Dreadwolf, Lord of Runes

As soon as they could talk and see again, Kane realized they were standing on the rusty metal skeleton of ruined bridge, bathed in the beautiful orange shimmer of an early evening in winter.

In the background, Nova and Luna took a somewhat less calm approach to their newly gained freedom, when they started cursing at their abductors. Kane, however, continued looking around.

The middle of the bridge was cut off, as the entire thing was now severed into two halves, with the edges hovering above the polluted water below. Things like this were no strange sight in the wasteland, however, so he still had no idea where they were exactly.

Fortunately, he could see the city just a little bit away, but that was no surprise, since they only drove for about an hour.

Meanwhile, the ten people that brought them here completely ignored Nova and Luna. Instead, they moved to the edge of the bridge, where a hovercopter and some allies awaited them.

The kidnapped trio was now left completely alone, with at least ten meters (~33 feet) between them and the people that brought them here. But… they didn't bother trying to run.

Considering these people were all at least Core Linking stage Mystics, there really wasn't any point. They'd be caught again before they could even get off the bridge, and these people knew that.

It was also clear that they didn't fear them at all. All three of them still had their weapons, and Luna even had her tactical backpack strapped on.

Now, both parties were observing each other for a moment. Nothing had been said or explained yet, so clearly these people were giving them a moment to adjust. A moment that Kane used to observe what he could.

They were dressed in a manner that screamed class, yet it was a more casual form than most businessmen would wear. They were also all powerful Mystics, and these two facts drove him to only one conclusion.

Thus, when Luna suddenly asked, "Who do you think they are, Master?" through telepathy, there was only one answer he could give.

"They're the Nether Cabal…" he muttered, a little confused.

He came to this conclusion for several reasons. First of all, a government their way of dressing was typical of Mystic criminals, who considered themselves more sophisticated than their Cyber counterparts.

Second of all, any other faction in the city would have send a mixture of Cybers and Mystics, or only Cybers if it was the Mecha Cartel. Plus, they were all in the third stage, and while that level of power wasn't that unusual, having this many of them was.

Only a Syndicate, the government, or some of the most powerful Mystic guilds could bring this kind of power to bear.

"The Cabal?!" Luna exclaimed, equally as confused as him. "Weren't we just on our way to them?! Why kidnap us now?!"

Kane turned to his partner and shrugged with a casual smile, "Only one way to find out." Seeing his calm attitude made Luna calm down as well. So she grinned at him, and nodded.

Yet, despite his seemingly calm exterior, Kane was a little worried. Because if there was one thing he could think of that this might be about, it would be the 'strange pink sex rune' he'd received. 'But that's strange,' he frowned inwardly. 'Because the Cabal wanted to meet even before I had that dream…'

Meanwhile, Nova looked at the two of them strangely. "Hey! Why do I feel like I'm being left out here? Do you two know what the hell is going on here?"

But Kane just turned towards the hovercopter, and started walking, followed by Luna. "No, but we're going to find out. Are you coming?"

Nova's face fell, but she still followed them, grumbling with annoyance, while her eyes shone with caution and distrust at her surroundings.

Noticing they were finally ready to talk, their kidnapper's presumable leader stepped forward. It was a man who was about a head shorter Kane. His head was bald, and his face lined with enough wrinkles to suggest the later stages of middle age. Yet, Kane didn't dare underestimate or assume.

A Mystic's lifespan increased with every stage, so his actual age was hard to guess.

Most worryingly, however, was this man's nearly suffocating aura. 'He might even be in the Domain Awakening stage…' Kane realized wryly. 'Not that it matters,' he sighed helplessly in his mind. 'That group of Core Linking stage enforcers behind him is more than enough to subdue us if we get uppity.'

Finally, they came within a about ten feet of each other, and the bald leader began to speak. His arms were spread wide in greeting, and a jovial grin rested on his lips.

