Behind her, two shadows rumbled quietly in inquiry. She nodded once and rose to her feet, slowly slipping away from the men lurking in the dark. Her left hand tightly grabbed a scroll of paper, her right firmly grasped around one of her daggers. A ripple of stone at the end of the alleyway and the strangers had disappeared between layers of mist and smoke; the rogue turned and left the narrow street, heading towards the brighter, more inviting areas of Port Astera.

A thick, black cloak engulfed Nuala’s slender frame; the hood covered her face and hidden away were the features that could potentially give away who or what she was. She had been creeping around Astera for almost two days now, to familiarize herself with the outline of the city once again, but also to hear what sort whispers and rumours were going around town at the very moment–much to her surprise, she hadn’t heard a word about the allegedly infamous warrior she had been hired to assassinate.

The job had been questionable from the very beginning. Nuala had been paid some coin in advance, as per her usual terms, but the sum that awaited her once the deed was done was much too high for someone whose name she had never even heard of. Still, her clients insisted they needed him dead and with so much money involved, the woman was happy to oblige.

Thunder rolled across the darkened skies above Port Astera. Nuala snuck through the streets and sought shelter beneath an archway leading into a small park area. Good for her, the steady drizzle kept the nightlife to a minimum and she couldn’t hear or see another person within range. Crouching down, the Voidling opened the small paper scroll and read through the information she had been given. Kenzo Valens, an ill-mannered, human swordsman, recognizable by his bright blue hair and matching eyes. Nuala found that description of her target to be curious and reminded herself to keep her guard up at all times–she had been betrayed before after all.

The time estimate for the hit job was generous. Two weeks was way more than she needed, granted that Mr. Valens was actually within the city, and tonight’s stormy weather made for the perfect occasion. Nuala, who was armed to the teeth underneath her clothing, stood up and began visiting one pub, bar and inn after another, keeping her eyes open for a swordsman with distinguishable hair and eyes and even though this was her usual tactic, Nuala was surprised to make a find after not even two hours in one of the town’s cozier inn’s–Astera was huge after all.

In hindsight she had to agree with her clients. Kenzo Valens stood out like a sore thumb and the massive fuck off sword he carried on his back made her guts turn. Nuala seated herself within hearing range of the male, who had claimed a seat at the bar for himself, and pulled her hood down in order not to gather unwanted attention (ironically, walking in while concealing your appearance seemed to somehow do that).

Now all she had to do was wait for him to get drunk and leave the bar, so she could stalk him, could cut that poor fucker’s throat and collect her wealth.

”Really…? How good’s the pay?” Kenzo asked uninterested at the man in front of him. He had already spent more time than what he’d liked speaking with the sketchy dude he was introduced to.

It all happened after killing the beast that terrorized the outskirts of Astera a couple of days ago. He was paid generously by Gallard after delivering the Barrang’s fang to him, so he agreed on meeting a friend of his for a potential job offer. However, he was starting to question whether it was a good idea or not. He stumbled upon this kind of people from time to time: new to the business, boot licking and never to the point. Kenzo rolled his eyes after hearing for the third time the “I’ve heard great things about you” line. The only reason he kept listening was because the job at hand was a little more exciting than what normally came his way. It had been a couple of months since he took an assassination request, but this one was different. The target was an apparently notorious assassin, Nuala Nazari. He didn’t recall hearing the name before, perhaps she wasn’t that notorious after all despite the male giving the job’s swearing upon Illumin and all its variants that she was someone not to be made light of.

”H-How much do you want?” the certainly nervous man finally asked. Kenzo wondered why someone that was obviously out of his comfort zone would even place a reward on an assassin. ”You dumb or something? You’re supposed to give me an offer” The Bellan mercenary teased the man. He was sure he could get any amount out from him either way. ”Eek.. Erhm… I’ll pay 1,000,000 Jewels!....” The tone of desperation was evident on him. However, Kenzo paid no mind to it as he heard the outrageous quantity he offered. He raised a brow in suspicion wondering if he was crazy. Noticing the swordsman’s reaction, the male further pushed the offer out of panic. …. Eeehm.. Up front!!! T-then double once you’re done..” The corner of the blue haired man’s lips arched upwards before extending his arm. ”Deal..”

”Who the hell is this Nuala Nazari? Never heard of her from what I remember…” Kenzo was certainly puzzled about her identity now. The money offered was too good to be true, but he was actually delivered the initial million jewels, so he had no complaints. Either way, the blue haired man couldn’t help but shake the bad feeling that this job gave him but he’d worry about that later. For now, his purse was a little too heavy. Nothing a night at the inn couldn’t fix.  

With the years, Kenzo had learned that drunkards made for the best unwilling informants, so he gladly spent the night drinking and listening around for any potential clues at a popular inn. Kenzo found a spot that was close to where a group of adventurers drank. He was facing the door, so he had a clear view of the entire place, he wanted to make sure nothing escaped his sight. His target was supposedly an expert assassin, so he figured there was no way he was going to find her that easily anyway.

And yet, life works in mysterious ways… Lo and behold, a person who’s entire attire gave off a “Hello there I’m an expert assassin” vibe suddenly entered the place. She wore a heavy black cloak that perfectly hid her figure and any possible equipment she could carry underneath. If Nuala had made a mistake that night was the mistake of being too good. Kenzo recognized her by the purple markings on her face. They were quite peculiar in a way that felt familiar to him, but he wasn’t sure where he’d seen that before. He had previously studied his target’s appearance thoroughly though and the woman entering the bar fit the bill completely.

Instantly averting his gaze away from her as to not attract any suspicions, he took a sip of his drink and acted like nothing had happened. He spoke to a man next to him that he had befriended a couple of drinks before as she took a sit at an empty table. ”Man, the weather is such a pain today..” Nuala would surely listen to his comment given she had taken a seat a couple of meters to his right.

The Voidling reluctantly slipped off her cloak after five minutes inside the inn. It was a rather fine establishment, from an adventurer’s point of view, and the woman had no doubt that at least half of these men and women were armed and perhaps even capable of sorcery. It was the kind of environment in which weapons were normal and since the temperature was almost cozy by now, she was getting a little too hot to keep herself wrapped up like that. Nuala had been in this type of situation before and they had taught her to be patient; nothing of relevance ever happened inside an inn and most men took their sweet time getting drunk, some having a considerably higher alcohol tolerance than others.

Her evening attire was as average as it could be; Nuala wore tight black pants, heeled boots and a white blouse that revealed a generous bit of cleavage, just the right amount to distract some people from the two daggers, one of which was situated at her left thigh and another one that sat idly at her right hip. The latter radiated a rather strange, pressing aura, which was rarely observed and thus would remain unnoticed by most. The rogue had acquired both her weapons from different places; the larger one had been a gift from her mistress, the smaller one had been discovered by her within the depths of an old crypt. Needless to say, she chose her weapons wisely as both could cut deep into flesh, unhindered by armor.

She had tried it out several times by now.

The man she was watching had involved himself in some sort of conversation with his seatmate and she could hear them babbling about the weather and whatnot. It was almost disappointing that he had nothing interesting to say and everytime she glanced over at Kenzo, she couldn’t help but stare at his weapon. That sword was without a doubt worth a little fortune. The last time she had seen such fine blacksmithing work like that was when she had tried to steal Durendal from Finn Mertens. The thief had learned her lesson that night and she was no longer underestimating humans and their fancy, golden swords.

Nuala was forced to turn her attention somewhere else when she received a drink she hadn’t ordered. The barmaid, who had shuffled over to her table, placed a large mug of beer–the most disgusting of drinks–in front of her and gave her a nervous smile. “It’s from the gentleman over there,” she said almost meekly and pointed in his direction. Gross, was the first word that came to her mind and when he walked over and took a seat by her table, the Voidling reminded herself over and over again that mass murder was never the solution.

But violence most certainly was.

He was at least twice her age (if she had been human, of course) and his entire appearance was untidy and repulsive. He reeked of booze and Nuala cringed at the mere sight of his miserable being. “Leave me alone,” said the woman and her voice was flat with a hint of aggression should he choose to bother her any further. Much to her dismay, he was as unimpressed by her act as she was by his. “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing here all by herself?” He inquired and leaned over the table to take her empty hand into his. Wordlessly, Nuala intertwined her fingers with his. “You don’t have to pretend even for a second that you know how to handle those toothpicks you brought alone, but don’t cha worry. I’ll protect you!” She heaved a sigh knowing that this might gather unwanted attention, but some things simply couldn’t be helped. Her expression visibly softened as she, with a sudden flick and twist of her wrist, broke every single finger on his hand.

“I said,” and as she spoke she leaned towards him and every word that came out of her pretty mouth was laced with venom, “leave me the fuck alone.”

