The next two weeks were tough for Vincent and Ms. Eliot. While they both tried to go on with their daily lives, the townsfolk would constantly ask about Crimson was, especially when Vincent went to set up his stall at Sellers Avenue. The two would take turns for their businesses and stay home with Crimson while the other would sell their wares, acting like nothing had happened. Meanwhile, David was cooped up in his store studying the branch Crimson used and seeing if he could turn it into a weapon.

  Ms. Eliot was taking care of Crimson today; the hole in her body was almost completely closed, leaving only a little gap. Meanwhile, Vincent was in town selling firewood, so she wasn't expecting anyone to knock at the door, especially so early in the morning. Ms. Eliot covered Crimson up to her neck with the bnket and closed the door behind her. The house echoed with the knocking, and Shump began to get irritated by the barking. The elderly woman waddled down the stairs, clinging to the wooden railing in a rush. By the time she got to the bottom of the staircase, the door unlocked, and Vincent walked through with a doctor behind him.

  Vincent smiled and scratched behind his head. “Sorry, Elly, the doctor was in town today, so I thought it might be the best time to get Crimson checked up.”

  “Of course. I just checked on her, and she’s still sleeping peacefully.” Ms.Elliot responded, walking out of their way.

  The both of them walked towards the stairs, while Ms. Elliot shuffled with Shump to the couch in the sitting room. The elf Doctor bowed his head in respect towards his elders and followed Vincent upstairs. Even though this was a good thing, a feeling of dread was building inside of Ms.Elliot because this doctor could tell if Crimson was a normal person.

  The two men walked down the hall towards her room, not before having a little chat outside the door.

  “Now, Mr. Vincent, before I go in there, are you sure that you want this check-up that may involve magic?”The doctor asked carefully.

  “Yes, as long as what is seen and said stays within these walls,” Vincent answered with a nod.

  Vincent opened the door to the room; the smell of decay had died down a lot, but a small bit lingered in the air. The elf doctor grabbed the chair at Crimson's desk and approached the side of the bed. Vincent closed the door and walked over to the foot of the bed, feeling sympathy for Crimson's state. As the doctor sat down, he opened his bag and took out some tools: a stethoscope, a small handheld mirror, some cotton balls with tweezers in a pstic baggie, and some runic tablets.

  “How long has she been asleep for?” he questioned, wrapping the stethoscope around his neck.

  Vincent watched as he opened Crimson's mouth. “Um, about two weeks,” he mumbled.

  The doctor grabbed the handheld mirror and checked for any injuries in her mouth. “So she is comatose. You also told me on the way here she was attacked by a marbled bear you’ve seen tely?” he inquired, leaning closer to Crimson.

  “Yes, unfortunately, the local adventurer was escorting the priest recently, and they never got the chance to clear out the Bear.”, Vincents replied.

  In response, the doctor ughed and grabbed the baggie with cotton balls and tweezers, he immediately swabbed the roof of her mouth to find magical particles.

  “Look, I can’t give you a diagnosis off of lies. Bears, especially marbled bears, don’t use magic. This magic, in particur, went through her body and bounced around inside her like she was a pinball machine. Leaving small remnants behind. It’s not fatal to small remnants in your body after a small fight, but with much in her system, and it being lightning magic, she shouldn’t even be alive," the doctor confided while putting the sample inside another baggie he pulled out of his pocket.

  He continued his examination, lowering the bnket down to her stomach, right before the hole. He unwrapped the stethoscope from his neck and used it to hear Crimson's heartbeat. To the doctor's surprise, her heart was roaring to the beat of life much louder for someone in a coma. Without hesitation, he picked up the runic tablet. It had a feather engraved into it. He stood up and stretched his arms outwards, holding the runic tablet above her, and recited a spell from his memory, “Oh, Kirin, hear my plea, and show me this girl's gift you have blessed upon her. Show me her gate!”

  The window blew open, and a green aura surrounded Crimson. The doctor let go of the tablet, and it began to hover in the air, swirling above her. For that brief moment, the room itself went dark as the green aura started to burn up into fmes and dropped out of the air, nding on top of Crimson. The elf doctor was shocked, putting his arm down slowly, for he had never seen this happen before. The stone tablet was stained bck with something like vines growing around it. The doctor reached into his pocket and put on a glove, picking up this new object.

  “Is she a mage? If so, I believe I know why she’s comatose,” he questioned Vincent, who was sweating from the bze of heat.

