Author's notes section:
2022-09-01: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
2022-09-03: Hey, a small update.
2022-09-12: Hey, a small update.
2022-09-24: Hey, a small update. It seems feasible to finish the chapter tomorrow.
2022-09-26: Hey, the chapter is finally concluded.
Info: Ok, let me start with what I promised in the last chapter of `My home is where my heart lies`. So, I often find myself not motivated enough to progress through the story, to write something refreshing and good. And thus, I feel like I will be splitting the story into 3 parts, aka the initial story will be split into 3 separate works. It will allow me to finish one part, re-read it, and think about changes that are necessary to take place. Furthermore, I feel like I have made a lot of mistakes throughout these nearly 3 years of writing this story. And... a lot of these come from a simple concept; I have started too many stories, and I have not been able to conclude virtually any of these. Moreover, my writing style and English proficiency drastically changed/evolved throughout this time. As you might know, I'm a perfectionist; I would love each and every one of my chapters to hold the same standard, to be simply the best. And... yet, with my knowledge of language broadening, it would require me to completely rewrite the story to maintain more or less the same level. And, as you might expect, it would take me ages to do so. So, as I have said, I will try to conclude the first part of this series as soon as possible. Nevertheless, I expect that I will need at least 3 - 5 chapters to do so.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-09-01]: A preview has been released.
[2022-09-03]: The chapter was updated, I have managed to add around 400 words.
[2022-09-12]: The chapter was updated, I have managed to add around 500 words.
[2022-09-24]: The chapter was updated, I have managed to add around 900 words.
[2022-09-26]: The chapter was updated, I have managed to add around 1000 words. The final version was also released.
Info: As promised, here is the preview for the next chapter. I will try to finish it asap, but as nearly always, I can promise you when the piece will be finished. Anyway, Enjoy :)
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
Amaranthe, Angela Gossow - Do or Die
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author notes section.
The light coming from the handful of street lamps was vastly insufficient to cast off the shadows entirely. But, it was not a new realisation for anyone living in the outer parts of the city. Here, someone's life could be cheaper than a bottle of water. Hence, if one valued it, it was rarely a good idea to stroll after the darkness lay its claim over the horizon. Nevertheless, there were people who willingly or forcefully ventured into the shadows.
"You're late, Rat," a hoarse male voice sounded nearby. "The boss expected you to be here an hour ago. What caused the delay?"
"I needed to clean the site," Rat replied, sweating extensively. "These fools went to take some chick for themselves, but apparently, they never returned," he added, wiping his sweaty hands into his worn jeans.
"Any confirmed intel?" the hoarse voice asked. "Cause… for now, I can't say whether you made it up or you're telling the truth. Too many speculations… and you know that I… pardon, the boss doesn't like these. So, did you check the lead, Rat?"
"Yeah, Serth," Rat said confidently. "I got that chick's address and took a stroll there. I can't know whether these two idiots were killed, but what I'm positive about is that the council was there. I saw two unregistered vehicles and more than a handful of buffed officers scattered over the building. I wanted to come in, but these cops stopped anyone from getting in or out, asking questions."
"I see," the man called Serth responded. "By cleaning the site, you meant killing off the rest?" he inquired.
"Yeah," Rat uttered, smiling momentarily. "These dudes never saw what hit them," he chuckled.
"Good," Serth commented. "You can freely enter. I'll be waiting inside; it's freaking cold tonight."
A moment later, Rat heard fading footsteps indicating that Serth did as he informed him. It would be best for him to do the same. As his colleague said, it was unnaturally cold tonight. Thus, he pressed forward after a brief sigh that turned into a cloudy fume.
The temporary hideout was set at the very end of the passage Rat was currently following. It was a narrow path seemingly carved between the two old buildings. The walls marking the passage's boundaries were made of red bricks. Unfortunately, many of those did not age well with time, crumbling and deteriorating. As the way was not illuminated, the man was forced to use a flashlight not to step into numerous holes looming on the ground. To some extent, it could be considered ridiculous that some passages were still made of compacted soil in such a large city. But, the reality is usually cruel, and the current situation is not far from it.
A few moments later, Rat cursed when he stepped into a relatively new hole filled with rainwater. Considering the past few days, it was hardly a surprise, but it still angered the man. Some water got into his boot, making it uncomfortable to continue walking.
"Fuck it!" the man cursed as silently as he could. "A few moments more, and I'm in the hideout. There should be some spare boots there. At least, I hope so," Rat continued complaining under his breath.
