OP Absorption
Chapter 103: Intruder

Chapter 103: Intruder

Fin continued drilling with Meg. Overhead attack, block, horizontal counter. Thrust to the body, parry, overhead counter. He kept the pace steady, correcting her form, making her repeat movements until they became smoother, more ingrained.

She worked relentlessly, her face set in concentration, sweat dripping freely now, her grey shirt clinging to her back. She stumbled occasionally, missed blocks, landed counters awkwardly, but she immediately reset, ready for the next repetition. Fin watched her hands, her feet, her eyes.

He called out a sequence: "Overhead, thrust, horizontal."

She moved through the blocks and counters. Her footwork got tangled on the final move, she blocked the horizontal cut late, the wooden swords smacking together hard near her guard. Her knuckles scraped against the wood. She hissed, pulling her hand back.

"You okay?" He asked, lowering his sword.

"Fine," she insisted, flexing her scraped knuckles. Red marks showed on the skin. "Just slipped. Again."

Fin nodded. He stepped back. "Five minute break. Get water."

She dropped her sword point to the ground, leaning on the pommel, catching her breath. Scarlet immediately tossed her sword aside and stretched languidly. Arachne stood motionless for a moment, then walked towards a water skin hanging on the weapon rack.

Fin stood watching them. He looked at Meg, who was now inspecting her scraped hand. He started to walk towards her.

He stopped.

Head tilted slightly. His eyes unfocused for a fraction of a second, looking past the training ground, past the castle walls, towards something unseen. His hand went briefly to his chest, fingers resting flat against his tunic.

Scarlet noticed the change first. "Hey, Boss? You good?"

He didn’t respond immediately. His gaze slowly refocused, returning to the training ground, but his posture remained tense. He looked towards the edge of the forest bordering the training area.

"Someone," he said, his voice quiet, flat, "just entered my domain."

He stood motionless, head turned slightly towards the forest edge. Meg lowered her scraped hand, looking at him. Arachne stepped away from the water skin.

"An intruder?" Arachne asked. Her hand moved towards her hip, where no weapon was visible.

"Yes," he said.

Scarlet picked up her discarded wooden sword. "Another raid already? Popular place."

He shook his head slowly. "No. The was no forced breach. No fissure. He just... entered."

Meg took a step closer. "Like walked in? How?"

He didn’t answer. He looked towards the castle behind them, then back towards the trees. He walked over to the wooden weapon racks lining the edge of the training ground. He bypassed the wooden practice swords. He picked up a steel sword, plain, unadorned, its edge clean.

He tested its weight, swinging it slowly once.

"Alright," he said, turning back to them. He held the steel sword loosely at his side. "I’ll handle this. Need the practice."

He looked at Arachne, then at Meg. "You two stay here. Secure the castle entrance. Let no one pass."

Meg opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded. She looked down at her wooden sword, then back at Fin.

Arachne bowed her head slightly. "Yes, my Lord." She moved towards the castle without hesitation.

Fin turned his gaze to Scarlet, who was leaning on her wooden sword, watching him. "You. Follow me."

She pushed off the wooden sword, letting it fall to the packed earth. She raised an eyebrow. "Why only me?"

"You’re annoying," he said. "And you owe me." He started walking towards the forest edge, steel sword held low.

Scarlet hesitated for a second, then shrugged. She jogged slightly to catch up, falling into step a few paces behind him. She glanced back once at Meg, who stood watching them, clutching her wooden sword. Arachne was already near the castle entrance, her back straight.

Fin entered the tree line. The light dimmed immediately under the thick canopy. Branches and roots made the ground uneven. He moved steadily, the sword held ready but not aggressively. Scarlet followed, her steps quieter now, her eyes scanning the surrounding trees and shadows.

They walked for several minutes. No sounds came from the forest except their footsteps and the occasional rustle of leaves. The air felt still.

Fin stopped. He held up a hand. Scarlet froze behind him.

Ahead, in a small patch of slightly more open ground between large trees, stood a man. He wore a long, worn coat over simple clothes. A battered case rested on the ground near his feet. He wasn’t looking at them. He was looking down at a small device in his hand, its screen casting a faint glow on his face.

The man looked up slowly, as if sensing their presence rather than hearing them. His eyes moved from Fin to Scarlet, lingered on Scarlet for a moment, then settled back on Fin. He showed no surprise, no hostility. He pocketed the device.

"Fin Carver," the man said. His voice was rough, low. It didn’t echo in the quiet forest.

Fin shifted his grip on the sword hilt. "Who are you?"

The man didn’t answer immediately. He bent down and picked up the battered case. He slung its strap over his shoulder. "Doesn’t matter." He took a step towards them. "Director Gabriel sends his regards."

Scarlet shifted her weight, moving slightly to Fin’s left, creating an angle. Her hands were empty, held loosely at her sides.

Fin didn’t move. "Gabriel? Let me guess. He wants his toy back."

The man stopped about fifteen paces away. "The artifact is Association property. So are you, technically. You broke contract." He gestured vaguely with his chin towards Fin. "And caused considerable trouble."

"People keep saying that," Fin said. He raised the sword slightly, the tip angled towards the ground. "You here to talk, or are you the next cleanup crew?"

The man looked at the sword, then back at Fin’s face. "Retrieval. Or disposal." He shrugged slightly within the worn coat. "Either works."

He reached inside his coat. Fin tensed, bringing the sword up into a ready guard position. Scarlet dropped into a lower stance.

The man’s hand emerged holding nothing. He simply rested his hand on the worn fabric over his chest. "But first..." His eyes flickered past Fin, deeper into the forest. "I need to confirm something."

Without another word, he turned sharply and walked away from them, heading deeper into the domain, perpendicular to the path back to the castle. He moved quickly, disappearing behind thick tree trunks and shadows.

Fin watched him go. He didn’t immediately give chase.

Scarlet straightened up slowly. "Okay... weird." She looked at Fin. "Letting him just walk off? Doesn’t seem like your style."

He lowered his sword slightly, still watching the spot where the man vanished. "He’s not going anywhere, he is trapped in here with us now."

But Fin was mistaken, they were trapped in there with him.