Chapter Four

Little more than a month passed before Yuri was well enough to return to active duty. For three weeks he remained on light duties, training and testing his new strength, along with the strange new powers the Bohdi Blastia gave him.

One of those powers was the ability to 'throw' bursts of tangible energy from his hands for a short distance. With a little experimenting, Yuri and Eve found it was fairly easy to channel this energy down a rune-scribed weapon with certain kinds of formulas for a range of effects.

This required an overhaul of his entire inventory of weapons. His firearms were easy enough to modify, given that bullets themselves did not take to Aer enhancement well, rather that the guns became easier to aim accurately at high speed. Knives were also simple, but they did not carry a 'charge' well either.

But his favored swords, works of art that he pursued as a hobby mostly, turned out to channel his power best. The edge of a blade carried and even amplified his energy, throwing it much harder, farther, and more deadly than he could with his bare hands. This was enough of an excuse for Yuri to favor his beloved swords, carrying one on him at all times.

This however, drove Eve to distraction.

"Are you nuts Yuri? People are starting to think you're some kind of nut job with you waving those things around!"

Yuri only smirked at her. "Why do you care? It looks cool and you know it."

"You were almost arrested yesterday."

"So?"

Eve pulled at her hair in frustration. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me, feed me, give me a home?" he asked, tilting his head to one side and waving hand like a dog, smiling sarcastically at her.

"Oh I give up."

Over the past few weeks Yuri had become more playful and teasing with her, and less severe with nearly everyone else. The doctors blamed it on the Blastia's revamping of his brain, that he had far more endorphins in his system than before on a regular basis, especially when exerting himself in any manner of combat.

As a result Yuri smiled a lot more, but it weirded out their fellow workers in the agency.

Not that it mattered, many of them were scared of him anyway.

-xXx

One afternoon Yuri and Eve sat in a breakroom, Eve reading something on her data pad and Yuri sharpening his favorite katana. The steady 'shik...shik' sound had all other's nerve on edge, but it soothed Yuri's.

To the relief of all the people in the room Yuri's attention to his blade was broken by a summons by the Commander.

"Agent Ashce, report to my office immediately."

"Will do."

Now, Cerius was normally an impenetrable facade, but the domineering woman had a very noticeable nervous tic when truly stressed.

And this was the sight that greeted Yuri and Eve as they entered her office, the commander's unnaturally sharp canines bared under her curled lip.

"Sit down." she barked.

Warily they did so, not wanting to incur her wrath.

"It's not you I'm mad at Ashce. Your new mission target is." Cerius growled. "I received word from our sister Agencies on Tolbyccia, Desier, and Hyponnia. I informed them of the situation of the false lead on the Hoplon Blastia, and they told me of the actual manufacture of these weapons near the new city Heliord, mostly by a black market guild called Leviathan's Claw, a member of the Union Five."

Yuri blinked. "You're kidding...those psychos?"

"Indeed, and it appears they also have a hand in Bhodi blastia. The other commanders and I have agreed that this problem need immediate action, and will each send out our best agents. The only information I have on these agents at the moment are their codenames, Agent Steppe, Agent Verneir, and Agent Crys."

"Real helpful chief."

"I'll ignore your sarcasm this time Ashce, but I won't again. Now your initial assignment is to infiltrate Zaphias Manor tonight and intercept an assassin, their target is the young lieutenant, a possible ally to the agency, named Scifo."

Yuri's hand spasmed, clenching his scabbard in a white-knuckled grip. Eve looked on in worry.

"You ok?"

"...dammit Flynn...what the hell have you gotten into this time?"

"So you know this man? A high clearance agent knows a Imperial Knight Lieutenant?"

"Childhood friend chief, serious hero complex and the delusion that he can fix the world by being a knight." Yuri bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood. "Never saw eye to eye with him on that. He says the law needs to be cleaned up from the inside, and I say that the law needs outside influence to rewrite it. We were both in the force for a short time, before I left and joined the Agency."

Cerius chuckled. "Well, all the more reason to rescue him, let him learn how the real world works. But along with that you need to keep an eye out for the Imperial Heiress."

Yuri raised an eyebrow in question. "You mean the Princess? Esta-something was it?"

"Yes. Princess Estelisse. We've uncovered information that she may have been used as a test subject for another model of the Hermes Formula type Bohdi Blastia, the kind that's bolted to your wrist." said Cerius. "The Imperial bloodline is known for producing natural healers, humans capable of manipulating Aer without the aid of blastia. If our intel is correct this time, it's possible that the blastia she may have been grafted with could channel massive quantities of Aer, maybe even conduct Mana as well."

