Chapter 56: Gateway

Streetlights twinkled in the midnight gloom as bats skimmed across the starry sky above. The creatures chittered as they danced amongst each other, driven out of their resting places by a sudden commotion deep below. Streaks of vibrant colour cut across the Daedalus region as it became the site for an unusual spike in activity: quite the contrast to the ghost town that it had been for the past five days. Now, Ganesha Familia adventurers dashed hither and thither as they carried packs of cargo, most containing apprehended criminals and their stolen goods. These hectic events were all spurred by a significant lead, a vital piece of evidence to Daedalus' remaining criminal network that had materialised out of thin air.

Just one hour prior, the "I am Ganesha Building" was bombarded for the umpteenth time; however, this 'bomb' was different. Instead of a living bounty, a boulder had been propelled right onto their garden, sending the nearby Shakti Varma into a rabid frenzy from her forlorn gardening spree. Once the woman had been coaxed to calm down, the Familia members set about investigating their 'present' and made a momentous discovery. Shockingly, the immense rock was affixed with a final package: a torn page documenting a rudimentary map of the Daedalus Region, and a magically inscribed ring. Twenty dots were printed on the plot, alongside a set of lettered points with instructions to bypass magical barriers. Their mysterious adversary seemed to bid them farewell with a final message:

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Finish your own job.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

This order seemed to send Shakti's maniacal fury into a focused rage, where the commander called every single Ganesha Familia adventurer to arms in the dead of night, and organised the largest raid that had ever taken place in the great city of Orario.

Now, her subordinates were locating and relocating apprehended criminals back to their headquarters, an easy task as the cargo had been graciously tied up beforehand. As for the Familia executives, they had the special privilege of bypassing numerous 'magical barriers' across Daedalus: complex doorways responding to a specific magical trigger, namely the gifted ring, and its oscillating pressurisation. The executives were initially in disbelief that such a coordinated concealment could occur right under their noses; yet, as they performed a pincer attack from each entry point, their astonished miens came face to face with Daedalus' Hope: an immense point of refuge for the some of the city's most abhorrent criminals. Following an incredibly one-sided battle, the wastrels had been swiftly apprehended, and any youths were escorted to Maria's orphanage. As midnight fell into a new day, tens of refugees were escorted for questioning and detainment. Finally, after nearly a week of savagery, Daedalus was now largely free of organised crime.

An imposing figure overlooked all these phenomena with a critical eye as they stood atop a needle-like tower, arms crossed. Neither empathy nor pity flittered past the man's face as he combed through the sets of familiar faces or analysed the Ganesha Familia's movements; only clinical calculation underlay his unchanging scowl.

"Looks like they're not completely useless…" Hit sighed to himself as he drew a notebook from his trouser pocket, crossing out his primary goal in disrupting the entirety of the Daedalus region.

Ripper's interrogation had been instrumental to Hit's success, and the shaken man's answers had filled in numerous holes in Hit's knowledge of the region. A carefully crafted aura of anxiousness and fear was set up, and Hit had used the Tides of Time to create a dissonance between reality and the world that his victim now found themselves in. Initially, mild provocation, at least compared to Hit's entire repertoire of coaxing mechanisms, had failed in intimidating the man fully. Ripper's thoughts of his family's safety provided him with a bottomless reservoir of strength and prevented Hit from moving forward in his plan. The assassin had chosen to 'take things up a notch' and implemented the standard interrogation procedure for beings with powerful psyches and emotional ties. Once the man's defences were obliterated, his precious intel had flown forth like a nourishing spring. Hit was always careful to phrase his questions in a manner that would not draw attention to himself: namely, he did not mention Naga or Hugo by name in any statement and kept his motives ambiguous. In a stroke of luck, Ripper happened to also possess vital knowledge of Daedalus' Hope's inner workings.