It seemed that the night would become way more interesting than what Kenzo had first expected. He didn’t plan on taking any action at the moment either way. Even if his target was sitting a couple of seats away, there was nothing he could do with this much of a crowd. He’d take it easy for the moment and bide his time without causing much of a fuzz. However, his plans were thrown out of the window in the blink of an eye by some poor fool trying out a move that was the king of clichés. The mercenary observed Nuala’s face of contempt gradually grow more and more noticeable as a scene taken out from one of those tacky “How to conquer girl’s at bars” guides unfolded. Truth be told, Kenzo couldn’t help but cringe as every second went by. Even if he would kill the woman later, he still rooted for her in that situation.

The assassin on her part, didn’t disappoint. In a second, the tables had turned with the creaking sound of knuckles and fingers breaking. All eyes at the inn were set on them. A couple of people averted their gaze as the wanna be Romeo’s heart was broken along with some bones. Truly, his screams were all the more pitiful given the situation. He brought it upon himself though. Those kinds of tricks only work when you’re at the very least attractive. Not fat, bald and above all stinky.

Either way, it would seem that Nuala’s luck had run out that day. As Kenzo amusingly watched her love rejection, it seemed that the general ambience in the inn shifted 180° in the blink of an eye. Unbeknownst to both the mercenary and the assassin, the inn’s bar was hosting quite a special event that day. That night was the birthday of a certain man, known throughout Astera and even some of the neighboring cities of the region. The leader of a notorious criminal group decided to throw a party with all of his underlings in commemoration to their recent success. The boss was a respected and feared man that by chance of fate now knelt crying in pain.

After a moment of silence and everyone freezing, each and every person in the place stood up and unsheathed their weapons, aiming them at the woman with rage in their eyes. Kenzo naturally stood up with them, blending into the crowd as he cluelessly tried to guess what was going on. He started to piece the story bit by bit, but he didn’t quite completely understand what was going on. Either way, this kind of made his job easier right? He might as well not need to dirty his hands to get the contract done.

The Bellan mercenary observed the woman’s actions carefully. He’d decide what to do depending on her next words or actions. He was 90% sure she was his target. But what if she wasn’t?

His screams were a delight and Nuala watched with satisfaction how he yelped in pain and tried to get himself free from her grip–a grip she refused to loosen. To see him struggle like that brought her unknown pleasure she almost felt guilty for and she could have stared at him all night, hadn’t the expression of agony clearly present on his face moments prior been wiped away by a hint of embarrassment followed by undying rage. The atmosphere shifted within moments and she didn’t have to see her surroundings to understand. Nuala heard swords being unsheathed and almost everyone had risen to their feet. “Fuck.” She sighed audibly, unable to resist an eye roll. She was clearly bothered by such an inconvenience.

For a few heartbeats, time was frozen. The Voidling’s gaze fell on Kenzo and she could have sworn she saw a hint of confusion in his eyes and that very hint was enough for her to make up her mind. He didn’t seem nearly as pissed as everyone else in the room. The barmaid, still shuffling around nervously, approached Nuala and said something about ‘calling the Captain’, but the rogue shot her down with one look and shooed her into the corner, before chaos erupted.

Nuala, nimble as she was, swiftly hurled herself across the table and landed securely on both feet. She never let go of the man’s hand and instead pulled him with her, forcing him to stand up and follow her lead. The Voidling twirled him around like ballerina until his back was pressed against her front, with one hand (the one held by her own) securely tucked behind his back. In her left she was now holding her trusty dagger up against his throat. Nuala’s back faced the door and as the tension within the inn rose, she walked backwards and kicked said door open with her foot. With the weapon at their leader’s throat, everyone else's movement had stopped and Nuala, albeit still in confusion, was beginning to piece a thing or two together.

Now almost out of the door, the Voidling offered a grin to everyone inside before stabbing her dagger into the man’s throat. “Catch me if you can.” Screams now echoed through the bar as everyone was moving to attack her. The Voidling swiftly stepped around the corner, dropped the body into the nearest alley and, just like that, disappeared into the night. Or so it seemed from their point of view. Becoming invisible was one of the few tricks Nuala had up her sleeve and while it didn’t last forever, she wouldn’t need that long anyways – the Voidling patiently waited until all the men had stormed out of the bar to search the entire town for her and just as the last one walked out, the woman snuck back inside and around the bar counter until she found herself standing behind Kenzo Valens.

With one dagger up against his throat and the other one up as well, pressing against his back, the Voidling’s invisibility spell dispersed and she gave him a smile he couldn’t see. “Now,” she began and the tone of her voice was much different from how it’d been before. Calmer perhaps, and more genuine. “Why don’t you tell me who you are and why I was paid so much money just to kill you.” Nuala couldn’t directly see his face right now, but as she had walked past him earlier, she couldn’t help but feel as if she’d met him before.

Amidst a sea of enemies, Kenzo wondered what the woman in front of him would do to get out of this situation. Putting himself in her place, he saw little options outside from opening a way with his sword. It was certainly doable but also sure to cause him a headache later. Luckily for him, it was not him who found in that situation but his target. Kenzo managed to grasp the situation after a moment of hesitation, so he now played the part of an angry mobster. It was weird acting angry over such a pathetic boss, but he played the part like a professional.

All eyes were set on the woman at the center of the inn as she slowly understood her predicament. Kenzo was excited to see what she would come up with. Even if it’d make things easier if she died at the spot, it would honestly be disappointing. Thankfully, that was the last thing Nuala would deliver that night. In an instant, the voidling jumped around tables and chairs and maneuvered herself into an advantageous position. It all happened but in the blink of an eye. As the rest of gang stood motionless with surprise, the thief had managed to keep her grab on the boss’s hand and taken him hostage. Step by step she made her way out of the inn as the tension in the air rose. The mercenary kept his distance, staying the furthest from her. He was impressed by her skills to say the least.

Nuala was almost out of the place, taking advantage of her knives pressed against the bald man’s neck. Kenzo sighed at the thought of having to chase Nuala now that her plan was about to succeed. As he cracked his head and readied to set out for the hunt, the girl would do something that took everyone by surprise. Matching Nuala’s grin, the mercenary couldn’t help himself but smile as he saw blood gushing out of the now dead man’s throat. Almost like a whisper, a sentence left the mercenary’s lips without him noticing, just barely audible to the person next to him. ”This is getting fun”

Every single person stormed out of the place as the culprit ran into the night. The rain had stopped, but the floor was still wet. Countless sounds of boots against puddles echoed through the night of the Port. One by one, the mobsters left the inn as Kenzo tried to fight back a chuckle. Calming himself, he took the last sip from his glass and placed it at the counter before heading out to try and find Nuala too. To the male’s luck, he didn’t have to look for long. In fact, he just found her a bit closer than what he’d liked. Cold steel pressed against his throat and back as a figure began materializing out of thin air.

”Invisibility huh? Quite fitting…” Kenzo spoke with a smile on his face before she spoke.

Truth be told, Kenzo was puzzled about his current predicament. Did she know about him setting out to hunt her? Why would he focus on him in that case? He tried to play it low key through the night, so there was nothing to his knowledge that would make him a target. Unless… His mind quickly connected the dots as she questioned him. The nervousness of his contractor instantly made sense now.

”Hmm… I feel like that should be my question too.” Kenzo calmly put his hand inside his right pocket as he rummaged around to grab what he needed.

Taking a folded paper from it, the mercenary rose it as he motioned at her with his head to grab it. When she took it, Kenzo would once again speak. ”Well, my name is Kenzo Valens, though I’m sure you know that already and I’m a member of Oak’s Advent World.” The male took a pause before continuing. His tone was calm and slow, trying to prevent the dagger to dig deeper into his throat’s skin.

”As for your real question, the answer is that I’m someone that was paid an absurd amount of money to kill you too. Now, either there’s someone playing a crappy April’s Fools Day joke on us or they want the two of us dead. As to why, I hope you might help me find the answer Miss Nazari.” Kenzo tried to slowly turn his head to face her if she allowed from his position. Both of his hands were kept on the air after passing the hit contract to her.

As he took a closer look at her features, a wild thought crossed his mind. ”By the way… Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?”

Nuala didn’t like surprises. The events of the night continued to get tangled up with each other; unexpected circumstances that she couldn’t possibly have predicted threw the woman off the rails and if there’s one thing she absolutely hated, it was to be on a job and not know what in the seven hells was even going on. The thief’s patience was running low, but it hadn’t run out yet–and so she let the blue haired warrior speak.

He fiddled around in his pocket and handed her a scroll of paper, one that she didn’t need even need to open to know what it said – Nuala had received the very same thing after all. When Kenzo Valens identified himself as a member of Advent World, she added a little more pressure to the dagger by his throat. She was glad he couldn’t see her face right now, because it had confusion and uncertainty written all over it. Definitely not very master-assassin-like. “You’re from Finn’s guild?” Unfortunately Nuala’s voice betrayed the cool act she was trying so hard to keep up when it audibly softened as she said his name; rather than letting go of him however, she placed her second dagger back at her side and began scanning his body for a tattoo.

