Ajax blocks the strike in an instant. "Perfect." Ajax says smirking.
The Black Viper's eyes widen in surprise as Ajax's blade parries his blow without a scratch. For the first time, hesitation flickers across his face.
"What...? A street rat can... block me?!"
"So as I was saying. You're gonna help me find his sword." Ajax says
Ryizen stares, shocked as Ajax stands firm before the elite enforcer-unscathed.
The Black Viper clenches his jaw, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"You... you're not just a common street rat, are you."
"I am. But as you probably heard me say earlier, it depends on how you look at it." Ajax says thoughtfully
The Black Viper eyes him with growing caution, his blade held at the ready.
"Who are you? Who taught you to fight like that? Speak."
Ajax grabs him by the ear. "I don't talk about him." Ajax says suddenly extremely serious.
The Black Viper's eyes widen in confusion, caught off guard by his boldness.
"You dare touch me?!"
Ajax starts dragging him. "So where's the office huh? I'm sure you know." Ajax says.
The Black Viper snarls, squirming in Ajax's grip.
"Let go! Where do you think you're taking me?!"
"To the office I need to find that guy Ryizen's sword before I free him." Ajax says like this should be common knowledge to everyone.
The Black Viper's face tightens, his struggle growing more urgent.
"You think I'll give you information just like that?!"
"Yes. You will."Ajax says before pointing his sword at the man's neck.
The Black Viper's eyes narrow, but he stops struggling.
"You'd really slit my throat, just for information?"
"Yep sure I will." Ajax says.
The Black Viper stares into Ajax's eyes, searching his face for any hint of hesitation. Finding none, his face hardens.
"Fine. I'll tell you what you want to know. But you'd better let me go after I talk. Understood?"
"Uh-huh sure." Ajax says, rolling his eyes.
The Black Viper nods slowly, still looking at Ajax with wary eyes.
"The Shogun's office is at the other
end of the old dockyard, past the
warehouses. You won't miss it—it's the largest building there."
"Good thank you now night night." Ajax says before he jabs the back side of his sword into the man's pressure point in his neck
The Black Viper collapses, unconscious. Ryizen watches from the shadows, eyes wide.
"You... you really just knocked out The Black Viper..."
"Yeah so what?" Ajax says before tossing the man aside.
Ryizen stares, speechless for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is tinged with disbelief.
"...You're insane, y'know that?"
"Heard that one before." Ajax grins. "But I'll be back, gotta find that sword." Ajax says.
Ryizen nods, watching Ajax with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
"Just... be careful, alright? The people at that office... They're not just guards. They're the Shogun's top men."
Ajax ignores Ryizen's warning and jumps onto a building and continues running.
The night air is cold, the old dockyard eerily silent except for the distant creaking wood and waves lapping against the pilings. Moonlight casts long shadows from the rusted shipping containers and broken crates.
"Oh he wasn't kidding, it's pretty easy to see the office building." Ajax chuckles seeing the office building.
The building looms ahead-tall, shadowed, its windows lit with flickering torchlight. Black banners hang from the eaves, each marked with the serpent-and-sword crest of the Shogun's elite.
Guards patrol in pairs-armored in lacquered plates, katanas sheathed but ready. Their movements are precisely trained to kill.
And above the door a seal: glowing faintly red.
Runes carved into wood-forbidden magic.
This is no ordinary office. This is a holding cell for lost blades.
"Well can't miss that." Ajax says before he jumps through the window.
Glass shatters as he crashes through the window in a storm of shards and motion!
"-INTRUDER!"
Two guards snap toward Ajax, drawing blades - but he's already moving.
A spinning kick disarms the first. A lightning fast slash sends the second's sword clattering to the floor.
And there - in the center of the chamber, resting on a stone pedestal surrounded by red candles and glowing sigils Ryizen's sword.
"Hmm bland looking sword yet I feel like that suits him." Ajax says before he grabs Ryizen's sword and jumps back out the window.
The blade pulses in his hand as a horde of armed guards burst into the room, filling the chamber with thunderous footfalls and shouted orders. Their leader glares around the room, spotting the broken window.
"Damn it. The bastard got the sword."
Ajax jumps from building to building. "Aw man this is becoming exhausting and here I was just trying to enjoy my evening." Ajax groans.
The sound of boots and shouting fades into the night as Ajax ash across the rooftops, Ryizen's sword clutched tightly in his grip. The blade's weight is surprisingly heavy, the steel warm.
Wind howls over the rooftops, and beneath Ajax, the old dockyard seems endless—a maze of shadows and rusted metal until in the distance a tall black-clad figure appears in Ajax's path. Standing atop a warehouse roof. Watching him. Waiting.
"Oh great another enemy, just what I needed. Ajax says.
The figure in black doesn't move, standing like a silent shadow against the moonlit sky. Then, they speak, their voice low and cold.
"Hand the sword over, Ronin."
"Yeah I'll pass on that offer." Ajax says stopping in his tracks.
The figure tilts their head, studying him intently. Their face is veiled in shadow, but their eyes gleam with a cold, calculating light.
"You're making a mistake, Ronin. That sword isn't yours to take."
"Yeah your right it belongs to Ryizen that's why I'm giving it to him." Ajax says.
The masked figure goes still.
For the first time, silence. Not a twitch. Not a breath.
Then, slowly they shift their stance.
"Ryizen... lives?"
"Yeah well gotta go." Ajax says before jumping and runs past him.
The figure stands frozen for a shocked heartbeat, watching him leap away into the night. Footsteps ring out as the figure takes off after Ajax. This time, the chase is different. The figure doesn't speak, a silent shadow closing in on Ajax's heels.
Lands on the ground in front of Ryizen. "Hey
man." Ajax says grinning.