The sound of rocks crunching filled the ears of the two who could hear them, their footsteps like a feather in comparison to the floor beneath them. Ivan walked ahead, staring forward blankly, Vladimir kept his gaze to the ground, his eyes nervous as he gripped the mask in his hand.
"Can I ask something?" Vlad nervously spoke out.
Ivans head turned slightly as he responded calmly "Shoot"
Vladimir stated bluntly "I killed a man…"
Ivan stared forward again as he responded "So have I, your point?"
"When I killed him, it was without hesitation, but on my first mission I couldn't bring myself to kill a man, someone who actively tried to kill me" He felt his voice lower more and more into a mutter.
Ivan stayed silent for a few seconds before saying curiously "Maybe some kind of subconscious empathy? Maybe you saw a bit of yourself in him, and thought killing him would be the same as killing yourself"
Vlad stared down as he muttered to himself "There's no way it could be that…I would…" He felt his throat croak as he stopped himself.
Ivan suddenly stopped next to a building, Vladimir looked up curiously, his eyes widened as he recognised it. Ivan placed his hands on his hips as he took a step towards the door, Vladimir pinched his chin as he wondered why he would be here.
Vlad asked calmly "Why are we here? Does Nikolai have info?"
Ivan shook his head firmly, as he responded "Nah, I just left something here, just wait outside okay? I'll be out in a bit"
Vladimir nodded to him as Ivan turned back to the door, swinging it open as he walked inside. It let out a loud bang as it shut, much to the surprise of Vladimir. Vlad looked at his mask calmly, a deep sigh falling out of his lungs.
Vlad walked to the side of the door and leaned up against it, his head resting back on the wall. He stared to the sun, it was warm, but not that bright, he could look at it without much fear of damage to his eyes.
He sighed deeply as he muttered "What am I doing here?"
"To be a Champion, what else?" A voice spoke up calmly to his side.
Vlads eyes widened as he turned to see who was there, to his surprise there stood a man also leaning on the wall. A cigarette in his mouth, his eyes greyer than a dead cloud, he wore a large dark jacket that had a hood that covered his whole head.
"Who are you?" Vladimir looked at him nervously, his mask tight in his palms.
The man didn't move at all, he stared down blankly as he responded "Champion Of Ennzoll Zheva Heir"
Vladimir leaned slightly to the side as he said "You're a Champion too?"
Zheva nodded firmly, his eyes slightly widened as he felt the smoke from his cigarette stop. Sighing deeply he let it fall out of his mouth before crushing it under his brown leather boot. He took a deep inhale of the fresh air while his head raised upwards.
He reached into a back pocket before pulling out his pack, he grabbed two cigarettes and ignited them on the box. Vladimir looked at him in slight worry as he saw the smoke erupt from the duo of cigarettes.
Zheva grabbed one in both hands before holding the left one out to Vlad, stating calmly "Want a smoke?" He looked at Vladimir for once.
Vladimir looked at him in surprise, but he soon took the cigarette and took a deep inhale, the smoke escaping his lungs was a huge relief. His head fell back against the building as he stared upwards alongside Zheva.
"Hey, why weren't you at the place with all the other Champions?" A heavy exhale exited his lungs as he smoked.
Zheva tilted his head to the side as he responded "I just got back from a mission, I need to grab a new dagger from Nikolai"
Vladimir responded while his gaze was on the sky "So you use a dagger?"
"Nope, it's just something to help with my Order" The cigarette hung between his fingers, it snapped effortlessly as he tightened his grip.
Vlad didn't notice as he asked "Have you ever seen pink and green flames?"
Zheva stopped for a split second as he asked calmly "Twilight Flames?"
Vladimir nodded firmly in response, his throat preoccupied by taking a heavy inhale of the cancer fumes from his cigarette. Zheva ignited another as he stared into the sky, he never even once noticed the difference in height between him and Vlad.
Neither of them continued the topic, instead opting to continue smoking, every breath filled with the dark smoke. The air nearby was filled with the dead gas, however the smoke was soon overtaken by the clean air around them.
Zheva broke the silence as he asked calmly "Your name is Vladimir right? I hear you have a Grace Order"
Vladimir pulled the cigarette out as he asked "Grace Order?"
He let out a short sigh as he responded "A Grace Order is an incredibly powerful Order that is predetermined, it'll come to a specific person in a bloodline"
Vladimir looked up as he wondered about that, a Grace Order? An incredible ability he was given because he was lucky enough to be born at this time. What is his? What does it do? How would they know when someone would get it?
Vlad murmured slightly "Do you have any clue what it could be?"
"Nah, I wouldn't know what yours is specifically, there are over six hundred of them" A heavy exhale of smoke escaped his lungs.
Zheva tapped the cigarette a few times before he asked calmly "So, any reason you were asking about Twilight Flames?"
Vladimir looked at him as he responded "Well, what is so great about them? Everybody talks about them, Xeiemia said it was one in a million, Seraphim called me Twilight Boy, what is so great about flames?"
Zheva stopped his cigarette right before it entered his mouth, he lowered it slightly as he responded "Twilight Flames have some, unique qualities, it's not just flames, it manipulates atoms around it"
Vladimir looked at him in confusion as he asked "And why does that help me exactly?"
Zheva stayed silent for a moment before he finished "Twilight Flames are said to have some incredible properties that no one knows about, however it makes it one of the most powerful Grace Orders there are"
Vlad stopped the smoke going down his throat suddenly as he felt a cough stream through his mouth, his voice was hoarse as he asked "That's a Grace Order?!?"
Zheva nodded a bit as he took in a deep inhale of the cigarette, his head tilted to the side as he looked off, his gaze unfocused on anything though. Vladimir held his index finger across his lips, the cigarette smoking between his fingers.
The shadow behind Zheva began to enlarge as his breath stopped, the cigarette falling out his grasp, his eyes closing softly, his head falling back slightly. Vladimir looked at him in confusion for a moment before suddenly the door behind him opened.
Vlad glanced to see Ivan with a small sphere in his hand, it looked a bit like a hand grenade but was silver and metallic. Ivan looked at him in surprise as he noticed the cigarette in his hand, he stepped down from the doorway as he kept a now irritated look on Vladimir.
"Listen I get it's relaxing to do, but that's like four, one is still lit" He flicked his hand towards the multiple cigarettes on the ground.
Vladimir looked at him in confusion as he turned to where Zheva was, his eyes widened as he saw he wasn't there anymore. A remnant of his shadow was on the wall but was slowly falling, he even left his cigarette behind.
Vladimir looked down at Zhevas discarded sticks for a moment before swiftly stating "No no, those aren't mine, neither is this"
Ivan tilted his head to the side as he asked confusedly "And who could it be?"
Vlad responded bluntly "I think his name was Zheva"
Ivan looked surprised for a moment but he swiftly sighed as he stated "Yea that makes sense, Zheva goes through like six packs a day"
Vladimir took a final inhale of his stick before throwing it onto the concrete street and crushing it, he looked to Ivan who was attaching the sphere to a hook on his belt. Vlad walked to his side calmly as he looked down at the metal orb.
Ivan turned to him as he asked calmly "So you ready?"
Vlad nodded firmly to which Ivan let out a slight smile, he turned forward as his hand opened, his arm stretched out as his whole arm tensed up. Suddenly a bright light blue doorway appeared before them.
Ivan walked calmly towards it while Vlad followed close behind, his eyes squinting as he watched the doorway in confusion. Ivan opened the door wide to which they saw a bright golden light on the other side, Ivan smiled as he nodded to himself before taking a step through.
Vladimir quickly followed, taking a quick gulp before taking a step through the doorway. He felt like he was floating for a few seconds in the blinding void, his entire body feeling like it was touching everything and nothing at the same time.
Another second later his foot made contact with the ground, his eyes widened as he could hear loud noises all around him. He looked around to see a small room, Ivan stood in the same room with him with his arms crossed.
Ivan stated bluntly "Get used to it, you'll need to be more efficient in this job"
Vlad took a deep breath of the clean air before nodding deeply, his throat taking another deep gulp as he stood straight. Ivan let his arms hang as he walked to a nearby door, he pushed it open firmly to a wave of light.
Vladimir followed him closely as he exited the building, golden light reigned down on the two, voices rang from all around them. Vlad looked around in shock, a place so beautiful, the architecture was perfect, the air was clean, the sky clear and bright, the people seemed happy.