  “I believe so.”, he answered quietly.

  The doctor walked away from Crimson. “Usually, a mage, especially from the human race, would use a tablet just like I had to use on her for the examination, for the ck of an aura gate. Elves don’t require this due to us being born with one; however, this girl has an aura gate, a very strong one at that. She might be a halfling, which is a very rare race; normally, elves don’t bother to procreate. When she wakes up, she will be mana-starved, so I suggest prepping her meals that have mana inside of them. Gem Rabbits seem to be a good source, especially around here.”

  The doctor started packing his tools up and threw the cotton swabs in a garbage bin in the corner of the room. Vincent stood still. “You remember not a word of what happened in this room will be spoken of,” he said in a monotone manner.

  The doctor gazed at the tablet with curiosity. “This girl can probably be a scientific breakthrough for humans, but I would call her a miracle instead. Even though I would love to take her to Harlif University, I will respect your wishes. Here ya go. Consider this a warning for her in the future since healing her will be a hassle.” he handed over the charred tablet and began walking out the door.

  “Oh, and one more thing.” He stopped for a second and turned around to face Vincent. “ If she is going to use her magical abilities often, it would be wise for her to get a license. She could get arrested in the future for illegal practices, especially if it is self-healing. Which I may also say is a new one for me; I’ve never seen such talent before.”

  The doctor began to walk away, and Vincent followed by clenching the tablet in his fist.

  “So how can we wake her up? I mean, this is why I brought you here and paid you?” Vincent said with frustration.

  As the doctor headed for the front door, he responded, “Talk to her, guide her way back. She’s still in there, you just need to help her a little. Here's my card in case of anything.” With that, the doctor walked out the front door.

  Ms. Eliiot was still sitting on the couch petting Shump. Vincent handed her the doctor's card and walked back upstairs to do what he was told.

  Walking into her room, he grabbed a plush bird toy from her desk he had purchased a while ago to gift her for when she would wake up and id it beside her. Vincent then walked back to the door to close it completely and sighed.

  “Beto told me to protect you, and I failed. he will make sure my life would be miserable if I don’t try everything.” he walked towards the chair and pushed it closer to the bed. “I am sorry. I should have done more to save you faster. You know I have so much knowledge about you and your past, so let me tell you mine. since well I want you to wake up, and guide your way.” Vincent whispered sorrowfully.

  Vincent sat down and hunched over towards her, folding his hands.

  “Years ago, before I even met Beto, I was a troubled person. I was probably part of the least wealthy family in the whole commoner side of the Empire. When I was growing up, watching the wealthy people walking inside the capitol through the fence, I would dream. I wanted to be like them, not eat sludge every night or wear rags. However, being uneducated in anything meaningful meant that a vish lifestyle was never meant to be in my destiny. Not until I realized there was one service I could provide.

  On my nineteenth birthday, things were heating up in the capital, and tensions between the two were starting to turn violent. I was a busboy at a local bar when I overheard two men, They were commoners even though one was more well dressed than the other.” Vincent looked up and saw no change within Crimson and continued.

  “I remember that conversation more than any other.” Vincent closed his eyes.

  ~ ~ ~

  Two men were sitting at a booth in the bar while a busboy was cleaning the other booth behind them, overhearing the conversation.

  “We have to do something. Eleanor was killed by those fancy bloods.” The man in a grey jacket muttered.

  “Look Bruce, I know, but don’t you think this is a bit much at the moment? I hate them as much as you, but assassinating a high figure, especially a judge, we won't get away with.” The man in a purple coat cooed, swishing his expensive drink with a grin.

  “Beto, I worked for you for years! I’ve seen what you can do. Eleanor worked for those people all her life, even raising his kids. When that man touched her, and she found out she was pregnant with one of his the next day, I was heartbroken!” Bruce started to tear up.

  Vincent was captivated by their conversation and sat down, listening to every word.

  Bruce continued with a sob, “I always wanted a family with her, but we were waiting until marriage. I dreamed of going to Hollybrook and starting a little farm with her. I wanted to… I’m sorry, Beto, but if you won't help me, I will do this myself. You saw the body, and you saw the footage that was recorded on that relic. He trampled her with a horse!” He smmed his fist on the table, which caught the attention of everyone in the bar, but then was immediately ignored.

  Beto put his hand on top of Bruce's raging fist, “I'm sorry, but you know, if I bring any of my men into the capital right now, they will be imprisoned or worse the next day. Bruce, I will buy you a home in Hollybrook to start your life over with her in your memory.”

