"I'll pay you. Just wait for it." The old man looked at the guys who entered his shop, then let out a sigh.
The seems to inmediately understand what her father meant when she saw hin sighed, then gave him a look, as if signalling her to go back. She doesn't wanted to but in order not to make their situation worse, she just listens then go back.
"It's already been over a week since the date we agreed on! If you can't pay we gotta destroy this akready run-down shop of yours." One of then says, pulling out a knife the side of the tip.
"Old man, if you can't pay it just say so. You can pay us by other means, y'know?" One of then goes to the counter say, then looked at the room where the old man's daughter entered.
"What? My body is too old for that kind of thing. Are you guys lusting for a guy? Even worse, an old man like me?" The old man shouted, his saliva spitting everywhere.
"W-what?! That's not what i meant!"
"This fucker is lusting for old people?!"
"You're going the other way?!"
The quiet shop suddenly become noisy. Their shouts can be heard even outside the shop. Their subordinates that are waiting there are now wondering what is all the noise fron the inside is all about, so their leader entered the shop.
"Hey, what's all the fuss about?" He said.
His muscular and strapping physique, along with the knuckles he was wearing. His aura screams danger.
Yuri can feel it. He was just a little bit weaker compared to Neev on full power.
'I can beat him....' Yuri thought tightening his grip to his katana.
"Oh, boss..... U-uhm... Hey, old man, you gonna pay or what?!" To avoid adding up even more embarassing things on his plate and to lessen the teasing he's gonna get after their business with the old man, he reverted the subject back to the old man.
"That's not gonna make them forgot what you just said earlier, bastard." The old man said with a mocking tone.
The man didn't let it slide, he pulled out his knife then rushed to the old man.
"Fucking old scoot, what'd you just say?!" He shouted as he rushed to the old man, lifting his knife on one hand, his eyes full of killing intent.
SLASH!
***
Near the entrance of the Forest of the Damned, near the location of the northern entrance to the kingdom of the Auraville. About 10 kilometers away from the kingdom.
There is a collapsed mansion near it, about about 20 meters tall and, Just the living roon is already more than about 300 square meters. It's inside was a mess, reeking of blood and a scattered rotting flesh.
broken furnitures, crushed windows, tore curtains and cracked floor, along with a foul smell. Certainly a place no one would like to be in– Especially since it's just right at the entrance of the forest of the damned.
There is a man who entered– Covered in dark clothing. His hood on and right on his waist, a dagger sharp enough to cut through steel.
He walked at the ruined living roon and walked at the center of the said mansion, where there is a blanket, covering something. There, he saw a palm, printed in dried blood.
He kneel on one of his knees abd touched the blooded palm with his own; then he started to mumbled something.
"....."
"Confirmed Identification. Please proceed to the entrance."
A voice of a man had spoken then suddenly, the door opened from the outside and a misty aura is covering the exit.
The man stand up, go to the door and walked through the mist then suddenly, he was at a different location.
Another mansion. Like the ruined one that he saw earlier but this time, it's fixed. It even has a gate and there's two guards standing besides each end.
He entered the gate then stopped right after he entered.
When he heard the sound of the gate finally closed;
Swoosh!
He dissapeared.
...
Inside of one of the room, on the highest floor, there is a women.
She was sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and eating biscuits.
"Hmm..." She took a sniff of her tea before drinking, then looking by the window.
On the back of the sofa where she is sitting, there is a man standing straight. Hands on the back and a stern look on his face.
Just when the women was about to take another sip, she heard a knock.
Knock Knock
...
"Come in." She said, putting her tea cup back to the table.
Just then, a man entered. He has the same features as Neev, he also almost looked identical to him.
He took off his hood then smile at her.
"Lady Luna....."
"Neil... How are you doing?" She greeted him while twirling her hair with her righr index finger, her cheeks turning a bit red.
"U-uhm.... Ahem! The mission to find the location of the three following dungeons:
Dungeon of giant, Cave of Lunacy, and Cave of a Fang.
Has been completed." He said, kneeling infront of her.
"Good job. Did you find any Gate?" She asked.
"Negative."
"...."
"No, I haven't. My lady." He corrected corrected nervously as the women looked at him angrily.
"I told you to call me by my name...." She says, pouting and even looking away from him with her arms crossed.
"I shouldn't do that..... I mean....."
"Alright." She says.
The man beside her secretly walked outside, making sure that none of the two can see him.
Just as expected, when he was about to call him–He didn't respond.
'Sir Marius-- Why is he suddenly gone?!' He says, getting flustered and nervous when he was suddenly alone with Luna.
"Why are you suddenly looking so flustered and all–Do you not wanna be with me?" Luna suddenly stand up and walked towards him, making Neil even more shocked and then walked backwards until his back finally hit the door.
"U-uhm-- Me, flustered? Not at all, what do you mean by that?"
"So you don't wanna be with me?"
"O-of course i do....." Neil says, still looking away from Luna while her his cheeks turned a little bit red.
"...." Luna just looked at him too, then finally looking down only to see her breasts touching Neil's chest which made her moved backwards to get away from Neil.
"U-uhm....." Niw, she is the one getting flustered, but Neil didn't tease her any longer and reverted back to the topic to continue their conversation.
"S-so-- Uhm- About the Cave of the Fang, we found out that it is actually connected to another cave, but is significantly smaller than the cave of fang–Considering how big it is. We have been exploring it for the past six and based on the size of it and the amount of Physically Enhanced Beasts that we encountered, we're nearing at about half of it." Although he stuttered at the very beginning, he manages to keep his composure and started to continue their conversation.
"So–What happened to the other cave you discovered?" Luna asked, sitting back down to the sofa.
"Ah...." He didn't.managed to answer quickly, even scartvhing his head even though there's no part of it that's itchy.
"Is there a problem?" She asked.
"How i say this..."
"It has already been cleared."
"!?" Her eyes suddenly widened, confused–she asked,
"How? Based on the report i got from Marius, it was an undiscovered dungeon. The only way to enter a second dungeon is to enter the dungeon where it's main entrance is located!"
"We don't know but, the state of that dungeon is in mess. We concluded that it was a doing of both a mage and a swordsman because of the amount of explosions and sword cuts from the ground and the wall." Neil explained.
"Also, when we entered there, we found a body of a Phyton and more than 30 baby phytons. There is also a Physically Enhanced Beast there, which is an insect." He added to his explanation.
"An insect?" She questioned.
"Yes. A Praying Slasher."
"The body is in the state of decomposition when we got there so, i think it has been cleared about a month ago."
She paused for a moment, her hand resting on on the table.
She looked at Neil then pointed down to the spot of the sofa right next to her, telling him to sit down.
Neil paused for a second, think about it then sat down.
She immediately put her head to his shoulder to rest.
After half an hour or so, she cakled Marius, "Yes, My lady?"
"Gather The Captains of Four Horn Mercenary Guild Tomorrow and deliver to this message to them."
"You have my full attention. I will listen and i will follow." His habds clasped behind his back and bowing down to her, he opened his ears.
"We will Clear the Cave of Fang in less than a week." She says, with her voice full of determination.