushed. I would take to the skies and scan for our allies, but it would easily give away our position."

Connor's heart pounded in his chest. "Do you think the attackers are still in the area? I can't help but feel something's off. Like we're being watched."

"It's possible," Yukie replied. "They left tracks in the snow. But we don't know how old those tracks are. We could be walking right into a trap."

As they moved further away from the cottage, the snow grew thicker, and the wind grew stronger. Connor was about to suggest that they split up and search when Takamura suddenly stopped, holding up a hand to signal for the others to be quiet.

"What is it?" Yukie whispered, her eyes scanning the snow-covered landscape.

"I hear something," Takamura replied. "Something moving in the snow."

Connor strained his ears, but he couldn't hear anything over the muffled sound of the wind. But then he saw it - a faint glimmer of light in the distance, like a pair of eyes staring back at them from the darkness. However, unsure if what they saw were friend or foe, they kept up their vigilance.

"Someone's out there. We should move slowly and cautiously. Keep your eyes peeled."

As they cautiously approached the mysterious source of light that had beckoned them earlier, Yukie's breath caught in her throat. In the icy glow, they saw a haunting sight: a frozen statue of a person, his face etched with a look of pure terror. The victim was trapped in a state of perpetual agony, his hand outstretched as if grasping for help that never came. It was clear that one of their own patrol members had met a grisly end, a life taken by the ruthless power of a powerful and cruel relic. The bitter cold of the scene sent shivers down their spines, a haunting reminder of the perilous nature of their mission.

Takamura clicked his tongue and scanned the surroundings immediately, hoping to locate others, hoping they were in better condition than the man they just found.

Connor gritted his teeth, his heart pounding with adrenaline. What kind of monsters would do such a thing?

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[Back at the Cottage, Karakoram Mountain Range]

Professor Shiva and Ethan were making small talk, mostly discussing research topics pertaining to relics.

"I see, that is an interesting application indeed..." Professor Shiva noted, as Ethan explained his idea on masking the abilities and appearance of relics to her.

"Yes, however there are repercussions to this technology...I think. I can already see the potential in its application, both good...and bad." Ethan said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Perhaps, but who are we to stop progress?" Professor Shiva smiled and said with conviction, true to her nature as a researcher and a scientist that studied relics for the past 10 years. There was no stopping change, and humans will find a way to sow chaos in the world, even if relics had never appeared in this world, even if Starfall didn't happen.

Lady Enki who was sipping on some coffee suddenly perked up, her senses picking up a slight vibration in the vicinity. Jack, who was quick to notice this asked, "We got company?"

"Get ready. They must think we're easy pickings. Why don't we show them a good time?" Lady Enki knocked her golden and crimson bracers together, producing an energy ripple that sent fiery sparks dancing into the atmosphere.

Jack nodded, unsheathing his kodachi which then glowed with a mysterious energy. His pride as an enforcer meant he would rather die than fail his assigned duty in protecting Professor Shiva. However, he was certainly glad that Lady Enki was here to be his backup. Perhaps it was the attackers who would soon be in for a treat.

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[Back at the cottage outskirts, Karakoram Mountain Range]

Takamura's sharp eyes scanned the area, taking in the horror of the frozen statues that littered the ground. The postures of the statues suggested that they were running for their lives, only to be caught and frozen in their tracks. The sight was enough to make Connor shudder in fear, wondering what kind of monster could do such a thing.

But just when they were about to give up hope, a faint voice carried over the wind, beckoning for help. Takamura's senses honed in on the sound, and after a few moments of scanning the area, he spotted movement in the distance.

"Over there," he shouted, pointing towards the source of the sound.

The trio raced towards the source, their hearts heavy with dread. As they approached, they were relieved to find a female member of the enforcers patrol squad. She lay bleeding in the snow, her body riddled with cuts and a stab wound. It was a gruesome sight, but at least she was still alive.

"Hey, can you hear us?" Connor called out to her. "We're from Heaven's Watch. We're here to help."

"She's alive, but barely," Yukie made an observation after checking her vitals. "We'll need to perform some emergency first aid before moving her."

"Hang on, she's trying to speak," Takamura pointed out as the survivor struggled to string her words and sentences together.

As the survivor muttered the words "Trap" and "Run" before passing out, Connor's heart raced with fury and determination. His senses heightened, he sent out a wave of energy that reverberated through the area, and suddenly he knew. They had been set up.

Yukie and Takamura exchanged a worried glance as they noticed the change in Connor's demeanor. His blood boiled as he realized they had been watched all along, cloaked in invisibility until now.

"They're all around us," he spat, gritting his teeth as he prepared for battle.

Takamura nodded grimly, already in a battle-ready pose, but concerned about Connor's mental state. "We need to get the survivor to safety. Connor, don't do anything stupid now..."

"I'll handle this," Connor growled, his hand dancing on the spine of his book-type relic, Big Bad Wolf. "Stay back and keep the survivor safe."

Yukie nodded, kneeling beside the injured woman to keep her warm and comfort her.

The assailants, once hidden from view, now revealed themselves, deactivating their cloaking relics to encircle the trio. They were dressed entirely in black, their faces concealed behind iron masks, their weapons glinting in the moonlight. Connor's breath misted in the cold air as he recognized the mark of their enemy, HADES.

"HADES..." he hissed, eyes narrowing as he took in their numbers.

"Well, well," one of the HADES members stepped forward, arrogant and confident. "We have a smart one here. But it's too late for you and your friends back at the cottage. You're surrounded, outnumbered."

Connor remained calm, his hand resting on the spine of Big Bad Wolf. "You talk too much," he said, flipping open the book and flipping through the pages with practiced ease.

The HADES member snorted, disliking his authority being questioned. "Cocky child! You're outnumbered!"

"Well, all I gotta do is bring up our numbers then?" Connor said with a flat tone as he counted and flipped past three pages and ripped them out of the book. Seconds later, a howling sound filled the air and the ripped pages fluttered in the air before collapsing and swirling mid-air, transforming into three large grey wolves who snarled and growled beside him. The wolves circled him protectively, their fur bristling with energy and their eyes blazing with fierce intelligence.

Connor stood with the wolves he just summoned using his relic as he channeled the element of fire using the Cloak of Elements, the flames licking at his fingers, illuminating his face with an orange glow. "Now...who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" he growled, his voice laced with challenge and defiance.