Daedalus' Hope was an incredibly well-kept secret, only known by veteran criminals and those raised in the hamlet. Surprisingly, it could be accessed via secret passages found in five regions, four of which had been overlooked by Hit during his prior raid of his twenty target sites. Those who wished to enter the region needed to request passage from 'gatekeepers', who used familial heirlooms to bypass magical barriers guarding the region's entryways. Ripper and his companions had begrudgingly travelled to Daedalus' Hope a couple of days ago, avoiding it due to the many scam artists that skulked in its dark depths.

Moving on to Ripper's main confession, Hit had gained quite a vague understanding of the man's shadowy 'benefactors', based on his negligible knowledge on the subject. Apparently, Ripper's particular gang of thieves was of special interest to a shadowy organisation of chiefs, who provided any especially talented individuals with monetary contribution and training. In exchange, any information regarding the overlords was to remain anonymous, lest they whisk away anything that their clients held dear. Several years prior, one of Ripper's companions, a young woman named Naga, had drawn their attention following her phenomenally brutal vivisection of one of their benefactor's agents. Surprisingly, the shadowy individuals were rather impressed with her coldblooded act and invited her into their inner sanctum for unknown purposes. Ripper and his colleagues had constantly pestered the woman regarding the topic, yet they could never elicit more than vague mumbles and harsh glares.

These were the few times where genuine fear sprung onto the cold-hearted girl's mien, suggesting that their masters were monsters dressed in human flesh. Fed up with being left out of the loop, Ripper had followed the woman on one of her routine disappearances, which either took place at midday, where she traipsed into the dungeon, or in the early hours of the morning. Opting for the latter option, Ripper came across an immense earthen doorway in the most southwestern portion of Daedalus: the base of a cliff within Phaedra Parade. Naga had quickly disappeared into the gaping maw; however, Ripper did not stick around to view her exit. Gazing into the ominous pit, the man's heart was filled with an indescribable terror. It was as if his soul was screaming at him to leave the den of demons be. That day, Ripper had sworn to never think on the matter further, lest his wife be stolen from him.

There were also bubbling rumours that similar shadowy pits existed in the entertainment district and elsewhere in the great city, but these could be referring to any number of cryptic haunts. Overall, Hit was relatively pleased with the outcome of his little 'chat'.

In the end, Hit had directed a pressure point attack at the uppermost point of Ripper's spine and cranium, intent on disrupting the man's short-term memory processing. Thus, the subject should wake up possessing few, if any, memories of their stressful interrogation. However, Hit was not too used to dealing with mammalian captors, resulting in him perhaps using a tad too much force. Nevertheless, Hit swiftly tied Ripper up and 'escorted' him back the way he came, making sure to relieve the barmaid Natalia of her ring along the way. Hit also took the woman up on her offer, gulping down a tankard of beer before he left. All in all, the only trace of Hit's venture into Daedalus' Hope was a displaced man and an empty mug of beer, one that was rightfully his.

"With this, you should have nowhere left to run to, Naga." Now that the entire disciplinary force of the city was scuttling around, the final remnants of Daedalus' criminal body should now be located within the mysterious pit of Phaedra Parade: Hit's next destination.

Slipping the notebook into his trouser pocket, Hit readorned himself in his wraith-like disguise and leapt into the shadows. 'Flocks' of Ganesha Familia forces danced across Daedalus, completely oblivious that the mastermind behind this entire debacle slithered amongst them, making a beeline for the most southwestern area of Orario.

The huntsman alighted atop a tall, rocky outcrop, settling into a prone position within an elderberry bush. Hit's predatory gaze became lost amongst a sea of red berries as he glared down at a clearing below, one that ended at an immense rocky wall. The face was barren of any vegetation or fractures, making it appear quite pristine compared to the surrounding rubble and hovels that were not fit to be referred to as housing. The cliff overshadowed an immense courtyard: a granite plain dotted in patches of loose gravel that together formed a loose pathway. Oddly, the route possessed no obvious beginning or end, branching out into a never-ending series of sources and terminations. This maze seemed to coalesce at two hemispheres directly at the cliff's outer edge.

