Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 203: Eternity, Part Four

Once the tour came to an end, Lianna went back to the armory on her own.

Stepping closer to the display cases, Lianna activated her {Target Analysis}.

[Wow,] Lianna thought, looking at some of the weapons. [Cynthia was just collecting this stuff?]

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"Yo, Lianna."

Lianna whirled around like a kid caught stealing cookies at night.

Relief flooded her as she saw Zura leaning against the doorway.

"Zura," Lianna said, lowering her hand. "You scared the hell out of me," she laughed nervously.

Zura chuckled, a low rumble that echoed in the sterile space.

"Sorry, boss."

"Boss?" Lianna arched a brow.

Zura shrugged.

"Sure feels that way these days. I’m not complaining, mind you. Just saying." The woman walked forward, then. "I just wanted to let you know, I’ve been poking around."

"And?" Lianna asked, her curiosity piqued. "Did you find anything?"

Zura nodded.

"Actually, yeah. Been digging around on the streets, you know, asking questions. And wouldn’t you know it, the name Vy seems to ring a bell with a few folks."

Lianna leaned in, her pulse quickening.

"What did you hear?"

"Apparently," Zura lowered her voice conspiratorially, "this Vy chick... she lives in the slums. Rough part of town. Shit, I might have run into her once or twice without knowing it."

Lianna nodded slowly.

"I can see that... Makes sense why no one from the, uh, the rest of Telvan knows about her."

"Yep," Zura confirmed. "And guess what else? Apparently, she may have tried to join the Watchful in the past. Got turned down."

"You think all of this is just because she got rejected for the guild?"

"Sure as shit hope not," Zura replied. "I’m just saying, it might be a good idea to walk around that part of Telvan for a bit. See what we can find."

"We’ll be surrounded by enemies, though."

"Feels that way right now, if you ask me." Zura shrugged. "MIss Taylor, uh... She took a lot of those fucks with her. They should be weak enough right now to where even if we just walk right up to them, we should be alright."

"Yeah... Plus, the longer she has that new passive of hers, the harder it’ll be to take her down."

"All her focus is gonna be on hiding. At least, that’s what I’d do in her position."

"So, we just need to find her." Lianna nodded, tossing Zura a shield she found that she thought suited her. "Come on. Let’s tell the others."

---

{Later}

{Caroline}

"Alright," Caroline said, holding her phone to her ear.

"Be careful," Lianna told her. "Even though we think she’s gonna be laying low, she’s probably got some tricks up her sleeve."

"I will be. See you soon."

Caroline hung up and quickly went to get ready.

Sword by her hip, satchel at her back, Caroline put her boots on and went to walk out.

She strode towards the hotel room door, ready to head out to Lianna’s new home.

But a faint sound stopped her dead in her tracks. A rustling, almost inaudible, like someone trying to be very, very quiet, just behind her door.

Caroline’s posture stiffened. Her instincts screamed of danger.

Instead of walking straight through the door, she flattened herself against the wall at the side of it, her hand reaching for the weapon holstered at her hip.

With a swift movement, she flung the door open, expecting an ambush.

Instead, the world erupted in blinding light and deafening sound. Flames licked at the doorway, the shockwave sending Caroline reeling backwards. Coughing and spitting, she stumbled back into the room.

As the smoke cleared, a figure emerged. Vy. Her eyes blazed with a murderous fury, two wickedly curved swords held at the ready.

"So, you finally came back for round 2," Caroline muttered. "Come on, let’s do this."

Caroline narrowed her eyes, instantly sizing up the girl.

Her clothes were singed and ragged, but her stance was strong, her grip on the swords sure. She’d been an amateur before, but, knowing that she’d gotten that overpowered Instinct Cynthia Taylor had, Caroline understood she had to be cautious.

The fight kicked off and, instantly, it was a storm of blades and rage. Vy was fast, reckless. So much more potent than before. But Caroline was a seasoned fighter, her movements precise and calculating.

In a 1-on-1 like this, she knew she had the advantage, even now.

She parried Vy’s wild swings and deflected her attacks with a flick of her wrist. Yet, there was an unexpected ferocity to Vy’s attacks, a raw desperation that forced Caroline to acknowledge the girl’s talent.

This wasn’t a mere annoyance anymore. Vy was a threat.

[How the hell did she make this kind of progress in just a few days???]

Just as Caroline landed a disarming blow, sending one of Vy’s swords clattering across the floor, the girl hesitated.

Again, it was clear that even though she could hold her own, she still wasn’t on Caroline’s level.

Her face contorted in a mask of conflicting emotions. Anger, fear, something more.

With a desperate yell, she snatched up one of her swords from the ground and bolted.

[No!]

Caroline reacted instinctively, charging after her. She couldn’t let Vy escape, not again. But before she could reach the opening, two figures materialized in front of her, blocking her path. Their movements were clumsy, their faces obscured by shadows, but their purpose was clear. Hired muscle, hastily acquired to buy Vy some time.

Caroline dealt with them swiftly, both falling onto the ground with blood spilling from their bodies.

But the delay was enough. The smoke had cleared and Vy was gone.

"AAAAAGH!" Caroline groaned, frustrated. "She got away again!"

Caroline stood alone, her chest heaving with exertion and anger.

Frowning, she checked herself for injuries. Just a few nicks and bruises, nothing serious. But the encounter left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She’d underestimated the girl. And now, Vy had escaped.

Caroline knew one thing for sure. She had to get to Lianna and the others and tell them about what happened.

It seemed she wasn’t intending to lay low after all.