The Phantom Syndicate

It was a sprawling city of steel and scrap. Rather, it was like an entire city had become nothing but scrap, and abandoned to a large corner of the lower borough. It was the product of Leiden's rampant industrialisation efforts. The train systems that ran from the capital and Leiden yielded large amounts of excess scrap metal. Moreover, the efforts of the Mechanicus Die Firma, the main company behind the automaton servants that littered both the middle and high borough, as well as the rampant increase of automobile use in post-war Leiden and Lindgram. Because of the constant rainfall, that scrap metal that was left over from production would quickly rust and erode, and then the toxic metals would seep into the ground, ruining its quality as pertained to agricultural production. So, as were all things, the lower borough became a dumping ground for industrial metal waste.

"It's quite… large?" Lumière spoke almost questioningly, in fascination at the sight before him.

Although, Adonis looked at him almost suspiciously.

"You don't seem as scared as I thought you would be, Mr. Croft."

"Scared? Why would I be scared?"

Adonis adjusted the monocle on his eye, looking up towards the towers of sharply-cut steel with an expression of nostalgia on his face.

"Even the biggest men in our group are hesitant to come here for training. They're all afraid of wandering into a Scrap Lord's territory and being the meal of their underlings. How low must a person have sunk to their instinct of survival to eat others, I wonder?"

His voice was soft and gentle when discussing such things, as if they were of no significance to him. After all, Adonis Trinder was born in the Steel Wastes. They were like an old home to him. In the massive sprawl of towering steel shards, those who would collect parts to sell or for building purposes were called 'scrappers'. The ones who controlled the territory the scrappers could operate in were called the 'Scrap Lords'. It was a bit unlike Etten-Leur, which was primarily controlled by mobs, which was more of a group effort. The Steel Wastes were a free-for-all hellscape for scrappers in comparison. Often, the steel a scrapper would bring home was not stained by rust, but by blood.

Although, since the Peacekeepers had started patrolling in the lower borough, the bloodshed had dwindled considerably, and so it was a bit safer for the two to travel into it for the sake of shooting practice.

"The Peacekeepers have been patrolling more frequently, haven't they?" Lumière jested. "So, as long as we keep watch for them, we'll be fine. Anyways, we'll be the ones with firearms in the event of conflict."

'Well, I can't tell him that I'm not scared because I could set my enemies afire without considerable effort.' Lumière lamented humourously.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Adonis nodded assuredly. "Then, I guess here is fine as any."

In the middle of the towering wasteland of craggy steel, there was a small clearing that the Blackfeather group often used for firearm training. Adonis had led Lumière there, and soon, he had set up several targets made of scrap metal for him to shoot at.

Standing apart from the targets at a moderate distance, Lumière reached into his coat and unstrapped the holster, procuring the pistol from underneath his arm. As he raised it into the air, the silver exterior gleamed under the sun, and Adonis's eyebrows raised slightly.

"It's a nice one." Adonis marveled. ".45 caliber? You really only need one bullet to take someone down, don't you? Have you brought any extra ammunition for practice?"

Lumière shook his head in response.

"That's alright. Before we left for the Steel Wastes, I went inside to ask boss for some ammunition for the sake of practice. Thankfully, there's always a lot of metal to melt down to make bullets with. You can use that ammunition, if you would like." Adonis replied.

'Wouldn't it be suspicious if I were to suddenly have obtained a gun with magical properties? For now I'll try and conceal that it reloads on its own.'

"Alright then. I'll take you up on your offer."

After receiving the bullets from Adonis, Lumière pulled the magazine away from the pistol, loading a bullet into it before inserting it back in. Then, he pulled back on the slide and pointed the gun at one of the metal targets in front of him. Adonis walked beside him, eyeing every aspect of Lumière's form as he steadied the sights.

"Raise your grip on the gun a little bit. It'll help you straighten out your sights and raise your accuracy."

According to his advice, Lumière raised his grip around the gun slightly, and pointed it back towards the target. The front sight at the end of the pistol came into view. He sucked in a deep, slow breath.

"As you breathe out, cut off your breath midway, and then fire as your body's movement stabilises."

"In the midst of battle, will I really have time to do all this?" Lumière asked disbelievingly.

"If you plan ahead well enough, one bullet will make sure you don't have to start the battle in the first place." Adonis's demeanor was cold, but that gentle, placid expression on his face didn't change in the slightest. He adjusted his monocle slightly once more, before reaching into his coat's interior and procuring his own firearm, quickly pointing it at the metal target and pulling the trigger. The bullet cascaded through the metal, leaving a large hole in the center. Without wasting an ounce of movement, a knife found its way into Adonis's hand as if it had been there all along, and he dashed towards the target. He swung the knife in an arcing motion, leaving a large gash in the weaker metal.

