Chapter 3 - Troublemaking Argent

Kai and Yin chased after the mysterious thief by running in between people and occasionally jumping over them. There were outraged and annoyed shouting behind them but the sudden situation was more important. When they pursuit was finally away from the busiest streets, Kai caught up beside her.

“Do you feel that?” he asked.

“It’s coming from him,” she admitted.

“How did you let him take the Runes‽” He scolded, making her ran faster.

“He’s too quick. His power was overwhelming in a short distance.” She rose into the air and attempted to punch the ground near him. She smashed her gloved fist into the earth, confident that she hit him.

She was surprised that she missed by only a second. Kai ran ahead and teleported closer. When he reappeared he immediately collided flat into a wall of earth that suddenly emerged from the ground. Yin leapt over the ledge and continued to run. 

While sprinting, Yin felt like she was going in circles. Her thoughts wondered to Kai, asking to herself where the heck he was. He wasn’t beside or behind her, assuming he ditched her.

The thief took the chance to turn around, skid backwards and lifted his hands. Two giant earthly hands erupted from the ground, triggering screams of panic amongst the citizens. Yin attempted to dodge them until she was captured into a firm grasp and thrown into a pile of wooden boxes with a loud crash. She couldn’t see through the dust that clouded her vision while coughing for air.

The thief smirked and continued to escape. Kai jumped down from the roof of one of the houses and helped her remove the debris. He took her hand and pulled her up. Before he was about to say something, he wrinkled his nose at the piece of wood in her hair. He plucked it off and said, “You okay?”

She nodded while catching her breath. “We can’t let him get away.”

“I got a plan.” He said.

“Will it work?” She asked.

“Do you trust me?” He answered with his own question. He uncurled his fist to reveal a yellow colored ball. She eyed it carefully and gave her full attention.

The thief sat at a corner of a street with Yin’s bag in his hands. He was tingling with excitement over the powerful energy coming from it. Before he could open it, something landed on his foot and rolled off.

“Damn it!” He cursed. The ball exploded into a blinding light. Even if he closed his eyes, the brightness was hurting them. He took two steps out of the bomb’s domain and was met by Yin grasping her bag and swinging him around with it. Her strength was overwhelming him until his hands slipped from the straps and bellyflopped on the ground by Kai’s feet. 

He sat on his back in revenge. The thief grumbled in defeat.

“This is payback for putting that wall in front of me.”

He huffed in annoyance. Yin rubbed her eyes and blinked. She strapped her finally returned knapsack on her back and walked to the captured man. She stripped the clothed mask from his head to reveal his face. He was surprisingly youthful man with round eyes like an owl and full lips. He was handsome but he had a look of misery, waiting for Kai to get off of him.

“Why are you a common thief when you were a member of the faction?” Yin accused. He perked up and asked, “How did you know?”

She pointed at his ring that is shaped like a beast’s head with a deadpanned expression. "Oh," said the thief, dumbfounded. “Damn it, Kai. Do you really have to sit on me every time you win?”

“Why not? It’s fun watching you sulk after a long time,” Kai smirked.

“Seriously, get off me. My perfect body is getting dirty.”

“You never change; always flaunting your lousy looks,” Kai rolled his eyes and jumped off him. Yin shifted her gaze from the thief to Kai as she thought of how the two know each other to the point where they would casually talk in the middle of the road.

The next thing Yin knew she was suddenly teleported to a small house with the thief under Kai’s foot. He got up to his feet and led the duo to his living room. It was modest like the inn with wooden walls and furniture. There were several pieces of clothing and weapons scattered on his bed and desk.

“You’re still messy as usual.” Kai added.

“Shut up.” He muttered. He gestured them to take a seat around his table as he was going to explain himself.

“My name’s D.O, alias for Do Kyung Soo. As you noticed, I was a member of Faction Twenty Four until I was suspended for trespassing into the weapon storage. I have a few more days until my arrest is expired.”

“Why do you stoop so low into theft here?” Kai drawled.

“Hey, I was being a good kid until you guys were in town, which reminds me: who is she?” D.O eyed on Yin and she uncomfortably shifted in her seat.

“She’s Zhang Yin, a substitute member of Faction Twenty Four.”

“Substitute? First time I’ve met such a person, not to mention she’s-” He was cut off mid-sentence when she kicked his shin from underneath the table with her foot.

“A ,” he finished, earning himself another kick in the same spot where a bruise was starting to form. He was about to say that she was pretty but he was proven that she was more than just a girl. D.O bit his lip to prevent himself from howling or even crying in pain. Yin huffed and rested her head on her palm while Kai stiffled a snort.

“What are you guys doing here?” He asked them while rubbing his now-bruised leg.

