BXBX NOVEL Chapter 170: Ezra's Got To Hear Of This
"Good luck." Olivia said softly, squeezing Gen\'s hand once more before disappearing into the night, leaving Gen alone in the eerie silence.
"I don\'t need it." Gen said to herself as she stretched. It was time to put the skills she\'d learnt when she was a peacekeeper to the test.
She turned towards the warehouse, her grin still on her face.
She approached the entrance cautiously, her eyes scanning for any signs of danger. Who knew if the people who attacked the Blackthornes still had another trap waiting?
The large metal doors of the warehouse were ajar, creaking slightly as they moved in the wind. She slipped inside, her footsteps silent on the dusty floor.
The interior of the warehouse was a mess. Scattered debris, overturned crates, and scorch marks on the walls told the story of a fierce battle.
Gen\'s eyes narrowed as she took in the scene, her ex-peacekeeper training kicking in.
She moved methodically through the space, noting the signs of struggle and the remnants of combat.
She paused in the center of the room, closing her eyes and focusing on the vitality in the air.
The impressions left by the battle were faint but discernible to someone with her skills.
She took a deep breath and deployed her Aura, letting her vitality blanket the area. The energy spread out around her, creating a 360-degree view of all it touched.
Instead of infusing her Aura with her emotions, Gen turned to it\'s lesser known use. With a grunt of effort, her Aura vibrated subtly, creating a resonance with the vitality lingering in the air.
Slowly, an ethereal image began to form around her, like a blurry movie playing out in the air.
An imprint of events.
She opened her eyes, watching intently as the events of the past unfolded before her.
Veran\'s third wife waited in the center of the room for the rest of her coven.
Gen turned as the Blackthornes appeared first, teleporting into the warehouse in a flash of light.
Veran was still sporting his confident smirk as he turned to his wives, their movements coordinated as they began to secure the area.
Gen watched the spectacle even as no sound reached her.
Suddenly, figures dressed in nondescript black clothing teleported into the room, launching a surprise attack.
She watched as the ambushers moved as if they knew the area like the back of their hands, attacking like ferocious beasts.
One of the attackers conjured shards of ice, hurling them at the Blackthornes and forcing them to scatter. Another moved with a speed faster than baseline vampires, striking with blindingly fast punches and kicks that created echoes in the air.
The Blackthornes fought back fiercely. Veran unleashed a wave of dark energy, knocking several attackers off their feet.
His wives, equally skilled, used their own powers to fend off the ambush.
The battle raged on, each side exchanging blows and spells in a chaotic dance of combat.
Gen\'s Aura captured every detail, the images flickering and shifting as the fight reached its climax.
The attackers\' leader, a somewhat familiar figure , stepped forward. He raised his hand, and the attackers activated a device they brought.
Dark energy erupted from the ground, ensnaring the Blackthornes.
Despite their best efforts, the Blackthornes were overwhelmed.
The energy tightened, immobilizing them. The other attackers moved in, securing the captives with glowing chains.
Veran struggled against the bonds, but even his considerable power was no match for the combined might of their attackers.
The ethereal image began to fade as the attackers teleported away with their prisoners, leaving the warehouse in disarray.
Gen stood still, absorbing everything she had seen.
The attackers were a well-coordinated team, clearly experienced in such operations. They had also displayed two definite abilities. Ice generation and enhanced speed.
All that was left is to find vampires with similar abilities.
Gen deactivated her Aura, the warehouse returning to its silent, empty state.
She took a moment to compose herself, her mind racing with the implications of what she had witnessed.
The Blackthornes had put up a fight, but their captors had been too strong, too well-prepared.
She couldn\'t shake the feeling whoever that was knew more than they should.
It didn\'t matter.
She\'d find the Blackthornes and the Matten coven will put an end to this threat, no matter what it took.
**********
After hours of chasing leads through the labyrinthine streets and hidden networks of First City, Gen finally made her way to the T-Max building.
She should have done this in the first place but she couldn\'t help but try to solve this on her own. Now, she had no choice.
She took the elevator to the necessary floor. The elevator doors opened, and she walked the path to Red\'s office, nodding to the attendant.
Gen knocked lightly on the door to the office before pushing it open.
Red looked up from her desk, her face showing a hint of surprise at seeing Gen. "This is a surprise." She smiled.
"I need your help." Gen stated.
Red raised a brow. "Go on."
Gen quickly recounted the events at the warehouse, describing the abilities she had seen and the ambush that had captured the Blackthornes. Red listened intently, her expression growing more serious with every detail.
"So, you need to identify these vampires," Red said, leaning back in her chair.
"Exactly," Gen replied, her voice tinged with urgency. "We need to know who they are and where they might be hiding. They\'re highly skilled and coordinated. This isn\'t some random group. They knew exactly what they were doing."
"Wait here." Red stood up and left the office. She returned minutes later with a thick tome and placed it on the desk, flipping through the pages with practiced ease.
"This is a registry of known vampires in First City and their abilities. It\'s not comprehensive, but it\'s a good place to start."
Gen watched as Red scanned the entries, her finger trailing down the lists of names and powers.
After a few hours, Red paused, her eyes narrowing. "That can\'t be right."
"What did you find?" Gen sat up, coming to Red\'s side.
Red turned the book to allow Gen see it. "Ice generation and superhuman speed, right?"
"Yes."
"Look at this." Red pointed to a name and Gen frowned as she read it.
"That can\'t be right." Gen frowned. "What about the one with superhuman speed?"
Red flipped a few more pages. "Here it is."
Gen sucked in a sharp breath as she read the information. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
Red closed the book, her expression grave. "It\'s possible. There is no other explanation for all this."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of their discovery pressing down on them.
They had uncovered the identity of the attackers and as Gen considered the implications, she frowned.
"Ezra\'s got to hear of this."