Kenzo was lucky, because she stood behind him and due to their difference in height she could see Advent World’s insignia peeking out from under his shirt, just below his neck. She mumbled something to herself before letting go of him and putting her weapons away. No matter how sweet the deal was, she couldn’t (and wouldn’t!) kill someone from Finn’s guild. They were friends and she owed him a life debt.

With her weapons put away, Nuala wasted no time and placed her hand on Kenzo’s shoulder to turn him around. She figured that no introduction was needed on her end, he clearly already knew who she was anyways. Nuala had never used her last name until she had joined Daeva Eye and official guild business had required it and to see a stranger use it on her so nonchalantly made her rather unhappy. None of those thoughts were relevant at the moment however, because once she saw his face she couldn’t help but take a step backwards. A gasp escaped her lips and a frown crossed her pretty face the moment she lifted up her gaze to stare at his.

“Oh fuck, no way.”

The Voidling had been so distracted by his prominent weapon and her surroundings that she hadn’t properly registered the one feature that made him stand out entirely. Across his right cheek, a bone-white jaw clung to his skin like an outer shell.

And just like that, it hit her. “You’re that kid with the curse!”

If it hadn’t been for his body’s bizarre accessoires, Nuala most likely wouldn’t have remembered him. Their encounter lay many moons in the past and because of its insignificance, she had very much forgotten about him–until now. Nuala Nazari was a very unfiltered person and when she made that connection and remembered their previous encounter, she stepped forward and poked at his stomach to see whether or not the strange, black hole in his body was still present. From what she could tell, it most definitely was.

“I think we have both been betrayed, but it still makes no sense,” she whispered, more to herself rather than to him. Nuala had a ‘No Advent World and Phoenix Feather’ policy when it came to her more personal line of work. She didn’t mess with anything or anyone related to those guilds due to her friendship with both guild’s masters and her clients knew this. Kenzo’s appearance didn’t match the theme either. A proper look at him told her that he was large, muscular and strong–perhaps even stronger than herself–but nothing about him warranted secrecy; Kenzo Valens was a mercenary, but by no means a sneaky assassin and to think that someone would hire a mercenary from another guild to kill her, when her relationship to Daeva Eye was the most well-known fact about her, simply made no sense. Unless someone wanted to pitch their two guilds against each other, of course.

“Either way, you owe me five million jewels.” That was her conclusion.

Truth be told, the young swordsman resigned himself to death as he spoke about his guild. It was a mistake by his part, feeling overconfident on what he’d be able to do. From her general demeanor, the woman gave off a somewhat amicable personality. However, this was also a miscalculation by his part. As he felt the dagger digging deeper into his throat, Kenzo realized the precarity of his situation. What if her act had simply been a ruse to make him drop his guard? It had definitely worked. Resigned to death, he wondered he’d at least try to take her with him. What a rookie mistake…

Luckily for him, it would seem that the sticky situation he found himself in had more to itself than what he first expected. Her question came so suddenly that he wondered whether he had imagined it or not. Did Nuala know Finn? Who was this woman?

As she tried to scan for his tattoo, Kenzo slowly answered trying to hide the restlessness he was starting to feel. ”You know him?” Something in his gut told him that there was something far more dangerous lurking around the corner than the daggers pointed at him. This whole situation didn’t sit well with him from the start. Now he was sure Nuala was feeling the same way.

Yet, this would be the last of Kenzo’s surprises for the night. After confirming his identity by watching his tattoo, she finally put her blades away. Giving him permission to turn around with a gesture to his shoulder, the male was taken aback by her reaction. Nuala took a step back as soon as she saw him. True, the jawbone by his cheek was something that caused mixed reactions with most people he met, but Kenzo knew this went beyond that. Ever after receiving the picture of Nuala when he was paid, he had felt the two of them had met before. Judging by her reaction, she definitely knew when and where.  Her words instantly brought back the memories of his first night in Crocus over a year ago. It had been an extremely brief moment, but Kenzo now remembered it clearly.

”Shit… who would have known?” The male simply chuckled at the whole surrealism of the situation. Seeing as she tried to make herself comfortable and peek for the secret in his torso, Kenzo grabbed his shirt and pulled it up to reveal it to her. ”Still cursed as you can see.” Through the last year, the male had come to terms with the abnormalities present in his body. Travelling through Fiore, he had seen far weirder than him in others, the country was definitely a freak show. One where he fit way better than he ever had.

He also nodded at her following sentence. Someone definitely wanted the two of them dead for a reason. Kenzo was starting to garner quite a reputation through the jobs he had been taking, but there was nothing to his knowledge that made him a target. As he pondered about this, the young-looking girl in front of him blurted her conclusion.

”Five million?! They were only paying me 3” His reaction was a bit exaggerated on purpose. Kenzo teased Nuala with a smug expression after hearing the price on his head. It was quite the nice number after all.

Before she could answer anything, the male would continue speaking. ”Let me tell you something… If you help me get to the bottom of this I might as well give them to you.” The sentence was spoken with a look of sincerity on his face, but the reality was far from that. There was no way in hell someone like Kenzo was parting with Five Million jewels from his pocket that easily. However, he had a plan to make Nuala receive her money. Perhaps even both of them could get more from it. ”What do you say? I’ve got an idea on where to start.”

The male extended his hand at her while his other hand rested by his sword. Kenzo had seen that Nuala was a capable person. He was sure this new partnership could lead to great profits.

The memories of their meeting were sparse. Nuala remembered an afternoon at one of Crocus’ many bars and a fight that broke out between two visitors; she had been watching quietly only to witness a Rune Knight walk in and resolve the situation. That woman had been pretty, but Nuala couldn’t quite recall her name. Kenzo Valens on the other hand had been brass-faced in every sense of the word. He was loud and his unique hair colour, the matching eyes (which were beautiful, now that she could take a closer look) and the absurd jawbone clinging to one side of his face made him look like trouble. She didn’t recall ever seeing that sword before, otherwise the thief surely would have remembered it. “Finn and I are friends,” she admitted at last. Nuala wasn’t willing to reveal the depths of their relationship yet, because the fact that she owed him her life might cause unnecessary trouble neither of them had time to deal with.

Nuala looked Kenzo up and down. She had never seen him at the guild before, otherwise she would have noticed. Chances were high that he was a traveller much like herself and that the information she had been given about him was mostly accurate.

The mercenary, strangely, played along rather nicely and even granted her a look at his infamous crest; the hole in Kenzo’s body was deep and black and Nuala was very much tempted to reach inside, just to see whether or not her hand would actually come back out on the other side, but decided to leave it for another time. If anything, she would remember this spot so she knew where to not stab him. “That’s something I have never seen before,” she said with a voice that was much calmer and collected now. “I would like to hear more about it later, if you don’t mind.” Nuala’s expression had visibly softened to match her level-headed personality. The situation was confusing and dangerous, but she would give it time and resolve it properly–with or without Kenzo’s assistance.

But of course the boy couldn’t let her rest. Kenzo’s smug comment wasn’t lost on her and Nuala wondered if his playful personality was part of an act or a little bit of truth to who he really was. “3 Million Jewels? That’s rookie wage, but don’t you worry your pretty little head. One day you’ll meet someone who knows your worth.” Nuala walked around him and gave him a wink before laying both their bounty scrolls down onto the bar counter.  He made her an offer that was tempting and while she was inclined to take it, Nuala reminded herself that the offer to hunt his bounty had been just as tempting – and had led her to everything but actual money.

She took his hand nonetheless, squeezing it a bit harder than necessary.

“I don’t care about the money anymore,” the Voidling spoke and beneath sincerity, Nuala’s voice carried severity and a hint of frustration. If she wanted the money that badly, she would have just killed him without asking questions, but a look at the scrolls made her brows furrow. “Something is very wrong here, look.” Both papers included a decent amount of information regarding both of them; they knew their names, their profession and their appearance in detail, but somehow both clients had completely missed out adding in the names of their respective guilds. Of course Kenzo didn’t know that about her yet, which is why Nuala stood up and lifted up her shirt as well. The woman’s guild insignia was tattooed on her well-shaped lower back, clearly marking her as a member of Daeva Eye.

“Don’t you think it’s strange that they wrote all those things down but never mentioned a word about the guilds we belong to?” The trouble and problems that would occur if two members of different guilds killed each other were unthinkable and an act like that could very well lead to a guild war.

Truth be told, Kenzo never expected to meet once again with either Nuala or the Rune Knight lady from that night in Crocus. The meeting had been quite short, so there was not much he remembered about it. What he did remember was that Nuala wore a cloak that day too, hiding most of her physical appearance much like that night. From the looks of it, she had the habit of hiding her appearance when going in public. Now that he was able to take a better look at her, it kind of made sense. Truth be told, the purple haired girl was quite attractive. Surely that must have its perks on her line of work, but he also knew about the inconveniences of attracting too much attention. Just a simple look at the gang boss’s corpse at the doorway was the perfect example of it.