“Lu Han got a message from the mayor of your town to investigate something here. He said there was a strange movement patterns coming from underground.” Kai explained with a serious tone.

“Why bring her?” D.O pressed on.

Kai didn’t answer. Yin took it as a hint to give her details. “It may have to do with an Origin Rune somewhere here.”

D.O inhaled and sighed in a high-pitched voice. “You guys are in for a treat. I don’t know if you guys figured it out, but there's something powerful resonating very subtly on the ground.”

Kai looked at her and nodded. She nodded back and felt the floor with her bandaged hand and closed her eyes. Both men, who were still sitting, didn’t move an inch nor did they breathe. 

Yin let her hand guide her across the floor to track the strongest force. The more she moved, the more her arm was itching to find the source of power. Before it became unbearable and her mind hazy, she stopped searching. She stood up too quickly, making her dizzy. Her legs were about to give in to her fatigue but was held up by a pair of hands.

Another sharp pain entered her mind as she saw an image of her severed arm being wrapped by a piece of clothing. Her blood oozed through the fabric and the dull pain spread throughout her body.

“Yin,” Kai softly called, bringing her back to reality. She blinked for a bit and pulled away, telling him she’s alright.

“What was that?” D.O asked, evidently clueless. Kai was the same. Yin recalled what Lu Han told her before sending her out to her mission. “Your memories are returning at a slower pace right now. When you regain some during your mission, Kai must not figure it out.”

“It’s nothing,” she replied. “But I do know that there is an Origin Rune here. I just don’t know how we can get there.”

“Is there any passage that can go below the surface?” Kai asked.

D.O’s eyes lit up in excitement. “There is a gold mine east from town and it spreads within and beyond the distance. The authorities restricted the area ever since workers were killed in there recently.”

Kai hitched his breath and Yin clenched her fists. “How do we get in?”

“There are only two guards scouting at night that could be your chance.”

“Our chance?” Kai retorted.

D.O flopped on his bed and lazily lounged.

“Yeah, you guys. It’s your mission to go down there, kill some bad guys, retrieve the stone and get out of there, right?”

Kai and Yin looked at each other and exchanged annoyed looks and rolled their eyes. Yin marched up to D.O and lifted him off his bed by his collar and carried him to Kai, who tied him up with a spare rope from his bag. D.O squirmed and protested, demanding them about their plan.

“You know an awful lot about these mines. Perhaps you can lead us in there. You are a trouble maker and control the earth after all.” Yin taunted him with victory. She gave him a mocking look and he hung his head.

“I’m never getting out of this exile!” He miserably lamented as she dragged him out of his home to the mines with Kai behind them with an amused smirk on his face.

They held D.O captive in their room at the inn until nightfall. He gave quite a show with all the whining, struggling and attempts to escape only to have Yin’s fist in front of his face as a threat. The duo kept switching between watching the sun set and looking after D.O, both not particularly fond of doing the latter.

Kai almost fell asleep when D.O abruptly blurted, “The merchants and storekeepers are gone. It’s nighttime already!” He nearly jumped up from being startled. He was wide awake now.

“Don’t blame me if she wants to knock you out,” Kai warned. Yin crossed her arms and sulked, and D.O shut his mouth in caution. They waited for another hour until the streets were completely empty. Kai and Yin nodded, signaling that it was time to go. She put on her knapsack and held her sword instead of tying it. They quietly left the room and made their way to the gold mines. They made sure that D.O wasn’t going to run away with Yin right behind him. 

The earth-user led them through the darkest roads where residential windows weren’t facing their way. They maneuvered their steps so they were silent like phantoms. They also made sure that any windows weren’t gleaming with light inside. As they got closer, they moved to the alleys so the guards wouldn’t spot them from afar. They stayed there until most of them were gone.

The trio arrived at the restricted site. There were only two guards on patrol, just as D.O predicted. As planned, Yin gave Kai the signal to teleport behind them to knock them out. They collapsed easily and the other two Argents emerged from their hiding spots. D.O carefully removed the seal and opened the entrance using his abilities.

“Alright, there. I led you guys here so let me go.” He said.

“Not so fast, Do Kyung Soo. You’re not going anywhere but forward. You know the geography of the mines. You can lead us through even further.” Kai reminded with a mischievous smirk and D.O slumped his shoulders. Yin tried her best to conceal her laughter.

“Let’s go,” he dismally said and went inside. Kai went in after him and Yin after him. Only took a few steps when she stopped and tensed her muscles in anticipation. Sensing that she was falling behind, Kai turned around with a puzzled expression.