  “I know you made a life out of yourself down here and refuse to move in over there, but I'm declining that offer. I want that asshole dead, an eye for an eye, a life for two lives. All she was trying to do was leave without any compensation. If we were going to raise that child, I would have loved them like my own. I should have never told her to tell him, she should have just walked out the door.” Bruce hung his head in guilt and defeat.

  “The capital is cruel, Bruce. They took my mother and father from me and my sister too. Every day, I want to burn it down, but I know that is not what they would have wanted. Take the offer, and when it dies down, I will do something about the judge.” Beto responded with sincerity.

  Vincent felt dazed from what he heard; it was like a story he would hear on the radio, but this time, it was real. He was so dazed he didn’t realize that his boss was standing over him with his hand out. Vincent looked up and took off his apron.

  “You’re done, kid, and don't come back,” he said forcefully, taking the apron from Vincent.

  Beto watched him leave with an expression of curiosity and got up from the booth, “Bruce, I will have some men watch over you for a while, for Eleanor's sake.” He said, walking away.

  It began raining, and Vincent was getting soaked. He knew his mother was going to be disappointed; this was the best job any of them had had for a while. The thought of disappointing her made him stop and walk into the alleyway, where he reached into his pocket and stared at his pistol.

  “That small thing won't get you anywhere. If you were pnning on doing some dirty work, you’re going to need something better,” Beto said. He was blocking the entrance of the alleyway with two bodyguards behind him.

  He approached Vincent, who felt like he was trapped in a cage, walking backward until he was pressed up against the wall. Beto smiled, “You're not even going to make a dent in a window with that small thing. Are you interested in the job offer? “

  Vincent nodded directly, looking into Beto's eyes. Beto looked down immediately and turned away, walking between his two bodyguards. “Come on, I have a small gift for you at my pce.”

  The two bodyguards then walked up to Vincent, grabbed each of his arms to make sure he couldn't make any sudden moves, and blindfolded him. They walked through the twisted alleyways hidden under the night veil. Vincent's hair began to stick up on the back of his neck, and he felt uneasy about this whole ordeal. Was this man an undercover cop? He was way too well-dressed to be from these slums.

  They eventually stopped in front of a rundown building with the windows boarded up and all the lights turned off. Beto opened the door with it leaning to the side due to the hinges breaking apart. It was just an abandoned building. Vincent hesitated to go inside, hearing the door creak, stopping the guards from moving forward by sticking his feet in the ground. In response, they picked him up and continued.

  The floorboards creaked with every step, and the room smelled of decay. Beto walked towards a firepce and clicked a button hidden on the inner wall inside. The mechanism could be heard as the floor split open in front of the bodyguards. Vincent, still being carried, was scared as he felt them descending the stairs with Beto behind them. As they made it to the bottom, he was put down, and Beto took off the blindfold.

  “Welcome to the resistance.” Beto smiled and stretched his arm out, showing Vincent the underground world.

  This pce was in the sewers, yet it was turned into a civilization. There were people working and children pying. As they walked through the many different nodes, as they were called, Vincent witnessed something new and very illegal. Someone was growing and messing around with chemicals, and Relics were being forged by wizards and elves, and where they stopped was Vincent's favorite node by far, the weaponry node where they forged guns and other tools.

  “So tell me, boy, do you like guns? I noticed that the pistol is better taken care of than you are.”Beto began an interview showcasing the weapons on the shelf.

  “Yes, sir, my father would bring me along for hunting seasons. That's how we would get the majority of our meals and money. I even brought down a galient deer by myself.” Vincent said proudly.

  Beto brought down a sniper rifle from the top shelf. “Impressive. Do you like the way the Capital is run, especially with the Imperial Empire taking control even more as the years go by?”

  “No, sir, they took my father and made him die on a battlefield. Without proper training, he was a hunter, not a soldier,” Vincent responded, with his pride turning into sorrow.

  Beto noticed and id the rifle on the table, It wasn’t just an ordinary rifle; it had a glowing blue streak running through it.

  “This is a Runic Riffle, one of the first made out of pure magic. Not even the Capital has many of these, and they have no idea that we have an even more powerful one than their soldiers out in that same war right now. This thing can kill a Rook in mid-flight and an Orc with the same bullet. If I give you this to complete the job of assassinating that Judge and succeed, not only will you be paid, but you will be hired as my hitman.” Beto reached out for a handshake. “What do you say? Are you in on this hunt?”.

