Ace gladly drank beer as he listened to the request he had chosen from the strong man in front of him. He had only arrived to Fiore, but Ace already liked the man. Batra was a nice fella, and someone easy to talk with. After he heard everything he needed for his first request, Ace left Bartra’s Bar. This was important. It was Ace’s first request ever since he had arrived to Fiore. As a new member of the Rune Knights he wanted to create a good first impression. As he looked for Con Man Kyle, as Batra had introduced him, he couldn’t help but admire the majesty of the holy capital city. It seemed after all that the stories his father always told him about Crocus were not exaggerations. He had always been fascinated with Ragar du Lyon’s fascination for Fiore and Crocus. Growing up in the Kingdom of Peregrande and in one of the most notable noble houses of the kingdom, Ace thought his father had always thought too high of Fiore. However, he could now see he was wrong. As Ace walked through the maze streets of Crocus, he could catch a glimpse of the general layout of the city. From anywhere you stood, the huge towers of the Mercurius the King’s residence dwarfed the rest of the buildings. Far in the distance the guarding statues of the Domus Flau transmitted him the energy of the thrills of victory and battle. Bumping into a couple of by passers, tumbling trying to cross a transited street and constantly stopping strangers to ask for directions, Ace was all but bored. To be honest, Ace hadn’t had quite fun in a while. However, that didn’t take away the fact that he was completely and utterly lost. And even more, the fact that squeezing himself through crowds of people was non pleasant in the least.

”Perhaps I should try to get a better view.” He thought to himself. Looking around for a second, he spotted an alleyway to his left. After making sure there was no one looking around, he proceeded to climb to the top of the buildings with haste. After all, he wouldn’t want any fellow Rune Knight to see what he was doing! It was actually ironic. As a Rune Knight he was supposed to stop people from doing things that were not allowed, exactly like the ones he was currently attempting. Either way, he reassured himself quickly. “There’s nothing to worry about. After all, what I’m doing is for the sake of the request. And completing it quickly is what a being a Rune Knight is all about… Right?” He didn’t actually believe those words either. In the end, though, he didn’t really care. The world didn’t quite become a better place just because he climbed to the roofs.  As he finally made his way to the top, Ace had one once gain a moment of awe. Over the roofs of Crocus he had a much more complete view of the city. “Woah…” Where the words that came out of his mouth instinctively. As he paused for a moment to admire the beauty before him, his sense of responsibility immediately kicked in. He had to complete a request for now, he could always find some free time to admire and explore Crocus.

After jumping over the roofs of the streets Ace finally found the place where Kyle was supposed to be. As he jumped down the roof and landed back on the streets, he accidentally startled an unfriendly looking guy drinking some beer on a table. The man dropped his drink and immediately barked at Ace. ”Ooi… Whats the big deal!? Who are you?” Ace immediately noticed the man and bowed in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry Sir, I didn’t quite notice you standing there. Please allow me to pay for your drink and an extra one for the trouble.” He looked directly at the man as he continued. “My name’s Ace the Ninth, I’m a Rune Knight.” Ace extended his hand as he spoke, hoping the man would accept his greet. “I’m currently looking for a man named Kyle.” As he pronounced the name Kyle he noticed the man’s expression change. He seemed somewhat tense and his skin lighter. “Hmpph…You’ve got luck kid. I’m Kyle. What would ya Rune Knight bastards would want to do with an honest fella like me? Ace was relieved. He was lucky to find his man with such ease. As he proceeded to explain about his request, Kyle seemed to gulp as he was accused of scamming someone. As he frowned in resignation, he immediately told Ace he thought the deal was fair, but being such the honest man he was, he would return the customer’s moment out of generosity. Ace couldn’t help but inertly roll his eyes with Kyle’s cocky manner. Either way, it Kyle extended a bag full of jewels. In the end, it looked like his job was done. After returning to Bartra’s bar and giving him the sack of money with a grin on his face, Ace’s excitement over completing his first quest in Fiore was instantly replaced with a slight anger as Bartra told him the money was fake. The scammer had not only swindled the customer, but also him!

Ace raced his way to find Kyle, but after spotting him the Con Man immediately thundered his way towards the gates of Crocus. The chase was quite long and tiring, however, Ace was slightly faster than the man and finally managed to catch up to him. Just before he did, Kyle turned back and took from out of his suit a baseball bat. ”Oi Kid. You better stop if you know what’s good for you.” He said, pointing his bat in a menacing fashion. For Ace, those were the words he needed to hear. As a smile of excitement appeared on his face, the blue headed knight dashed towards Kyle, catching him off guard. As he tried to swing at Ace with his bat, the Lyon mage dodged as he delivered a powerful uppercut at the man’s jaw. Disoriented, Kyle flailed his bat around trying to hit Ace. Dodging them all, Ace continued punching the man until he finally passed out.

Ace was satisfied. He didn’t quite expect to have so much fun in just a simple request. He chuckled as he dragged Kayle all the way to Batra’s Bar. What would the other people think of him after seeing him dragging an unconscious man through the streets? Either way, Ace didn’t care. He had a smile of excitement as he walked down the capital city. He had only been there for a couple of days, but it was already getting interesting. The only thing he could think about was what more exciting things waited for him in Fiore as he journeyed to accomplish his goals?

-Exit-
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