However, regardless of the man's complaining, he pressed forward. Then, as if these last minutes of him walking could not have been worse, the weather decided to once again wholly change. With all honesty, all that Rat was not given more than a singular thunderstruck as a warning, or rather the announcement of the incoming storm. Then, nearly momentarily, the black skies darkened, if it was still possible, opening up and flooding the city with the rain's heavy droplets.
With little to no other options, Rat decided to run forward to cross this last pesky distance that separated him from the hideout. And… despite the overwhelming sound of the storm, he could still hear his steps splashing the rain puddles. But, to his utmost discontent, it seemed to last too long, as if he was trapped in the given moment. Then, as Rat tried to speed up, he heard a gunshot nearby. Driven mainly through his sharpened instincts, the man threw himself to the side. However, a wave of sharp pain flared through his lower abdomen, informing him that he had failed to dodge the shot. Then, a moment later, Rat could not muffle the groan that pretty much marked his demise. Before he mustered enough strength to rise up, the second bullet was fired. Again, a momentary pain brought blindness, and then the darkness swallowed him forever.
"Good shot, Serth," a heavily modified voice commented.
"I'm only doing my job, boss," Serth replied emotionlessly. "He failed to deliver, and it costs you life when you make a mistake here," he added, utterly unphased.
"It is really cold, but not wrong."
Vayne's POV (the next day, in the early morning hours):
Shauna was a step away from openly trying to kill Mathias when he woke her up at 5am. But, even though the idea sounded tempting in her mind, she stood no chance against the ex-commando. So, after a few moments of internal struggle, the RDT officer gave up, raising up unwillingly. Though, it must be admitted that the German had kept his unexpected visit as short as possible. In all honesty, all he had done was inform Vayne when and where she was being expected, then left without a word more.
The next hour had passed seemingly instantly, leaving the RDT officer in a state of consternation. Moreover, the extra time she was given did not affect her fatigue in any meaningful way. Hence, all she dreamt about was getting back to her bed. But unfortunately, such a possibility was out of the scope. So, the raven-haired woman stood still in the vast, mostly empty room.
After 15 minutes, Vayne began pacing across the room out of sheer boredom. After all, if someone wanted her here, it would have been appropriate to wait for her, not the other way around. But, she had no other option than to comply. And thus, she continued her so-called stroll whilst complaining under her breath.
"You pay no attention to your surroundings," Miss Tepes's cold voice sounded from above. "Before you ask, I have been here all the time. I have been merely waiting for you to notice my presence. But… as we both can see, it was not the case," the vampire commented when the RDT officer looked up.
"You could've said anything, you know?!" the raven-haired officer replied, offended. "It's not nice to be standing here all by my lonesome whilst you were doing God-knows-what!" she complained openly.
"Why would I do that?" Akali commented, descending gracefully from the platform above the room's entrance. "Alas, it matters not," she quickly added, closing the gap between them. "You are here to train, to become stronger. Without it, I can not allow you to continue actively participating in the case."
"I…" Vayne wanted to complain some more but decided that it would not have been the best idea. "Eh; I presume you'll be the one teaching me?" she said instead.
"Not necessarily," the white-haired vampire replied. "I will have a few of my agents partially taking care of your training. Moreover, I believe it is not the best approach to teach someone how to fight or operate in one particular matter. Hence, no matter how formidable combatant I am, I would train you precisely the way I would prepare myself," the vampire explained.
"You believe utilising various methods will yield a better result?" the raven-haired woman asked. Then, while waiting for a response, she started scanning the surroundings.
"Yes," the council's leader simply stated. "As far as your career reports say, you are a capable marksman. You excel in sniper rifles. However, this preference of yours does not affect your skills with smaller guns. All of your past instructors held you in their highest regard. But, to say it somehow gently, your hand-to-hand or melee combat skills are lacking. And… there is no guarantee that you will have the possibility to take your target from afar. Hence, I would like to focus on your dexterity, physical strength, and closer-courter combat."
"I don't think I lack anything in these regards," Vayne commented, offended by the vampire's statement. "I can agree that these are not the skills I excel at. But… with the rest, I can't agree."
"Is it bravado or pride?" the white-haired woman hummed. "One of these I could potentially admire whilst the other one I do not tolerate. Which one is it, then?" she inquired.
"Does it really matter?" the RDT officer scoffed. "Look… if you don't believe me, why don't you test me? Let's spar," she said confidently, forgetting for a brief moment who she spoke with.
"Oh," a hum-like sound escaped the slightly parted lips of the vampire. "It is bravado, then. But, I do not mind testing you out," she added. "So, let's start with melee weaponry. Let's say, wooden swords?"
"Fine."
