The bang of the door echoed through the cavernous underground, alerting all those present to the new arrivals.

The 14 member team walked in, with their most intimidating members flanking them. Scavengers, whores, mercenaries and servants looked upon them with awe. 

The feared Toma-Blackbourne team. Band of brothers, thick as thieves. Procurers of all things rare and special. Hired killers. Unseen spies. Daring, brave, reckless, resourceful and simply unstoppable. The best of the best that The Academy had to offer. 

Lhitedeys, one of the few inhabitable cities, left by people from the Old World. No one knows what really happened to those people, but they used what was salvageable from the Old World. Old World possessions were a sign of wealth and power. Rarities, and antiquities. Lhitedeys boasted one of the most vibrant black markets for Old World merchandize.

In this god-forsaken city-state of Lhitedeys, there was no hope. The only things that prevailed were money and power. The Academy held the power, controlling the Underground while the Monarchs of Lhitedeys, currently the Sorenson family, held the power. Both sides, light and darkness, were equally fearful of each other and there were whispers of a clandestine agreement made to leave each other alone. Each would survive, allowed to keep their half of the city if they agreed to adhere to the unspoken agreement. And so, Light and Dark, let each other be.

Officially that is. Each side worked behind the scenes, actively seeking means to take the other down.

That's where this special branch of the Academy came in. To ordinary folks, these boys and girls were orphans, taken in to become skilled traders. No money or known inheritance to their names. Unable to pay for Lhitedey sanctioned schools, so the Academy took them in. Gave them a loving home, and formal education. That's the official lie. Those who dealt in the underground, dabbling in the illegal business, knew better. These men were trained from young as convincing liars, charming conmen, light fingered thieves and merciless killers. And at the very peak of these Academy trained army of mercenaries, was the Toma-Blackbourne team. Blacknights for short. 

If you saw them, there was reason to fear. There was no pleading, no begging, no amount of money that will save you if you were on their list. 

Academy teams usually consisted of couples, individuals or small teams. The Blacknights, were rumored to be a group of orphan boys who escaped their burning orphanage together, (after killing their abusive caretakers and setting fire to the place, or so the stories say) and they'd been together ever since. Not even the Academy could break them up. It was undeniable, that these boys worked best together, in this unusually large team. Initially the boys were separated in teams of five and nine, but they found their way back to each other.

The boys stopped in front of a heavy set of oak doors. A mere glance at the guard sent him scrambling to open the doors. A blonde hair one muttered ''Imbecile'' and followed the rest in. The guard heaved a sigh of relief. The previous guard had gotten nasty injuries from denying the team entry into the Boss's office.

The door slammed shut with a final slam and the chatter in the main hall came back,  people daring to talk once more. 

In the huge office, perched on a rare overstuffed chair and an 'Old World'' mahogany desk sat the Boss. Phil Roberts. The boys stoically situated themselves around his office waiting for their leader to speak. 

''Another successful mission. The target was eliminated?''

''Yes, sir.'' Owen, the usual mouthpiece for the group, answered stoically.

''Witnesses?''

''As usual, it's been taken care of. Sir.''

''Don't you get snappy with me boy. Don't forget I hold your brothers' lives in my hand.'' Phil grinned, exposing nasty teeth in a shark-like grin.

Owen sent a hooded glare to the imposing man, while the rest of his brothers looked to each other in fear and anger. ''You may kill one of us, but will you be able to kill all fourteen before one of us reaches you?'' He snarled back.

Phil barked out a harsh laugh. ''Don't test me, boy. Now, go. Back to your house. Enjoy the treats of the Underground, while you still can. Fuck the whores, or the men,  gamble, drink, I don't care. Your payments will be in the box outside, as usual. ''

Ever the placating one, Axel bowed his head in thanks, ''Our thanks, sir.''

''What the fuck are you still do here? Leave!'' He barked, dismissing them. All fourteen of the brothers filed out, their poker face masks still on, hiding their underlying feelings. North picked up the heavy box before joining his brothers on the busy street.

As they made their way through the bustling market, crowds parted for them like the Red Sea and women threw them sultry looks. However, the boys paid these no mind, hurrying through, back to their house.

Upon entering, Corey and Victor activated an Old World defense system, shutting their house out from any outside noises and spies. Once everything was securely locked and they were truly safe, Corey held up a hand. They let out a huge sigh together. 

''God! I hate that old fucker!'' Gabriel, a blue eyed boy with natural blonde streaks, ranted.

''You're not the only one.'' Raven muttered, cleaning his daggers. Corey flopped down onto their couch and brought up a screen-pad. This world, funnily enough, while it had regressed in most ways, the elites of society had access to more resources from the Old World. Such as the screen-pad that Corey was now fiddling with. Throughout the years, during their numerous missions, the Blacknights had infiltrated many Old World technology caches in the houses of the rich. Of course, they had plundered these caches, but they hadn't shared it with anyone, not even Phil. 

They only trusted each other. 

''Old Worlders were smart,'' Corey voiced. ''I've finally figured this out. We're safe while we are here. The kill switches have no signal here. The electronic shield I got from our previous mission can successfully block the kill switches' connection to Robert's remote device.''

''But will he know?'' asked Dakota, ever the calculating one. 

''We should just slit Robert's throat and be rid of him!'' North burst out.

Corey answered Dakota, ''No, it would appear to be a active signal but should he choose to hit the kill switch while we are within these walls, we should be safe.''

Brandon, Corey's twin, smirked, ''That's my bro for you''

Axel, the co-leader of the team levelled a look at North. ''You know we can't! How would we get out? The whole underground would hunt for us. No, we need to stick to the plan. Marc, Gabriel, what's the latest update from your inside source?''

''The princess will be going to the marketplace  two days from now. As discussed, Luke and Nathan will be in their positions. The rest of us will be around the market, to aid Luke in his escape and to track the Princess as she travels the marketplace.''

''Excellent. Victor, Corey, try and see if we can make this shielding device portable, so that we don't have to worry constantly. The rest of you, sharpen your weapons and get some rest. Our plan starts in 2 days. ''

''Closer, and closer to freedom.'' Sean muttered. Everyone hummed in agreement and they dispersed for the day.

In two days, they would finally meet Sang Sorenson, Princess of Lhitedeys. Their plan was afoot!

XxXx

Hey guys! This is my new story, I had a spontaneous idea and I have planned out how this might go. Hope y'all are ready~ It's gonna be a bumpy ride! :D

Vote/Comment/Share, whichever suits you best! They are all appreciated

Ev. <3