Hit grunted as he analysed the peculiar markings. 'This matches Ripper's description perfectly, and those hastily covered footprints are unmistakable to the trained eye. Hm… It should now be approximately two o'clock in the morning by this region's time zone, precisely when Naga was stated to enter the supposed space within. I don't see any entry point... Perhaps it's hidden as with the prior doorways. It's doubtful that any stragglers will be granted entry amongst this clamour, so this is probably a waste of time. Nevertheless, I will wait until sunrise.'

Adventurers' victorious bellows and the sounds of boots clattering against stone rose and fell in intensity as the hours passed, painfully slowly. Hit continued to stare at the towering rock face as the seconds ticked by, yet even his prodigious vision could not identify any discernible changes. He was beginning to think that a torturous reunion with Ripper was in order when, just as Orario's nocturnal nightlife resettled into place, a newcomer slunk from the depths of a nearby alley.

As the shadow drew closer into view, it was revealed to be a human male, one that stood at a height surpassing even Ripper's. Green trousers were the most striking form of clothing that he wore, as only a sleeveless, fur-lined tan jacket covered his upper body. The vestment was left unfastened, allowing titanic rolls of muscles to glisten in the moonlight as beads of sweat dripped from their surface. A prominent brow ridge and lack of eyebrows gave the man an alien appearance; and an ovular tattoo around his left eye enhanced his threatening aura.

The towering man's dark boots squeaked as he tiptoed past Hit's field of vision, looking incredibly unsettled as he inched his way along. Little by little, the man skulked onto the granite plaza with an air of resentment and great exasperation, casting glances behind him numerous times as he gradually neared the end of the clearing.

Finally, the cautious man darted towards the immense cliffside and pressed his muscular back against it, dashing his head this way and back. Satisfied, he sighed and stuck a desperate hand into his pocket, before withdrawing a pale orb: a glistening sphere engraved with gold, branching veins that glittered betwixt cruel fingers. Casting one last look behind him, the titan then pressed his white sphere against the cliff's surface, hyperventilating as he did so.

*Thrum*

Radiating crescents of prismatic light shone from the glistening spheroid, which now emitted a deep scarlet emblem on its upper surface, one that Hit could not quite distinguish from his lofty viewpoint.

*/*/*/*/*

*/*/*/*

Rocks skittered; trees shook; and roosting birds shot into the night. Faint trembles and crackles undercut the silent atmosphere as an ancient power awoke and conveyed energy through lines of power buried in plain sight. The cliff face shed itself of an outer layer of earth and darkened like a malevolent tumour. The shadow gained demarcations and delineations as an object sprung into the mortal world as if summoned from an infernal realm. Finally, the Earth gave birth to its secrets and an immense doorway settled into view, marking an end to the momentous display.

'Remarkable…' Hit forced himself to withhold a gasp as he gazed upon the final structure: a twelve-foot tall solid orichalcum gate. The legendary material was a matte grey in colour, with intricate details and fascia emerging out of the gloom like a bony latticework. A gleaming red gem met the doors at their midpoint, pulsing as it reflected the remaining rainbow-like ejections of its key. The immense doorway was surrounded by an added layer of detail: a decorative archway that likely provided an additional layer of support and warded off any unwanted guests. Twin gargoyle sculptures sat atop the rightmost and leftmost edges of the construct, gazing away from the opening as if its interior held cruelties that surpassed even these stygian creatures. At its apex, an orichalcum horned dragon leered at the world below it, sticking out a bony tail to gore anyone unworthy of entry.

Hit's eyes roamed over the new sights greedily, drinking in the striking structure after hours of languor. 'That orb must be a magic item of an unknown variety. Its energetic emissions must call the doorway into being from behind an obscuring charm. But why was I not at least somewhat suspicious of a magical presence here? My gaze should have peered past it.'

