TRAILING SHADOWS

"Aaaah..." The man in the simple white garment cried out as he stepped out of a white lined, upright, rectangle.

Back in the storage room, Obedi huffed in pain, looking down in his now empty left wrist. Panic filled his heart as well as disgust for those Guard Irunmoles. They claimed to be more righteous, yet, gladly their very Captain had so easily chopped his hand off.

What happened to simply getting him away from the button or destroying the button alone? After all, that would have shut it down completely. 

No, his hand getting chopped seemed more interesting to the idiot. Didn't he know that as long as the chopped hand still remained on that button, more mercenaries would drop I'm on them? 

Obedi cursed his luck for the low grade mercenaries the HourGlass Merc got him. Yes, they did provide a seemingly limitless number of low grade mercenaries but then again, compared to those Guard Irunmoles, they were nothing. The best they could hope for was to overwhelm them using sheer numbers alone. 

Anyways, he couldn't hope for much. After all, those canon fodder mercenaries were the ones he could afford. Right now, he set his mind on something. It was simple in fact, get Sunday by force or will and flee. 

First, the hooded boy earlier, now these Guard Irunmoles...

If only he had gotten the beast earlier and disposed of Sunday, this skirmish and inevitable destruction of his Shop might have been avoided.

If the worst came to the worst, he'd have to go Sage Mode or even summon the soulbond in his stead. But, he had been saving that, at least until the canon fodder was finished because he knew without fail that Guard crews worked in gangs of 5-10 members. Those three in the shop were not all. Who knew if the others were the ace members, the trump cards the guard squad held in their sleeves.

And again, the artefacts, he was cut off from the most of them because he was at the Counter all through.

"What is happening?" Agbawo asked, worried while Sunday stands with crossed arms beside him.

"Trouble!" Obedi said, holding his chopped wrist for them to see. "High Council Guards. They have an order to kill everyone on sight. Including you, Sunday!" Obedi lied, trying to pull a fast one on Sunday. 

One that would allow the idiot agree to leave with him, without fuss.

Sunday shrugged, looking uninterested. "I'm not surprised. My father has always a wanted me dead."

"What?" Obedi blinked, waving his still present hand. "You know what, that is not important! We need to leave, Agbawo. All of us. While we still can!"

"No!" Agbawo's face blanched, sickening sensation settling on him. "You need to leave. When you hired me, you didn't mention occupational hazards of getting massacred by High Council Guards." He reached forward, weakly grabbing Obedi by the neck with both hands.

"I didn't sign up for this. Curse you. Why did you had to drag me into your mess with them?"

"What are you saying?" Obedi yelled, shoving him off by the c.h.e.s.t with his still waiting hand. "You think I wanted this?" 

Agbawo coughed, tapping Sunday on the shoulder. 

"Sunday, Obedi might be right! We should head out. After all, what good would it be if you died here without learning the full mastery of your soulbond?"

Sunday tilted his head, his eyes furiously scrutinizing the wizened lean personage of Agbawo.

"Hehehe." He chuckled emotionlessly. "Right! So that you can trick me into getting beat up. Once I'm all beat up and broken, you'll have almost no resistance to steal Bane, the Wolf from me? 

I appreciate your lessons but not a chance, man." Sunday scoffed, looking at the horrified expression on Agbawo and Obedi.

"Look, so what? Now you know what we had in mind. So what?" Obedi growled. 

It doesn't matter but that beast is not staying in you anymore. I am extracting it whether you like it or not!" 

"Uh... Actually, nobody is extracting anything." A taunting feminine voice resounded from behind him, freezing him up. "The only people extracting is us. The others are losers." 

Niniola winked at Sunday, one hand on her hip while a huffing Tayo stood by, his hood covering most of his face while his sword gave out sharp cutting intent.

"W-what?" Obedi staggered back, falling against Agbawo who promptly shoved him forward again.

"Niniola..." Sunday called out, a thin smile cutting across his lips. "So you got out, after all?"

"Yes, I did. I couldn't bear for you to go rushing down to Orun Apaadi when you have not a single knowledge how it works. I'll be your guide, you know! After all, you're my champion, sparkles!" She winked at him, giving the peace sign in the air.

Sunday scoffed, his focus trailing to the hooded figure beside her.

"Oh, this is Tayo. He seemed intent on saving you. I'm not sure why but hey, we plan to fight on who gets you after we save you." Niniola smiled broadly, tapping Tayo on the shoulder. 

The latter winced just as Obedi decided he had had enough.

"You miscreants! Get Out!" He screamed the top of his voice out. 

"What if we don't? Call your men in black?" Tayo growled and at that, Sunday's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing him.

"Sorry, but you're out of luck!" He added, gearing himself to attack with his sword arm pulled back.

"Fine, bastard!" Obedi cursed. "Sage..."

"Sunday!" Another feminine voice halted everything in the room.

Tayo turned back and at the end of the room where the storage boxes were in few numbers was the phasing person of Ibiyemi.

As soon as her body solidified, she let her mask off, revealing her flashing purple eye. 

"Ah, more of you? And she has an eye?" Obedi growled, dropping his hand to the ground in all flats. "Fine. I'll take all of you head on!"

"Summoning Circle: Metalplated Eagle, Activate!" He chanted.

Immediately, a huge circle of black spread out across the ground, Obedi's hand being the center of it all. Runes carvings ripped into sight in visage of black, running till they criscrossed each other, like the many lines of several inscribed stars.

While that happened, Niniola turned to Ibiyemi who stood still, waiting for what was going to happen next.

"New comer. You're here for Sunday, I guess. We've got to team up. Whatever Soulbond he is summoning... It's going to get pretty bad for us, unless we team up, okay?

So, don't go holding back!" Niniola warned Ibiyemi, jumping back alongside with Tayo just in time to avoid the activation of the lighting summoning Circle.

"Alright, then!" Niniola shrugged, leaning forward with a leg drawn back. "flank it on the sides. Avoid direct attacks. If this man summoned his beast instead of going Sage, it means he plans on doing something else to Sunday. I'll handle him from there." Niniola gave directions just as the outlines of a hulking grey Eagle slowly solidified into view.