Chapter 12 - Invitation

Creed  was now waiting in the central plaza of the city. He sat down there with the objective of  getting a clue on where Falrich took Jade. Jephtah was on his way to where Creed is and he now saw him. He observed that he was not himself. He had the face of a an assassin who was waiting patiently for a target.

"Hey." He said to Creed.

Creed did not respond to him. He was too focused on waiting and finding clues. He also began thinking about Jade. If she were okay.

"It's going to be fine." Jephtah added.

"No it's not." Creed replied.

"How can you tell?" He asked him

"When we get there, she might not be alive anymore. Falrich has no remorse for his victims." Creed replied to him.

Jephtah did not say anything because it might lead to worse things or it might worsen Creed's mood.

"He's baiting me." Creed said as he lit a cigarette.

"What do you mean?" Jephtah asked.

"She kidnapped her to bring out the killer side of me." He replied.

"Your old self?" Jeph asked.

"Yes." Creed said. "He had the urge to fight me when I was still back in the republic." he added

"So its an unsettled bet?" Jephtah asked.

"No. Now this is personal." Creed said as he went back to thinking.

A midst the thought process, he noticed a different feeling inside him. A feeling that there was something missing. A feeling that he could only get when Jade was around him. Sure there was regret, anger, sadness and more but there is this new feeling that brews inside him. 

"I have to find her. I can't lose someone again by my own faults." He thought to himself.

Then he noticed that there were Soldiers walking towards him. They were still far away so they were not seen, but he knew that he had to do something because this was his only chance to find Falrich and save Jade.

"Jephtah, you should go now." Creed said.

"Why, I just got-" Jephtah said 

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to be here." Creed interrupted him.

Jephta went away following Creed's instructions. The two soldiers were now  nearing the area where Creed is and eventually they got there but the baffling thing is, Creed was not there.

"Weird, Boss said he'd be here." One of the soldiers said.

"So he knew how to read my movements now. That's an improvement."  Creed said while hiding behind the Grand Kaiser statue.

"Let's just wait here, Boss said he'll be here to get the invita-" The soldier said but he was not able to finish the sentence.

The soldier fell to the ground. The weird thing is there was no gunshot as to be expected from Creed, but the other soldier saw a knife stick at the back of the his companion. The remaining soldier braced himself for combat but before he could even move, Creed got him in an immobilizing hold.

"If you don't want to end up like him, you better start talking." He said in a cold tone

"I thought you don't kill anymore?!" The frightened soldier said.

"He's not dead, I just hit his spine with a knife. He's a vegetable but he's still alive." Creed said coldly. "Although I'm thinking of killing you if you don't tell me what I need to know."

"The B-b-b-boss sends h-h-his regards..." The frightened soldier replied as he gave Creed a piece of paper with an inscription on it.

Creed still had him in an immobilizing hold, he took the paper from him carefully and after he had done that he hit him at the back of the neck to permanently immobilize him.

"Tonight at the Roka bay Bridge we meet, As I put Jade to her eternal sleep. Come alone and armed with your past self, because if you don't it will end in her death" Creed said as he was reading it off in the piece of paper that was given to him. 

He pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and gave Jephtah a call.

"Jeph, I have a lead. Come with me to Roka bay bridge but be concealed, because he's expecting only me." Creed said as he went now on his way to Roka Bay Bridge.