Shadow Blood and Fire

Eli's brows furrowed as he pulled the Comm from his pocket. "Riott?"

The name reminded Eli of his appointment with Mr. Earl Adenea to treat his injury. Distracted by the incident between Oliver Garth and Vulcan Tanheln, he had nearly forgotten.

"Hello, is that Mr. Eli? I am Riott. I'm right by your house. Are you ready to go?" Riott's respectful voice came through the Comm.

Riott had been captivated by Eli's mastery of advanced battle arts at such a young age ever since he saw the boy turn a gambrinus tree leaf into a deadly weapon. Eli's comprehension was exceptional, far beyond the norm. Only one in a million could achieve such mastery, earning the title of Grandmaster, making it easier for them to break through to Level 10 and become Saints. It wasn't far-fetched to call him a Young Grandmaster.

"Ah—sorry! I'm not at home right now."

"Oh—where are you then? Is there anything I can help with?" Riott asked hesitantly, feeling uncomfortable prying into Eli's business.

"I'm at ZUCCHINI in the New District. I ran into a little… trouble." Eli sat calmly, ignoring Vulcan Tanheln.

"You're in trouble? Is there anything I can do?" Riott asked eagerly.

Riott was a professional bodyguard, albeit just Level 4. He had a complete set of advanced tier suits and a semi-king tier plasma blade courtesy of Earl Adenea, so he could handle most challenges head-on. "Something that the red-haired kid called trouble would not be easy to deal with," Riott thought.

Riott paused to ensure his words didn't come out wrong. Then he explained, "I just don't want you to be late for the old man's treatment. Although I'm just a bodyguard, I'm more resourceful than you think."

"Okay, appreciate it! It's nothing serious. I was here at ZUCCHINI and ran into this businessman named Vulcan Tanheln.

As soon as Eli mentioned the name Vulcan Tanheln, he heard Riott gasp on the other end of the line.

"Do you know him?" Eli asked curiously.

"Yes, I'll be there in ten minutes," Riott replied hurriedly. "Tell Vulcan Tanheln to keep his pants on; I'll be there right away."

Riott quickly hung up the Comm. Eli concluded that Riott was not only an acquaintance of Vulcan Tanheln, but the two also seemed to have a special connection, which Eli was already aware of since both men worked for Earl Adenea.

Eli leisurely sprawled on a sofa, deciding to wait until Riott arrived.

Vulcan Tanheln watched as Eli finished the comm call. He didn't interrupt, thinking there was no need. Seeing that Eli had hung up, he finally spoke with a smug smile, "Well, did you find any help?"

"Go on; I won't interrupt you. Why don't you call everyone you know and see who would come to your rescue?"

"Well, this friend of mine said he'd be here in ten minutes. He told you to keep your pants on," Eli smiled.

Vulcan Tanheln's eyebrows twitched. "Let me wait?" he said incredulously. He nodded with his jaw tightened and then said, "Okay, I'll wait for ten minutes. I want to find out who dares cross me in Hutton District."

And then they waited; no one spoke a word, dragging out the silence. Eli felt that the quietness in the room was similar to the stifled air before a violent summer downpour. Anger mounted inside Vulcan Tanheln by the second.

In less than ten minutes, they heard a loud commotion from outside the door. Everyone turned toward the entrance and saw a fit young man storm into the room with a sheathed plasma blade on his back, ruining the business aura of his suit.

He scanned the Imperial Hall with a placid expression. Then he walked to Eli and greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Eli, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"In their dreams." Eli cracked a smile and shook his head.

"That's what I thought. I apologize, Mr. Eli. I didn't mean to undermine your strength." Riott smiled awkwardly. He turned to the group of people sitting on the sofa and shouted, "Vulcan Tanheln! Are you out of your mind?"

Vulcan Tanheln's face paled as soon as he realized who the young man was. Hearing Riott's hot castigation, he jumped out of the sofa and fumbled a reply, "Brother-Rio, how—how are you doing?"

Vulcan Tanheln reckoned that this young man was the bodyguard of the Old Man: Head of Hutton District Mr. Earl Adenea

Riott sneered at Vulcan Tanheln and then answered sarcastically, "I could be better if you didn't threaten the Old Man's friend!"

"Fri—friend? You mean, this boy is the Old Man's friend?" Vulcan Tanheln looked incredulously at Eli and then back at Riott.

The Old Man was almost eighty years old. How could he be friends with a sixteen-year-old kid?

"The Old Man asked me to bring him to the banquet we have prepared for him. I have my Vurb parked downstairs," Riott said. "Are you questioning me?"