Now both eyebrows were up, this time in shock. "You're joking, Mana? Isn't that stuff too dense for blastia to process?"

"True, blastia can't process Mana, but select individuals can. It's possible that you're one of these people, but we can't know for sure. Regardless, if you find Princess Estelisse in the mansion, take her into protective custody. Even if she has no blastia, she's still a possible tool to use to gain entry to the royal family."

Yuri's expression darkened. "Anyone that marries her is a near shoe-in for the next Emperor, and she could be forced into it."

"Precisely. Eve, equip him for the mission, and for spirit's sake get him a pocket blastia!"

-xXx

Yuri laughed silently as he slid past the manor security with ridiculous ease. For the house of the Imperial Empire's leaders and rulers, the security was laughable.

More so when Yuri spotted old childhood enemies of his, the lanky and diminutive goons, respectively called Adacor and Boccos, or as Yuri like to call them, Tweedles A and B.

Tweedle A was a clumsy, cowardly snob, who spoke with an awkward speech pattern that he thought sounded refined, using 'I say' a lot. Tweedle B was the antithesis of Tweedle A, who was all limbs and no balance. He was four foot six or seven inches (Yuri never bothered to make sure), and while he never spoke or moved awkwardly, he had this haughty tone of voice that just sounded ridiculous, especially when paired with his aggressive temper.

Currently the pair of Knave-Squire knights (one of the lowest ranks) were arguing off to the side of the door they were supposed to be guarding. Yuri waited until they turned their backs to each other in a huff, then dashed by, making sure to kick Adacor in the shin as he passed, which started a fight between the pair.

'Too easy.' Yuri thought, smirking. 'Now this way?'

A crash, the sound of breaking pottery and the distinctive sound of heeled shoes and clanking armor.

"Please, you have to let me go!" came the voice of a young woman.

"Now miss, we must escort you to your room. We will take all responsibility for this incident." said a male voice, distorted slightly by a metal helmet, a knight.

"But you haven't done anything to help me!" the girl cried. "I beg you, let me go! I have to warn Flynn!"

That settled it. Yuri rounded the corner and fell on the pair of guards that had cornered the girl, knocking out each with a skilled kick to one and a chop to the second.

They fell bonelessly to the polished floor with the barest minimum of sound. The girl however, vanished...

Wait, not vanished, just hefting a large vase over her head, aiming for Yuri.

"Hold it missy." he said, grabbing the vase then restraining her hands. "You might hurt someone."

"Get away!" the girl shrilled, struggling. "I have to get to Flynn!"

The girl had to be a few years younger than him, sixteen at the most, with large green eyes, strawberry blond hair, and a willowy frame. She was wearing a noble-fashioned gown of light blue and white that only accentuated how tiny she was, too thin for Yuri to consider healthy.

Like a thunderbolt it hit him, this was the 'Lady' friend Flynn talked about everytime Yuri talked to him nowadays, he spoke of her like she was a princess...

And seeing her it was obvious this was the princess the commander told him to keep watch for.

"Easy, I'm a friend of Flynn's." he said calmly. "I'm Yuri."

Estelisse froze. "Yuri? Yuri Lowell?"

He smiled. "Yep. Flynn tell you any stories about me?"

She relaxed. "Yes, Flynn talks about you all the time. He said you were his best friend, how you grew up together."

"Sure did, can you show me to Flynn's room? I need to speak with him, now."

She smiled brightly. "Indeed, we must hurry, I have things to tell Flynn as well."

She led him down another hallway and a side hall, to what appeared to be the officer's wing of the mansion.

"This is it, I think."

Yuri didn't bother to knock, only taking a knife and sliding it back first down the doorjam, disengaging the simple lock.

"Humph, pitiful." he sniffed, stepping inside.

The room was dark, no sign of Flynn.

"What gives?"

The girl gasped. "Oh no! I forgot! Flynn was scheduled to start on the pilgrimage this week! He may have already left!"

Yuri bit back a curse. Well, at least he wasn't in the manor, where the assassins were looking for him. The Knight's Pilgrimage was a required duty of higher ranking officers lieutenant and above. The officer and his squad were made to travel across the globe in a patrol of sorts, carrying out their knightly duties.

The agent shook his head in defeat. Subtly he positioned himself in the center of the room, left hand twitching slightly.

"I wonder, if he's not here, do the others that want to talk with him know that?" Yuri said aloud.

