The Blade of Earth 5 (Patreon)

“So, officer,” I said. “How can I help you?” 

She blinked at me as I spoke, her determination floundering a bit. “Oh. Um, I’m suspended. You don’t need to call me officer.” 

“Sophie, then,” I said, unable to keep a flirtatious smile off my face despite the upcoming potential fight against the demonic cultivators. They were important, but they could wait for a moment. 

Especially since Sophie managed to identify as a cultivator. Being equated with a demonic cultivator was annoying, but in her case, I didn’t take any offense. She had no idea what a cultivator was. If she had, trying to arrest one would have been the last thing she would try. 

Most of the cultivators had fragile egos and didn’t react well to disrespect, even perceived ones. 

Of course, that led back to the question. How the hell did she manage to identify me without even knowing what a cultivator was? 

Under my smile, she looked flustered for a moment, even blushing slightly. Interesting. Earlier, the same smile earned me nothing but a sharp glare. It didn’t last long, however. “You can help me by telling me how exactly you recognized the men in the pictures,” she said. “You don’t look like one of those murder groupies, so don’t tell me that you recognize their attitude. And, not all of them had been revealed to the public in the first place.  

“Let’s just say I know a killer when I see one,” I said, not willing to go a deep explanation about cultivation. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to, but I never let that stop me. However, I doubted her explanation that not only humans were living on other planets, but also there were wizards with swords that ruled everything. 

Well, nowhere near everything, just thousands of planets, with equally strong enemies, but that didn’t make the explanation any easier to believe. 

“That’s not an answer,” she said with a frustrated growl. 

“That’s the only one you will accept, especially from a man that you don’t even know his name,” I said even as I offered her my hand. “It’s Blake.” 

She took my hand, but only after a tiny pause, and kept her eyes firmly locked to mine. She even tried to squeeze it, which only made my smile even bigger. “Sophie,” she said.  

“A pleasure,” I said, letting my smirk widen as she squeezed my hand even harder. 

“That’s a stretch,” she answered as she ripped her hand away from me. “Now, tell me. How did you recognize them?” 

I sighed. I didn’t want to just ignore her, especially since she was the one who alerted me to the presence of the demonic cultivators, accidental or not. “I can answer, but I’m not sure you’ll accept it, or even find it believable.” 

She didn’t say anything, but just pulled two pictures, both grainy. However, both of them belonged to me, and they were taken moments of each other, right as I was leaving the alley. One had my lip still bleeding, the other, it already recovered. “Try me,” she said. 

“So, you know the existence of the …” I said, then stopped, trying to find a way to describe the situation. 

“The shadow world, yes. I’m aware,” she said. 

“A good name as any. Yes, shadow world,” I said, nevertheless, it was clear that her knowledge was extremely limited. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have just come out and arrested me. “I have some minor abilities, and one of them is to recognize ... let’s just call them murderers for now.” 

That didn’t help her frown. “Are you claiming that they are not murderers,” she said, her aura of justice flaring sharply, fed by her anger. It was good to see the effects of her suspension disappearing quickly.

“No, I’m claiming they are even worse than murderers,” I replied, but when she opened her mouth, I shook my head and interrupted her. “I recommend you not ask. It’s not a nice discussion to have.” 

“What if I insist,” she said, stubborn. 

“Then, I would say we need to find a better location for that talk. An alley in front of your station is not exactly ideal,” I said. “And, in the meanwhile, you can bring me one of the locations that they had been seen, to see if I can pick anything about their Essence that I could use to find them.” 

“You can do that?” she said. 

I nodded. 

“I still insist that you explain what’s going on first. I can’t just bring a civilian to a crime scene, not when the criminals were still loose.” 

Her concern was amusing considering my abilities, but I let that slide. After all, as much as I enjoyed her presence, I wouldn’t drag her along for an extermination mission, so she had no reason to know about my capabilities. 

“How about a bargain? You bring me to a location that you think safe, and after, I’ll give you the explanation,” I said. 

She looked reluctant, and I could see that she didn’t trust me. “First, we need to make a stop on the way,” she said. 

“I’m guessing we’re going to walk,” I said, which earned a terse nod. She didn’t appreciate the fact that she didn’t have her official vehicle. 

“It’s not far,” she said, and we started to walk. She stayed silent during the walk, no doubt using the walk as an opportunity to calm down. I could have used the opportunity to tease her, but after some consideration, I decided against it. The combination of finally having a clue about the case that she was determined to solve and her suspension was a nasty combination. 

Especially for her, who was driven by her sense of justice, enough to turn her aura into an incarnation of it. 

I followed her from a slow distance, examining my surroundings, amused by all the glares my outfit had been receiving. I needed to pick something better. 

Something that didn’t make me stick out like a sore thumb. 

“Wait here for me,” she said. 

“How about I wait for you there?” I said as I pointed to a nearby thrift shop. 

“As long as you pick something less blinding,” she snarked, which earned a chuckle from me. 

“Don’t worry, I know how to avoid attention if the situation calls for it,” I said. However, if the issue was anything but the presence of demonic cultivators, I would have picked the most blinding combination just to annoy her. 

She walked away, though I noticed that she made an extra turn before she returned, thinking that she was hidden. She watched me for a while, trying to make sure I was going for the shop and not making a run in her absence. Then, she started climbing the stairs of a nearby apartment, unaware that I could still feel her presence. 

She didn’t want me to know where she lived. 

Well, I was a mysterious man she had just met. It was a reasonable precaution. The fact that she took the risk showed just how deeply she cared about justice. 

Beautiful, aggressive, and determined. 

My holiday was getting better and better. 

The thrift shop was empty other than an old man sitting on the desk, positioned in a way that could see everything around. As I dug around the piles of second-hand clothing, I found several interesting pieces. I settled for a decent pair of boots, a simple black T-shirt, and a pair of jeans that fit me even better. 

However, before I paid, I noticed a rusty old combat knife, one with an aura of despair and blood covering it. “Interesting,” I muttered even as I grabbed it for a swing. It was not the first time I saw a weapon with an aura, even a mortal one with no hint of the essence, but any weapon with enough history would have been on display rather than lying in a bargain bin. 

I doubted that it could handle even a fraction of my power, but such a weapon deserved a better end than rusting in a bargain bin. 

“Do you mind if I change here,” I said once I paid for them and earned a grunt in response. Not a particularly enthusiastic merchant, I thought even as I went and changed, dropping my old clothing to the bin nearby marked old clothes. It looked like I wasn’t the only one that did so. 

When I stepped out of the shop, Sophie was walking toward me, her expression relaxed. I couldn’t help but look at her clothing. Combat boots, jeans, a simple white T-shirt, and a jacket. The weather wasn’t cold enough to require one, but I could see two guns holstered underneath, one on her waist, the other on some kind of shoulder holster. 

However, I couldn’t help but enjoy the slight stumble she had experienced the the moment she saw me, followed by a subtle blush. It was good to see that I was making an impact. 

“Good, you don’t look bad enough to gouge my eyes,” she said, her voice unnecessarily aggressive, trying to cover up her reaction.

“You don’t look half bad, Sophie,” I said, not bothering to hide my smile, but I didn’t say anything about noticing her reaction. “Shall we go?” 

“Are you afraid of motorcycles?” she said. 

“Not at any speed you can reach,” I answered. And, just like that, her expression shifted, showing that she accepted the challenge.