Kenzo nodded at her comment with a smile. ”Well, any friend of Finn’s is no enemy of mine” Though he had not talked much in the last few months to Finn, Kenzo quite respected his guild master’s judgement for others. After she inspected the hole in his torso, the blue haired male smiled as her inquisitive nature showed a bit more. From her expression and the tone of her voice, it would seem that she’d started to feel more comfortable around him. It was a weird feeling. Maybe he had been travelling for far too long or something, since it had been too long since he last had a casual conversation with someone. ”I’ll try to tell you about it as best as I can. I don’t even have all the answers about it myself yet” He was not going to hide it if she wanted to know more later that night. He had learned for the past year that maybe others knew something he didn’t, so there was no point in keeping it to himself.

Kenzo simply chuckled as she teased him in return. ”Maybe I’ll have you teach me about it sometime” He was definitely out of his expertise with all of this. He was a mercenary in the end, not much of a hitman. However, he wouldn’t say no to a nice coin if the right job came to him in the future. As the woman squeezed his extended hand, Kenzo noticed she had quite a grip, more than what he’d first imagined if he was being fair. Either way, he had to agree with the girl. There was something very weird going on with all this situation. When she showed him her Daeva Eye tattoo, things started clicking into place. Placing one hand on his chin while he crossed the other arm around his front, Kenzo spoke up with a pensive tone. ”Someone definitely wants to start a war between our guilds. To be quite honest, I don’t know of anything about mine that would give a reason for others to do so, other than the fact that if a member of Advent World is killed, the guild would never let the culprits off so easily.”

Even if he didn’t have solid proof, Kenzo had a clear idea on to where to search for answers. ”I know of a place where we can definitely get closer to the heart of this. The person that contracted me was definitely a rookie, careless enough to drop this before he left. Now… I’m pretty sure it is definitely a trap, but where’s the fun in one if you never spring them?” Kenzo smiled as he showed Nuala the business card the man had dropped. The words “Gryphon Casino” were printed in gold letters over a white background. It was the most important gambling place in the city and a natural hiding spot for any sort of underground dealings.

After seeing Nuala’s skills dealing with the scuffle earlier before, he was sure there was nothing to fear if the two of them joined forces and banged at the front door. However, they would have a better chance if they were able to get into the VIPs’ gambling area. Unfortunately, the only way to be invited to the area was by gambling big and winning big in the main floor first. How they got there, would be a matter of luck once they entered the place.

”Would you be in the mood for some gambling?”

The Voidling's gaze still clung to the pieces of paper; her pair of amethyst orbs scanned the unfamiliar handwriting over and over again, searching for something she knew she would not find – not here. She thought of all the possible reasons, reasons for why someone would want this to happen, but Nuala couldn’t think of a single one. Memories of her days in Savannah’ military returned to the woman’s mind and she was reminded of how needlessly destructive humans were by nature. The final goal was always greed and lust for control and when she thought of Kaiser Bo’s and Venus Rosé’s magical power, power that could level entire towns in just a passing moment, she realized that she didn’t want this to happen. Never.

“Mortals,” she scoffed at their kind, “always looking to fill what little time you have on earth with as much trouble as possible.”

Her eyes fell on Kenzo. He was without a doubt no different from them and she could see no substance in his actions; his choices were purely based on the desire to feel and experience thrill, excitement and, of course, monetary gain. She decided not to fault him for that, for this was his life, his decisions and his choices. “It must be because of the Conquests,” Nuala finally spoke again and her voice was flat and dry. “The guilds have been conquering all of Fiore, land that used to be under the King’s and the Nobility’s rule.” She was no scholar, but she knew that the country’s crown had suffered unspeakably under the most recent events and she could only assume that independent guilds were a thorn in every ruler’s side – and those who usually bought their favours. Nuala had no doubt that Finn wasn’t corrupt and that he would never be corrupted and she knew for a fact that Kaiser was the same. The vampire had her very own agenda in the end.

Nuala took the white card from Kenzo and read the words on it. The Gryphon Casino was a establishment she was mildly familiar with; Astera had few places such as this and thus its business was growing and doing fairly well, although she couldn’t help but notice that most places that offered entertainment and pleasure were often related to crime. “Perhaps I should find a new line of work,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. The circumstances of today brought back memories of her first meeting with the Captain and the events were very reminiscent of the past. It’s been barely a year and yet the Voidling couldn’t help but admit that things had changed – that she had changed.

Nuala returned the card to Kenzo by pressing it against his chest and letting for of the piece of paper shortly after. Unless he held on to it, it would fall. She tied her waist long hair into a high ponytail and walked over to her former table to grab her cloak. Lastly, the woman threw a few coins over the counter to pay for whatever drinks the men she had lured out hadn’t paid yet for and headed for the door. “If we have to gamble, I hope your luck is better than mine. Bad luck seems to follow me everywhere these days.” Nuala held one of her daggers in her left hand as she left the inn, expecting Kenzo to follow her. She lead the way because she knew the location of the Gryphon Casino and suddenly regretted never having visited it before. After a while and once the human had caught up to her, the woman would slow down her pace and look over at the male. “You don’t think we are too..armed for a visit at the casino, right?” Nuala could easily hide her daggers, but she knew well that her entire appearance screamed trouble. And she also knew for a fact that Kenzo’s sword would make heads turn all over the damn place.

Kenzo caught the white card mid air as Nuala returned it to him. Placing it quickly inside his pocket, the male grabbed all of his stuff before getting ready to get out. By this moment, he began wondering if the boss’s goons had actually taken the excuse of chasing the purple haired girl to quit the gang for good. It was actually a tad pitiful that all of them had been so concentrated on finding the culprit behind his death that no one remembered to actually take care his corpse. Slowly, blood had begun flowing out of his neck as a puddle of red mixed with the water and mud of the recently rained Astera. Truly a sad sight, and yet, a fitting end for one like him. A life of murder and crime would normally be met by the lowest of deaths. Kenzo simply hoped he would one day be able to avoid such an end but didn’t hold his hopes up. He had lived the life he had chosen; looking at the corpse by the road, he was reminded of the harsh reality. Either way, he spared no compassion for the man on the ground. Noticing he held a golden ring on his finger, Kenzo came closer to inspect it.

As surprising as it was that not a single thug had returned, the mercenary was more intrigued by the fact the inn owners seemed to be used to this kind of stuff. Considering the little fuzz they made, it was obvious they had seen worse. Of course, money always helped. As Nuala handed them a purse of jewels, Kenzo decided to take the boss’s golden ring from him; he was sure he had seen its engraved seal somewhere before, but it eluded him where. Without second thoughts, the male decided to keep it for later inspection. This was something that didn’t sit well with most people, but he didn’t care. For a mercenary like him, looting the defeated was a right of the living. With everything out of the way, it seemed the pair was ready for their investigation. As Nuala’s new ponytail swung from side to side, Kenzo answered at her question while he began to follow her. He was lucky she was familiar to the place and was willing to lead. Trailing behind her, he spoke with a relaxed tone.

”Hah. From what I remember, you said I reeked of bad luck back then. Maybe I passed it off to you that night?”

Kenzo placed both of his hands on the back of his head as they made their way through the streets. The rain had stopped some time ago, changing the weather into what the mercenary considered to be the perfect point. Cool but not cold, fresh but not humid. One of the few joys of his life was staring at the stars; as he looked up while they walked, he noticed that the one that night was particularly beautiful. Taking a small pause, he continued with his previous line of thought. ”Truth be told, I’m done with things like luck and fate. I believe this river is one we should find how to cross when we get there.” Kenzo had never been reckless or anything of the sort, but he knew all far too well the dangers of overthinking about things out of his control. Furthermore, considering the combined strength of the current party, they’d be forgiven on taking a risk or two. Yet, it would seem Nuala was all too aware of this too. As she made her question, he simply smiled with a playful tone. ”Guess we’ll find out, right?”

From what he’d gathered so far, Nuala remembered the warrior too much of his previous self. Always on an edge, rolling eyes at every hint of disorder or impulsiveness. For years Kenzo had lived a life of keeping his guard up and tackling every situation with methodical seriousness. After joining Advent World though, he had learned he was missing on much. If there was something that Noel had taught him, it was that taking everything seriously was a waste. Tonight, he hoped he could show Nuala the thrill of a bit of improvisation.

Eventually, the two people made it to the gryphon casino. A masterfully crafted statue of the creature signaled the arrival for both Kenzo and Nuala. However, this didn’t catch the swordsman’s attention in the least. The male had expected most people to be nicely dressed up with tuxedos and elegant dresses. Oddly, it would seem they would be a minority. One after the other, groups of heavily armed people entered the place as they followed eccentric figures that could be no other than mafia leaders. It didn’t take long for Kenzo to notice that there was some sort of criminal summit taking place that night. Taking a look at Nuala, the man shrugged in surprise. ”I think we’ll blend right in with these people.” Even after his tacky speech, the male’s luck couldn’t have been better. Criminal groups from all over the country had reunited to the annual mafia summit. Astera had been a forgotten town for far too long, perfect for them to operate undisturbed. Now that Phoenix Feather ruled the port, it would seem this would be the last time they would be able to reunite here. Luckily for the duo, this meant none of their weapons stood out as they walked across the sidewalk to the entrance.

