In just within the first week of her waking up from her deep slumber, Venus quickly found out the best means to survive: to earn money to buy food and the clothes that she liked – quests. Even though some requests may not give her that big of a reward she’d hoped, she earned enough to survive at the very least, even to save money for herself to spend on the things she wanted. It wasn’t always the easiest albeit, she was starting to adjust far more rapidly than she’d expected, in this world that she was brought to.

It was as if she was given birth once again, everything around her anew except that she knew the basics, of course: to eat, sleep, dress, and even after she healed from the incident, she spoke the same language as the rest of the Fiorians. As such, to live successfully through another day, she was on her way to meet the client who hired her for an urgent business that was required to be taken care of immediately.

Venus sneered, gazing upon the building that was located before her – a bathhouse – mocking the choice of destination that the client had selected for them to meet. ”Honestly, out of all locations, why does it have to be a bathhouse?” she rolled her eyes, passing through gates of the main door which had been guarded by two men. It seemed the security had gotten a word that their owner had been expecting visitors which was good for her; it only meant that she needn’t to deal with unnecessary talking.

Just as she entered the main doors, she was greeted by whom she assumed was her client’s assistant waiting for her appearance.

”Master Tobias has been expecting you. Please follow me.”

Venus was led down further down the hallway on which smaller pools occupied on both sides of the hall and within them were random customers stripped naked, men enjoying the company of giggling girls. At the end of the path was a much larger door that led to a private bathroom and the assistant stood beside it. ”Master is waiting for you inside.”

The red-haired woman pushed the majestic oaken doors open, carved with intricate designs and what awaited behind the doors was the sight of a man sitting in the middle of a round pool with his arms draped over the edge of the structure. ”The Siren of Daeva Eye, is it?” He got up from the pool, water cascading down his body as he reached for a clean towel and wrapped it around his waist.

”What’d you want?”

”Feisty one, aren’t you?” The man chuckled as he stepped out of the pool and lit a cigarette for himself. ”Relax, we can have some time to ourselves before we get to the point.” He oggled at her in a way that disgusted her and began approaching towards her until noises broke out all of a sudden down in the hallway of the bathhouse.  

Her client, who was now not so relaxed anymore, immediately rushed to the door only to discover that a fight has broken out on his property, murdering everyone in their path even the innocent customers who just came to the bathhouse to enjoy their time. ”Felix’s henchmen,” he snapped furiously, his eyes blazing with anger as if threatening to make all of them pay for ruining his estate and killing his people.

”What’re you doing?! Kill them!”

The woman rolled her eyes. ”I thought you said you had time to relax.”

The hunter drew her flaming sword from its sheath, its flames burning to life as she slew down her foes one after another. They were merely henchmen, hardly even on the same level as the lowest of the knights so it was of ease to defeat them despite her being outnumbered. The hallway soon fell silent, only covered in bloodshed and dead bodies on the once beautiful carpet that was now tainted in blood.

”Well, do you want to get to the point now?” She began sarcastically, sheathing her sword back into its scabbard.

”They’re Felix’s henchmen. I can’t believe he sent out men to kill me after I loan him a fucking big amount of money!” The man roared furiously as he kicked the nearest object he could find. She wasn’t sure if that helped to relieve his anger but for sure as hell it didn’t feel good for his foot. ”I hired you because of. Felix – I gave him a large sum and he hasn’t paid me back, not even a cent. He’s probably out of money, that’s why he sent his men to kill me.” His lips brought to a pout as he rubbed his trimmed beard in contemplation, and with his brows furrowed deeply.

”I want you to get back my money from him, even if you have to cut off his limbs. He was a good friend – once, but now he’s betrayed me and I have no need of a man like him.”

”How much do you owe him exactly?”

”10 Million.”

It almost sent her staggering in her steps once she heard the number, but she kept her posture in check, though it didn’t stop her from raising her eyebrows in surprise. ”And, what if he refuses to give?” It was an obvious answer to that question, but she wanted to hear it from her client herself to give her the free reins of doing whatever she wanted.

”Kill him.”

The red-haired lady smirked. ”Alright, to find him I’m going to need some clues. Is there a pub he frequents at or a villa he stays in?” She raised her head, peering down through her thick eyelashes whilst her hand resting on top of her hip.