“Don’t slow us down. Let’s not have any more trouble other than this idiot leading us.” When he continued down the path, Yin curled her fists in retaliation. She was getting more confused because she has seen both his cold side and his caring side. At the same time, she was slowly getting irritated by his attitude towards her. What did he have against me, she wondered.

As D.O led them deeper into the mines, the temperature rose higher. The three Argents were starting to sweat and they peeled off their sweaters in their lighter clothing. The resonance in her Origin Arm was also getting stronger. The Rune was near. Yin kept her pace with D.O’s until they realized that Kai was now falling behind. He collapsed when they reached a small plateau of the mines.

“Kai!” D.O and Yin rushed to his side. She felt his forehead and his pulse. Her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“He’s dehydrated.” They supported him to the center of the plateau. D.O laid him on a spare towel while Yin took out his canteen of water. “You called me an idiot, but you’re the idiot now.” He joked. She opened the lid and but the edge to his lips. The cool drink slowly flowed into him and his face relaxed a bit more.

Yin was concerned, but somewhere in the back of her mind she felt hurt because he didn't complain about anything until now. They were partners in this mission and yet Kai was stil didn't trust her.

After giving him enough, she closed the canteen and sat on the ledge with her knapsack on her lap. She was tempted to take out the Rune of Healing and nurse him back to perfect health, but she remembered Lu Han’s warning about using her Origin Arm and the Runes. If she used it, then enemies would be attracted to the raw power. 

“That bastard - he’s always been like this.” The earth-user muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say that we absolutely hated each other when we first met. We were both proud, stubborn and arrogant.” D.O chuckled. “We were always competing about who’s the best until we were in a life-and-death situation a few years ago.”

“What happened?”

“A party of Daemens were pursuing us and split our scouting team. Kai and I were stranded and stuck together for three days. As we were getting weaker, we had no choice but to depend on each other. Kai’s pride always got him into trouble. He never told us what was on his mind. He’s just mysterious in a way.”

She let his story sink in until he continued, “But he’s still an idiot for being too independent to the point when he tires himself out. I thought he was too conceited for his own good, but it turned out that he's a modest person. I never realized it but he doesn’t give himself a lot of credit.”

Her eyes softened and kept her gaze at the empty mines.

“I guess that’s how we became best buddies. But enough about us: what’s your story?” D.O asked. Yin tightened her grip on her knapsack.

“I don’t know.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like you have memory loss or something like that,” he thought it over and his owl-like eyes grew bigger in shock. He turned his head to her unmoving position.

“You lost your memories, huh? That must be tough. How long has this been happening?”

“Almost a year now. I’ve only gained a few pieces but they’re not enough to help me figure myself out.”

“What a bummer. I would’ve lost my mind if I lost my memories for that long. If that's the case, then your Argentic abilities are mostly gone.” She nodded dismally.

“Shouldn’t you be staying at the secret society and recover instead of going on a dangerous mission like this?”

“If I did, then what would I gain back if I sat and did nothing? Besides, I need to obtain the Rune. Only I can retrieve it.”

D.O raised an eyebrow from what she said. Behind them, Kai groaned and sat up from his resting position. After rubbing his eyes, he spotted them sitting together on the ledge sharing a conversation. Yin sharply turned around, her eyes with some concern.

“Are you alright?”

Kai’s brain felt like it turned off for a split second before snapping back to reality. “Yeah. I’m fine,” he answered her in a straight tone. D.O eyed on his facial expressions but shrugged it off before standing up, too.

“Let’s say we keep going. Well, Yin? Are we getting closer?” Yin nodded with confidence.

“So let’s go!” He nudged his head to the path ahead and they started walking again. They went down a steep staircase that led to the bottom of the mines. Kai made sure that he and D.O were in front of Yin so that she wouldn’t slip and fall. The steps were barely accommodating their feet’s length or width. They would jump but they couldn’t see the bottom.

When the amnesiac was slowly climbing down, she lost focus for only a second and she  missed the next step. She let out a yelp and instinctively tried to grasp the wall but she was too late. Instead of landing on the hard ground, she felt herself in someone’s strong arms. Slowly opening her eyes, Kai’s face was very close to hers. Startled, she jumped out of his grasp and kept her back towards him.

“Sorry,” she murmured. She stopped and felt a strong evil pressure. She tried not tremble when she said, “Something’s coming.” D.O and Kai stopped and paled.

They suddenly heard a roar and a set of heavy footsteps. On the left corridor, coming their way, was a pack of Daemen Goblins with spears and daggers. On the right was a fiery red shadow that made the mind-blowing growl.

“Great. We’re in the deepest now,” D.O whined.

“Good to know,” Kai drawled. Yin unsheathed her sword and tore off some bandages from her arm, just in case.