The tricky part now, was entering the place. Considering the occasion, it was naturally reinforced to the last corner with security covering every spot. Kenzo had quickly began assessing their possibilities when he found that his luck had yet to end. A tall, elegant looking man hurriedly approached the two of them as he waved his hand. ”Aaaaha!! Mr. de Lena!! I’m so glad I was able to recognize you. I’m Jaime Sina, owner of the place. Please be welcome to the Gryphon Casino! I hope you and Miss…” The male made a small pause as he asked for Nuala’s name. Turning his head around, Kenzo looked at Nuala as he let her introduce her new persona. Once she had given a name, the male continued. … have a great time tonight. Please, follow me this way.” Leading the two of them to the main entrance, security opened a path between the endless line of people waiting to get inside. As stares of envy and hate hit them like stakes, Kenzo wondered what the hell was going on. Trying to play it cool, he hoped his next question would not mean doom for both of them. ”Hmm.. thank you for everything Mr. Sina, but I’m curious. How did you recognize me?”

Stopping on his tracks, the older male looked at Kenzo as if he had spit out the harshest of insults. For the brief moment of silence that followed, the warrior panicked on the inside, thinking they had been discovered. ”Surely you jest Signore! I would recognize Croccifixio de Lena’s ring wherever I saw it!” The man eventually answered as he pointed at Kenzo’s right hand. For a lack of a better place to store it, the warrior had decided to place the ring he had taken from the dead body on his hand for safe keeping. Looking back now, he was glad he had done so.

”Either way, we still have time left before the main event. However, we have a special dynamic for our guests tonight. There are five different tiers of roulette tables tonight with different minimum bets. In order to see in which group the two of you will be gambling, please take a chip out of this box. Depending on the number it has, you shall be escorted to your area” Passing a covered box to Nuala, he motioned at her to take out a chip from the hole at the top. Before she did so though, the male finished with his speech with a laugh. ”We know it’s chump change for people like you, but we hope it shall prove to be somewhat exciting either way”

Kenzo simply looked at Nuala with a smirk on his face. He still had the million jewels he was paid with him, but he didn’t know how much she had. Depending on which number Nuala drew, their plan could go smooth or perhaps end in disaster. It now all rested on her hands.

OOC: Roll a dice and let's see what you get!~

• 1:20 -> 100 J Minimum Bid
  
• 21:40 -> 1,000 J Minimum Bid
  
• 41:60 -> 10,000 J Minimum Bid
  
• 61:80 -> 100,000 J Minimum Bid
  
• 81:100 -> 1,000,000 J Minimum Bid
  

The monotone sound of heels hitting the wet pavement followed Nuala’s dainty shadow through the night. Illuminated by moonlight, a few locks of sleek, dark hair fell into the thief’s face as she walked through Astera with Kenzo in tow. She hadn’t noticed him picking up the ring; the woman purposely looked away from the body, not feeling the need to further gawk at what she’d done. Of course Nuala knew there was no honor in her line of work to begin with, but that didn’t mean she had to become ruthless to the core. The mercenary seemed to have been made from different material though and Nuala was fine with that.

He was quite chatty too and as he spoke about bad luck and referred to something she’d said a long time ago–something she couldn’t quite remember–Nuala nodded along and offered him something similar to an apology. “I shouldn’t have said that to you.” The Voidling never turned her head towards him, always keeping her focus on the road ahead. Of course he’d no idea about what bad luck meant to her and how she’d basically been born into bad luck, but that was a story for another time. Nuala’s ponytail bobbed up and down as she walked and when the human finally came to a conclusion, she looked up at him for once and gave him a smile.

“I can get behind that.” Maybe they weren’t so different from each other after all. And for a moment there, between all the chaos ruining their plans and the confusion that followed, the night seemed calm and peaceful. That moment didn’t last for very long.

Nuala could hear an unsettling amount of footsteps even before they arrived at the scene; the amount of guests present was overwhelming and hadn’t it been for Kenzo marching straight towards the mass, she would have stopped in her tracks while still out of their sight. Almost every person here was armed and the thought of all the possible dangers made her guts twist. Nuala wasn’t a coward, but she wasn’t a suicidal fool either. They weren’t given any chance to reconsider however, because Kenzo was almost immediately approached by another human male of decent statue who addressed him by a name she’d never heard before – and clearly never had Kenzo.

“–Amira.” Nuala’s response was spoken abruptly, but the clever thief quickly gathered her thoughts and flashed the stranger a shy, but charming smile. They were led inside without further explanations and she could feel herself growing more and more nervous with every step; to not know what was happening was uncharacteristic for a person like herself, who valued control and foresight. Nuala took Kenzo’s hand into hers, not for support but to get a better look at the ring the man was speaking about (once his back was turned on them, of course), and almost immediately recognized the golden band. If this hadn’t been the hand he used to wield his sword, she surely would have broken it the same way she had broken the previous owner’s hand just an hour ago.

The employee–Nuala assumed that’s what he was–explained the rules of tonight’s event and handed her a box from which she was supposed to pick a chip from. Kenzo gave her a grin and she returned it with a smile that said ‘I’m going to kill you once we make it out of here’ before reaching inside.

If they made it out of here.

The member 'Nuala' has done the following action : Spin

---

'Dice 100' : 14

Kenzo was by no means a stupid person. However, life had taught him the pains and dangers of letting his feelings run high. He had learned how to block emotions behind a thick wall that had become part of his superficial personality. Unluckily for him, this meant that it had turned him a little dense to some things. One of them was romantic relationships. His past experiences were best forgotten deep within the abyss of his memory which meant that the male had been oblivious to one small little detail that was painfully obvious. As Nuala and Kenzo made their way into the casino, an inevitable time bomb would finally explode.

Upon hearing her introduce herself as Amira, the merc was frozen stiff for a single second. Seemingly out of nowhere, a chill ran down his spine and he felt a fluttering feeling surge from within. As he looked at the girl next to him introduce herself in such manner, Kenzo’s mind instantly clicked.

”Fuck…”

This was the only thing the swordsman could think as he tried to calm himself mentally. Only the gods knew why the rouge had decided to introduce herself with that name, but for a second Kenzo’s mind instantly flew to his days in Joya and the time he had spent with a certain black-haired, amethyst eyed girl by the name of Himari. To be fair, both the name and appearance were not exactly the same as Nuala, but they were certainly close enough for him to feel a knot in his gut. She had been the only woman the warrior had ever fallen in love with, and he knew deep within him that he’d be lucky to ever find someone that made him feel remotely like her again. Yet here he was. As she introduced herself with a smile, Kenzo couldn’t help but notice the similarities with Himari. However, Nuala had a special charm different to any woman he had ever met before. Something that made her seem fiercer, or deeper for a lack of a better word. A something that made her really attractive.

As the couple trailed behind the man, Kenzo was abruptly brought out of his thoughts at the feeling of her grabbed his right hand. Surprising by finding himself feeling a bit disappointed, it appeared that the woman was more interested in the ring he had looted from before than anything else. His heartrate rose for a single second before he regained his cool again. Shaking his head mentally, the male tried to close the lid that had unwillingly opened before it got out of control. ”Calm down, she’s long gone now…” Managing to somehow return back to himself, the male gently slid his hand away from her grip as he grabbed the ring. Carefully, he took Nuala’s hand in return and placed it upon her palm. ”Since you’re so interested in it, it’s yours if you’d like it.” A playful smile crossed his lips as his sharp gaze met with her eyes. Their color was truly beautiful.

Once the woman took out her token, Kenzo simply laughed at the smile she gave at him. ”Loud and clear” he said. Her message had come across almost perfectly. In hindsight, the whole situation was rather crazy, but it had been the most fun he had had since arriving to the Port. Once the two of them were taken to their gambling table, the night would just begin. After finding a suitable spot to start gambling, Kenzo turned his head towards her as he whispered into her ear with a more serious tone now. ” Apparently the easiest way to get into the VIP section is by getting a large number of jewels through gambling before the main event starts. But in case that doesn’t go well…I’m spotting 20 guards in total at the gambling floor and 4 more stationed at the elevator. There are only 2 cameras with a direct line of sight if you approach them from the stairs at the right. However, they seem that they’re not stationary, so in case there’s a disturbance in one of the tables, a path could possibly open. What do you think?” Even if he didn’t look like it, Kenzo was first a mercenary and after a skilled thief. He had spent his childhood as an orphan in the streets, thievery and stealing became an essential tool for his survival.