The council's leader did not utter another word. Instead, she turned around, walking toward the nearest wall.
"Aria, please prepare wooden swords for us," the white-haired woman commanded.
"As you wish, Miss Tepes," the AI responded nearly immediately, ready to serve her master.
A brief moment was all it took for the wall Akali approached to partially vanish. In its place, three shelves overloaded with practice weapons appeared. One would have expected these pieces of weaponry stored there to be organised. However, in reality, it was the complete opposite. The weapons were scattered all over these shelves as if someone had thrown them inside in a hurry.
"Care to elaborate on what happened with this storage, Adria?" Akali asked, using a voice so cold that Vayne got goosebumps. "Who is responsible for that mess from a lack of a better terminology for this?"
"Verifying," Adria exclaimed relatively loudly. "The last access was logged two days ago. Mister Kurth and Mister Nirth provided their ids for proper identification," the AI added after a second or so.
"Very well," the council's leader whispered. "Please, schedule me a meeting with these two. I would love to discuss this matter with them. But, back to the business," she added momentarily, referring to the RDT officer. "Catch these!" Akali exclaimed, throwing toward the officer two medium-length, wooden swords.
The raven-haired caught the provided weaponry; however, this feat could not have been described as graceful. One of these swords nearly slipped off Vayne's hand whilst the other slightly wounded the delicate skin of her left hand. Furthermore, as if the beginning of this sparring session was not bad enough, these pieces turned out to be much heavier than the officer anticipated. Hence, the raven-haired woman needed a few strokes to get used to the weight and balance.
"I'm starting to get the hang of these," the raven-haired woman stated. "Shall we begin?"
"Was it a question or confirmation?" Akali replied. "However, it matters not; let's begin," she quickly reflected.
Then, without an ounce of hesitation, the council's leader lept forward. Then, with an actual cat's grace, the vampire closed the gap between them in a matter of a few heartbeats. And thus, the officer had little to no time to prepare for what was coming. Vayne's initial plan was simple. Before attacking herself, she would need to see Akali's fighting style. However, the apparent downside of such an approach was to survive long enough to adapt. And… as things stood, the white-haired woman had no plans to give Shauna a moment of rest.
It did not take the vampire long to ware off the RDT officer. Each of the council's leader strikes was powerful enough to shake Vayne's frame. And yet, the white-haired woman seemed so relaxed, pushing the tempo effortlessly. At the same time, it became painfully apparent for the raven-haired woman that she would quickly reach her limits. There was no possible way for her to keep up with the vampire for much longer.
Shauna tried to counteract to salvage the disastrous situation she found herself in. However, in a blink of an eye, she realised that it was a mistake. As long as the raven-haired woman focused solely on the defensive, she could mitigate most of Akali's attacks. However, as soon as she stopped doing so, she was immediately punished.
"You hold your swords too tightly," the council's leader commented whilst disarming Vayne with a single yet powerful blow. "Look at your arms," the vampire demanded. "Look how tensed they are. You tried to constantly enforce your grip on these wooden pieces. Because of that… each of my strikes hurt you more than it should have. Your grip should be balanced, flexible, and comfortable. Otherwise, you will feel that whenever you parry a blow from someone stronger than you. Try to relax these stained muscles before we continue," she provided extensive feedback.
"You held back, didn't you?" Vayne dared to ask.
"Is it not apparent?" the vampire responded nonchalantly.
"You don't think that I could handle the pressure, don't you?" another daring question was uttered by the RDT officer.
"Well… what you are currently doing could have worked if I had been arrogant," Akali commented. "You are aiming at my pride, seeking whether I am so petty to attack in a rage. That would allow you to counteract. But… unfortunately, as I said, it will not work."
"It was worth trying," Shauna responded, groaning from the pain. "Even though you held back, it's still painful. So what was the moral of this particular lesson?" she questioned.
"Be humble," the white-haired woman whispered. "No matter how powerful, strong, or influential you become, never underestimate your opponent. You can apply it backwards as well. You should never allow your pride to blind you," Akali explained.
"Dully noted," the RDT officer groaned. "Is it everything for today?" she inquired, allowing herself to be a fool for a moment.
"But, of course not," Akali simply replied. "You have only a few minutes of rest before we continue. Alas, it is safe to say that you should fight against someone much easier than me, at least for now. Hence, I will have you fight against one of our prototype androids."
"Eh," a heavy sigh escaped Vayne's tightened throat. "How much time do I have?" she asked, exhausted.
"5 minutes."
"God, please kill me," the raven-haired woman complained deep inside her mind.
An hour later:
"See, practice makes perfect," the white-haired woman commented after an hour of intense training.