"We do now!"

Estelisse shrieked and covered her head in fear of the falling glass from the shattered mirror as a reddish brown blur crashed through it, slamming into Yuri with the sound of metal on metal.

A second later the blur was thrown into the wall, and revealed itself to be a man. Of middle height, lanky, with pink hair and bleached bangs. His face, whitewash pale, had dark markings around his wide, feral eyes.

The man snickered, spitting out a glob of blood and licking his busted lip. "Very nice, never met a man that could survive my attack, let alone hit me!" he cackled. "I am Zagi, and I will be your death!"

Yuri scoffed, hefting his katana. The girl stared, open mouthed at the appearance of the blade.

"Sure you talk big, but can you back it up?"

The feral man only lunged, and Yuri met his double cleavers with his sword. Slash, slash, parry, block, parry, stab. The clashing of blades rang in a discordant din, until a crack rang out.

Zagi howled, dropping a weapon in favor of holding his broken nose.

"Damn you! That was a dirty trick!"

Yuri only smirked, his right hand still outstretched from where he had punched the assassin. "All's fair against contract killers Pinky."

The assassin only gurgled a growl, snatched up his fallen sword and fled out the broken window.

The princess, forgotten in the tussle, came forward. "H-how did you do that?" she asked timidly.

"Lots of practice." he quipped, taking out a cloth to wipe down the edge of his sword.

"No, not the fighting, how did you get that sword? I didn't see it earlier."

Yuri raised his left wrist, showing her a pair of black bands, one large and angular with a red stone, the other contoured to the first with multiple set stones.

"What's that?"

"A blastia, two actually. Smaller one's a Pocket Blastia, stores items up to certain sizes."

"How does it work?"

"No idea princess, but I have to go."

"Oh please take me with you! I have to speak to Flynn!"

Yuri studied her carefully, her nervous stance, timid hands, but resolute eyes. "You sure?"

"Absolutely! I need to get out of the castle!"

"Ok then..."

Without preamble, Yuri slung the startled girl over his shoulder and made off to what he knew was the noble's wing.

"Ack! Put me down!"

"I'm not going to sneak out of this place with you in your Cinderella getup." he said. "Let's get to your room and change you into something less conspicuous will you?"

The girl pounded on his back feebly, squirming in his grip. "Stop! You just passed it!"

He turned around, opened the door and dumped her on the large bed. "Alright, you have anything easy to move in Princess? Preferably dark colored?"

"My name is Estelisse." she huffed, her hair coming out of it's up-do.

"Nice to meet you, but can you hurry up? We need to hurry."

Estelisse floundered a bit in her heavy skirt, but made it to her large closet before Yuri could rifle through it. She closed the door on him, almost slamming it in his face.

Yuri laughed. Teenage girls were all the same. Threaten to go through their clothes and they spring into action.

-xXx

Five minutes were an agonizingly long wait, but at last the door opened again. Estelisse gave a little twirl to show him her outfit.

"What do you think?"

Yuri was not all that impressed. While fairly practical, it was still a dress. A shin-length, split riding dress in a rich green, it undoubtably was the darkest piece of clothing she had.

"Don't think it really suits you, but it'll have to do."

Without another word he led her down to ground level, to a hidden passage he knew led through the underground.

It took nearly two hours to fight their way through the tunnels. The disused passage was filled with monsters, from mutated rats to walking shadows and slime creatures. Estelisse turned out to have some knowledge of swordwork, and was a fair bit of help against the waves of beasts with a weapon leant from Yuri, but she had little stamina. By the time they reached the exit she was exhausted, and Yuri ended up carrying her to his car when she fell asleep when she sat down for a moment to catch her breath.

It was sort of funny really, Yuri couldn't help but feel like protecting her, a baby sister he never had.

He made it back to his apartment at two thirty in the morning, and was greeted by a sleepy Eve.

"What the hell took you?" she asked, yawning from her place on the couch, wrapped in a fuzzy robe patterned with z's.

"Got sidetracked a bit, you fall asleep?"

"What do you think?"

He smiled. "Yeah, stupid question."

Eve then noticed the sleeping form in Yuri's arms. "This your distraction?"

"Yeah, can you get her cleaned up? Don't think she'll like waking up in a mud covered dress."

"Sure."

Eve got Estelisse out of the heavy outfit and into some of her pajamas, giving Yuri the dress to rinse off and get the worst of the mess out before it set in. With that done Yuri made his report to the commander and wearily climbed into bed, Repede curled against his back..