"No—no, not at all!" Vulcan Tanheln was already drenched in cold sweat. He knew that the old generation Aircraft Vurb ZX24 belonged to the Old Man. It was the first thing he bought after he earned his first pot of gold many years ago. Since it held special meaning to the Old Man, he only used it on special occasions. Also, the Old Man rarely asked his personal bodyguard to give anyone a ride unless the guest was significant to him.

Finally, realization dawned upon Vulcan Tanheln: he was messing with the wrong guy. He looked at Eli sheepishly and then said in a pleading voice, "I didn't know you were the Old Man's guest. Stupid me! I sincerely apologize."

The other guests in the room were stunned by the turn of events. It was such a surreal scene: the big boss of the city apologized to a sixteen-year-old boy.

They wagered that the boy had to come from an extremely powerful family. Otherwise, Vulcan Tanheln would not be so afraid of him.

Seeing the suit that Riott was wearing, which possessed slight scales that glowed slightly, it was obvious it was made from a beast. The Refiner had to be impressive to make something like this. They couldn't tell the tier, but from the aura seeping from the suit, it had to be at least advanced tier. Everyone kept their silence and dared not speak a word out loud.

Samantha Ausoporia felt her heart swell in her chest as her body was almost paralyzed by fear. She had been thinking about calling Vulcan Tanheln's boss if the situation got out of control, but never had she expected Vulcan Tanheln's employer to show up unasked-for.

"What a mess! Who would have thought that this kid knew the Old Man Earl?"

"Mr. Eli, what do you want me to do with this guy?" Riott asked cautiously.

Riott didn't want this matter to escalate further, and therefore he had chastised Vulcan Tanheln to placate Eli. If he really wanted Vulcan Tanheln dead, he could have done it swiftly with his plasma blade. However, since Vulcan Tanheln also worked for the Old Man, Riott tried to protect him without siding with him. Riott's intention didn't escape Eli. He thought for a second and then said, "Since we all know each other, let's just let the matter rest."

After all, Vulcan Tanheln did not harm him. Instead, it was Eli who had wounded one of his men and killed his pet.

Eli turned to Vulcan Tanheln and said, "This is a misunderstanding. Let's just call it off. But I don't want you to harass those girls. If I have hurt your feelings, we can sort it out between you and me."

"Yes, yes. I will never touch those girls. I promise!" Vulcan Tanheln apologized as sweat ran down his forehead.

After Eli left with Riott, Vulcan Tanheln finally heaved a sigh of relief and was able to straighten up his back.

The fat man who had instigated the ordeal finally mustered the courage to ask, "Vulcan Tanheln, what just happened?"

Vulcan Tanheln shook his head with a wry smile. "Buggen Moffitt, I'm sorry, but I really can't help you this time."

The fat man's shiny forehead puckered as he asked, "Who is that kid? Why are you so afraid of him?"

Vulcan Tanheln didn't speak immediately. He looked around and then glanced at Samantha Ausoporia. Picking up the cue, Samantha ordered everyone else to leave the room until only four remained: Buggen Moffitt, Vulcan Tanheln, Samantha Ausoporia, and another girl in a white dress.

Vulcan Tanheln sat on the sofa and sipped a cup of red wine poured by Samantha. It took him a while to gather himself before he said slowly, "I don't know who that kid is. But I know the person who came for him. He works for my boss's boss."

"Oh? May I ask which family he comes from?" Buggen Moffitt asked curiously.

Vulcan Tanheln paused for a few cautious moments and then said, "The Adenea family."

"Adenea Family?" Buggen Moffitt murmured to himself, and then suddenly he seemed to remember something. "The Adenea family: Head of Hutton District? The mighty ancient family?"

"That's right." Vulcan Tanheln nodded and smiled wryly. "That young man I called 'Brother Rio' is the Old Man's personal bodyguard. I've only met him twice."

As reality set in, the fat man felt his hair stand on end. The Adenea Family was a powerful ancient family that hailed from the higher plane Cyrolle Estate. Their money was old, and so was their family history. The Old Man had recently claimed the seat of Head of Hutton District. Buggen Moffitt was just an overnight-rich from a small coal-mining Kreoid District. Even the thought of meeting a member of the powerful ancient family gave him chills.

Buggen Moffitt had never been so scared while he was out and about in another District. He could always run back to his hometown. However, the Adenea Family's power extended all the way to his home District. There was nowhere he could run.

"Shit!" Buggen Moffitt cursed.