  Vincent shook his hand in response, not thinking about the repercussions, and headed out immediately.

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent smiled at the cherished memory of his first hunt, his first commission.

  “I remember climbing over that giant gate separating us, then walking into the brush trying to stay out of sight. You see, they don’t have any alleyways like us, but anyway, the Judge's house was honestly pretty close to a gate, so I thought of a different approach. You don’t want other animals to spot you while prepping, so setting up in a tree in the line of sight where his washroom would be was perfect. Another thing I had to do was climb over the gate again since the tree was a few paces into the commoner side. I remember that while setting up, it began to rain, and I sat there for a while drenched. At Least five hours had passed. I saw his children run up and down the halls; his wife prepared herself for bed elegantly and struggled to catch them to brush their teeth. Yet you know what made me sick? They probably didn’t even know what happened to their maid. That wife probably never even changed a diaper in her life. Then, finally, he walked in, kissing her on the cheek as if it was just a normal day for them. I id ft on my stomach and lined him up in my scope, and once that washroom door closed, I pulled the trigger. I didn't feel a thing. It was like shooting down another animal to me. There was no ricochet; it went straight through the window, not even cracking through. There was no blood either, and the bullet even went right through the door.”

  Vincent looked up at Crimson, feeling like she was listening and engaged with his back story.

  “ I remember seeing the door swing open. All his wife could do was scream and run, probably to call the guards. Once they got there, I was already gone, heading back to a meet-up spot, Beto's main office, one of the fighting rings.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent walked through the streets as the rain began to pour down towards the Commoner's fighting ring. A pce where people would pay a small amount to try to win twice the money. “The more you spend, the more you could earn” was the slogan.

  He walked through the front gates as if he was expected and proceeded to follow the red carpet down to where the manager of this ring resided. There was a giant fighting glove sign on the door with Beto's name, looking like it was about to get punched. As Vincent opened the door, he could hear arguing in the background.

  “ Well, I hope you're happy, Jouvins, because the royal guards are not allowing anyone to enter or leave the Capital gates! I am eight months pregnant, and I can’t go home now! Way to go, problem solver!”

  Beto was spacing out while the women scolded him as if he was asking for the mythical beasts to save him.

  Vincent knocked on the door and quietly opened it, announcing himself, with the brown-haired woman turning around with a gre. Meanwhile, Beto sighed in relief as her attention fell off of him. She walked up to Vincent and closed the door behind him, then sat on the couch against the far right wall, still gring.

  “Good job, kid. I looked at the file that you gave the bar owner, and I will say you have an outstanding resume for someone ten years younger than me. Hunting, construction work, babysitting, and being a waiter. Now we can add assassination.” Beto began to chuckle, looking over to the woman who rolled her eyes at him.

  “You just made a huge mistake. He’s going to get you killed, but I'm impressed you managed to escape. Your bounty is going to be outstanding.” She scoffed.

  Vincent walked in front of Beto and put the rifle on the desk. In response, Beto pushed him back towards him.

  “It’s yours now, and don't worry, I won't send you off to your death or let you get caught. My sister is just moody. Speaking of, I already prepared for the gate being closed for a few days. I'm not heading to my pce tonight, so you can stay there for now, and Martin will escort you. Now, if you excuse me, I must talk to this young man alone, Algera.”

  Algera mumbled under her breath, “This revolution shit is gonna get us killed.” leaving the two alone.

  Beto turned his chair around to unlock his safe, grabbing a giant satchel full of qorin.

  “ Sorry about my sister, she fights for the cause but doesn’t like the actions we take. Alight eight grand from me, I won't let Bruce pay for this one. However, I want to talk about our little deal earlier and expin more. Please sit.” Beto turned around and pced the qorin on the desk beside the rifle.

  Vincent pulled out the chair and realized just now who he was dealing with after reading his name again on his pce card, however, it should have been obvious from the start that he was dealing with the ringleader of all illegal activities, the Jouvins Beto, the diamond in the rubble.

  Beto realized the shift in Vincent's emotions, the feeling of intimidation and uncertainty. “I don’t bme you for being scared sitting in that chair and accepting this money, yet I don’t understand. You fear me right now more than the fact that you just took another human being's life tonight and probably have a whole search party dedicated to him. I won't turn you in. I will let you walk away with the money still and forget we ever met. Just tell me, what did you feel when you sniped that man?” he asked with a grin.

