Chapter 597 - 597 Head of the Kaizer Family

Avery restrained himself from looking around like a tourist.

He was very interested in the vessel but knew that he could not just run around and inspect everything as he wanted.

He was a guest here and the leader of his own mercenary company.

It was important for him to project at least a certain amount of poise.

Along the way, they ran into several more people that were going about their business aboard the ship.

Most did not really pay them much mind, but a few did recognize Liesel and waved to her.

She might not have spent more than a few months on this vessel during the times when the entire fleet gathered, but she was still part of the Kaizer Family.

It made sense that she possessed at least some notoriety.

"This is the place. The captain is waiting inside for you two." Judithe said once they reached their destination.

Except, Avery doubted that the large set of double doors they had been brought to led to an office.

It looked more like the entrance to a massive training complex.

At least, that was the closest approximation to a similar faciality on the Intrepid that Avery could recall.

"Have you ever been here before?" Avery asked Liesel.

"No, I've only seen specific parts of the ship where kids were allowed to go. But I'm pretty sure that it is what you think it is." Liesel replied.

Avery already had a feeling that this was not going to be a normal meeting.

And once they entered the room, his instincts turned out to be right.

The moment he passed through the doorway, a blur of moment in his periphery caught his attention.

His training and experience kicked in as he moved impossibly quickly.

To avoid being hit in the head, he bent his torso back almost ninety degrees.

With his mind and body switching into combat mode, he examined what almost hit him as it passed over his head.

It was a metal rod with a dark green coloration.

Naturally, it had not swung itself at him, and Avery quickly tracked the person wielding the weapon.

They were wearing full combat armor that included a helmet that covered their entire face, making it impossible to determine their identity.

Of course, Avery figured that the individual was almost certainly Liesel's great grandfather.

He was just uncertain why the man had suddenly decided to attack him.

Avery wanted to make some quip about how this was not a very nice way to greet someone, but he did not get the chance to do so.

His assailant was already moving into another strike after missing the first one.

The attacks were fast even for Avery, and he was forced to hastily evade them.

It was not long before the metal rod was slicing through the air towards his head again.

This time though, the blow was not meant to hit him but to draw his attention and block his line of sight.

Only at the last second, thanks to his honed senses, did Avery notice a second rod being jammed at his stomach.

With his prodigious physical abilities, he managed to pivot on his feet and turn to the side to avoid a direct blow.

Still, the rod glanced off of his side, and he felt the heavy force behind it.

With his current durability, it was not easy to harm him. Yet, Avery definitely felt the impact from the rod.

Had it hit him directly, it would have really hurt.

'Fine, if that's how he wants to play it.'

Avery was somewhat angry about the sudden ambush, so he pulled out his laser pistol and started firing.

Had he been wearing his exosuit and gauntlets, he probably would have jumped into a melee instead, but he had not expected to be engaging in combat. He was only wearing his normal mercenary clothing, and his only weapon was his laser pistol.

Still, he was not certain that he would have been able to win in a close-quarters fight even if he was fully equipped.

The man before him was far more skilled than he was. Avery could understand that already from the engagement so far.

He had the edge in speed and strength which had let him stay in the fight. Though he was not so far ahead that he could just steamroll his opponent.

Despite the fight not having been more than fifteen seconds, Avery knew he was up against someone just as good as Cerise. Maybe better.

'I can't hit him.'

Avery was rushing around and changing the angle of his shots at blistering speed, but his opponent either avoided or blocked every blast with polished movements.

The way he fought remined Avery of Oliva. She had a similar style. Except, this man's skills were even more polished.

Something that must have come from decades of training and experience, if not perhaps longer considering who Avery thought that he was up against.

It was not long before he was being pressed at close range again and having to focus mostly on evasion.

Avery tried to find a way to close the distance between them, but his adversary had the advantage in reach and was a master of distance.

Anytime Avery saw an opening that would allow him to get close enough to punch or kick, it was always a trap.

'Fuck! This reminds me of my training session with Urs when I was just starting out. Am I really this helpless?' Avery thought as he barely stepped out of the way of a jab aimed at his ribs.

The pressure started to ramp up when he soon found out that the rods his adversary was using had variable lengths.

They were able to seamlessly extend and retract around fifty percent of their base length. Which made it even trickery to keep track of them.

Eventually, Avery was forced to block a blow with his arm or take a strike to his head.

Immediately, he felt his bone break, and distinct cracking sound reached his ears.

Avery was about to start fighting more savagely when his opponent jumped back and sheathed his weapons.

"I think that that is enough. This room is built pretty solidly, but I don't think it will hold up to you if you start rampaging around. You've already done enough damage to the floor. I don't want Pricilla to chew me out for giving her extra work."