”There’s a casino he usually goes to, an underground one. I can give you a pass for that so that you can get in through security.” Her client walked over to the chest of drawers situated in the corner of the room and whipped out a sheet of paper as he scribbled down some notes onto it.

Venus snatched it from his hand, folding it over its valleys before placing it inside one of her cloak pockets. ”I hope you have your money ready for me. Adios.” She waved her fingers dismissively and exited the building with only a simple objective on her mind.

The address written on the parchment paper permitted her to find the location of the casino and its coordinates. The young redhead folded the paper over its neat valleys for the last time before letting it rest in her pocket, a silent sigh released from her chest as she stared upon the building situated right before her. Her outfit was clearly not meant for this occasion, dressed in all black, boots of matching colour and a hunter’s cloak – her usual outfit when she’s on an assignment.

Upon approaching the security who guards the door to the casino, she’d reach into her pocket for the paper that was given to her by her client and handed it over to the guards. After reading whatever message her client had left for the guards, they’d nod to each other confirming amongst themselves before they returned to their post and allowed her to enter inside. Thankfully, none of them brought her inappropriate outfit for the location into discussion.

The inside of the casino was loud with music playing in the background, brimmed with wealthy lords and ladies throwing their excessive jewels as if they were nothing. As a pickpocket, she couldn’t lie that she was tempted by the sight of money being sprawled and discarded right in front of her but, she didn’t come here for that – to get information of Felix’s whereabouts.

Venus had heard rumors that the casino was owned by Felix, himself, or perhaps he was managing it, but either way, his name was pretty big on the property. Concealed beneath a black mask and hood, she willed herself to melt into the crowds around, her ears peeled for any sort of conversation that would prove useful to her, but to no avail.

That was to be expected, of course. Felix was a wanted person; she was quite certain that there might be a few of these affluent people who might also want him as well, but she’d be the first to get her hands on Felix, she vowed to herself. It seemed that she’d need to do this the hard way to get what she wanted.

The hunter came up with the majestic plan to raid the casino, but Venus all by herself, that was going to prove very difficult, unless she draws them out to the back of the casino, or perhaps a private place where she’ll have some room to do…things. Her eyes flickered over the vicinity, inspecting the number of guards in the area: two patrolling the casino, two waiting by the entrance and two in the further back awaiting by the doors that’d lead to the VIP lounge, for those who are of a higher status than the rest of the people here.

With a big crowd gathering, if she were to cause a scene she would only draw attention to herself and her face would be plastered on a wanted page all over the city and gods forbid, she didn’t want that. The least she wanted was hunters chasing for her bounty and she wasn’t certain if she wanted to spend her entire life running from places, away from people, although that sounded rather thrilling and she’d certainly have her fill with excitement if that were to happen.

Watching the two guards waiting by the door that was further back inside the building, she schemed a strategy and that involved putting her acting skills into action as well. The femme fatale approached the guards, pretending to ignore their existence and acting as if she was one of the VIPs. Hands stopped her right before she reached the door.

”Ma’am, only authorized customers may enter the area. You need to show your pass.”

”Pass?” The woman blinked innocently at him, batting her eyelashes. ”But, I need to see Sir Felix. He invited me over here, for some…business.” She winked at the guards and their faces would flush in embarrassment before returning back to their stoic expressions. ”C’mon, you don’t want to keep him waiting, do you?”

Her manicured finger trailed down the jacket of one of the guards as she leaned closer to him. Then the next moment, she was grabbed by the two of them each on her arm as they guided her into another hidden door, which she assumed was only for authorized personnel only. ”You’re coming with us.”

”Okay~" She sang nonchalantly.

Venus could’ve easily forced herself out of their grips and took care of them with ease, but it would’ve caught unnecessary attention as they were quite surrounded by people. Seeing how she was led to the basement, it only assured her that she can now handle the two guards at a much more comfortable place without worrying about onlookers or having to be interrupted.

The two guards threw her forward. ”Master Felix isn’t here. Who’re you and what’d you want?”

It seemed that her acting clearly hadn’t worked on them, even though she was sure that they bought her strategic performance. The woman bit down on her bottom lip on frustration while containing herself from grunting out loud.

