Arcane: Bond Beyond Death (R18)-Chapter 41: Episode 40: Moves

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The airship settlements—massive floating vessels drifting in from distant lands—were making their descent.

Silco's hand was in everything.

The shipments were not just filled with exotic goods or rare resources—they carried Shimmer, hidden among the crates, smuggled beneath false invoices. The lifeblood of Silco's empire.

But this time was different.

The trio was here.

Bael, Jinx, and Vi—together.

Perched atop the craggy edge of a ravine overlooking the docking platforms, Bael adjusted the sights on his goggles, his mechanical hand flexing with precision.

"Right on schedule," he muttered.

Jinx sat beside him, legs swinging off the ledge, chewing on a piece of gum. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Hehehe... Shimmer, boom-boom, loot, and my man all in one day? Best day ever."

She leaned onto Bael's shoulder, her hand dangerously close to his waistline. "You're gonna watch my ass when I blow some heads off, right, babe?"

Bael smirked but didn't take his eyes off the airships.

Vi stood a few steps behind, arms crossed, trying to focus—trying to push down the nerves twisting in her gut. She'd agreed to this. She wanted to prove herself. But the thought of killing still weighed on her like chains.

"You sure this is the only way?" Vi asked, her voice low.

Bael didn't turn around. "No. It's the only way we win."

Jinx giggled, tossing a bullet in the air and catching it between her teeth. "C'mon, sis. You're in now. No turning back. We're gonna crack some heads, steal some gold, and if anyone cries..." she clapped her hands together like a gunshot, "we paint the walls with their brains!"

Vi swallowed hard but nodded. Jinx was acting a bit too nice... little did Vi know that her sister was waiting just for the perfect opportunity to break her...

But for Vi... Family. That was what this was for.

Whatever it took.

Bael raised his hand. "Let's move."

The three figures slipped into the shadows, the hum of the airships growing louder, their cargo hold doors yawning open.

Then, they moved in.

Bael took point, his steps calculated and precise, the dim glow of his mechanical arm faintly pulsing as he signaled them forward.

Jinx slinked beside him like a predator, her grin widening with every step. Her fingers danced over Pow-Pow Eta's grip, itching to hear it sing.

Vi followed close behind, fists clenched so tight her knuckles turned white. The weight of what was about to happen pressed against her chest, but she buried it—for them.

They crept through the maze of shipping crates as the airship workers bustled, unaware. Smugglers, laborers, a few armed guards—all marked for death if it came to that.

Bael whispered, "Jinx, get in position. Vi, stay on me."

Jinx licked her lips. "Mmm, I love when you take charge, my man." She blew him a kiss before disappearing into the shadows, scaling the crates like a wildcat.

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Vi glanced at Bael. "We're just taking the shimmer, right?"

He gave her a sharp look. "We take everything, it will benefit us and slow Silco's operations. And if they get in the way... we put them down."

Vi tensed. This was it.

A guard rounded the corner.

Before he could even react—Bael lunged. His mechanical fist drove into the man's throat, silencing him instantly. He dragged the body into the shadows like it was nothing.

Vi froze, staring at the limp body. Her heart raced.

Bael noticed. He leaned in, his voice low but firm. "Focus. This is how we survive."

A click echoed above. Jinx had her sights lined up from her perch. "Just say the word, my man. I'll paint this place pretty."

Bael gave the signal. "Do it."

Jinx cackled wildly as Pow-Pow Eta roared to life, unleashing a hail of bullets that tore through flesh and metal alike.

Blood sprayed, screams echoed—then were cut short—drowned beneath the deafening rattle of her gun.

"DIEEEEEEEE!" she shrieked, eyes wide with manic glee.

Her laughter pierced through the carnage, twisted, delighted—completely unhinged.

Vi froze, her breath caught in her throat.

She watched in horror as bodies crumpled one after the other, the stench of gunpowder mixing with the iron tang of blood.

This wasn't just fighting... it was slaughter.

