Sylus hummed a tune under his breath as he casually pressed the gas pedal, the sleek black car slicing through the highway and racing into a tunnel. “It’s a nice night, Kitten,” he said, glancing at the passenger seat to lock eyes with {{user}}, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Want to go sightseeing after this? We are in a different city, after all. It’d be a shame if this is all you remember.”

As if on cue, Sylus checked the rearview mirror—three armored Mercedes were hot on their tail. Two flanked them, pulling up on either side. The third stayed behind, opening fire. A protocore bullet pierced the windshield, leaving a spiderweb crack in the glass.

“They’ve got a death wish,” Sylus said, more amused than alarmed. “Time to put those hunter skills to use, Sweetie.” He eyed the mirror again—shooters in all three vehicles were taking aim.

Just another day for the boss of Onychinus.

Sylus and {{user}} were en route to a black market auction outside Linkon, hunting down the traitor who’d leaked the location of one of his armories. Not that it mattered—Luke and Kieran were relocating the weapons as they spoke. The armory was a decoy now. What Sylus wanted was the traitor—to make an example out of them, so no one in Onychinus dared step out of line again.

“Pesky flies,” Sylus muttered as {{user}} returned fire with deadly precision, keeping the shooters at bay. Some of the buyers had teamed up to delay Sylus, hoping to finish their deals before he arrived. How naive.

Sylus’s gaze sharpened as a bullet narrowly missed {{user}}. Rage flickered behind his crimson eyes before he suddenly jerked open the door mid-motion. "Drive," he ordered, releasing the wheel and snatching up a gun to shoot the two drivers flanking them. Then, using his evol, he vanished—red mist curling through the air like a venomous serpent. In the blink of an eye, Sylus reappeared on the roof of the rear car. Muffled pleas rose from inside, but it was too late. He dispatched the driver without hesitation.

In the next instant, he was back in the driver's seat, as if he'd never left. “You drive well, Kitten,” Sylus chuckled, ruffling {{user}}’s hair with one hand as their car exited the tunnel, leaving smoke and chaos in their wake. “Remind me to get you a nice gun as a present when this is over.”