”Well, if you’re so keen to know…”

Venus flipped her cloak open, revealing the scabbard that was hidden beneath the fabric and pulled out her sword, lighting up into flames the second it was drawn. The guards immediately became alert, drawing their own weapons to go up against her as they launched themselves towards her. When the first guard raised her sword, Venus went underneath it with a sweeping blow that sent him staggering. The flames licked against his legs as his clothes caught fire and he would be seen cursing in agony from the burned wounds. Due to the ability of her sword, the burns left from her sword can never be healed even if the most professional healers were hired.

This was going to be a very tragic albeit, unforgettable scar for the guard, she thought.

Seeing this, the second guard retreated a few steps away from her, keeping a safe distance from her sword, as if it was going to do anything. She took a rigid stance, pointing her sword straight into the direction of her foe and as he hurled forward, she spun quickly on her toes, dodging his attack and by doing so, she would position herself behind the guard. Before he could turn around and deflect her attack, she’d land a kick on his shin to force him to kneel down and edged her sword just a few inches away from his neck.

”So, back to our conversation. I did come here to find Felix. Where is he?”

She breathed right against his neck, her sword burning, threatening to torch everything on fire.

”71 E-Edmundsons Road, the large v-villa in b-b-blue and white.” He panted, not daring to even move an inch.

She smiled. ”Great job, but unfortunately, I can’t leave any traces.” With a parting message, she butchered off his neck, the flames engulfing his entire body before he could even stutter a word. It was quite a brutal scene to witness herself torching fresh bodies into flames, but she didn’t feel a shred of remorse for the burnt corpses – she didn’t care. The only thing mattered to her was the accomplishment of her assignment.

Finding addresses weren’t her forte, so it was obvious when Venus was found in the middle of the streets cursing to herself in dismay when she couldn’t find the villa. A blue and white villa – it should be easy to find, she’d assumed, for there were no buildings in the area with such bright colours. It took her much longer than she’d wanted to find the house of the man he was looking for, and eventually, it was right before her eyes.

For someone who was highly wanted in the underground business, Venus thought this man was dense for not even having any security guarding his property or even his entrance. She wondered if he actually had a death wish – if so, she was just about to give him one. She shook her head, but of course, it only made her job much easier.

It could’ve all been a trick as well, to lure and capture everyone who enters his house, but she wouldn’t know unless she went in. Her hand was in position, atop the hilt of the sword, to draw her blade the second she sensed incoming threat. With her strength exerted into her leg, she kicked the wooden door down as gusts puffed up into the air, hindering her vision only so slightly.

There was no one.

Venus craned her head slightly, wondering if she had just been told a lie by the guards and if he had, she was screwed and she would kill that man – over and over again – despite how he was already dead back in the basement of the casino. The interior of the villa was grand, though not as magnificent as a castle and had its own beautiful intrigues. She heard water splashing and faint giggling from the above floor. The woman sighed of relief: at least there was someone inside, after all.

Her steps were quiet and lethal as she began her laborious ascent of the steps to the next floor. The sounds suggested that they were located in the second room down the hall to the left as they grew louder with each of her every step.

There, she found a dark elf enjoying the time of his life on his bed with two young maidens beside him. The girls gasped, quickly covering their women parts as she entered the room. Felix remained frozen in his spot and he looked as if he was just about to piss his pants.

"You two, leave.” She gestured her thumb over her shoulder towards the door and upon her order, they would usher out of the room, grabbing whatever remnants of their clothing.

”Tobias sent me to kill you. Funny how I caught you having fun with girls when you owe him 10 million jewels, huh?”

She drew her sword slowly out of its sheath, preparing herself for the most anticipated action: murder.

”Nononono! Don’t kill me, I have it, it’s just in the closet.” So, she checked the wardrobe, still keeping her eye on him to be certain he didn’t escape. There was money, but not enough to be the amount Tobias asked for.

”This isn’t 10 million.”

”I know, that’s why I haven’t given him back anything yet because I don’t have enough. I just owe a lot of money to a lot of people.” He winced and she’d just shrug.

”Well, I don’t think he’d be happy with this so, I’d have to finish you off anyway.”

Felix was a defenseless man, scared out of his wits – scared of death, that it didn’t take her any effort to approach him, grab his head and snapped his neck like a bird. She wasn’t a cruel person, in fact, she was merciful: it was the fastest way she could’ve killed him so he wouldn’t have suffered any pain.