"If you mess up your shot and miss, then you always have your blade as a follow-up. You're well-versed in that domain, I've heard."

For a short time longer, Lumière continued to take shots at the metal targets as Adonis corrected his innaccuracies. After a while, Lumière had gotten used to the motions and simple corrections of his stance, able to fire a bullet semi-accurately from a distance if given enough time to prepare.

Lumière lowered the pistol in his hand, turning to the silver-haired fox who seemed to soften like the sunset in the backdrop, leaning against a steel beam that had fallen from a massive pile of scrap.

"Do you know who was responsible for the attack on the monastery?" Lumière asked of him.

Adonis's head perked up instantly, and he looked over towards Lumière with slightly widened eyes.

"I've been told not to talk about 'those people' anymore." Adonis shook his head, adjusting his monocle slightly. His body seemed to tremble slightly upon mentioning those whose names went unknown. "Ask boss if you want to know more."

"Shall we talk, then?"

A voice resounded behind the two, deep, sultry, and inviting. As they turned towards the man who had approached them, they caught glimpse of a piercing crimson gaze within the emerging darkness. His warm smile was like velvet, and his skin was like slightly-burnt amber.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Adler." Lumière smiled slightly as he pinched at the edge of his cap.

Lumière turned towards Adonis, who had returned to his normally calm and blank state, adjusting his monocle once more.

"I'll return with Mr. Adler, Mr. Trinder."

Adonis nodded in response, and as Lumière turned to walk away, he watched as the two vanished into the emerging darkness of the steel wastes. He then turned to a pool of shadows to the side, hanging underneath a tower of sharp steel, where two stern eyes gazed at him from afar.

"Will you sit forever in the darkness watching me, or will you come out," Adonis started to talk with a hint of unusual harshness in his tone, "Teacher?"

Emerging from the Steel Wastes, Lumière and Constantine walked side by side, a relaxed smile on the magician's face that had become uncharacteristic of him in recent times. After experiencing so many stressful situations, if it wasn't for the sake of putting on a mask, Lumière had been unable to truly relax. Only in the presence of his most trusted friend and confidant could he truly let the tension in his muscles dissipate. Still, there was a hint of caution and seriousness about him, as he had a question blaring aloud at the front of his mind.

"Do you know who attacked the monastery, Constantine?"

Constantine looked over at Lumière with an expression full of surprise. Usually when Lumière dropped the respectful pretense between them, which was a product of the disparity in their social statuses, it meant he was entirely serious. His eyebrows furrowed, and his lips quivered slightly as he spoke.

"The Phantom Syndicate."

Lumière's eyes widened, filling with a dull sense of anger.

'A group? An entire organisation is responsible for her death?'

"Who are they? What do they want?" Lumière spoke callously in question. "Why did it have to implicate us?"

Constantine let out a sigh.

"Relax yourself, my friend. I'll tell you regardless of what state you're in, but you might as well calm yourself."

The shadow at Lumière's feet began to churn slightly, illuminated by the oil lamps hung from posts on Cobbler's Street. Seeing this, Lumière inhaled a deep breath, taking a moment to let his heart rest before turning back towards Constantine.

"So? Who are the 'Phantom Syndicate'? What do they want?"

"They're a group of powerful individuals- users of sorcery. Can you believe that much, Lumière?"

"I can."

"They kidnap children, usually orphans, and raise them to become powerful magic users. It's all for the sake of summoning their 'Lord', a true evil god. I'm not quite sure what creating an army does to cause the descent of a deity, but it's definitely not a good thing."

"How do you know so much about them?"

"I've been hunting them alone for so long." Constantine sighed, his gaze falling towards the setting sun. "I took Adonis from them."

"Adonis was raised as a user of sorcery?"

Constantine nodded his head.

"Adonis Trinder is a black mage, although I've forbidden him from performing any magic, or discussing the topic of the Phantom Syndicate in the presence of anyone other than me."

"Even Mr. Stroud?" Lumière pondered humourously. "When they're so entwined with each other, he can't discuss his past?"

"It would make Eamon a target. I'm not so keen to do such a thing, and I'm sure Adonis isn't either."

"Are you not worried about such a thing with me?"

"I'm quite sure you're already a target of theirs, Lumière."