TRAILING SHADOWS

"Captain, we need the relay team, now." Solia chanted out as she threw herself into the air, twisting to avoid a dozen slashes of thin blades at her. 

"Alright, call them in." The Captain grunted, turning a swift roundabout with his light beam as the bands on his wrists glittered brilliant blue light, clearing off a circle free of enemies.

Just then, a sharp splitting aura dashed through, spearing a clean route like a hot knife's path in butter. The zoom of air caused Irunmoles to fall to the side, either split up or chopped mercilessly by the aura while unbalancing Solia in the air and forcing Draxia to leap up from the path.

Heaving, Captain eyes bulged. "Don't tell me the relay teams are here, so fast?"

The sudden movement that cut down the numbers of the men in black seemed to slow down time as everyone turned to look at the counter side. To their surprise, at the end of the path of the cutting aura was a figure with a fluttering cape and a sword drawn out. The figure punched the wall just as the light patches on it vanished.

"Easy, Tayo. Not everything goes by brute force." A feminine voice cut through the tense atmosphere. 

Hearing that, heads turned to look, seeing Niniola in her white gown winking at them all. Slowly, she began to make her way through the shimmering corpses of Irunmoles that dissipated into the air as radiant energy. 

"It's that cursed girl." A voice called out.

"What are you doing here, Niniola the exiled abomination?" Captain grunted as he began walking from the edge of the wall where shattered shelves lay about, trying to intercept Niniola. "You are forbidden to be around. For this, you have broken the law."

"Oh, My!" Niniola clasped her two hands together with a sly smile. "Look at all the cool artefacts about here, partially destroyed by the skirmish here. Anyways, no time."

She began running, ducking under the lunge of the Captain. She slipped past him and in her hands, an orb appeared.

"Orb of Occurrence, Activate!" She yelled out just as the orb exploded into radiant energy.

"What? She has an Orb of Occurrence? How come?"

"Impossible!"

"Where did she get one?"

"Did she craft it?"

Various voices yelled about as Niniola interacted with the screen like interface of the Orb, pinching and zooming. 

"Captain, sir! There is a spatial compression in here. Something that Obedi escaped into. Don't ask me how I know." Niniola raised a finger. "I think it's better we work together for now. I don't know why you are here but I came for Sunday."

"What?" Captain muttered, turning around to face Niniola.

"Right!" She beamed a smile to Tayo by her side. "That makes how many of us now? three in partnership. Cool!"

"Captain, there's a report coming in from the Relay Teams. Spatial interference from the outside. Someone or some people are trying to phase in." Solia called out as her orb vibrated before her face.

"Tell them to engage." Captain replied just as light shone and the door through which Obedi escaped in, appeared once more. Except that this time, it seemed as if time was being replayed, showing Obedi panicking and rushing in to the door.

"There..." Niniola shrugged, watching the orb shatter into dust. "So long, you guys!" She saluted, jumping in after Tayo.

***

Meanwhile, outside the door, space warped and contorted. Only for four figures to appear out of thin in front of the open doors of Obedi Specials.

"Ah! What happened?" The woman shaped mercenary heaved, her face concealed by the mask but her boots revealing her to be Elisa.

"Apparently, we got pulled out of the teleport. Some people are here." Elisa, the manly of the two gold booted duo said, turning around.

Already, movement had begun, although in little, scanty groups of persons. Still, the market had began to take it's shape as the day brightened even further.

However, none of that seemed to bother the crew of seven white armored Irunmoles who walked from across the street. Walking to the surprised figures with Blue Moon Mercenary Alliance House.

"You heard the memo. Don't cause trouble on your stay here." The lead of the seven, a male with long black hair and somewhat reddish skin pointed a finger.

"Yeah, damn right! Pulling us out of spatial bubble. You could have killed us, you idiots " Elisa chanted, walking to take the lead.

"This is High Council duty. Stand back! That shop is out of bounds." The male guard continued, ignoring Elisa as he raised the same pointer finger up to the sky. "If you refuse, lethal force would be used. This is your last warning. Stand Down!"

"Like hell! Link up, everyone." Elisa yelled out, stretching her hands to full span. Elias latched her left shoulder with his right hand, Tobias at the left shoulder while Ibiyemi held to his side. 

"Law of Chance: Vanishing Apparitions.."

"Law of Light: Shooting Star!" The male guard with his finger yelled out in return.

Just as Ibiyemi and co began phasing out of reality, the guard stretched his finger to them. Immediately, a huge ball of light bursted into view. The ball hurtled down on them rapidly, crashing down and exploding. But before it did, Ibiyemi's mask flashed as purplish light bursted out from beneath it.

BOOOOOOOM!

"Aaaaaaarrrrghhhhh..." Elisa, Elias and Tobias yelled out in hurt as they crashed down on impact, their surroundings totally charred.

Little patches of white fire burnt here and there as they coughed, each trying to rise to their feet. Behind them, the top of the shop was destroyed with a diagonal slash of sorts. The slash cut up, from the ground to the top of the shop, opening it to the air while patches of the walls still burnt with fire.

"Damn You!" Elias grunted. 

"Do you have a death wish!" Elisa yelled out, patting off the fire on half of her mask. 

The fire went out, revealing her left eye open. Tobias was not so lucky as the part over his lips were totally charred while Elias' mask was still intact, although cracked.

"Lancelot." A female called out to the Irunmole who released the technique that disrupted the Mercenaries phasing.

"Yes, Adebi?" He looked to his left where she stood, with her arms crossed and a thoughtful look on.

"Weren't they four in number? How come there is only three now?"

"What?" Lancelot gasped, realization hitting me. "Damn! The last female got out. But how? My attack was perfectly timed to counter their phasing."

***