  This feeling of intimidation felt the same as before to Vincent. It was as if Algera and Beto had this same kind of aura, it felt like he was facing an apex predator like he was in a dragon's den. “If I will be honest, I feel more emotions now than before I was in that tree. As for that judge, I felt nothing for him. I watched his family hug him and look at him with praise, probably not even knowing a single thing that had happened today. I just saw him like anything else I have ever hunted, a target.”

  “So you didn’t see him as a person?” Beto interrogated with his grin widening.

  “I did, but not a kind one. He took two lives without any sign of remorse in his eyes. His family looked chaotic without Eleanor as well; hell, the mother couldn’t even brush the children's teeth.” Vincent reflected with some morse yet harsh tone as he balled up his fist.

  Beto walked away from his desk towards a picture of him and what looked like his sister, “The reason why I didn't leave the common grounds was because I see everyone here as a family, even if I let them fight one another for money in the rings, or if I am hiring them for certain jobs. My sister, on the other hand, became a famous model, but she never saw the wealthy people of the capital city as family except her fiance, who donates to the needy down here. There are good ones on the other side of that gate, yet it's just as rare as a Siren on nd. I wouldn't hire to assassinate good people but corrupt, horrible, wicked people like that judge.” Beto walked away from the painting to stand behind Vincent.

  He continued and put his hand on Vincent's shoulder. “Greed that Judge has been stealing from all of his clients, taking almost everything and anything they own. From what Algeras intel that horse wasn’t even his, it was a payment from another client, then he took their business and life. She even found out that he was kicked into the commoner side after. Those are the men you will be after.” Beto took his hand off Vincent.

  “Stand up and face me,” he commanded.

  Vincent followed his order, standing up and facing Beto with the same gre as before, extending his arm for a handshake of agreement. “So, will you continue the hunt? Or will you walk away on a path of gss shards of your future? Beto coaxed Vincent.

  ~ ~ ~

  Twilight began to bleed into the sky outside. Vincent couldn’t help but look at the wonderful colour, realizing that the day was once again fading.

  “I remember being so scared of shaking his hand, I may have pulled that trigger, but he had something else. It could have been power and money, yet I reached out and shook his hand. I remembered how my dad left that day; he took the pce of a Capitalist fashion designer and had no say in the matter. That man got to live the rest of his days while my father was shot on the front line. I remember the Royal guards dragging him away, and all he left behind was his pistol. I didn’t want families like mine to be broken apart for a corrupt agenda, especially if it's only to be another man's meat shield.” Vincent looked away from the sky and looked down at his feet.

  “Over the years, I shot many animals after our second meeting, I even started leaving a mark to prove it was me for fun, one bullet in the chest another in the head as they fell to the ground. When they asked for at least my name, I left A paper with the signature Gss Shot on one of my targets door G.S. for short. It was going well. Ager had her baby and wouldn't visit very often, yet we would get letters from her for intel, until one day she stopped sending them. Beto waited a month for a single sign from her until he found out his sister had committed suicide in the papers and his niece had gone missing. My st mission was to find her, which almost got me caught. It took me two years to find out the truth. Her ex-husband, the drunk, betrayed us, and when I shot him, the guards were waiting. they used him as bait.” Vincent looked at Crimson's hand.

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent and Beto sat in the back of a bck car beside each other to conceal themselves from the public. Beto looked pissed, using his bubble to contact his other employees.

  “Clean out the rings, and make sure that all important supplies from the underground are cleared out to point B! I am taking Gss Shot out of the city, personally! And Dankle dont fuck this up!” Beto demanded with a commanding roar.

  Beto looked like he was going to explode with anger, his face turning red. Vincent tried to break the silence, “What now, Mr.Beto? Where are you going to take me?”. He questioned him only to meet the dragon's gre everyone would call it.

  Beto flipped open a pocket watch with a photo of all three of them together gncing down at it to calm down. “My sister is looking down at me, and I'm going to keep my word. I won't let you get captured, or else I wouldn't have heard the end of it. Not to mention you killed that bastard. I'm sending you to that town where we helped out Hollybrook. I made a deal there with the mayor. You will start over, and Vincent, please call me Jouvins. After all, we have been partners for over ten years now.” He paused, then looked up towards Vincent. “Are you sure that ???? Wasn't there?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent held Crimson's hand from the pain he was reliving, “I remember the exact feeling when I recited the conversation I had with Agers's fiance to Beto and the one disgusting sentence that made me shoot him. I got rid of the brat. She wasn't even mine to begin with. We both knew that was a lie; the fact that he didn't tell me where she was was unforgivable. The rage I felt, and the sorrow for Beto. When we entered Hollybrook, I told him to stay for a bit when we got to this run-down house that was supposed to be Bruce's, but he told me to keep in touch with the bubbles and to enjoy my new life.”

