Cassie, against her will, walked with the three mercenaries outside the building. Eins was walking in front of Cassie as if to guide her while Zwei and Drei stood on either side to grab her in the event she tried running off again.
I have to get out of here, she thought, They're not going to kill me which means their goal is to capture me alive. I can use that to my advantage because while they're getting paid to keep me alive, I can kill them.
"What are you thinking?" Drei asked, sensing something was wrong. "What's going on inside your head?"
"What's going on inside your head?" she countered.
"I asked first," Drei said.
"Ever heard the term, 'Ladies first'?"
He glared at her. "You're planning something, I can feel it."
Eins opened the revolving doors and waited for the others. When Cassie went through, she charged through the revolving doors and crushed both Drei and Zwei against the doors. She slipped out of Eins's grasp and the chase started once more. She was running down the sidewalk but she had to stop to realize that a police car pulled up in front of her, which meant that she was going to be arrested.
She runs down another alleyway but the police cut her off at the end. So there was nowhere to go except up and there was a pipe she could climb. That's just what she did and when she did, the police began shooting at her. She barely reached the top in time and on the roof, someone was air-drying their clothes and there was a rope leading from this building to another building. She quickly removes her grappling hook and she uses it to zipline across the line and into a private garden on another building.
She puts her grappling hook back at her hip and turns around to see Eins swinging a stick of wood at her. She ducks in time to grab the wood, headbutt Eins, and whacks the merc across the face with it. She staggers and collapses to the ground with a bloody nose and dazed expression.
Zwei and Drei came ziplining across. She somersaults out of the way but Drei dives forward to attack Cassie. She ran for the door to the private garden but Zwei was blocking her path with a crowbar he pulled from his holster.
Drei throws a punch, aiming for the back of Cassie's head. She moves out of the way in time, sensing the punch, and kicks him in the stomach. She pushes against him and his back connects to the wall.
He knees her in the stomach and pulls her and pushes her up against the wall, forearm to her back. He brings his knee up and plants it in the small of her back. Cassie slides down the wall in pain and struggles but Zwei gave Drei a hand by tugging at all four of her limbs as Drei sets her on the ground.
I hope someone walks in on us, Cassie thought, So they can see that I'm in a rape position and call the police.
Cassie uses the physical strength in her arms to resist Zwei yanking her arms and hands slip from his. She slides from Drei's knee and rolls on her stomach. She kicks Drei in the groin before connecting her shoes to his face.
Zwei swung the crowbar.
Cassie ducks in time and knees him in the stomach before pushing the crowbar in his face. She tackles him in the gut and lands on top of him.
Drei recovered and lunged for Cassie on Zwei.
Cassie rolls onto her side and pulls Zwei on top of her so that Drei collides with the brown-haired mercenary.
The two mercenaries crash into each other and land on the ground.
"Get up," Drei shouted at the brown-haired mercenary.
When Zwei looked forward, Cassie's foot came towards his face and smashed into his nose. He went lights out instantly.
Drei grabbed Cassie's foot and threw her across the ground. He picks up the crowbar and prepares to swing it down.
Cassie kicks him in the groin again.
He collapses over and Cassie kicks him in the face with both feet.
He falls back and into a fountain. He surfaced with a glare on his drenched face. "I'm going to hurt you," he said, "You don't kick me in the crotch."
"It's effective when you think about it," Cassie said.
Eins was regaining her senses. When she opened her eyes, she saw Cassie pushing Drei into the fountain in an attempt to drown him and Zwei was unconscious.
Carter… she thought in panic. She picks herself up and collides with Cassie.
Eins stood over Cassie and pushed her into the water by her throat.
Drei, exhausted, climbed out of the fountain before he collapsed.
"I'll kill you," Eins said in a blind rage state.
She's drowning me, Cassie thought as she struggled to surface, I have to pull myself out of this fountain somehow.
Eins yanked Cassie out of the fountain on purpose so she could get a breath of fresh air before he submerged her again.
"If it were up to me, you'd be dead."
Cassie's strugglings slowed until they became nonexistent.
Eins's eyes widened. "I can't kill her."
She pulls Cassie out of the water. She holds Cassie up so their faces are almost touching. She searches for signs of life in the girl's face.
"Don't die," she said but not out of concern, "The bosses want you alive."
The motionless Cassie smirked. "I'm immortal."
Eins's eyes widened.
Even when I was drowning her, she was playing possum.
Cassie knees her in the crotch.
Eins yelled in pain before Cassie slipped out of her hands and hammered her forehead into the fountain and punched her across the face.
"That's for the museum," Cassie said.
Eins fell to the ground, unconscious.
