Drip. Drip. Drip.

Last night was a strong day for the pondering mercenary. Looking out the window as drops of rain poured from the sky made the man remember the details of his previous quest. It had been as if he was suddenly woken up from a dream. A hard splash of reality soaked his face as he realized how naïve he had been. Forgetting the cruelties of reality took now a toll on the blue haired male. He was rather melancholic, wondering if taking up the quest from Xen had really been for the best. Taking out a cigarette from his pocket, he lifted the lacrima enhanced candle next to his bed stool and lit it. The smoke rose out the window and into the grey sky. The only thing Kenzo saw as he stared at the pouring rain was the bodies and eyes of the women. Most of them were young. A black-haired brunette, tied to a wooden horse, both of her legs strapped with weights as her naked body made contact with the sharp angle of the sinister contraption. A mature red headed woman. Gagged, blindfolded and tied in a rotting wooden X cross. Her right breast ripped off while metallic pliers hung from the left one. A young kid…

The cigarette the man smoked was consumed before he recalled the rest of the scene. Waking himself up from his lethargic trance, the mercenary sighed as he threw the tail down the window and into the streets. The last days had seemed like a fairy tale, an escape from the gruesome reality he’d come to know his whole life. Perhaps it was not a life meant for him. Corruption was rampant in Earthland, and Fiore was no exception. Grabbing his black cloak, the man covered his sword and armor and left the inn once again. The box he’d opened with the last quest, was still far from over.

[323/1000]

The meeting location was the eastern gate. Xen was earlier than anyone else, followed by Kenzo. As he approached the leader of the thieving group he was now temporarily part of, the stern man looked at the mercenary in the eye. ”Having any second thoughts?

Kenzo rose his gaze and stared him directly in the eye. ”Just tell me about today’s target.” A tone of haste was present in the blue haired man’s words. To be honest, Kenzo just wanted to be done with it. He had been contacted by Xen’s organization around a week ago. After the incident with the underground fighting arena, the thief was keen on acquiring Kenzo’s services. Thanks to a word put by Batra, the man was allowed to meet the head of the group. Xen was a man in his early thirties. A clean shaved face complimented his sharp greyish eyes and long eyebrows. On the right side of his face, a scar travelled from the top of his forehead, down his right eye and down to the neck. Whatever wounded him had most certainly almost taken his life. Xen’s words were clear and simple. He was planning a series of attacks to notoriously corrupt members of noble society. They were by no means a large organization, but Xen’s talent and charisma had brought a group together that sought to make profit out of the current chaos of the country. After the demonic invasion of Earthland and the holy war that ensued, the might and capabilities of the Rune Knights had greatly diminished. This posed a perfect opportunity to strike at the otherwise protected members of high Fioran society. The raid at the mansion the day before, was just the beginning.

The target for this night was a different noble. From the information gathered beforehand, there was a clear connection between him and the owner of the torture dungeon from the other day. Apparently, tonight’s target owned a villa in the outskirts of Crocus. A farming estate by front, the site doubled as a center of a notorious human trafficking network. Many of Fiore’s unsuspecting travelers had to cross the villa’s grounds before getting to the capital. It was the perfect spot to ask for asylum for the night before making their ways to the grand streets of the city. However, many of them never made it. Drugged, robbed and sold in the slave market, countless disappearances were ignored as the villa continued its legal front activities. Tonight, they were tasked with pillaging and setting fire to the place. Kenzo smiled as he steeled himself for the following battle. He had always fought without asking for reasons, as long as the right price was agreed. At least now, this cause was one he could get behind.

[786/1000]

The closer they arrived to their location in the deep of night, the harder Kenzo grit his teeth. A small sliver of hope raced inside the man’s body as they slightly deviated from the now well-known path. However, as Kenzo saw the wooden stakes of a palisade litter the horizon, his heart was crushed. The villa they were tasked with pillaging and destroying, was none other the villa where Kenzo had previously stayed and helped fortify. He had been contracted by the owner to help them safeguard the inhabitants and even help with fortifications in case they were attacked. What the mercenary would have never guessed, was that he’d participate in the first test the improvised fort would have.

Trying to shake these thoughts, Kenzo remembered the truth behind the place. Kenzo knew what the intel said, but for some reason he just couldn’t believe it. He’d have to look for himself. As such, he covered his mouth and nose with a piece of cloth, hiding his identity almost completely and offered to lead the vanguard attack. Handed five men, the small group charged directly at the fortifications from the rear in the midst of the night. Moments later, the defensive bell rang.

Kenzo gathered his strength and leapt over the wooden gate, striking one man in the head with his sheathed sword. He knew the guy, he as one of the people in charge of cutting the wood and dragging it to the village during the palisade’s construction. Without taking a look back, Kenzo made its way to the manor. It was the only place he had not visited during his last two stays, if what the intel said was correct, the kidnapped travelers had to be there. If he found the intel to be wrong, Xen and his men would pay.

Deep inside him, he wanted to be proven right. He hoped the nice and amicable people he’d met were simply innocent bystanders in a greedy syndicate’s way. As Kenzo opened the wooden door of the manor and saw at least a dozen of tied and gagged people, something within him snapped.

The fury that he held knew only one outlet. Slaughter. One by one, Kenzo stroke known face after known face. He was not particularly fond of any of them, but he surely didn’t wish them harm. At least not to them. The innocent villagers he’d come to known. But these people were none of that. They simply wore their masks too well, and Kenzo was having none of it. Finding the owner of the villa, Kenzo struck his left tight without even thinking twice. The older male fell to the ground as blood gushed out of his wound. Taking his hood off and showing his face, the owner’s expression of pain changed to one of sorrow. ”Y-you have to understand… I, I n-never had a choice..” With a serious expression, and without muttering any words, Kenzo slashed his sword downwards, cleaving the man’s skull in two. ”We always have a choice”

As the battle ended and the villa was pillaged, Kenzo slowly walked away from the flames that now engulfed the main building. Taking a look back, he saw a small lump at the side of the road. It was Isidro. His eyes stared lifeless at the dark sky as a spear wound sucked the life out of him. Kneeling down and closing his eyes with his palm, Kenzo could only mutter a sentence of prayer for the poor boy. ”Rest in peace now brat, for this world would never allow you such a luxury.”

A new dawn for the world had to come.
-Exit-

[1393/1000]