  Crimson's fingers twitched in response as if she was trying to hold it, tears began to run down her cheek. Vincent's eyes widened, and he stood up, “Crimson, you can hear me wake up, please!”

  The room began to heat up, and as the moon began to rise for its turn in the sky, Crimson opened her eyes, gasping for air as if she was drowning.

  He approached Vincent, who felt like he was trapped in a cage, walking backward until he was pressed up against the wall. Beto smiled, “You're not even going to make a dent in a window with that small thing. Are you interested in the job offer? “

  Vincent nodded directly, looking into Beto's eyes. He looked down immediately and turned away, walking between his two bodyguards. “Come on, I have a small gift for you at my pce.”

  The two bodyguards then walked up to Vincent, grabbed each of his arms to make sure he couldn't make any sudden moves, and blindfolded him. They walked through the twisted alleyways hidden under the night veil. Vincent's hair began to stick up on the back of his neck, and he felt uneasy about this whole ordeal. Was this man an undercover cop? He was way too well-dressed to be from these slums.

  They eventually stopped in front of a rundown building with the windows boarded up and all the lights turned off. Beto opened the door with it leaning to the side due to the hinges breaking apart. It was just an abandoned building. Vincent hesitated to go inside, hearing the door creak, stopping the guards from moving forward by sticking his feet in the ground. In response, they picked him up and continued.

  The floorboards creaked with every step, and the room smelled of decay. Beto walked towards a firepce and clicked a button hidden on the inner wall inside. The mechanism could be heard as the floor split open in front of the bodyguards. Vincent, still being carried, was scared as he felt them descending the stairs with Beto behind them. As they made it to the bottom, he was put down, and Beto took off the blindfold.

  “Welcome to the resistance.” Beto smiled and stretched his arm out, showing Vincent the underground world.

  This pce was in the sewers, yet it was turned into a civilization. There were people working and children pying. As they walked through the many different nodes, as they were called, Vincent witnessed something new and very illegal. Someone was growing and messing around with chemicals, and Relics were being forged by wizards and elves, and where they stopped was Vincent's favorite node by far, the weaponry node where they forged guns and other tools.

  “So tell me, boy, do you like guns? I noticed that the pistol is better taken care of than you are.”Beto began an interview showcasing the weapons on the shelf.

  “Yes, sir, my father would bring me along for hunting seasons. That's how we would get the majority of our meals and money. I even brought down a galient deer by myself.” Vincent said proudly.

  Beto brought down a sniper rifle from the top shelf. “Impressive. Do you like the way the Capital is run, especially with the Imperial Empire taking control even more as the years go by?”

  “No, sir, they took my father and made him die on a battlefield. Without proper training, he was a hunter, not a soldier,” Vincent responded, with his pride turning into sorrow.

  Beto noticed and id the rifle on the table, It wasn’t just an ordinary rifle; it had a glowing blue streak running through it.

  “This is a Runic Riffle, one of the first made out of pure magic. Not even the Capital has many of these, and they have no idea that we have an even more powerful one than their soldiers out in that same war right now. This thing can kill a Rook in mid-flight and an Orc with the same bullet. If I give you this to complete the job of assassinating that Judge and succeed, not only will you be paid, but you will be hired as my hitman.” Beto reached out for a handshake. “What do you say? Are you in on this hunt?”.

  Vincent shook his hand in response, not thinking about the repercussions, and headed out immediately.

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent smiled at the cherished memory of his first hunt, his first commission.