"Kane Mercer and Luna Shadowtail," the Cabal leader, his smile only partly reaching the shrewd eyes that scanned every inch of their bodies. "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you. I've heard a lot. All good things, I promise!" He laughed a little at the end.

"I find that hard to believe," Kane responded calmly, suppressing his true feelings of anxiety and wariness. "I'm perfectly aware the two of us aren't particularly interesting."

"Perhaps, perhaps not…" the man smiled mysteriously. "You should know that the Cabal doesn't trade with boring people, Mister Kane."

Kane narrowed his eyes. His suspicions about this being the Cabal had now been confirmed, and that just confused him. "Yeah, about that… why kidnap us like this, when we were already on our way here?"

"Insurance, my boy!" the man chuckled, as if that was obvious. "First of all, we needed to make sure you wouldn't be followed. But more importantly, we couldn't let you get cold feet and, to be honest, this whole thing is somewhat time sensitive, so we had be sure you'd get here on time."

Suddenly, eyes twinkled a little with amusement as he continued, "You made a few people very nervous when we discovered you'd given your token to that girl over there," he indicated towards Nova, "because suddenly we couldn't track you anymore!"

Kane's eyes widened a little. He'd naturally performed every test and scan imaginable to discover if there was anything technological at all in that token, but he was never able to find anything.

But he quickly reigned in his surprise, realizing that perhaps he shouldn't be so shocked the Cabal had means he didn't have access to. Instead, he sighed with with exasperation, "Alright… so why go through all this?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. We'll get to that," the bald man waved his hand dismissively, despite mentioning this was time sensitive earlier. "First, let me handle the young wolfling real quick."

Upon being called out as a wolfling, Nova immediately jumped into defensive mode. She took a step back and snarled, "How do you know that?!"

Seemingly unconcerned with her tone, the man chuckled casually, his eyes appearing to shine a little. "Although you've done an admirable job of hiding your features, there is very little that still escapes these old eyes, my dear."

Kane, Luna, and Nova now realized that this man really was in the Domain Awakening stage. Only those in the fourth Mystic stage gained a sort of sixth sense that could see far more than mere natural senses.

Kane groaned inwardly, 'There's no way this isn't related to the sex rune, right? What else could I or Luna have that would mobilize a fourth stage Mystic?'

Mystics and Cybers of such strength are essentially the most powerful people on Earth, as what few fifth stages there are almost never leave a city's core sector.

Having just been found out, Nova was shifting her weight and keeping a hand on her weapon. She glared warily at the bald man, despite knowing she stood no chance in a fight.

"No need to be so wary, miss Nova," the man chuckled. "We have no interest in your identity as a beastling. In fact, as an apology for getting mixed up in all this, I'm willing to honour your original intent in coming here. I'll get you that introduction, so long as you wait a moment as I deal with Mister Kane here."

Instantly, everyone realized that token was not only a tracker, but also a listening device, as there was no other way for him to know her intent. Although, at this point, that was just a drop in the bucket of crap that was this evening so far, so they quickly moved on from it.

'I'll think about anything I might said since I got that token later, assuming we even survive this,' Kane thought wryly. 'At least I got rid of the token before the signs of that damn rune started showing.'

Meanwhile, Nova blinked in surprise. For a moment, her gaze panned to Kane and Luna with a hint of worry, but then her gaze hardened, and she looked away. She wasn't about to give up on the chance to get those techniques and improve the lives of her fellow beastlings in the survivalists.

So, she nodded and took a step to the side, while the Cabal leader focused back on the pair in front of him.

"Alright, let me introduce myself first. My name is Archibald Thompson, but most people just call me Archy," he began, his tone amiable, like they were old friends. A small smile hung on his lips, and his stance was open and inviting, but his eyes remained ever shrewd.

"Alright, Mister Archibald," Kane answered in a flat tone, deciding not to engage with the man's amiable attitude. "This is clearly not about trading, so why don't you tell me why we 'are' here?"