The stranger below stood gazing at the structure for a few moments, before he stuck his spheroidal key against the gate once more. The gate's interior gem glowed once and darkened, bidding entry to someone entrusted with such a rare item of antiquity. Finally, the twin doorways trembled and parted, carving indentations into the powdery gravel as they drew inwards. A low hiss broke the tense atmosphere once more as fresh air rushed past the barriers to replace the stagnant vacuum that dwelt inside. With a gulp and shaky first step, the keyholder breached into his sanctuary, never looking back.

Up above, the opposing party was also readying themselves for entry. By this point, Hit had positioned himself into a state of readiness and stared, with unblinking eyes, at the ominous scene below. His gloved fingers were pressed gingerly against the ground, and dark boots rested one after the other as he rose into a forward leaning position. As the quarry below finally penetrated past the draconic doorway, the twin halves began to close, shutting off any chance of further ingress.

Hit's eyes sparkled and his quadriceps; calves; and hamstrings exploded, propelling him forwards with a burst of speed. As he sailed over the edge of the outcrop, Hit grasped onto the earthen lip and kicked himself down, shooting earthward like a fiery meteor. Once at the plateau's midpoint, he flipped over and kicked against its surface, flinging himself across the immense courtyard. Despite being hampered by a cumbersome dark sheet and heavy armour, Hit's body cut across the night sky as soundlessly and effortlessly as a guillotine. As Hit's altitude plummeted, he activated Time Skip and dropped onto the granite ground, instantly propelling himself into a sprint through amethyst and emerald time space splinters.

Unfortunately, bypassing the demonic gate seemed to be a lost cause. As the seconds passed by, it became frustratingly obvious that Hit would not reach his destination in time. Hit scowled at the doorway and tensed his muscles, activating his second signature move. Just as Time Skip expired, Hit burst into a realm of ivory fragments, utilizing the Tides of Time to prolong his foray through dimension in a combined art known as his 'Dimension Dance'.

Dimension Dance is the description used for this staggered use of Time Skip and Tides of Time, a bolstering technique usually implemented to isolate a target hidden within a crowd of onlookers or guards, at the expense of increased energy demands due to the strenuous nature of shifting between planes. Regardless of the obstacles, Hit could instantly skip past the nuisances and draw his target into a parallel pocket dimension, sealing them off from any chance of escape. No pieces of evidence were left following these temporally isolated assassinations, where the victim perished in an unknown point between the present, future, and non-time. In this way, any living souls that saw Hit's face were quickly slaughtered without any onlookers being made aware, even if they were a hair's breadth away, making the legendary assassin a faceless terror to most beings in his universe. Initially, Hit had used Dimension Dance as a uniquely supporting technique, extending Time Skip beyond its limits for traversal across great distances. Its main drawback to Time Skip, the inability to actually strike targets within the overarching world, was what spurred the development of Time Releases, which elevated the Tides of Time into a truly formidable technique. As a being that truly embodied the concept of evolution, it was only natural that these powerful abilities would develop in a stepwise manner. What began as inefficient Time Skips became the Tides of Time as fleeting latent time energy was put to good use. Finally, being caged from the external universe only served to spur Hit on, forcing him to develop attacks that surpassed dimensional separations as Time Releases.

At the climax of the manoeuvre, Hit contorted his body into the flattest form possible and slid through the closing slabs of mythical metal, squeezing past the halves in the nick of time. With a bone-rattling thud, the gateway into Orario's greatest secret sealed shut, imprisoning the foreign agent in its ineluctable abyss.

Author's Notes

Hit's body position, before running off the cliff, is Goku's pose used during the initiation of his meteor combination.

Dimension dance is a name I came up with for Hit's technique when shifting between time skip and tides of time. You can see him performing it prior to his assassination of the alien mob boss, exactly when the colours shift from reddish splinters to white.

Hm... If a boulder was Hit's last delivery, I wonder where Ripper is?