  “I remember climbing over that giant gate separating us, then walking into the brush trying to stay out of sight. You see, they don’t have any alleyways like us, but anyway, the Judge's house was honestly pretty close to a gate, so I thought of a different approach. You don’t want other animals to spot you while prepping, so setting up in a tree in the line of sight where his washroom would be was perfect. Another thing I had to do was climb over the gate again since the tree was a few paces into the commoner side. I remember that while setting up, it began to rain, and I sat there for a while drenched. At Least five hours had passed. I saw his children run up and down the halls; his wife prepared herself for bed elegantly and struggled to catch them to brush their teeth. Yet you know what made me sick? They probably didn’t even know what happened to their maid. That wife probably never even changed a diaper in her life. Then, finally, he walked in, kissing her on the cheek as if it was just a normal day for them. I id ft on my stomach and lined him up in my scope, and once that washroom door closed, I pulled the trigger. I didn't feel a thing. It was like shooting down another animal to me. There was no ricochet; it went straight through the window, not even cracking through. There was no blood either, and the bullet even went right through the door.”

  Vincent looked up at Crimson, feeling like she was listening and engaged with his back story.

  “ I remember seeing the door swing open. All his wife could do was scream and run, probably to call the guards. Once they got there, I was already gone, heading back to a meet-up spot, Beto's main office, one of the fighting rings.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent walked through the streets as the rain began to pour down towards the Commoner's fighting ring. A pce where people would pay a small amount to try to win twice the money. “The more you spend, the more you could earn” was the slogan.

  He walked through the front gates as if he was expected and proceeded to follow the red carpet down to where the manager of this ring resided. There was a giant fighting glove sign on the door with Beto's name, looking like it was about to get punched. As Vincent opened the door, he could hear arguing in the background.

  “ Well, I hope you're happy, Jouvins, because the royal guards are not allowing anyone to enter or leave the Capital gates! I am eight months pregnant, and I can’t go home now! Way to go, problem solver!”

  Beto was spacing out while the women scolded him as if he was asking for the mythical beasts to save him.

  Vincent knocked on the door and quietly opened it, announcing himself, with the brown-haired woman turning around with a gre. Meanwhile, Beto sighed in relief as her attention fell off of him. She walked up to Vincent and closed the door behind him, then sat on the couch against the far right wall, still gring.

  “Good job, kid. I looked at the file that you gave the bar owner, and I will say you have an outstanding resume for someone ten years younger than me. Hunting, construction work, babysitting, and being a waiter. Now we can add assassination.” Beto began to chuckle, looking over to the woman who rolled her eyes at him.

  “You just made a huge mistake. He’s going to get you killed, but I'm impressed you managed to escape. Your bounty is going to be outstanding.” She scoffed.

  Vincent walked in front of Beto and put the rifle on the desk. In response, Beto pushed him back towards him.

  “It’s yours now, and don't worry, I won't send you off to your death or let you get caught. My sister is just moody. Speaking of, I already prepared for the gate being closed for a few days. I'm not heading to my pce tonight, so you can stay there for now, and Martin will escort you. Now, if you excuse me, I must talk to this young man alone, Algera.”

  Algera mumbled under her breath, “This revolution shit is gonna get us killed.” leaving the two alone.

  Beto turned his chair around to unlock his safe, grabbing a giant satchel full of qorin.

  “ Sorry about my sister, she fights for the cause but doesn’t like the actions we take. Alight eight grand from me, I won't let Bruce pay for this one. However, I want to talk about our little deal earlier and expin more. Please sit.” Beto turned around and pced the qorin on the desk beside the rifle.

  Vincent pulled out the chair and realized just now who he was dealing with after reading his name again on his pce card, however, it should have been obvious from the start that he was dealing with the ringleader of all illegal activities, the Jouvins Beto, the diamond in the rubble.

  Beto realized the shift in Vincent's emotions, the feeling of intimidation and uncertainty. “I don’t bme you for being scared sitting in that chair and accepting this money, yet I don’t understand. You fear me right now more than the fact that you just took another human being's life tonight and probably have a whole search party dedicated to him. I won't turn you in. I will let you walk away with the money still and forget we ever met. Just tell me, what did you feel when you sniped that man?” he asked with a grin.

  This feeling of intimidation felt the same as before to Vincent. It was as if Algera and Beto had this same kind of aura, it felt like he was facing an apex predator like he was in a dragon's den. “If I will be honest, I feel more emotions now than before I was in that tree. As for that judge, I felt nothing for him. I watched his family hug him and look at him with praise, probably not even knowing a single thing that had happened today. I just saw him like anything else I have ever hunted, a target.”

  “So you didn’t see him as a person?” Beto interrogated with his grin widening.

  “I did, but not a kind one. He took two lives without any sign of remorse in his eyes. His family looked chaotic without Eleanor as well; hell, the mother couldn’t even brush the children's teeth.” Vincent reflected with some morse yet harsh tone as he balled up his fist.