”Either way, shall we try out hand first the easy way?” Kenzo cashed the million jewels he had with him into chips with the dealer. For a couple of rounds, the male would bet certain amounts at the roulette hoping to catch the casino owner’s attention. ”Blow on the dice?” He said jokingly at Nuala as he placed his first bet in the table. It had been a long time since he’d gone to a casino, he might as well enjoy it.

OOC:
Rules for entering the VIP Area, Get to 2,500,000 J within 10 rolls. I’ll be rolling 5 dice, simply betting Red or Black. (In case you don’t know about roulette, if you guess the color the bet pays out even odds. (1 to 1).

Starting Money: 1,000,000 J

• Betting 100,000 J on Black (51-100)
  
• Betting 200,000 J on Red (1-50)
  
• Betting 400,000 J on Red (1-50)
  
• Betting 100,000 J on Black (51-100)
  
• Betting 100,000 J on Red (1-50)
  

Post Roll Edit ->
(I'm a beast) Money After Bets:1,700,000 J

The member 'Kenzo Valens' has done the following action : Spin

---

'Dice 100' : 76, 39, 18, 43, 14

The Voidling was a very sentient being. Nuala could sense the shift in the atmosphere even in spite of it being very mild and hidden by her human companion; the woman’s eyes gazed towards Kenzo and she felt as though he had paled a bit. This immediately eased her own tension and her lips formed a contented smile. Was Kenzo suddenly getting scared after all? She hunched her shoulders and blew a strand of hair out of her face. For some reason seeing that little bit of uncertainty on his face made her regain her confidence. Don’t worry little human, she thought to herself as the marched through the casino and were led to the tables. I’ll protect you.

Much to her delight, Kenzo was willing to part with the ring and Nuala sneakily slid it into her pocket before anyone else could notice it – she would have the piece of jewelry appraised later on to see what it was worth and if it was worth anything at all. She frowned in return at the stare he had given her, but thought nothing of it. Perhaps that was just his way of dealing with the situation and all of it. Once they were lead to a suitable table, Nuala took a seat, crossed her legs and finally gave herself a moment to close her eyes and listen around. There were a shit ton of people presents, the place had been flooded with guests and even with her enhanced hearing the Voidling was struggling to pick apart particular conversations.

“No good, can’t hear anything,” she murmured and leaned towards him to allow for him to explain the situation. Nuala had to admit she was surprised by his ability to pick up on things, people and numbers. She arched an eyebrow when he gave her the count of guards present and nodded along in silence. “Twenty guards is a lot,” she admitted looked at the dice on the table in contemplation. “I can turn myself invisible–but what about you? You don’t happen to be a..mage, by any chance?” He was already aware of her ability to sneak around and make herself quite literally unnoticable by now, but to fight so many people at once in such a crowded place was something she’d rather avoid. Her eyes fell on his sword and she wondered whether the blade had any magical properties or not.

The game rules were fairly simple, but Nuala wasn’t a talented gambler nor was she very lucky. The woman flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and watched as Kenzo made the first move. The human seemed significantly more confident in his gambling abilities and so she blew on his dice as requested and watched in awe as he gambled away. It became painfully obvious that Nuala was easily distracted by things she didn’t quite comprehend and so the thief’s eyes grew larger and rounder the more Kenzo was winning. Her amethyst orbs darted around between the table, the dice, Kenzo and all the money that now sat in front of him and even though it was uncharacteristic for her, the girl had forgotten her morals and gotten rather greedy.

“Ah, good job! You're actually so lucky,” she said with a voice that was laced in envy and admiration. “100 J isn’t going to get us anywhere, so I’ll bid 1,000,000 J as well,” she said proudly and her cheeks flushed in a rosy colour. If this was going to be a big fail, Nuala would have to kill Kenzo–and everyone else who witnessed it–for real or else she would never recover. Hopefully the odds would be in her favour.


OOC

Starting Money: 1,000,000 J

• [1] 200,000 J on Red (51-100)
  
• [2] 200,000 J on Black (1-50)
  
• [3] 100,000 J on Black (1-50)
  
• [4] 200,000 J on Red(51-100)
  
• [5] 300,000 J on Black (1-50)
  

The member 'Nuala' has done the following action : Spin

---

'Dice 100' : 30, 23, 48, 52, 3

”Mhm” Kenzo whispered in agreeance to her comment about the 20 guards. It surely seemed a bit of an overkill for a casino in the little port of Astera. However, given the current event, it was somewhat understandable. As she told him about her ability to become invisible, he was once again reminded why he had chosen to dedicate his life as a mercenary instead of becoming a thief as her. Shrugging with a chuckle, he answered with a confident tone. ”Don’t worry. Dealing with mages is my expertise…” Truly, even if he had to fight an open battle with the twenty guards at the same time, he was confident he could manage to deal with them. As far as he could tell, there was none amongst them that posed a real threat. Had there been a mage like Noel for example, it would be a completely different story though.

”As long as you can deal with the two cameras and the four elevator guards I think we’ll be fine. I can buy you as much time as you’d need with a distraction”

Truly there were few feelings like the rush of adrenaline one got when gambling. As Nuala followed suit with his little luck charm, the male smiled and confidently started placing bets. He was not superstitious at all, but he liked doing such things. As the pile began growing with each passing bet, he noticed he wasn’t the only one getting excited. It would seem even Nuala was getting uncharacteristically fired up with the table’s results. If things continued this way, it would seem they wouldn’t even need to proceed with their backup plan. Hearing her praise his gambling skills, Kenzo looked at her with a smile as he replied. ”It’s all in the blowing of the dice~”

As the girl shyly took out a million jewels and announced she’d be betting as well, Kenzo lightly chuckled. He eagerly looked as she placed bet after bet. She seemed nervous at first, but as the pile of chips in front of her kept growing after each roll, Kenzo couldn’t help but feel excited too. ”You’re not too shabby either huh? Guess I’ll be inviting you next time I want to test my luck at a casino for real” It was proving to be quite a fun night indeed. He wondered why he didn’t do this more often. Maybe after getting back to Oak he’ll convince some of his guildmates to go with him.

Either way, as each bet took place, time passed along. The two of them had now a combined profit of 1,300,000 Jewels. However, it would seem this had not been enough to warrant entry to the VIP zone. As a microphone announced that the gambling tables would be closing in 30 more minutes for the main event to start, Kenzo looked at Nuala with a shrug as he placed his hand on the golden blade at his side. ”Guess that’s our cue to begin with the party don’t you think?”

Changing gears quickly, the male whispered at her with a serious tone. ”I’ll buy you enough time so you can secure our way through the elevator. Give me a signal when you’ve got it open so I can enter as well.” As he started making his way to the center of the casino and past her, the merc paused for a second, took a couple of steps back and spoke to her once again. ”Oh. Don’t die on me would you? It’d be a shame to have to claim your bounty after sharing such fun” The male joked with a faked tone of concern. Truth be told, it’d be him that needed to be careful. Any mistake could mean getting killed and ruining the whole plan.

Walking slowly away from the table, Kenzo got lost in the crowd. The blue haired warrior swiftly snatched a cigar out from one of the mafiosos without him noticing. Lighting it up, Kenzo took a hit from the Cuban, stopped for a second and threw it into the nearest table with a cough. ”Yeah, as crappy as ever” He said to himself. He liked drinking, but he’d never gathered a taste for smoking. After cracking his neck, the male bumped into the nearest mafia boss. The unfortunate male spilled his drink all over his lady’s dress, he would become Kenzo’s excuse for a distraction. As he tried to recover from falling over the table, two large gorillas by his side instantly grabbed Kenzo by the collar. The boss’s face was filled with rage as he yelled back at him. ”I FUCKING HOPE YOU’RE READY TO DIE SHITHEAD!! WHATS THE BIG PLAN HUH!?”

A cocky half smile appeared on Kenzo’s lips as his gaze turned sinister in a second. Swiftly reaching for the golden sword by his side, the blade swiftly severed two torsos in half. Blood gushed out from the now dead bodyguards, making the woman next to the leader and the whole table scream in horror. Instantly, the twenty guards of the floor were alerted and made their way towards the swordsman. As he calmly turned his head to see their approach, Kenzo looked at the male trembling in front of him. Taking the part, he spoke at him with a tone full of blood lust. The male was no lover of needless violence, but he was not above doing whatever was necessary to get the job done. His villainous act was perfectly bought by everyone around as they saw him. A thought of worry crossed to his mind due to how easy he could play the part. Licking the drip of blood that had splashed him on the left side of his cheek, Kenzo spoke with a death glare. ”So tell me… Would you prefer I cut you in half vertically or horizontally?”

A sigh fell from her lips. Their gazes locked for a moment; the thief understood the severity of the situation and wondered if it was worth the risk, but the mercenary had his mind made up–with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he rose to his feet and departed from her side with no shortage of clever comments, all of which failed to lure a response from her. The black cloak slithered from her shoulders as she stood up and pulled a pair of black gloves over her hands; the sleeves of Nuala’s shirt were rolled up and the Voidling casually sauntered towards the buffet area while chaos erupted behind her back. Kenzo was oddly talented at wreaking havoc and she felt a twinge in her chest as she watched him slice through human flesh like butter. The weapon itself fascinated her, but even more how he wielded it so naturally and fiercely, without a hint of reluctance. Kenzo was a little too good at what he did.