Ivan looked at Vlad over his shoulder, his eyes irritated as he stated "Enough gawking, we need to get moving"
He began to walk casually through the clean streets, something Vladimir couldn't have imagined seeing ever. Vlad quickly followed him, his eyes constantly glancing in every direction, he couldn't believe people were living like this when the people in the underground were living in what is equivalent to a shit pile.
Ivan stated "We've got a hotel we'll be staying at, it's all paid for by the Kruzchev Union" He took out his phone for a second as he took a glance at it.
Vladimir tried to look at it but couldn't see anything, even if he could he wouldn't be able to understand anything that was being told. Ivan put it away calmly as he whistled to himself, his voice out of tune which irritated a few nearby people.
Vlad looked at him in confusion as he asked "So what're we doing now?"
Ivan stopped in place as he looked up for a moment, his head slowly turned to Vladimir as he responded "We're…Getting something to eat"
Vlad tilted his head as he let out an audible huh, Ivan turned away as he waved his hand for him to follow. The two turned to a narrow street with multiple shops on either side of them, the signs fancy and detailed while the location was clean and nice.
"Why are we going for food first?" Vlad fidgeted with his mask as he looked down.
Ivan responded with a slight smile "Well I heard you mention you haven't eaten, besides, neither have I"
He glanced at a nearby cafe, a sigh escaped his throat, his hands rested in his pockets as he walked towards it with a calm expression. Vlad followed him closely, he felt his stomach burn as he gripped it tightly.
Ivan glanced over his shoulder at Vlad, his ocean like eyes stared him down, but didn't say anything regarding his hunger. He looked back forward as he stopped in front of the cafe, he looked to the sign blankly.
Vlad asked "Is there something else we're doing here? Meeting someone?"
Ivan shook his head firmly as he responded "Nope, we're just getting food you'll need it especially, I mean, look at you"
Vlad let out a short noise of protest before he looked down in defeat as he sighed deeply, he grasped his mask in both hands as he opened it up. As he held it up to his head Ivan suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled it down, he shook his head firmly at him.
"You look like you're going to steal, try to somewhat look normal okay? Besides it looks eh at best" He nodded his head towards the mask in Vladimirs tight grip.
Vlad felt a thin hiss of air enter his lungs, though through his tensed head he didn't show it. Vlad put the mask into his pocket as Ivan pulled the door wide open, Vladimir slipping in shortly after. The cafe was small, but it still was nearly full of people who clearly were wealthy.
Ivan sat down at one of the few untaken seats and gestured for Vlad to sit at the other one across. Vladimir sat down though he felt tense, like he didn't belong which in truth, he didn't. Vlad rested his arms on the table as Ivan picked up a menu calmly.
Vlad held his chin for a moment before suddenly he sputtered as he stated "I…Don't have money"
Ivan shrugs as he doesn't look away from the menu "And? We're not paying for it, Kruzchev is"
"Who is Kruzchev?" He raised an eyebrow as his head leaned to the side.
Ivan bluntly stated without moving his eyes "Kruzchev is the organization we're working with, they gave us a card to pay for this stuff with"
Vlad squinted as he asked "When did we get that?"
Ivan flicked his sleeve for a credit card to come out, he responded with a smile "When I went to Nikolai, he gave me it"
Vlads expression went up a bit, he was glad to know it wasn't just stolen, not to mention they had it physically. Vlad picked up a menu as he held his hand over his mouth and chin, his eyes scanning the page calmly.
Ivan put down his page as he stated "I know what I'm ordering, what about you?"
Vlad stopped for a second, he glanced at Ivan before turning his menu over and tapping one option. He asked nervously "What..Is this?"
Ivan responded bluntly "Beef soup, good meal, great nutritional value, you know how to recognize the good ones, though I guess that's a skill most would have if they were from the unde-";
Vlad covered his mouth swiftly, shaking his head while his eyes were open, Ivan glanced to the side then at him again in confusion. His eyes lowered as he pushed his hand off his face, he leaned back in his seat as he looked over to the counter.
"Yea probably shouldn't say that, sorry. Anyways, you going for Beef Soup too?" He returned his eyes to see Vladimir.
Vlad stayed still for a moment before nodding calmly, Ivan looked at the soup for a moment on the menu, his eyes scanning the extras part. He placed the menu back down as he looked at Vladimir, his arms on the table calmly.
Ivan asked "Want any extras?"
Vlad scratched the back of his head, glancing at the menu for a moment before looking back at Ivan who seemed confused. Vlad shrugged his shoulders as Ivan sighed deeply, his finger traced the center of the menu as he looked at Vladimir blankly.
"You're not in that place anymore, you can get what you want, you don't have to think about money, they gave us the card to buy food with" Ivans voice was harsh and firm as he explained what he believed was common sense.
Vlad let out an internal groan as he looked back at the menu for a moment, sighing as he shook his head to Ivan. Ivan opened his mouth to speak though he stopped as he noticed someone approaching.
A man stood there with a notepad, he asked calmly "Do you two know what you want?"
Ivan glanced at Vlad for a moment before returning his gaze back to the man as he nodded. The waiter smiled as he looked at Vladimir first who tensed slightly, he held his palm on the menu as he glanced down at the beef soup for a moment before speaking.
"I'll have the b-beef soup…I-I think" He whispered that last part.
The waiter looked at him in surprise as he asked "I see, it's customary to order your drink first and then your food, you should remember that if you order anywhere else" His voice was surprisingly calm despite it ignoring tradition.
Vlad felt his neck tense up as he sat forward, nervously stating "I'll…Just have a water"
The waiter wrote it down calmly as he slowly turned to Ivan who leaned back as he stated "I'll have a Kvass and the same meal as him, though I'll have a side of salad too"
The waiter nodded in approval as he wrote down the order with a slight smile, Vlad noticed the difference in how Ivan ordered his meal. The man put his pen away as he walked off, Vladimir watched him leave while Ivan barely paid any attention.
Vlad leaned over to Ivan as he asked "What's a Kvass?"
"It's a fermented drink, it only has a bit of alcohol" Ivan leaned to the side as he explained.
"I feel like getting drunk before a meeting is a bad idea"
Ivan frowned as he responded bluntly "I just said it only has a bit of alcohol, besides, sometimes coffee doesn't do it for me, you need something stronger some days"
Vlad leaned his head to the side as he looked upwards "I mean, I get it, but what about like smoking, is that fine?"
Ivan chuckled as he responded "Oh yea, most of the Champions smoke"
"Hopefully not as much as Zheva" Vlad stated hopefully.
Ivan nodded as he said calmly "Yea, Zheva has a bit too much"
Vlad pinched his chin as he asked "How do you think Nikolai will react to the amount of cigarettes outside?"
Ivan chuckled as he responded "He'll probably be like" He put on an old man voice "Oh why are they fillin me lawn with death sticks?!"
Vlad chuckled as he responded "Is he even that old?"
Ivan leaned his head to the side as he responded with a smile "No, he's only seventy two"
Vlad looked in surprise before stating "That's not young, that's pretty old"
Ivan shrugged as he stated "Age isn't that big to us Champions, Sila was in his late fifties"
Vlad chuckled as he leaned forward before asking sarcastically "What would that make you then? Two Hundred?"
Ivan tilted his head side to side as he responded with a high tone "Yea sure if you remove a few zeroes"
Vlad responded sarcastically again "So, you're either twenty or two? Damn you've got a big head for a toddler"
Ivan chuckled silently as he responded "If I'm two, you're a fetus"
Vlad waved his hand as he stated "I mean, I'm twenty two, you don't seem that much older"
Ivan hissed happily to him "Twenty Six bitch!"
Vladimir had a muffled groan in the depths of his throat, the thought of Ivan being older than him was irritating. His eyes widened as he realised just how childish of a thing to be irritated about, the two of them were in their twenties, that's all that mattered.
Ivan looked upwards at the window as he spoke "Do you think you're allowed to smoke here?" His hands held together as he looked up.
Vlad tilted his head to the side as he responded "Likely not, it's a cafe"
Ivan shrugged as he said "Fair point"
Vlad asked calmly "So, what's the plan with the whole meeting?" He glanced at the same waiter who was picking up their food.
