"My name is Markus Rellen, and I am here to offer you a deal."

Markus Rellen had a strong voice. When he spoke, one would feel compelled to agree with him. This was no doubt a result of his lifetime of being a noble and having people obey him without question.

Zoey showed no reaction to his "offer", choosing to remain silent.

Markus seemed to expect some sort of reaction out of her when he said his name, and when he did not get one he looked puzzled for a moment, then he spoke again.

"Look, if you come with me willingly, I will make certain that every need you have will be met. You will want for nothing and you will be treated quite well."

Markus paused for effect and brushed his blonde hair to the side. Zoey wondered if he was actually aware of how he appeared to others. His people seemed used to his antics, showing no reaction to his grandstanding.

"However, should you resist…" His red eyes turned sinister. "I will make your life a living hell. Of course, things don't have to be so difficult. The choice is yours."

He finished his spiel and waited expectantly for Zoey's inevitable agreement, projecting his arrogant nobility onto the surroundings. Next to him the man in black leather showed no emotions. When looking at him, you would think he wasn't even paying attention, but Zoey felt that he was no doubt the most dangerous person in the alleyway.

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The tension was growing as Markus waited for Zoey's answer. He was not accustomed to waiting for anything. In this city, his family was the most powerful. If people saw the red crest on his armor they would practically fall over themselves to accommodate him. Having to wait this long for an insignificant peasant, no matter how valuable, was getting him angry.

Markus would be the first to admit he was interested in the girl. She looked young and frail, and covered in her strange cloak and mask, all he could see was her emerald eyes. That color eyes was something he had never seen in this city. Most commoners had black or brown eyes and nobles had varying degrees of red. The emerald color signaled she was a foreigner, and her presence alone had stirred up all the nobles in the city to search for her.

Markus was a little curious why such a valuable little treasure had appeared unsupervised in the city but he would puzzle that out later, after he partook in the generous gift the heavens had provided him this evening. He smiled to himself, imagining how fun this night would be.

As he was about to command his loyal follower to capture his new toy, the small figure they had cornered showed some movement. A small ball dropped from beneath her poncho and landed on the tip of her foot.

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As soon as everyone's attention was captured by the movement, Zoey kicked it into the air, and closed her eyes. A blinding flash illuminated the alley like a small sun. The alleyway was instantly thrown into chaos as Markus and his followers reacted to the blinding flash.

The only one who managed to avoid being blinded was the man in black. Realizing a tad bit too late what the item was, he had only just been able to shield his eyes when the flash bomb went off. He was a veteran of many battles, and had seen this type of attack before, although never in this form. Most flash attacks would come from a magic user that was light attributed and were easily predictable. A small unassuming ball that could produce this effect was interesting indeed.

The man in black managed to see Zoey leap up, grab the edge of the roof behind her swing herself up with ease. He turned to Markus who was cussing nonstop while rubbing his eyes.

"My Lord, she is getting away." His voice was a raspy, sinister sound.

"Go after her! Bring back that little bitch! I'm not through with her!" Markus cussed again still rubbing his eyes. The man nodded, and leapt onto the roof after his prey with a smile.