The oh so familiar stench of blood filled the air and while Nuala’s gaze fell on the neatly aligned counters and tables, all of which were filled with foods and drinks, she could feel and see everyone elses glare averting. She picked up two butter knives and–from a safe distance and with perfect aim–threw each of them into the eyes of the security cameras. This failed to garner the attention of the remaining four guards, who had yet to spot her. The Voidling picked up a glass of wine and spun the red liquid around before taking a sip–in the meantime, Kenzo was the cause of death and disorder just a few meters away from her. She noticed how even the men standing by the elevator had their focus on him, although their relatively calm demeanor let her assume that spontaneous murder was nothing unusual here – all of these people were criminals after all.

Nuala placed her glass on top of a table nearby the elevators, pressed the button and disappeared into thin air one more time. Step by step, the invisible rogue neatly sliced through all four throats and swiftly disposed of the guard’s bodies by throwing them down the stairwell – with the attention of everyone on Kenzo and the security cameras broken, surely no one would have spotted her. She then turned towards the crowd, placed both her arms together and aimed a destructive blast of void energy at the people surrounding her partner – the attack would harm whoever stood in the way, clear the path towards the elevator and hopefully serve as sign to him that it was time to get his ass over here.

Once she’d finished her little dance, the sound of the elevator doors opening rung out and Nuala picked up her glass again, along with a white napkin, entered the lift and patiently waited for Kenzo to arrive at her side. The wine was surprisingly good and she allowed herself to blend out the chaos for a second or two, to recollect and calm herself. A faint, purple glow now radiated from the markings on her forehead and her cheeks. She didn’t know what awaited them at the top floor, but hopefully they could find their way into the rooms of whoever had planned this scheme quickly enough, because she wanted to be out of here as fast as possible. If Kenzo arrived on time, she would simply offer him the white napkin so he could wipe the blood of his face and take another sip from her glass.

“You are too violent for a human.” If he wanted to, she'd offer him a nip of her drink as well. Nuala didn’t know much about Advent World and their principles, but his bloodlust surprised her. “Are you always like this in battle?”

Abilities For Reference & Flavour:

The group of people surrounding the gambling table instantly scrambled before getting caught in the way of Kenzo’s sword. The mafia boss’s face of rage and superiority changed as fear took over his body. No matter where the mercenary went, it was always the same. People who had caused so much horror and harm had the same look in their faces when met with their impending deaths. With an expression pleading for mercy, the mafia boss died as Kenzo stabbed him with the large blade as he sighed. He knew it would be his turn one day. The only thing he could hope for, was facing his end with no look of regret.

For now, though, he had no plans of dying. In a flash, eight guards had already reached their positions 5 meters away, forming a perfect circle with him in the center. As he looked around to get a better view of their positions, he held his sword lowered to his side. Magic circles instantly formed around the warrior as the guards held their hands towards him. ”This is gonna sting a little.” He said. Lunging forwards, Kenzo swung his sword as it successfully dispelled the fire orbs traveling at him from the front. As he reached striking distance, he changed his swing’s direction and cut down two of the guys in front. However, there was little he could do to avoid the creeping heat coming from behind. Having moved from his original place, he had avoided some of the magic attacks. Yet, two of them had contacted his back at full force. Even if by normal standards each of the fireballs would be classified as an A-Rank spell, his body was far from normal. Ever after losing his magic, the male had gained something in return. The combined S-Ranks were only able to deal B-Rank damage to the male’s peculiar body. Sure, they had completely destroyed his shirt and coat, burning part of his outer layer of skin and bruising him a little. However, this was far from enough to hinder him in any manner.

With no plans on tanking any more spells, Kenzo was quickly saved by Nuala’s signal. It had been quicker than he expected, but none the less welcome. She was definitely as capable as her reputation preceded her, perhaps even more. A purple beam tore through everything in his path to the elevator. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kenzo quickly lunged towards it before the guards could react at all. Grabbing a jacket on the way, the male crossed the lift’s door as fast as he could. The rest of the guards chased after him and fired spells as the doors started to close. Without saying a thing, Kenzo once again sliced through the fireballs and disintegrated them just in time for the elevator to begin its ride. With a sigh, Kenzo took a pause to catch his breath. Still silent, the male sheath his sword and put on the jacket to cover for his destroyed clothes. Only then, did he grab the napkin Nuala was offering to him. As he wiped off the blood from his face, he noticed the gruesome fight that had just happened.

”Hmph.” Was the only thing he could muster at first upon hearing her comment. Taking a small pause, Kenzo continued slowly as he observed the stained blood on the napkin. ”I guess you’re right. Maybe the only way to survive through some things is by abandoning your humanity.” His tone was cold, but there was a present hint of loneliness to it. One of the things he feared the most in the world was losing his humanity. Thinking about it, perhaps he already had. As Nuala continued with her questioning, Kenzo answered at her with his usual prideful/confident voice. ”Have you ever fought in a war?” He asked. Taking a small pause before continuing, the male accepted the drink as he took a sip. ”There is a saying in Bellum that goes: Aut Neca Aut Necare” Kenzo crossed his arms. ”Either Kill or be Killed. That is all that matters when I unsheathe my sword. I am no fan of needless bloodshed or cruelty.” Contrary to Kenzo’s tone, anyone perceptive enough could notice the sadness on his eyes. ”These people had it coming. One day I shall pay my dues”

The elevator doors closed, music began playing and they were alone again; the mood inside the small place took a sudden turn when a smile graced the Voidling’s face and she closed her eyes as faint laughter escaped her lips. “You have no idea,” she breathed in between her chuckles and flashed him an almost happy grin, “how right you are about that.” Of course Kenzo had no way of knowing how comical it was for her to hear those words from someone who was–and would be for a foreseeable time–human. When Nuala was twelve years old she fell into literal hell and in order to survive against countless void monsters and beasts she had to trade her humanity against inhuman power and immortal strength; she did that and low and behold, damn near seven decades later the girl was alive and well. She wasn’t exactly a girl anymore, nor was she anything close to human and should she and Kenzo ever get real close, then he’d surely notice how cold her skin was and the lack of a heartbeat, but until then he would remain blissfully unaware of the accuracy of his words.

“I never fought in a war of countries, but I did fight my own,” she said and watched with regret as the warrior took the glass of wine from her. She hadn’t failed to notice the hint of sadness that lay in his voice as well as his eyes, but Nuala knew that he was still young–and if he continued down his path, his emotions would become stale. He might lose his humanity, but he wouldn’t care about it anymore.

When he took his sip and continued speaking, Nuala stepped forward and placed her left hand upon the hilt of his sword. The other one went around his own and, albeit a bit awkwardly, moved the glass towards her mouth and downed the remainder of the wine. Once it was dry, the thief merely left him with the now emptied glass and snatched her napkin from him to tap away the redness upon her lips. “Don’t make such a sad face–someone as strong as you will survive no matter what,” Nuala spoke in an almost matter-of-factly way. She unsheathed his sword a little bit and gave the weapon a strange look. Unable to see what exactly the power of his blade was amongst all the turmoil, she believed it to be quite powerful and unique–an exquisite piece of smithery. A shame he wouldn’t be willing to part from it, no matter the price.

"Besides, there's no atonement for people like us. Only death. And what do we say to death?"

The music stopped, the doors opened and Nuala turned away from Kenzo. Now armed with both her daggers, the immortal woman took a step forward and looked over her shoulder one more time. “Not today.” She winked at him and then she was gone. Her sharp eyes caught sight of her clients, the men who had hired her to murder Kenzo, and she dashed through the room until she was at their table. The guests were already alert, but clearly unprepared. They probably assumed they’d never make it all the way up here or even find out at all.

Nuala had thrown her smaller dagger forward while still in motion, aiming for one of the men’s forehead, where it landed perfectly and killed him within an instant. There was him, now dead, and the other one whom she suspected to be the leader. He sat at a round table with a bunch of women and his now dead partner and windows, perfect for escape, were situated behind him as well as to her right. The female guests were screaming and shuffling away, but Nuala paid them no heed. Instead, she removed her weapon from the corpse and kicked the table away before crossing the distance between herself and her target.

“How the hell did you–”

His words were cut off and replaced with a scream followed by the sound of a gargle as she stabbed her second, larger dagger into his guts. “You tried to have me killed,” she concluded at last and a tilt of her head to the side almost made her seem innocent in that moment. “You’re lucky I don’t care for your reasons." She twisted one blade and simultaneously cut his throat with the other one, before turning around to where Kenzo would be. There were far less people on here, most of which she assumed were rich and corrupt but otherwise harmless civilians. Nuala walked over to the window and broke the glass with with a few well-aimed punches before signaling her partner that it was time to leave. She could hear steps coming up the stairwell – there were many of them and they were heavy.