Ivan noticed it too as he stated "We're simply making a connection with them, we'll be meeting with a guy called Lev Kruzchev, he owns the company"
The waiter walked over with their drinks and plates on his palms, a small smile on his face as he placed them down next to the two. The jug of ice cold water landed next to Vlad, his eyes wide as he couldn't believe it, a drink that big and fresh.
Ivan said to the waiter "Thank you very much sir"
The waiter responded calmly "It's no problem, enjoy your food young men"
Vladimir nervously picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the stew, he took a large bite of it, his eyes closed for a moment before they shot open. His mouth remained open slightly as he looked down in amazement of the food before him.
"Pretty good isn't it?" Ivan picked up his Kvass calmly as he spoke.
Vlad nodded firmly as he took another bite of the bread covered in gravy, his tongue feeling like it was in another world from the flavour. Before he realised it he had completely finished the piece of bread.
"Damn, you wouldn't get anything like this in the underground" Vlad chuckled to himself.
Ivan shrugged as he took a bite of his salad mixed with the stew "Well, that's a benefit of the job, we get to have food like this on the regular"
Vlad looked at him in joy, a small smile on his face as he responded "I guess this won't be that bad, even though I'm obligated to do this"
Ivan tilted his head as he asked "What do you mean by that?"
Vlad left his mouth open for a moment before he responded nervously "Well, Elena gave me a choice, either I die or join the Champions"
"Damn, Well I'm sure this life will be a lot better than the other place" He nervously gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Vladimir nodded firmly as he continued eating, Ivan continually took sips of his Kvass, every time his lips left the cap it was accompanied by a sigh of relief. Vlad noticed this, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
Vlad muttered to himself "Seems like Zheva isn't the only substance abuser"
Ivan heard him mutter but didn't hear what he said, he looked at Vlad for a few moments as he ate his salad, though he shrugged his shoulders as he focused on his food again. The two continued eating for a while until the table was filled with empty plates.
Ivan sighed deeply as he leaned back in his seat "Ah that's good, it's always best to eat before talking to someone as you might get hangry, and I don't think that helps anyone"
Vlad nodded calmly as he glanced at the counter where the same waiter was standing, it seemed like he handled most of the jobs in the cafe. Ivan stretched his hands upwards before standing up calmly.
Vlad turned to him as he asked "What are you doing?"
Ivan glanced at him as he responded "I'm off to pay"
Vladimir looked at him in confusion, he saw his hand flick into his sleeve for a moment, his neck tensed as he worried what he would pull out. Ivan approached the counter where the waiter had already gotten a card reader ready for him.
Ivan suddenly flicked a golden credit card out of his sleeve much to Vlads relief, the waiter seemed surprised when he saw the card. The reader accepted it as Ivan put it back into his sleeve, he waved goodbye to the waiter who nervously waved back.
Vladimir stood up and stood next to the door as Ivan approached, he nodded to Vlad before opening the door, Vladimir followed Ivan closely out. Vlad felt his eyes lower as he felt the bright sun on it, it didn't feel this harsh before.
Ivan stated calmly "Alright, next stop will be the Kruzchev Office"
Vlad looked in surprise, though he glanced to the side as he asked "Quick question, what's the orb you got from Nikolai about?"
Ivan let out a hm sound as he responded "It's a precaution, if things turn out badly we can use this to help us"
Vladimir scratched the back of his head in surprise, he looked down for a moment before sighing deeply. Ivan whistled to himself as they walked through the streets, Vlad glanced around at the gorgeous golden architecture around them, it was much better than the underground.
Ivan stopped whistling as he looked upwards, Vladimir looked the same way expecting to see something, though all there was was the clear sky. Ivan tilted his head side to side as he stared upwards, Vlads face slightly scrunched as he looked at him in confusion
Vlad asked "What are you doing?"
"I'm just looking up, why?"
"Why exactly?" He glanced side to side at people around them.
Ivan shrugged as he looked forward "Why not"
Vladimir opened his mouth to speak more, but could only let out a short noise, the two simply kept walking until they reached a large building. The doors were lined with gold as was the walkway to it, Vladimir walked carefully in fear of breaking something on the ground.
Ivan stopped at the doorway where a man stood there calmly, Ivan waved to him to which he asked "Are you the Champions?"
Ivan nodded as he responded "Yep, Champion Of Ennzoll Ivan Piterozk and Vladimir Nikito here to see Lev Kruzchev"
The mans eyes widened for a second, he muttered to himself "Nikito?" He glanced at Vladimir for a moment, his eyes wide for a few seconds before he hissed through his teeth "Alright, keep the red eyed Bracken close"
The man opened the door widely for Ivan who gave a smile and wave, Vlad stuck close to Ivan as he walked in, shooting a swift glare at the man who returned it. Ivan walked into the red carpeted room, the walls were lined with portraits and flowers and grand items.
Vladimir felt his arms tense as he looked around the room, this is exactly how'd he imagined a building belonging to someone like this would look. Ivan glanced at Vlad for a few seconds, thinking of the words of the guard out the front.
Suddenly a voice came from a door to their side "Apologies my guests, I wasn't expecting you to arrive so early" The voice was boisterous, it echoed around the room, it was commanding too, like a horn.
The door opened and out came a man with golden hair, it reached to his nape, he wore a blue suit with red stripes across the sleeves and torso, though they were few and far between. Ivan looked at him and nodded calmly, giving a short smile.
"A pleasure to be meeting you, I am Ivan Piterozk" Ivan bowed as his hand rested on his stomach while his backhand rested on the back of his hip.
The man pushed his hands forward as he stated with a chuckle "Oh no, it's an honour to meet you, to think two Champions Of Ennzoll would come personally to meet me"
Vlad looked at him in slight surprise and nervousness, he thought about that, that was Lev Kruzchev, the owner of the company. Lev looked at Vladimir for a few seconds, his smile disappeared as he looked in surprise.
Vlad tensed for a few moments until Lev said "Excuse me, I was told the one named Elena Volkov would be here"
Vlad stopped for a moment as he looked at him, Ivan waved his hand as he stated "Elena unfortunately just went on another mission of the same variety, things would get confusing which would mess things up I'm afraid, so we have him, a new Champion"
Vlad glanced at Ivan slightly, he barely suppressed his look of confusion, after all he was told him and Elena had gone on the same mission. Maybe it was his intelligence? Or maybe it was too tiring of a mission for Elena?
Lev looked at Vlad for a few seconds but soon smiled as he asked "Well now, I'm even more lucky then" He swiftly approached Vladimir, stopping right in front of him and looking down with wide eyes "What may your name be young man?"
Vladimir looked up at him as he felt his neck hairs raise, though out of annoyance of being called young man "My name is Vladimir Nikito…"
"Nikito? Strange last name, I have heard it somewhere before" He pinched his chin as he stared to the side.
Vlad gulped as he realised this would be bad if he thought him and Carey were working together, he inhaled deeply as he thought of something to say to explain himself. Ivan looked at the two with squinted eyes.
Right when Vlad was about to speak Lev waved his hand as he stated "Ah doesn't matter, pleasure Vladimir" He extended his hand out to Vladimir.
Vlad gulped before reaching out and meeting the shake, his hand was so much smaller, colder, paler, because he was from the underground. Vladimir gulped again as another fear took hold of his mind, what if he figured out his origin.
Lev looked at Vlads hand in thought, his mouth slightly open for a few moments until he said "Your hand is cold, excuse me rudeness but may I suggest a full glove instead of the half ones"
Vladimir looked at him in surprise, he gave a proper suggestion, did he not notice, maybe this wouldn't be that hard if he was this much of an idiot. Lev took a few steps away as he calmly looked at Ivan, a small smile on his face.
"Well now, let's get going"
Ivan nodded calmly to him, Vladimir had a short gulp as he looked at the two, they seemed to get along, maybe Ivan could take the lead. Vlad can't talk to people well, he learned that from experience.
Lev turned away as he stated "Well this way, my office is just down here"
Before Vlad knew it, the three of them were in Levs office, the room was larger than his bedroom, it had shelves of trophies and pictures. The desk had the company name built into it, Vlad wondered as he stared at it, did he do that or was that someone else before him?
Lev placed his arms on the desk as he sat forward in his large chair, Vlad and Ivan sat in two very large seats too. Ivan leaned forward as he waited for Lev to speak, Vlad rested his arms on the desk too as he looked between Ivan and Lev.