Cassie pants heavily, taking slow breaths in but quick breaths out. She could feel the sweat on her forehead, despite being drenched in water from the fountain.
"That was exhausting," she said to herself. She sits upon the fountain's edge and rests her elbows on her knees. She looked at the three mercenaries lying unconscious before her.
"If these guys are athletically superior to me, then they are on par with me. However, they're not good fighters."
"Always got to do everything myself."
Cassie turned to face the direction of the voice but it was too late.
Marcel was standing in front of her and he pressed his forehead to her. "Don't bother." He snaps his fingers.
What's happening, she asked herself, Why do I feel so good all of a sudden? I feel like I'm floating!
Marcel backed away from Cassie and said, "You will be walking back with us without any resistance, is that understood?"
"Yes," she said without thinking, "I'll follow you without any resistance."
"Good," Marcel smiled.
I hypnotized her, Marcel thought, She won't be able to resist. He looked at the three downed mercenaries. She really did a number on the Three Mercs.
"Can we stop for French donuts?"
Marcel was not expecting that from a hypnotized Cassie.
"We have no time," Marcel said, "Follow me."
"What about the others?" Cassie asked, "I knocked them out, all three of them are unconscious because of me. We should carry them back."
Marcel studied her.
A person's hypnotic state reflects on the victim's personality. Drake's concern for the three mercs must mean that she is compassionate.
Pavel was standing in front of the door and watched the exchange between hypnotist and hypnotized.
"This is getting utterly ridiculous," Pavel suddenly said, "Why not just hypnotize her into unconsciousness then we can be on our way?"
"I will not do that," Marcel snapped.
"Thank you," the hypnotized Cassie said, "I don't like it when people carry me, except Derek."
Marcel smiled.
"Follow me and I promise we'll see Derek."
Cassie beamed. "Really? I want to see him, I'm in love with him!"
"I'm aware," Marcel said before he took Cassie by the hand. "Let's go so we can meet Derek."
Marcel cringed inwardly.
Is it bad that I feel guilty for hypnotizing this girl? I understand that she is our opponent for opposing us but seeing more of her compassionate side makes me feel guilty for some reason. When I was growing up, I was raised to be an acolyte of Vita Longa but mother and father were the nicest parents a guy like me could ask for. They were kind and compassionate to me.
Marcel led Cassie out of the private garden and back to the cafe where everything started.
Cassie was off in her own dream world.
I can't shake off this sensation, not like I want to. This tingling feeling inside me feels so good. I feel like a fish swimming in the ocean. A fish swimming in the warm waters of a hot spring and just drifting, not a care in the world. I remember that I was supposed to be running from somebody but why should I run? I'm feeling the time of my life. That's right! I came to the city of love and that's what I'm going to do: Confess my love to D-
"Wake up," Harris said and lightly slapped her across the face, "No need to act sleepily drunk again. As you can see, the illusionists I sent were far more superior than you expected. If you attempt to run again, they'll come after you again and they will bring you back. I should've sent them after you in the first place but they're the last resort."
Cassie snapped out of her trance and upon realizing that she was sitting at the same table from the cafe, she suddenly became frustrated.
I can't believe, she thought to herself as she balls up her fists and looks down at her feet, I lost to the two illusionists guys? To a bunch of jackasses? What is wrong with me? How could I have lost? She looks at the two who smiles at her. She returns her gaze to nothingness. I may have lost the battle but I will win the war.
"I can see that you're considering our offer," Harris said as he sipped from his coffee, "Take all the time you need to come up with an answer because we have outcomes for both results."
I could run off but I'm tired and exhausted from running. I just had thoughts of seeing Derek and confessing my love to him but I can't see him. I miss him and I want nothing more than to make sure he is safe. If I run off again, they could hurt Derek. These villains know about my love for him and I can't risk it. I want to take care of Derek, I want to kiss him, make love to him, just talk to him and hear the sounds of his sweet voice. I want to hear him talk about strawberries and be there to comfort him when there are bats flying around him.
She glared.
Vita Longa. If they want the Philosopher's Stone so badly and they're willing to work with me to get it, then I guess I have no chance but to work with them. With my luck, I'll end up destroying the lost city as I did to several previous ones. It's inevitable which means that while I lost this battle, I will win the war by destroying the Philosopher's Stone and sending Ys back to Davy Jones' Locker.
"Have you decided on an answer?" Harris asked, with a hint of impatience arising in his voice.
This was her chance, her only opportunity and if she was being practical, joining Vita Longa on this quest was the only sure way to guarantee that Derek is still alive (and she can sense he is). She looks up to Harris and smiles.
"I hope I get to meet Harry Potter at Ys."