Nuala took a dive through the window and gracefully landed on her feet. Once Kenzo followed, she would grab the human by the hand and start running through the dark alleys of Port Astera, taking several turns and not stopping until she was sure they were out of range. Her night vision allowed for her to not get lost and once they finally came to halt, she leaned against a wall to catch her breath.

"Ah, shit. I forgot my cloak."

Nuala’s response seemed a bit… weird. Kenzo was not sure exactly what it was, but there was something behind the girl’s laugh that held a meaning that eluded him. Even if this intrigued him a bit, he decided to keep it for a later time. The male knew everybody had their troubles, and he had learned to stay away from them. He didn’t care for other peoples’ lives for the most part. However, he knew that there were few that could also understand the hardships of struggling to survive day after day. Becoming a mercenary at the age of 12 had thrown him into a life where survival was his dinner, lunch and breakfast. As he saw the woman laugh with a grin, he wondered if she could perhaps understand him.

After taking a sip of the glass and finishing speaking his mind, there was silence for a second. Only the elevator music was left in the background before Nuala decided to step forward. The two of them were now face to face as her hand was placed on his sword. Looking into her eyes, the male let out a small chuckle as she awkwardly moved his hand to drink the rest of the wine. He didn’t mind though. Even if he found the move a bit silly, he couldn’t help but flash a cheeky smile in return. Nodding at her following comment and letting her unsheathe the sword a bit from his hilt, the male shrugged a bit as she observed it. ”Almost lost your cool for a sec there.” Kenzo joked.

As if it was perfectly timed, the lift arrived to their destination as Nuala’s final sentence left her mouth. Once the punchline was delivered and she disappeared from sight, Kenzo couldn’t help but smirk in return to her wink. ”Now, that was a bit cool”

The male quickly turned towards the table to see the man that hired him sitting there. Nuala and Kenzo had definitely caught them by surprise, considering the poor defense they were able to muster. As she crossed the room towards them, she threw a dagger at one of the men. Kenzo wasn’t sure if she had recognized him at all or if it had simply been luck. As if in slow motion, the dagger traveled through the air inching closer towards its target. A look of terror filled the male’s face as he realized what was going on. Shifting his eyes instantly towards the mercenary at the end of the hallway, Kenzo lifted his hand and opened it and closed it making a “goodbye” sign. Perhaps unbeknownst to the black-haired assassin, her first target was none other than Kenzo’s contractor. Better for him, one less thing to worry about. As he saw amused the expertise with which she disposed of the rest of the important people there, Kenzo made a mental note to never piss her off.

Noticing from the start the window next to the table, the merc had closed the distance between them and was just by her side when she broke it. ”Have a good evening ladies” Was the only thing he said as he jumped through the window. He could hear steps closing in from the stairs, so it was good they made their escape as soon as possible.

Once safely back on the streets, Kenzo left the woman lead as she grabbed his hand. The two of them ran for a while before losing everyone chasing them. As she leaned against a wall to catch her breath, Kenzo did the same. ”Well… that was easier than expected. Guess those are the perks of teaming up with a pro like you~” Kenzo tried to lighten the mood a little after the whole adrenaline rush they got at the casino. It had been one hell of a night, but the two of them were now safely away from any threats. Truth be told, if she hadn’t been there with him, Kenzo doubted he would have been able to get away from the place so swiftly. He was more used to all-out battles after all, so going through the stealthier alternative was quite the learning experience.

”I’d say the ring you got in return makes for a nice trade, don’t you think?” He said as she cursed over her cloak. ”Such a pity you like hiding yourself so much. These marks of yours are quite pretty” Kenzo added in a flirtatious manner as he pressed his hand against the wall just besides her head. He had noticed Nuala took herself too seriously but would slip from time to time. Just like when she was about to start placing bets, the merc found it a bit cute. For now, he’d just tease her a bit. Even if he expected one of her witty retorts in return, they were quite clever and amusing on their own either way.

“Astera is not as safe as I thought it was,” said Nuala; the woman exhaled a sharp breath and with her back pressed against the wall, she was finally able to collect herself. She didn’t think they could follow their trail and even if they did–the residential area was near and this was no place for a fight to go unnoticed by the authorities. Kenzo flattered her with his words, but only because she’d seen what the mercenary was capable of. “Right,” she nodded and glanced over his body. He wasn’t hurt–otherwise she would have offered assistance already–but his clothes and armour had been destroyed and the jacket he picked up on the way didn’t seem to match his style. “Sometimes it’s better not to pick fights unless absolutely necessary,” she lectured him before closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

Nuala had almost forgotten about the silly ring. It had served as their good luck charm and allowed them to enter the casino without further issues and even though Kenzo had happily resigned the piece of jewelry to her, the Voidling wasn’t certain as to whether she should actually keep it or not. She removed her glove and put the golden ring on her finger where it sat loosely. “Not very pretty,” she murmured and when Kenzo placed his hand against the wall and besides her head, she slowly looked up at him and gave him a smile. “It does, but perhaps I should return this to you, so you can sell it for a few new clothes,” the woman responded with a cocky grin and slid the gold ring back into the pocket of his pants. She was feeling rather generous today and the human male had far more interesting things to offer anyways.

The next thing he said managed to catch her off-guard after all. Most people disregarded her markings entirely–there were far more unusual things in this world of magic they lived in–but she also never had them complimented before. A faint, rosy blush spread across her pale cheeks and she looked away. There were many questions she had about Kenzo as well; the strange jawbone on his cheek, the freaking hole in his body–Nuala was curious about all of those things, but he simply reminded her that if she asked questions, so would he. And the Voidling wasn’t sure if she was willing to share her secrets with this stranger just yet.

“I don’t hide myself,” she remarked and her hand cupped the very cheek that was engulfed by the strange, white structure. She wondered how many times he had tried pulling it off. “I hide the daggers I carry with me to murder people.” There was a sense of playful sarcasm in her voice, although her words weren’t entirely true. Nuala very much liked hiding who she was, but he didn’t need to know all of that. “You must be tired.” She had no doubt that he was still in perfect health, but Nuala could tell that the human looked a little worn out compared to when they’d first met a few hours ago.

”Haha I’ll keep that in mind” Kenzo replied at her gentle scolding. Actually, he was now eager to try what he had learned that night in the future. It was a nice change of pace not having to kill his way out of problems to be honest.

As Nuala looked at the ring, the male couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the scene. Her amethyst eyes stared firmly at the golden piece in her hand as she observed it and commented on how ugly it was. As she slid the ring back again to his pants and commented on his improvised look, Kenzo couldn’t help but laugh as he joked about it. ”Think so? I was quite liking this change of look to be honest” Without noticing, he had gotten a black jacket with yakuza-ish details on the sleeves and back.  A pair of dragons were stamped on each side while a roaring tiger was embroidered at the back. As he made his comment, he flashed a faked gangster pose at Nuala. Or whatever he thought looked like one either way.

As he made his comment about the markings on her, he was serious. He had never seen someone with anything like them before and considering the faint glow that came out of them, they were definitely not some sort of makeup detail. He was curious about them, but seeing her reaction was enough for him at the moment. His eyes were lost as he observed them attentively, barely noticing her hand coming closer to the jawbone on his cheek. As she cupped his cheek with it, the male lifted a playful smile as he pulled his head closer, just enough for both of their foreheads to touch. She was a bit colder than what he’d expected but considering the previous weather he didn’t think anything special about it.

As she told him why she wore her cloak with a playful tone, Kenzo laughed at her response. He was amused by her witty response; it had a distinctive charm that he’d grown to like in the girl through the short span of time they’d spent together. ”Their loss, for sure.” He said as he step back slowly with a smile. ”You’re right, it’s way past my bedtime now.” Kenzo replied with a sarcastic tone as he looked at the non-existent watch on his wrist. ”We should better get back then. Can’t let the innkeeper waiting for me so worried”

The male had to recognize he was actually getting a bit tired though. Furthermore, Kenzo knew when it was the time to call an end to things. As he put both of his hands back into his pants and played with the ring inside the pocket he added. ”Today was quite fun, thank you for not killing me back there.” Kenzo smirked as he remembered how she caught him completely off guard back at the bar. Any wrong answers and he could have ended just like the mafia boss in the ground. ”Hope we get to meet again under other circumstances!” he said as the two of them bid their farewells and started to go their respective ways. Pausing for a second, Kenzo stopped and turned back at her before they got too far away.

”Maybe next time you’ll let me treat you to a date?” He said with an excited smile as both of his hands laid on the back of his head.  Regardless of her answer, the male would not forget the meeting he had with the Daeva Eye assassin. Who knew? Perhaps from that day onward he’d unconsciously try to look at every cloaked person he found in the hopes of stumbling across her.

For now though, he needed to get moving. He had received special permission from his guild master to return to Oak. He still had some unfinished business back home.

-EXIT-