Lev stated "Now, this deal…You will be given our support, this city will be your haven, in exchange we need you to do something"
Ivan quickly spoke "Pay? Assasination? Name it"
Lev waved his hands as he stated reassuringly "Woah woah, no one will be dying, we just need you to find something"
Vladimir spoke with a slight croak in his throat "Do you mean like an item? Or a person" He gulped slightly at the end, worrying if Lev would consider a missing person just something.
Lev nodded calmly "You see, it's both, I'm looking for a green medallion that belonged to my family, it was stolen, though from what I know someone stole it from the original thieves, and from what I know, that thief is open to selling it, we just need to find them"
Lev leaned forward as he pressed his fingers together, Vlad glanced at Ivan who returned it slightly, Ivan turned back to him before nodding calmly. Vladimir gulped as he took a short breath, how were they going to find someone this organization couldn't?
Lev smiled as he said happily "Are you open to helping?" Ivan nodded calmly to him again "Oh that's amazing, alright, we know really only one thing about this thief, they're from the underground, it's not too difficult to identify someone from there"
Vladimir felt his breath catch in his throat, Ivan leaned forward as he asked "What are some features of them?"
Lev stated in one breath "Their pale pasty skin, their crimson eyes, their short statures, their small arms and general slim bodies, and most importantly the greedy gazes of the brackens, just hang an item that looks valuable and they'll drool over it like a dog"
Vladimir felt his eyes strain as he stared at Lev in anger, his entire body tensed, a heavy but thin exhale left his throat as he looked at him. Ivan nodded calmly as he stood up, glancing at Vlad to stand up too.
Ivan asked "Will we have anything to help us?"
Lev reached under his desk and placed an amulet with golden and red gems along it, Ivan picked it up calmly as he observed the item curiously. He held it close as he nodded happily to him, seemingly understanding its value.
"Good luck you two, if you get this done you get our support"
Ivan nodded calmly as he turned to leave, Vladimir followed closely, his eyes focused on what was behind him though, a man who loathed him to his core. Ivan glanced at Vlad but kept quiet, his mouth sealed as he left the room.
Lev spun his chair around to stare at the large trophy behind him, it towered over him in its bulletproof casing. His eyes wide as he stared it down, his fist leaned against his cheek as he gulped.
He muttered to himself "Dearest Vivillia, if we can't find you, please find yourself"
The two approached the exit swiftly, Vlad stared down as he still felt his whole body tensed, Ivan on the other hand walked calmly catching only slight glances at his fellow champion. As the two exited the guard out front gave Vladimir a death stare which Vlad returned.
The guard tensed slightly as he received the stare, but the fear factor was heavily lessened by the rest of Vladimirs face. He muttered to himself "How can a man's face look that wrong? These Brackens are inhuman"
Ivan took a turn away from the view of the guard before swiftly pushing Vladimir into an alleyway, Vlad looked at him in confusion as Ivan glanced out the alley. Vladimir felt both confusion and anger now, his breaths staggered like something was on his throat.
Ivan stated firmly "You need to manage your temper, you nearly broke there, it could've jeopardized the whole thing"
Vladimir clenched his fists as he stated "You want me to just sit there and take that?"
"That's not what I'm saying" Ivan voice was calm, his head slightly tilted as he had swiftly responded.
Vladimir stated "These fuckers say that about us…We're the same, we're human, we breathe the same ai-...We…Bleed…We experience the same em-..." He stuttered in his throat before he gritted his teeth "We're not any lesser than those fucking Pesdos!"
He slammed his fist into the wall to his side, a loud crumble sound erupted as the wall shattered all over, though it didn't collapse it was covered in large cracks that stretched from top to bottom. Ivan looked at Vlad with wide eyes, his throat cracked as he opened his mouth.
Ivan took a deep breath as he closed his eyes gently, giving a blank look at Vlad as he stated "That wall doesn't belong to us, I don't know if we can pay it off, let's go"
He turned calmly as he stared forward, taking a deep breath in, his lungs held it before releasing in a smooth stream. Vlad looked at him and gulped, his head lowered slightly as he followed close behind.
They walked through the wide alleys, even the alleyways were clean and empty of trash or mice. Ivan specifically went the ways without any cameras so they couldn't see the two were near the broken wall.
Vlad muttered to himself "Why are we doing this? Why are we helping them"
Ivan stopped suddenly, turning firmly to stare Vlad in the eyes, Vladimir looked at him in confusion as Ivan looked down with a death glare. Ivan stood straight, not even blinking, Vlad did the same though his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the man before him.
"You're right, you aren't any lower than these people, but don't lessen yourself to their level by throwing around those words" Ivan spoke clearly and sternly.
Vladimirs eyes widened in shock as he heard Ivan speak, his shoulders lowered as he looked down, he nodded calmly to him. Ivan looked at him for a bit longer before turning away, he began walking again, his eyes cold and dull as he stared forward.
The two left the alleyways calmly, Ivan glanced at the red amulet, its jewels glistening in the shining sun. Vladimir wished he could smash the jewel in Levs face, though he knew that would only cause trouble for him and the others.
He glanced at the shops to their sides, they were filled with people that had tons of nice clothing and accessories on them. Vladimir felt his head tense, a headache forming as he thought of how these people could be so happy while such sadness reigned below.
Vlad asked silently "Do you come here often?"
Ivan tilted his head slightly as he responded "No not really, only because of missions"
Vladimir looked to his side at all the people laughing together, he felt sick to his stomach, they looked so happy, not knowing their happiness was a result of his peoples misery…Or did they know that?
Vladimir muttered "I despise this place"
Ivan tilted his head to the side as he stated calmly "I don't like this place, it's a land of the selfish, the foods nice, the people aren't" He looked down as he finished.
Vladimir muttered "How do they expect us to find this person?" He groaned on the inside.
Ivan responded calmly "Good question, frankly, I don't have an answer"
Ivan stopped in place, he held his chin in thought, he glance from side to side before turning to Vladimir and stating calmly "Yea I have no clue where we're going"
Vladimir thought for a moment before asking "Should we start asking around?" He held his chin in thought.
Ivan nodded calmly before saying "Yeaaaaaa, probably we should"
He turned to Vlad as he stated "I'll take the western area, you go for the eastern and we'll meet at the hotel later" He tossed a key from his pocket to Vladimir.
Vlad cupped the key in his palms gently, his crimson gaze stared down at it for a moment before he put it away. He felt his breath stop in his throat, he was worried about his appearance. If Lev could describe the average person from the underground so well, what could someone, smarter do?
Ivan turned away as he stated "Try to keep out of trouble, I'll hold onto the amulet, just try to get info and meet me later"
Vlad nodded calmly, his spine tingled from nervousness though, like a freezing breeze was coming from behind. He turned away while a quick breath entered his lungs, Vlad stared forward calmly as he pondered how he could find the thief.
Ivan gave one last glance at Vlad before walking away, a heavy sigh escaping his lungs in worry, Vlads previous outbreak worried him, what would happen if Vlad broke like that again. He held his chin tightly, the thief came from the same land as Vladimir, what if he sympathizes with them, what if he helps them instead? His loyalty to the Champions seems wavering due to his last mission.
Ivan gave the top of his head a wipe, an exhale left his mouth as he looked straight, though he swiftly saw there was a bar to his side. He made a huh sound before approaching the building, figuring if anywhere had any info it would be a bar.
Vlad on the other hand walked through the alleyways, he felt a strange kinship with the rats that ran through them, left to pick up the scraps of the people above them, always at their mercy. Vlad kneeled down next to a bin, even this seemed cleaner than the streets of the underground.
He sighed deeply, making sure to breathe through his mouth as to not inhale the smell. He tapped the back of his hand against a bin, he let the metal clanging sound echo in his ears for a few moments, for some reason he felt relaxed.
Suddenly a sharp pain cracked in his back, the tension from all his years of sleeping on the streets and fighting people in the underground. He let out a groan as he leaned on the top of the bin, his teeth gritted as he leaned forward.
He stood up annoyedly swiftly rushing out the alleyway as he knew if he hung out at the bins it would imprint the smell on him. He stood in the streets as he grasped his chest, his breath heavier than iron.
He pulled himself up to the point where his back arched backwards, he gritted his teeth again, looking straight up. The sun was so warm, too warm, too bright, blinding. He stood straight as he stared forward, sighing deeply.
"Are you okay sir?" A voice came from Vlads side.