Jinx was enjoying it.

Every squeeze of the trigger made her shudder with pleasure.

Vi's stomach twisted. She had imagined violence, she had braced for it... but this?

She had never killed.

And here was her sister, her Powder—no, Jinx—ripping lives apart like it was a game.

Vi moved like a machine—fists flying, adrenaline surging—but the line between survival and violence blurred faster than she expected.

A man lunged at her from behind, desperate and cornered.

Without thinking, Vi spun around, grabbed him by his collar, and shoved him backward—hard.

He stumbled, his boots scraping against the metal edge of the airship's platform.

His eyes widened in horror.

"W-Wait—!"

But Vi didn't wait.

She pushed.

Time seemed to slow as he tumbled over the edge, his scream fading into the winds below.

A distant thud—inaudible but final—confirmed his fate.

Vi froze.

Her chest tightened. Her hands shook.

That was... her first.

She killed someone.

The weight of it crushed her chest, but there was no time to grieve.

Jinx's cackling snapped her back to reality.

"OHHH! Look at Vi go! Tossin' 'em like garbage!" she teased between gunfire bursts.

"You're really gettin' the hang of it, huh, sis?!"

Vi's face twisted—not in anger, but in guilt.

She forced herself to keep moving, her limbs heavy. Bael noticed her hesitation.

He shot down another guard with calm precision, then glanced at her.

His voice was firm but understanding.

"Stay focused, Vi. You'll deal with it later."

She nodded stiffly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

She had crossed the line.

There was no going back now.

Family... this was for family.

The doors to the council chamber burst open, an enforcer rushing in, breathless and pale.

"Councilors—! There's been an attack—one of the airships—hijacked... It's them—Bael and Jinx."

The room froze. Silence, heavy and suffocating.

Mel's eyes widened, her face darkening.

"What...?"

"It's not pretty, ma'am. Bodies everywhere. They... slaughtered everyone on board. Survivors are scarce... the few we found... they won't speak. They're in shock."

The weight of the words crashed over everyone.

Heimerdinger's ears twitched, his small frame stiffening.

"This... this is monstrous..." he murmured.

Kiramman, standing in the back, felt her heart race. Her hand drifted to her sidearm unconsciously.

But Mel—she was different.

Her breathing quickened. Her hands curled into fists. Her nails dug into her palms.

"Again..." she whispered under her breath, trembling.

"Those rats... again."

She stepped forward, her voice rising.

"How long will we suffer this disgrace? How long will we let these animals crawl out of their sewers and spit on everything we built? They're butchering our people like livestock!"

"Councilor Medarda! What has gotten into you lately? I've never seen you break character like this." Viktor said calmly, approaching her as he barely held into his cane.

Her voice cracked, but it didn't stop her.

Her mask of grace shattered. She ignored Viktor and continued.

"We must hunt them down." She said.

Salo gasped at this and so did the other councelors, "What the hell is wrong with you Mel! Even I wouldn't resort to such dirty pla—" Salo didn't even have time to finish before getting interrupted by the stubborn Medarda.

"I'm done playing around with the criminals who reduced the Man of progress to a vegetable. I'm venging the noble souls that perished tonight." She said, tense.

"...I swear I could hear your mother say that... Not you." Himerdinger mumbled under his breath.

Mel mobilized the elite snipers and enforcers and was heading to the main scene.

...

After killing everyone on the ship, Vi's vision was blurry, Jinx cheered her up, saying the first kill is always the toughest Vi nodded in agreement, while Bael opened the Shimmer containers, he felt a disturbance in the air, his hyper senses kicked in, as if he was being watched throught a scope.

The first bullet was fired, but as if time stopped, he saw it, and dodged it easily.

"Shit! Snipers in sight!" Bael exclaimed.

Jinx positioned Pow-Pow Eta to his direction and pressed the release trigger. The next bullets fired at the snipers, created a toxic mist that made them retreat from the positions and await the new instructions from HQ.

