Erik pocketed his phone, his face a mask of controlled calm. He turned to face June in his dog form. There was a question in his mind. His curious eyes showed that.

June asked.

Erik sighed, running a hand through his hair.

June’s ears perked up at this, his tail momentarily stilling.

Erik nodded.

Erik said, his voice hardened with determination.

Understanding dawned in June’s eyes.

Erik nodded, a grim smile playing on his lips.

June wagged his tail, a sign of agreement and readiness to follow Erik’s plan. Together, they moved through the shadowy alleyways towards the nearest ATM, of course, using the Chameleon Veil when necessary.

As they got there, Erik started his magic. He asked the system to take money from the device, and it dutifully did.

Now Erik got enough cash to eat, and maybe sleep somewhere, but going into hotels was as risky as using the ATM. To be honest, going everywhere was a risk.

Not because of the security systems, but because of the people. If they recognized him, he was bound to be in huge troubles. 𝘪𝑎.𝒸𝘰

Erik said as he pocketed the money.

he said.

June said.

June’s ears flattened against his head.

Erik nodded, his mind racing. He could find an unused apartment, perhaps. But if the Blackguards had his photo, it wouldn’t take them long to figure out he was Frant’s awakener. His situation would only get worse.

June asked.

Erik took a moment, his gaze unfocused as he pondered on June’s question. The idea of hiding in an abandoned warehouse or a derelict building had been his initial idea, but now he was reconsidering.

For the mercenary guild, abandoned buildings were the first places to search. Despite a lot of those were present in the city, that was the most obvious hiding place. Hotels couldn’t be used, so as apartments. Erik knew no one in this city and couldn’t ask for help.

He then asked the biological supercomputer to connect to the internet here and find abandoned places. The system did it, and Erik had a better grasp of the situation and the potential hiding places.

There were plenty of abandoned buildings, sure, but they were obviously hiding places. The Blackguards would search those first.

A sudden thought struck him. he said, turning his gaze to June.

June’s ears perked up at this.

Silence ensued. That was cruel, even for Erik, to kill someone just to use the apartment.

Erik said.

That was all June could do, obey his creator, but he didn’t really like the idea. Erik let out a deep sigh, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts and considerations.

He stood there, contemplating, his gaze distant as he mulled over the intricacies of their situation. The weight of decision-making hung on him, each thought branching into countless others.

June looked at his master with a sorrowful gaze. Erik said.

The young man looked down at his clone, a determined glint in his eyes. he said.

June’s ears perked up at this.

June wagged his tail, a sign of agreement.

June looked up at him, his canine eyes filled with admiration and loyalty.

Erik smiled at him, reaching down to ruffle his fur. he said smiling.

June nodded, standing up and shaking off the dust from his fur.

Erik nodded.

They had a plan now, a course of action. It was risky, but it was their best chance of survival. But the first thing to do was to search for a suitable place to stay, and Erik already had some ideas about where and how to search.

As they moved out of the alley, Erik couldn’t help but feel a thrill of anticipation. The Blackguards had made their move, and now it was his turn. He was going to fight back, and he was going to win. He had to.

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