He slowly turned as his eyes widened to see a man there, he was clearly concerned for Vlad, he was also old, clearly in his eighties. Vladimir nodded nervously as he looked at the man confusedly, why would he be concerned about a man he just met?
"Thank you, I'm fine, I just tripped" Vlad lied through his teeth, as he always has.
The man spoke in worry "Oh dear, did you hit your ankle? Would you like me to get some ice for you?" The man gripped the book he was holding tightly.
"U-Uh, I-...N-No thank you, I just lost balance, I didn't get much sleep you see" Vladimir spoke reassuringly to him, hoping to calm the man before him.
Internally Vladimir was screaming to himself, why would a man who he didn't know be so kind to him? A Pesdo no less. He was old, maybe he figured out Vladimir was from the underground and he was luring him in to send to the law?
"Hmm, very well then, please take better care of yourself, if you need a place to rest come down here to my shop" He waved his hand to the shop behind him, it was small but cozy looking.
Vladimir looked at him in surprise before looking down and muttering "Th-Thank you very much…"
The man smiled as he turned away, beginning to go back to his shop, Vladimir looked at him as his body was fully tensed. This man was so kind to him despite never meeting him before, why would someone be so good to him?
Vlads eyes widened as he asked "Um, excuse me, have you seen someone who looks a bit like myself? W-With…R-Red eyes?" His voice became a mutter by the end.
The man turned calmly as he responded "I did actually, do you know them? Actually it makes sense, people from the underground like yourselves should stick together in foreign lands"
Vladimirs eyes widened in shock, he knew he was from the underground but yet treated him so well? He didn't have time to dwell on that info as he now had a potential lead on the thief. He gulped deeply as he stared at the old man.
"I do, they're an old friend of mine, however I couldn't meet with them for a while, I need to find them to make sure they're safe" Vladimir felt like a building's weight was on his back.
Vlad felt an uncommon sense of shame as he lied to the kind man to his face, every word spoken with complete sincerity despite it all being from a snakes tongue. His throat itched, he wanted to scratch it but decided to let it keep going.
The man held his chin as he stated "They sometimes visit my shop, just to pick up pure black coffee, then they leave, I don't know where they are but they do usually go to the right…Actually I do remember they mentioned wanting to go to the Jvil warehouse"
Vlad tilted his head as he heard that, he had heard of Jvil, they even had business in the underground, though it never usually went well as their warehouses down there were usually raided. He held the back of his head as he thought about why they would be going to the warehouse.
His eyes widened as he realised there must be something valuable in there, if this person who just stole something so valuable was already off to steal once again. Vlad looked at the man and smiled slightly, though it was a struggle as when he smiles the veins in his face dig into the bottom of his eyes.
"Thank you very much, that helps a lot" Vlad felt a sense of relief knowing he now had a lead.
The man smiled as he responded "Oh it's no bother, please be careful in this place though, people here are not so welcoming"
Vlad nodded calmly as he slowly turned to walk away, the man smiled as he watched Vladimir leave, knowing he had helped someone meet their old friend. Vladimir made sure to get out of the mans view before he swiftly dived into an alleyway.
He took a quick breath as he leaned against the wall, he gulped for a moment before turning to the left. Now he had to tell Ivan what he learned, he had to go meet with him in their hotel room. He pulled out the key and looked at the tag on it, the Yakselv hotel, room nine.
It was strange to him that it was only room nine, perhaps they couldn't get a good hotel so it was only a small one. Though in all honestly Vladimir would take it regardless, he doesn't care if it's shit or pristine, if it had a bed, he was happy.
It took over an hour due to him constantly sticking to alleyways, but eventually Vladimir made it. His eyes wide as he stared up at the large hotel, it didn't have few rooms because it was poor, it had few rooms because it was expensive.
He went in and approached the front desk with his key, a man sat there typing on a computer, Vlad gulped as he stood waiting for him to notice him. It took a bit but the man eventually noticed Vladimir, he moved away from his computer as he asked.
"Can I help you sir?" He spoke calmly, though in truth he was slightly unnerved by Vladimirs face, specifically his eyes.
Vlad gulped as he nodded before responding "I was given a key for room nine, which way is it?"
The man looked surprised as he responded "Oh, you have the vip ones, well then you'll need to take a left and go up the elevator to floor six"
Vladimir nodded as he said "Thank you very much"
He walked to the left as the man continued looking at him, he glanced at a bodyguard next to the desk as he snapped his fingers. The bodyguard leaned down as he whispered something to him, the bodyguard nodded before reclaiming his previous position.
Vlad swiftly reached the elevator and much to his relief it was already on his floor, though there were several side by side the others were already in use. Vlad walked into the elevator and pressed the six button.
As the elevator was about to close Vlad heard a short yelp before a man stumbled into the elevator with him right when it closed. Vladimir leaned away as he looked at the person who had made it in, his surprised expression suddenly turned to confusion as he realised who it is.
"Ivan? What the hell?" Vlad crossed his arms as he looked at Ivan in confusion.
Ivan chuckled as he responded "He-Hey, fancy meeting you here huh?" He cracked his own back as he spoke.
"Wwwwhyyyy were you rushing to get in?" His head slightly tilted.
Ivan shrugged as he responded "Wasn't assed to wait for the next one"
Vladimir sighed deeply as the elevator reached their floor, the door opened swiftly as the two stepped out. Vlad glanced at Ivan as he wondered how someone so intelligent can be so childish and impatient.
Vlad asked calmly "So, did you learn anything?"
Ivan shook his head calmly, he stated "I learned this place hates eggs for some reason, but that's really it"
Vladimir looked at him blankly as he said "Okayyyy well I learned something"
Ivan raised an eyebrow as they reached their room, Ivan inserted the key before swinging the door wide open. As they entered Vlads eyes widened, a huge room with a kitchen, a couch with a TV, and even two bathrooms.
"Holy shit, are we able to afford this?" Vlad gulped slightly.
Ivan shrugged as responded "Eh, it's paid for by the Kruschev Organisation"
Ivan sat down on the couch while leaning forward, he tapped the back of the spot next to him as he looked at Vladimir. Vlad nervously closed the door before sitting down next to Ivan, he sat straight as Ivan connected his hands in front of himself.
"Alright, what do you have?" Ivan asked calmly.
"Well I learned the thief will be going to some warehouse soon, also I learned they rather their coffee black" He bluntly said that last part.
Ivan nodded as he responded "I see…Also that's fair, I personally rather sweeter coffee myself"
Vlad held his chin as he stated "I believe the warehouse belongs to Jvil Industries"
Ivan leaned back as he looked up "Jvil Industries I've heard of them"
Vladimir looked at him in thought as he asked "So should we wait there for them? Or perhaps set up a trap?"
Ivan hissed to himself "Mmmm, ahhh…Bad news, I can't help, you see my regeneration is very slow which means injuries take a while to heal…And…"
He lifted up his shirt to show a large blast mark on his hip, he then pulled the shirt at his neck away to show several large claw marks on it. He winced to himself as he felt the injuries flare by being exposed to oxygen.
"H-How did you get them?" Vlad gulped in fear of the injuries.
Ivan scratched the back of his head "Ah well, it was a visit to the Wrong World, I really hate that place"
Vlad groaned slightly to himself, Elena hated just the mention of the Wrong World and Ivan got those kinds of injuries, just what happens there? Vlad leaned forward as he nodded calmly, he sighed deeply right after as he wondered if he could handle this.
"When should I go?" Vlad asked while he stared forward, a fire to the right of the tv burning brightly.
Ivan looked at the fire too as he stated "Good question, I'd say you sleep for tonight, they'll likely strike in a few weeks"
Vlad grunted as he heard that, a few weeks of waiting? He did have good food and a nice place to live in, but waiting that long in a place that hated him. His thoughts stopped as he remembered the man he met, maybe this place wasn't the absolute worst.
Ivan stood up calmly as he stated "I'd say we get to bed for tonight, I'll make something for us in the morning"
Vlad nodded calmly as he gulped, he let out a short sigh before standing up. His bones were all stiff from the past few days. He was no stranger to tireless nights and a lot of movement, but he never usually competed with city destroyers.
The two went into their respective rooms, they were wide with large comfy looking beds, the mattresses perfectly placed on them. Vlad sat down on his bed as he leaned down, his head bobbing as he sighed deeply.
"God fucking dammit, what am I doing?" Vlad covered his face with his hands.