Jinx bounded over to her, a wide grin plastered on her face, still hyped from the chaos. "Hey, hey, don't sweat it! The first kill's always the hardest, right?" Her voice was full of manic energy as she clapped Vi on the back, hard enough to make her stumble.

Meanwhile, Bael wasn't celebrating. His attention was on the Shimmer containers, and something was off. His gaze darkened as he stared at the liquid inside. "What the actual fuck is this?" he muttered under his breath, disbelief creeping into his voice.

Jinx, still buzzing with adrenaline, turned to see what he was talking about. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the contents of the containers. This wasn't Shimmer. It was something else. Something... wrong.

She stepped closer, her eyes wide with recognition, then recoiled as if struck by a physical blow. "No way..."

Bael was already checking the other containers, his face twisting in disgust. "This is blood. Not just any blood, though."

Jinx's breath caught in her throat as the realization hit. "No... no, no, no..." She staggered back, clutching her head in pain

Pow-Pow Eta reacted violently to the blood, the barrels of the gun twitching and sparking in response. "Shit, it's reacting to it..." Jinx's voice cracked, her body jerking in sudden agony. A sharp scream ripped from her throat as the blood inside the containers seemed to reach out, an invisible force slamming into her like a tidal wave.

"It's a trap...!" Jinx gasped, her knees buckling under the pressure. "This is Silco's doing!"

Bael's gaze hardened, his fist clenching. "We walked right into it." His voice was cold, his mind racing. They'd been played. Silco knew exactly how to lure them in.

The ship groaned around them, the air thick with the stench of blood and the buzz of electric tension. But there was no time for hesitation.

"We've been set up," Bael growled, his mechanical arm pulsing with arcane energy, ready for whatever came next. "Stay focused. We're not dead yet."

But Jinx's scream still echoed in his ears. They had to get out. And they had to do it fast.

Bael took the barrel of blood and threw it off the ship, that's when the reflection of the scope appeared. He saw a sniper aiming at him from a newer position.

Another bullet shot at Bael's head, but as time slowed for him, his hypersenses made it child's play to dodge.

Bael's eyes narrowed as he looked out over the horizon, the distant shape of dozens of enforcers coming into view. Their airships, sleek and formidable, were closing in fast, and the gravity of the situation hit him like a tidal wave. There was no way they were going to make it out without a fight—too many soldiers, too many weapons, too much firepower.

He gritted his teeth, his hand clenching the edge of the airship's control panel. The odds were stacked against them, but Bael wasn't one to back down. "Jinx! Vi! Get ready!" he shouted over the roar of the engines, his voice laced with authority.

Jinx, still buzzing from the blood and the thrill of battle, quickly locked eyes with him. "Hell yeah, I'm ready!" She hoisted Pow-Pow Eta, the weapon's barrel smoking from the last barrage. "Let's show these assholes what happens when you fuck with us!"

Vi, still shaken but pushing through, nodded sharply. She'd never been in a fight quite like this, but her resolve had solidified after her first kill. She was part of this now. "Let's do it. We fight. Together."

Bael nodded, his face hardening with the cold determination that had gotten him this far. "We're taking control of this ship, and we're not stopping until every last one of them is dust."

He swiftly took the helm, his mechanical hand gripping the controls with perfect precision. The airship, once a tool of transport, now became their weapon—a deadly, flying fortress. With a flick of his wrist, the ship's engines roared to life, and the controls whined in response as they moved into a new, dangerous direction.

The enforcers were closing in fast, but Bael didn't flinch. His fingers flew over the controls, rerouting energy to the shields, boosting speed, and engaging weapons systems. "Brace for impact," he muttered.

Jinx and Vi grabbed hold of whatever they could. Jinx's manic laughter echoed in the background as she reloaded Pow-Pow Eta, eager to make her mark. "We're gonna blow them all to hell, aren't we, my man?" she asked, her grin almost manic.

"You Bet!"