  Beto walked away from his desk towards a picture of him and what looked like his sister, “The reason why I didn't leave the common grounds was because I see everyone here as a family, even if I let them fight one another for money in the rings, or if I am hiring them for certain jobs. My sister, on the other hand, became a famous model, but she never saw the wealthy people of the capital city as family except her fiancé, who donates to the needy down here. There are good ones on the other side of that gate, yet it's just as rare as a Siren on nd. I wouldn't hire to assassinate good people but corrupt, horrible, wicked people like that judge.” Beto walked away from the painting to stand behind Vincent.

  He continued and put his hand on Vincent's shoulder. “Greed that Judge has been stealing from all of his clients, taking almost everything and anything they own. From what Algeras intel that horse wasn’t even his, it was a payment from another client, then he took their business and life. She even found out that he was kicked into the commoner side after. Those are the men you will be after.” Beto took his hand off Vincent.

  “Stand up and face me,” he commanded.

  Vincent followed his order, standing up and facing Beto with the same gre as before, extending his arm for a handshake of agreement. “So, will you continue the hunt? Or will you walk away on a path of gss shards of your future? Beto coaxed Vincent.

  ~ ~ ~

  Twilight began to bleed into the sky outside. Vincent couldn’t help but look at the wonderful colour, realizing that the day was once again fading.

  “I remember being so scared of shaking his hand, I may have pulled that trigger, but he had something else. It could have been power and money, yet I reached out and shook his hand. I remembered how my dad left that day; he took the pce of a Capitalist fashion designer and had no say in the matter. That man got to live the rest of his days while my father was shot on the front line. I remember the Royal guards dragging him away, and all he left behind was his pistol. I didn’t want families like mine to be broken apart for a corrupt agenda, especially if it's only to be another man's meat shield.” Vincent looked away from the sky and looked down at his feet.

  “Over the years, I shot many animals after our second meeting, I even started leaving a mark to prove it was me for fun, one bullet in the chest another in the head as they fell to the ground. When they asked for at least my name, I left A paper with the signature Gss Shot on one of my targets door G.S. for short. It was going well. Ager had her baby and wouldn't visit very often, yet we would get letters from her for intel, until one day she stopped sending them. Beto waited a month for a single sign from her until he found out his sister had committed suicide in the papers and his niece had gone missing. My st mission was to find her, which almost got me caught. It took me two years to find out the truth. Her ex-husband, the drunk, betrayed us, and when I shot him, the guards were waiting. they used him as bait.” Vincent looked at Crimson's hand.

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent and Beto sat in the back of a bck car beside each other to conceal themselves from the public. Beto looked pissed, using his bubble to contact his other employees.

  “Clean out the rings, and make sure that all important supplies from the underground are cleared out to point B! I am taking Gss Shot out of the city, personally! And Dankle dont fuck this up!” Beto demanded with a commanding roar.

  Beto looked like he was going to explode with anger, his face turning red. Vincent tried to break the silence, “What now, Mr.Beto? Where are you going to take me?”. He questioned him only to meet the dragon's gre everyone would call it.

  Beto flipped open a pocket watch with a photo of all three of them together gncing down at it to calm down. “My sister is looking down at me, and I'm going to keep my word. I won't let you get captured, or else I wouldn't have heard the end of it. Not to mention you killed that bastard. I'm sending you to that town where we helped out Hollybrook. I made a deal there with the mayor. You will start over, and Vincent, please call me Jouvins. After all, we have been partners for over ten years now.” He paused, then looked up towards Vincent. “Are you sure that ???? Wasn't there?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Vincent held Crimson's hand from the pain he was reliving, “I remember the exact feeling when I recited the conversation I had with Agers's fiancé to Beto and the one disgusting sentence that made me shoot him. I got rid of the brat. She wasn't even mine to begin with. We both knew that was a lie; the fact that he didn't tell me where she was was unforgivable. The rage I felt, and the sorrow for Beto. When we entered Hollybrook, I told him to stay for a bit when we got to this run-down house that was supposed to be Bruce's, but he told me to keep in touch with the bubbles and to enjoy my new life.”

  Crimson's fingers twitched in response as if she was trying to hold it, tears began to run down her cheek. Vincent's eyes widened, and he stood up, “Crimson, you can hear me wake up, please!”

  The room began to heat up, and as the moon began to rise for its turn in the sky, Crimson opened her eyes, gasping for air as if she was drowning.