Vladimir stared to the ground for a few moments before deciding to get into bed, he placed his mask on a stand next to the bed before getting under the covers. They were soft like clouds, and yet for some reason he couldn't close his eyes.
Ivan on the other hand was in his bathroom, sitting on the toilet lid, he let out heavy breaths as he dabbed his wounds with wet cloths. He groaned deeply while holding his shirt up, a gulp came down his throat as he held the cloth against the blast mark.
"Haah…" He moaned to himself, the injuries always took long to heal, though he knew he would need it to recover to catch the thief.
Thus he continued tapping his hip with the cloth, his shoulder having a towel over it while he continued sitting. He didn't get any sleep that night, he only sat in the bathroom tending to his wounds.
The night was very different for Vladimir however, he couldn't bring himself to sleep at all, the idea of the thief being out there and knowing where they were kept his eyes open. He pushed the covers off him as he swiped up his mask.
He pulled it on before grabbing his knife, he left the sword as he believed it could cause people to panic when they see him armed. He gulped as he looked out the window of the room, the dark sky was clear with light grey clouds and a full moon illuminating the sky.
Vlad lowered his head for a moment before raising it again, his knife connecting to his back, he stared forward calmly before pulling open his door. He slowly closed it before carefully making his way to the exit.
As he left he glanced left and right before catching sight of the stairways, he saw a sign that said at this hour the elevators were off. He swiftly walked down the stairs without looking any other way than forward.
As he was leaving the building the receptionist looked at him in confusion and worry, his eyebrows furrowed as he and a bodyguard glanced at each other. Vlad walked in the now empty streets, the feel was far different, it was actually quite nice.
The soft bright light of the moon looked down on him and smiled for once, it was like the world was finally giving him a break from the overly abundant stresses and bright lights. He stopped moving only a short distance from the hotel.
He glanced around, his gaze caught an alleyway only a short distance to his side. Vlad held his chin in thought for a few moments as he wondered if he should go into it, or should he just stay on the streets. He looked down at the pristine ground, it was so perfect, too perfect.
His head raised as he dashed into an alley, he took a heavy exhale, he almost lost sight on his objective. His eyes widened as he thought of his objective, where was the warehouse? The city was huge, he couldn't find it that night by just searching.
His eyes widened as he remembered something he could do, he quickly began running through the alleys, though as he was about to exit one onto the street he stopped. Vladimir looked up as he thought about how convoluted the streets and ways were in the city, walking on the ground would take too long.
He gulped as he realised the only way to move quickly would be to go up, he looked up as he wondered how he could somehow get up there, let alone move fast enough. He shook his head as he focused on instead moving on the ground.
He began running through the alleys, his blood warmed up as he ran without a breath, every step shook his legs as he ran to the only place he could think of. The only moment he took a moment to breath was when he couldn't slow down in time and slammed into a wall.
His face smashed into the hard material, he let out an audible gasp and silent gag as he felt his nose dig into his face. He winced as he felt the blood pool between his eyes, a small drop fell from his left eye.
He gulped and took a deep breath before continuing his run, his teeth gritted as he sped down the streets and in the alleyways as fast as his tired body could do. The moment he could see where he wanted to go he felt a sense of relief.
However at the same time a wave of heat hit him, his legs in response to it completely stopped moving and he fell onto the ground. He felt the hard street scrape and tear against his skin, it didn't feel as perfectly made as it once did.
He gulped as he slowly pushed himself up, a sea of sweat on his forehead as he took heavy breaths, he wiped his head with his sleeve before swiftly approaching where he was looking for. He stood outside the building as he nervously looked upwards.
He took a short shaky breath before slowly opening the door, he took a step in the building before looking around before the man he was looking for was there. It was a small restaurant, smaller than the cafe him and Ivan had eaten at earlier.
There behind the counter was the same man Vlad had met earlier, he was closing up clearly, it was surprising to Vlad that he was working so late. The man straightened up as he heard the door open, he curiously turned to look at who entered.
"Apologies, I am closing up right now, I don't have many ingredients left at the moment, if you really need it I could make something si-" He turned to see Vladimir standing there, his eyes widened not in shock, but in fear.
He took a step back as he took a swift cold breath in before stating "L-Listen, I don't know who you are, but I don't have much money, please don't hurt me, my family needs th-"
"Woah woah calm down" Vlad held out his hands reassuringly, he pulled off his mask swiftly before looking at him with as positive of an expression as he could.
The man slowly relaxed as he saw it was Vladimir, his breath returned to a steady pace as he stated "Oh it's just you, okay then, do you need something to eat young man?" He was clearly a bit shaken still.
"Oh, well thank you but…I actually was looking to know where the Jvil Warehouse is? I need to find the person" Vladimir gulped as he spoke nervously.
The man looked at him in surprise, but slowly took a deep breath as he responded "I see, well you need to go down to the south and take a right, though may I just ask…Be careful, please"
Vlad could slightly felt his mouth slightly move up as he nodded, swiftly turning and leaving while gently closing the door. The man looked down as he worried what Vladimir could be doing while wearing an outfit like that, especially with a mask that hidden.
Vladimir turned to the south, a sign to his side told him the directions pointed, the signs were in every corner of the city which was useful to him. He began running again, every breath was heavy but he felt a sense of tension now, and simultaneous determination.
He didn't know what he would do once he got there, what would he do to find the thief, would they even be there? He could only hope they struck soon, if not he would try to camp out near the building, he was used to sleeping in uncomfortable environments.
As he reached the location he stopped in place, staring upwards in surprise. The warehouse was extremely big, bigger than several buildings. Vladimirs eyes were wide as he slowly approached the gates surrounding the building.
He looked down at the fences and gulped before reaching out and grabbing onto them, he quickly leapt over the fence, something he commonly did in the underground. As he landed on the grass surrounding the building he felt a strange jab in his chest.
His eyes widened as he realised something, he had used multiple skills from the underground, what he had learned down there helped him up there. As he stood straight he could feel a strange thought come on him, is this place really that different?
He shook his head as he looked forward, Vlad lowered his head calmly before running right at the building, he approached a small building next to it, a garage that only had room for one truck. He approached the side of it, there were multiple pieces sticking out.
He gulped before beginning to scale the side, his gloves stuck to each piece like glue as he gripped them with an iron like grip. He refused to look down despite how much his mind told him to, as it also told him to keep looking up and not look at the far ground.
As he reached the top of the garage he took a deep breath of relief, he didn't even look off into the distance as he didn't want to see the long falls around him. He gulped calmly as he looked upwards, there was still getting to the roof as a struggle.
He noticed a few even smaller ledges that could get him to the roof, he sighed deeply as he stared upwards. There was no way he could get up without them so he knew he would have to suck it up and climb, he stretched his arms a bit before preparing to climb up.
However right before he did he saw a dark shadow go over him, followed by a single strand of hair falling down, whiter than a clean cloud. His eyes widened as he heard voices from the top of the warehouse followed by heavy weaponry moving.
One man's voice groaned as he stated "I think if someone gets on the roof they should just be given the warehouse, if someone gets up here I'd give them my gun at this point"
Another man stated "True, well if we have to be here for a while might as well play something, anybody got a pack of cards"
A woman's voice came out "Yea no, you can play cards if you want, I'm going to just look like I'm doing my job, we all know about your meeting with the boss"
One of the men stuttered slightly before mumbling to himself, another man spoke up "What about icebreakers? Wouldn't that be a bit of fun?"
The first man tilted his head as he responded "Eh sure why not, I'll go first-...Uhh, what would the best piece of advice you've heard be?"
The woman groaned as she responded "Something better please, that involves less thinking"
The man took a heavy inhale in his nose before muttering "Fine, I guessssss…If you had to lose something about yourself what would it be? For me it would be a lu-"
Instead of ejecting sound, his mouth instead ejected a large amount of blood into his visor, he took a difficult breath as he felt his torso pierced. He looked down in horror to see his lung on the ground, his eyes waved in different directions, he couldn't see or think straight.
What was more terrifying was in his lung place was a hand that exited through his torso, the same hole his lung once occupied. He coughed up more blood before the hand was pulled out, he was then pushed off the building. The soldiers looked at where their former friend once stood, in his place was a woman.
The woman had snow white hair, it was short, barely passing her forehead. She wore a black outfit with red buttons down the middle, pockets lined every bit of it. Her belt was large and had several holsters filled with small vials.