"It's easy for you to say that," Vayne responded, rapidly panting. "It's me who has been fighting all this time," she added.
"I would not go as far as to call this a fight," the council's leader stated. "What you did basically was following my direct instructions."
"What would you call a fight then?" the irritated officer asked.
"Would you like me to show you?" the vampire asked emotionlessly.
"Pff," Shauna scoffed. "All you do is talk; show me what you have in mind instead."
"Very well," Akali replied, not bothered at all. "Aria, please configure the android to mimic Loghain's fighting style. And… please, remove all the limitations. I want this prototype to give me everything it can," the council's leader referred to the AI.
"As you wish, Miss Tepes," the artificial voice sounded once more.
"Please, sit on the bench and watch the fight," Akali said to Vayne. "It is highly likely that the duel will require most of this room. So, try not to get in the way."
There was nothing to say about that, and… Shauna knew that. So, instead of her usual aggressive nature, she opted to obey the request. But, before she could even get to the mentioned bench, she heard the clashing of the wooden blades. Hence, driven mostly by curiosity, she turned around to spectate the fight. And even though it took her a mere moment to do so, she could already hear a heated exchange between the android and Miss Tepes.
"Aria, please life the limitations entirely," the vampire hoarsely required. "It is still holding back," she added whilst blocking the android's precise yet brutally powerful strikes.
"I must inform you that rising the prototype's potency might lead to additional damage, Miss Tepes," Aria responded nearly instantly.
"Do it, nevertheless," the vampire uttered, starting to pressure the android, forcing it to defend itself.
"As you wish, Miss Tepes," AI sounded.
The change could not have been noticed, unfortunately. But, even though the prototype seemingly moved faster, and its attacks carried move weight, its effort felt fruitless. The longer the combat lasted, the more Miss Tepes became. Hence, she adapted to the situation, recognised her opponent's moves, and then she struck. At some point, she allowed the android to resume its attack. However, instead of blocking the incoming blows, the council's leader started to dodge all of them. Her movements were so smooth and quick that sometimes the RDT officer had problems keeping up. And… as much as it pained Vayne to admit, there was a massive gap between them. Both in the experience and proficiency departments, the vampire was simply supreme.
"Stop the prototype," the white-haired woman demanded, panting slightly. "I do not wish to destroy it. However, there are certain areas in which we will need to improve it."
"Certainly, Miss Tepes," Aria responded immediately. "Would you like me to send you the detailed report from this fight?"
"Yes, I would love to have a look into that. Thank you, Aria," the vampire uttered. "And what have you learnt from that little spectacle?" she asked Vayne.
"That you're far superior to me," Shauna replied, hanging her head low.
"Is it the only recognition from the fight?"
"No, but… it's the most painful one," the officer stated. "Do you always fight like this, or was it only to show me how to utilise the strategy I chose earlier?"
"And what do you think?"
"I can't say with certainty," Vayne said. "But nevertheless, you allowed the prototype to expose all of its movements and strategies. Then… you started to heat up the encounter, pressing it. Finally, once you were confident with the pieces of information you had, you straight-up outclassed the opponent."
"Yes, in my mind, the battle can be simplified to a game of chess," Akali stated, calming down her breath. "I tend to play rather reserved, allowing my opponent to show off what they got. But, then… when I fight, I do the same. Maybe it is too prideful to state, but I do believe I can adapt to anyone I would face."
"Miss Tepes, I have an update for you," the AI interrupted their conversation.
"What is it?"
"RDT was called to the outer parts of the city," Aria started.
"It is not alarming, is it not? There must be more to it, I presume?"
"3 officers are not responding," the artificial voice responded. "Their tracking devices seemed to be damaged, or their signal interrupted. So the human-crime department wants to send another team to the area."
"I presume they want us to give them backup, is it so?" the vampire asked.
"Yes, the present chief officer would be grateful for a helping hand, as he called it."
"Very well," Akali said calmly. "I will go with Loghain, Duncan and 4 guardians. Please, make the necessary preparation, Aria."
Once the last word was uttered, the vampire was ready to leave the training room.
"What about me?" the RDT officer asked.
"You are too tired to be of any help to us," Akali simply yet coldly stated. "Please, take some rest. I will have someone inform you when I come back. But, for now… I think you should study recordings of your own fights against the prototype. Aria will provide you with all the necessary resources to do so."
"But…?"
This time, Akali did not turn around to face the officer or even tell her anything. In the council's leader's mind, the conversation was concluded. And hence, there was no need to furtherly prolong it. So, the white-haired woman left the room completely unbothered within the next couple of moments.