Her face was covered with a black eye mask that connected around the back of her head under her hair. She wore long dark trousers but no shoes, only black socks that covered any remaining skin from the trousers. She wore tight black gloves that covered her whole hand, the only skin she showed was her mouth.
Several soldiers cocked their rifles only for her to disappear into mist, one slightly lowered his scope as he looked in confusion. He suddenly felt a heavy blow strike him in the chest, then another, several heavy hits landed on his legs before he felt a kick hit him in the face.
The other soldiers began firing at the location but hit nothing, one put on a pair of infrared goggles only for him to see the entire area is covered in invisible mist. With gritted teeth the soldier placed down a small mine before kicking in the direction of the woman.
The thief who had just finished with another soldier noticed the mine, the soldier barely was able to grab the thieves ankle using the last bit of her strength. The mine detonated which shattered the roof, the soldiers and the thief fell into the main area.
Multiple soldiers aimed their weapons only for the thief to throw several small orbs, the soldiers didn't know what it was until they expanded. Their eyes widened right before the orbs exploded, leaving the warehouse in flames.
The thief stood still for a few moments until she noticed the last soldier on the roof falling down to her, a knife in his hands gripped with all his strength. She barely avoid the swing at her head, a strand of hair falling to the ground.
She returned with a swing kick to the stomach before slamming him down on the ground, every rib and bone in his torso shattering. The man cough blood onto his chin as he held the thieves leg, his teeth gritted as he refused to die.
He yelled "What monster are you?!" His throat cracked as his vocal chords tore completely.
The thief just looked down at him disappointedly as she took out another small bomb "Vivillia of the restart"
A few moments later the bomb detonated, the flames and wind blew past Vivillia as she blankly stared down at him. Soon later the flames died down and all that was left was a bloody pile on the ground.
She pulled her leg out of his grip calmly, she stood still for a moment as she wondered why he would try so hard for them. Her eyes widened as she leapt upwards, several bullets followed her, one soldier began rapid firing his rifle.
She jumped from the roof onto a pillar, the bullets only narrowly missing, she took a swift breath before kicking the pillar in their direction. A piece of rubble flew by and flattened the soldier, Vivillia kept going, she jumped towards the soldiers on the ground.
She landed down on the ground, the ground crumbled and shattered into large pieces of rubble, Vivillia then landed on one piece and leapt upwards. She pulled her knees to her chest before delivering a kick to the chest of one soldier.
She landed on the roof and caught the gun he dropped midair, she shot two soldiers firing at her from the side. She leapt off the roof before running at two soldiers both with pistols, she landed in front of both of them and right before they fired she disappeared.
The two looked around frantically until suddenly one of their necks were snapped by Vivillia, right before the other soldier could notice she kicked them in the chest and grabbed their pistol midair before shooting them six times in the chest. Then she leapt upwards onto a window as she shot the last soldier.
She took a swift breath before suddenly the window shattered, she barely blocked a knife that nearly was touching her nose. She knocked it away before seeing the culprit, a man in a mask that only showed his eyes, Vladimir Nikito has arrived to the battle.
She shot several bullets at him to which he managed to barely block one, though another sliced his left shoulder and he narrowly dodged the final. Vlad gripped his knife with both hands as he ran right at Vivillia.
Viv attempted to fire but the gun jammed, she scoffed before throwing the weapon at Vlad who knocked it away. She held her hands up as he tried to stab her only for her to sweep his leg, Vladimir quickly rolled away as she tried to punch him on the ground.
He swiftly jumped up as Vivillia ran at him and tried to punch him, she swung left and right twice which Vlad barely blocked. She withdrew her claws and slashed at him, though he managed to catch it with the knife and push her away.
He tried to swing his knife at her only for her to fall back and kick his hand which sends the knife into the wall. He lands a right swing to her cheek, she goes for another punch which he manages to grab and then he tried to punch her, Vivillia blocked it with her elbow.
She jumps back up and delivers the same blows which Vladimir barely blocks with his arms, however instead of ending it with the double strikes she delivered a knee to his chest. Shortly after she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back into a suplex.
Vladimir could barely hold back a scream of pain, though he began to feel his blood pooling in his hands. As Vivillia let go and took a step away, Vladimir jumped up and landed a punch to her cheek. She staggered back for a moment but before she could respond he delivered an uppercut to her stomach.
All Vivillia could do was cough out some spit before Vlad tackled her into a wall, she gritted her teeth before kneeing him in the face. Vladimir stood straight as he pulled his fist back for a punch, Viv gritted her teeth as she managed to jump out of his grasp onto the roof.
She landed upside down on the ceiling before reaching into a pouch and pulling out two grenades, she pulled the pins on both before letting them fall. Vladimirs eyes widened in fear, but at the same time he could feel his hands expand.
His palms clenched as he swiped his arm upwards right when the grenades detonated, Vivillia landed down a few metres from him. Her eyes widened as the smoke cleared and there he stood, unharmed, sparks of pink and green flames surrounded him.
He let out an out of breath exhale, his hands slowly returning to their normal state. Vivillia took a step back as she gulped, her stance ready as she reached into another pouch. Vladimir pulled his knife out of the wall as he stared her down.
Vivillia returned it as she asked loudly "Are you with the Kruschev Organisation?" Her voice cracked like she was losing it.
Vladimir nodded calmly "Yes I am, I am also with the Champions Of Ennzoll"
Her breath cut off, her eyes behind the mask widened as far as they could go, that name resonated with her. Her mind jolted with a memory of a long time ago, she was under rubble, fire surrounding her, she couldn't move, or escape.
Then the rubble lifted and she saw someone, the face unknown to her, a man with white hair, he asked "Are you alright?" His voice was soft like a cloud.
Vivillia took a step back as she snapped back to reality, Champion, Champion, Champion of Ennzoll…What the hell does it even mean? Her teeth gritted as she leapt at Vladimir, her fist clenched as she slammed it down in front of him.
The ground crumbled beneath them, Viv pulled her fist out of the ground and went for a blow against Vlads chin. Vladimir barely blocked it with the side of his knife, however Vivillia continued by kneeing him in the chest.
Vlad elbowed her in the back to which she grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground, following up she pulled him up before punching him in the face. Despite being in extreme pain Vlad grabbed her arm and pulled it towards him before he punched her in the cheek.
Vivillia returned with a headbutt before grabbing the back of his head and elbowing it, then she withdrew her claws and slashed his arm lightly, then she kneed him in the jaw before grabbing the front of his shirt and throwing him into a wall. The wall grumbled and Vlad gasped as he felt his jaw dislodged.
Vivillia ran towards him and jumped before kicking him in the chest back into the wall, before he could think she landed another blow to his ribs, then one to his chest. Vlad gripped his knife tightly as he tried to stab her in the chest.
However Vivillia grabbed his arm, twisted it and then kneed his chest once more. Vlad tried to punch her in the face only for her to fall back and kicked him in the face a final time. Vlad fell to the floor unconscious, he landed face down on the ground.
Vivillia pulled his body up, claws emerging from her glove, her hand pulled back as she prepared to stab him. Her hand didn't move however, it shook uncontrollably, she couldn't move it at all. She gulped nervously, her hand tensed completely, every vein pushed to her skin.
She sighed deeply as her hand lowered, the claws retracting into her glove again, she held him with one arm for a few moments. This was someone a part of the group that saved her, she couldn't kill him, though he could be valuable, Champions have a lot of money.
She pulled him over her shoulder as she took out a bag, though she noticed a problem being he might suffocate in the mask with the bag on. She swiftly took off her mask and put the bag on his head without even seeing his face.
"I suppose this raid turned out well" She placed a hand on her hip as she looked at his head over her shoulder.
She jumped upwards through the hole in the roof and began to leave the area, the only signs she was ever there were the dead workers. While she moved across the city, Vladimir stayed out, his mind not thinking, he didn't have a clue what was going on on the outside.
A long time later his eyelids twitched until suddenly his eyes shot open, he took a swift breath in as he tried to move. His hands were bound, he was sitting on a chair, a black bag was over his head, he couldn't really see anything.
He heard tapping and movement only a short distance from himself, he called out "Hey, are you there?" His voice was both nervous and desperate.
"Yes, I'm here, Champion…" Her voice was dull aside from that last word which was hissed out.
"Why am I here? What are you doing with me?"
"You are a Pesdo, and I will be selling you off to the Champions, then you can go free"
"A-...What?" He felt less afraid and more confused.
The bag was stuffy, though it was at least breathable, he probably couldn't if he still was wearing his mask. He wishes he could see out to know where they were, but unfortunately he was stuck in a chair tied up with a bag over his head.
"Why not just kill me? Send a message" Vladimir looked down as he wondered that out loud.
"I have my reasons" She spoke hushingly, like she wanted him to shut up already.
Vlad felt a sense of smugness come over him as he stated "You know I'm too valuable to kill huh, and killing a Champion would probably cause you to be hunted"
Vivillia felt her breath stop as she stared forward, she gritted her teeth as she muttered to herself "Just a few more hours, just a few more"
"You know, if you're trying to sell me to the Champions, you know they're just going to come and find you instead of paying" Vladimir had his eyes barely open while the bag covered his view.
Vivillia hummed to herself as she annoyedly stated "Shhhhhhut up please lord, of good god just silence yourself"
Vladimir smugly responded "As long as I'm your prisoner you're dealing with me" He leaned forward in his seat as he spoke.
Vlad had no clue why he was acting this way, there was a strange feel he got while around Vivillia, the only other time he had it was with Carey. It was directed towards the person though, not the place or the fact they were from the underground.
Vlad lowered his gaze to the floor, a tiny tear in the bag let him see the ground, though he couldn't tell how far away it was. All he could see was broken bits of rubble, though soon he could see Vivillia, though it was only her lower half. His eyebrow raised as he noticed something strange about her outfit.
Vladimir asked calmly "Why are you not wearing shoes?"
Vivillia annoyedly responded quickly, her voice high and rushing "Why does that matter to you? I don't need to wear shoes"
Vlad shrugged as he stated "I was just curious, why not wear even just small shoes"
"Why do you have a mask that covers your whole face? Aren't you a Champion Of Ennzoll?" Her voice was irritated.
Vladimir stopped breathing for a second, he lowered his head as he sighed "There's actually a reason behind that"
Vivillia turned to him, an eyebrow raised as she approached him, she reached for his bag as she said "Alright, I'll explain myself if you explain yourself"
She pulled his bag off as Vlads head raised, the two looked each other in the eyes for a moment before Vivillias eyes widened in shock. She took a step back, staring at him confusedly, her eyebrows lowered as she grabbed his arm and wrapped her hands around one area to test the width.
"You're like me" She softly spoke to both Vlad and herself.
Vladimir nodded as he responded while sighing "Yea, I am-...Oh fuck off, you're taller than me!?!" He annoyedly sat up as he looked at her.
Vivillia nodded as she bluntly responded "I get that a lot from people from the underground"
She pinched her chin for a few moments, looking down at Vladimir and his restraints "Why are you here? And working with the Pesdos?"
Vlad leaned away as he muttered "I got into a busy group, and we've got business here"
Vivillia pinched her chin as she took a step away, her arms crossed as she looked to the side, her gaze returned to his bindings soon after. She took a step to his side as she looked him in the eyes, Vladimir gulped nervously as he followed her face.
Vivillia leaned her head back, her neck nearly reaching to her back, she stated bluntly "I'll undo your bindings, however if you make one wrong move I'll snap your neck"
Her head returned to normal as she placed a hand on her hip, she reached into her pouch and pulled out two red vials. She opened one and drank it, inside the red liquid was sparkling pink orbs, Vivillia took the other one and leaned down to Vladimir, miniscule sparks were within it.
"Open" She held the vial in front of his face.
Vladimir gulped as he slightly opened his mouth, she harshly pressed vial into his mouth and tipped it down his throat. The red liquid matched the colour of his mouth, she poured every last drop out before pulling it away from him.
She sighed deeply as she stated "Fucking hell, thanks for listening, usually people just keep their mouths shut and I need to drink it first and…You know"
Vladimir felt a slight disgust on his tongue, despite the liquid having no taste. Vlad asked "Are you going to undo my ropes now?"
Vivillia tilted her head as she responded "Yea sure dwarf, give me a second"
Vladimir looked at her blankly, his eyebrows low as he had a disappointed expression, he responded "I'm probably taller than you, it's just the chair is really low"
Vivillia stated blankly "Look at me and say that again"
Vladimir responded swiftly "I was already looking at you"
The two stared at each other with bored expressions for a moment, neither moving a muscle, instead just looking at one another. Vivilla sighed as she went behind him, she grabbed a knife from her back holster before grabbing the bindings.
In just a few seconds Vladimir was free, he stood up calmly, a deep sigh echoing from his lungs as he swung his wrists. He pushed his hands against his back to stretch it before turning to Vivilla, who simply stared at him calmly.
"I still don't fully know why you decided to let me go" He held both hands on his hips as he leaned forward slightly.
Vivilla leaned on the chairs head as she stated "I don't see why that's important, you're free now"
Vlad looked at her with a slight sense of annoyance "Dammit, you are taller" His voice was mixed with a sigh.
Vivilla shrugged as she responded "Yea, I'm taller than most in the underground, for some reason the people here are really tall though, I'm only really average"
Vladimir stated "I know a girl who said the same, though you're clearly a bit taller"
Vivilla nodded as she responded "I'm Five-Eleven, you?"
Vladimir looked at her blankly for a few moments before asking "So what was that thing you made me drink?" He held the back of his neck as he finished.
Vivilla bluntly responded "It's a link between us, all I need is a thought and it will burst every blood cell in your body"
Vlad stopped in place, his eyes wide as he thought about that, she made him drink essentially a bomb, he was now her walking nuke. Vivillia walked to Vlads side, she reached to grab a bag, she swiftly pulled out another vial, the liquid inside was green.
"So, if you think about it, I'll blow up?" Vlad looked at her nervously.
Vivillia shrugged as she responded "Kinda, but it's not a big explosion, just really you"
Viv stopped as she turned to him, she asked calmly "Say, what's your name?"
Vlad calmly responded "Vladimir Nikito"
"Nikito? Where have I heard that last name?" She looked upwards for a moment.
She shrugged as she stated "Doesn't matter, anyways my name is Vivillia"
Vladimir responded bluntly "Oh I know, I heard you say it before, though what's your last name?"
"I dunno, don't have one" She leaned against a wall.
Vladimir crossed his arms as he looked down for a moment, his eyes widened slightly as he looked back at her "I see…Vivillia Nikito"
Her eyes widened slightly behind her mask, she asked confusedly "What? I'm not related to you in any way"
Vlad shook his head as he responded "No listen, I was given the name Nikito by someone who also didn't have a last name, so I figured maybe you could take it too, there are multiple people without last names"
Vivillias eyes widened as she held her chin, she looked down as she responded "I see, alright then, I'll consider taking it"
Vladimir picked up his mask as he turned to her, he took a deep breath as he asked "Tell me, did you steal a green medallion"
Vivillia stopped in place as she sighed deeply, responding calmly "Yea, I did, it's here" She reached into her pocket and pulled it out.
It was a small green item, it shined despite no light hitting it. It was made up of emeralds with a yellow jewel in the centre of it. It was only barely big enough to fit in her palm, it had a golden tip with red jewels in it.
Vladimir gulped as he stated "Listen I need that, we need it for the champions"
Vivillia looked at him in annoyance as she responded "And I need it to live, I don't have money"
Vlad took a step forward as his body tensed, though he returned to his old place a few moments later, he looked away for a moment until his eyes widened. He turned back to her and glanced at the medallion, an item with jewels worth a lot.
"What if I get you something more valuable?" Vladimir had a serious expression as he spoke.
Vivillia tilted her head to the side as she responded "How?"
Vlad lifted his hands as he explained "We were given a very expensive looking amulet to help find you, what if we trade it and I say you managed to steal it off me after I got the medallion?" His hands were raised by his sides.
Vivillia didn't move, she just stared forward, her chest enlarging and shrinking from her breath was the only movement her body had. Vlad felt his hairs raise nervously as she continued staring at him. Suddenly her lips parted but no sound came out for a moment.
She softly stated "I suppose that could work…Though listen, I'll give the medallion once you get me the gem, got it?"
Vlad nodded calmly, though suddenly she appeared in front of him, she stated calmly "If you try and tell people where I am, I'll know…All it takes is one thought" She swiped at a strand of his hair, it fell off his head onto the ground instantly.
Vlad nodded nervously "Understood"