The Despot Collective, Eldest King City

After working tirelessly for a couple of months, Evelyn, Jack, and Rebecca, were finally given some time off.

“This tavern smells like piss! And the ale is also like piss!”

Rebecca spat the unsavory liquid on the dirty wooden floor and grumbled while sticking her tongue out and cleaning it with her sleeve.

Jack, however, was enjoying himself and drinking one bottle after the other.

Evelyn, who didn’t like crowded places like this, was staring at the small stage at the center of the tavern, though her focus was somewhere else entirely. She was clearly absent-minded, and only when Jack nudged her did she snap out of it.

“Why do you have to force her out of her daydreaming? You’re so insensitive!”

In response to Rebecca’s remark, Jack snorted and gave her an angry glare. Unbeknownst to Evelyn, he kept lightly hitting Rebecca with his foot, signaling her to read the mood and leave them alone.

“Oh come off it, dude! It’s past time for your damned confession!”

Jack’s face turned red as he panickedly looked at Evelyn, but the woman was expressionless and seemingly back to her dazed state.

Soon enough, the crowd of drunk adventurers, mercenaries, and commoners, started booing and cursing the performer on the stage.

“Ah! I just remembered! Num.10 wanted to talk to us!”

Rebecca covered her mouth as her expression turned to that of anxiousness and surprise.

“Oh for the love of-... we’re on vacation! What else does that freak need from us?!”

Rebecca shrugged, grabbed Jack’s hand and, using her monstrous strength, dragged him out of the tavern. As for Evelyn, she took out the dim and grey-colored Sky Bloom from her pocket and stared at it. She didn’t even notice her friends’ departure.

“Get out of here you loser!”

“You sound like a dying frog!”

“You dare ask us for a tip? Shameless bastard!”

The drunkards ganged up on the performer, but none dared to physically attack him. The owner of the tavern was behind the counter, his large stature and frightening face made them behave like docile children and only spit out verbal abuse.

When the performer was replaced by a woman dressed in a revealing and alluring outfit, the intoxicated crowd regained their excitement and the cheers began.

Amidst all the noise and whatnot, Evelyn heard a sweet and soft voice.

“The Sky Bloom!”

When the woman turned her face to the origin of the voice, she saw a young looking man with an auburn and relatively long hair, two light-green eyes, and a slim physique. The young man took a seat across from her and removed the outrageously big and multi-colored feathery hat from his head.

“...”

She gazed at him with her characteristically cold expression, but he chuckled and made himself comfortable.

“There’s a link between you two, yes? It’s faint, but existent nonetheless.”

Even then, she maintained her silence.

“Ah! Pardon me for my late introduction.” With a hand on his chest, he performed a short bow,

“I am Aerin. A bard.”

“...”

Her refusal to respond notwithstanding, the bard, who had been booed off the stage and mocked continuously, didn’t seem particularly bothered. He had a vibrant smile plastered on his face, his eyes filled with energy and unbridled joy as if he was experiencing the happiest moment in his life. Then again, he had always been such a strange yet positive individual.

“Did you know that the Sky Blooms originate from a place called the Reverie Cosmos? There is a veritable sea of them, all in full-bloom and oh so beautiful! Their ability to reflect one’s emotions through a tangible effect is most definitely unique. What many do not know, however, is that they have another effect. A miraculous and uncommon one.”

“They do not.” Replied Evelyn as she put the withered flower back in her pocket, positioning it carefully so it wouldn’t get ‘ruined’.

“And I’m telling you they do. Honest to god. When I was travelling the lands and seeing the-”

“I’m not interested.”

Evelyn stood up and was about to leave, but Aerin grabbed her hand and hastily said,

“Alright alright! No need to leave just because of that. I can see that you’re very troubled and conflicted. Fate has you in its tight grasp… a poor soul.”

Upon hearing that, Evelyn’s impression of Aerin changed from ‘Lying and incompetent bard’ to a ‘scammer’. After all, the scammers would always use similar phrasing to trick desperate and hapless victims.

She shoved his hand away and, after one last cold glare, she walked away.

The bard, still having a bright smile on his face, shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to chug down the bottle Rebecca had left.

…

A few days later, much to the surprise of all the members of Faceless Death, Number 0, the leader of the organization, had called an urgent meeting.

The first three generations, beginning from Number 1 to Number 30, were all summoned to an underground palace.

The place was luminous and the architecture was noticeably Elven. This has been the HQ of Faceless Death for a long time, but only during important events was anyone allowed in.

Number 0, the man in charge, had an unusual appearance, to say the least. It was feminine-looking man with light make-up on his face, a short height and distinct facial features that made him look like a woman.

One would be able to confirm his gender only by looking at his thin body and flat chest.

The man, who was visibly irritated, faced the 30 assassins lined in front of him while speaking,

“You will all have the same target. Discretion and subtlety is, of course, the main priority.”

The confused and surprised members kept their silence as Number 0 stomped on the ground.

“As long as you are not caught or discovered, you are free to use any and all means at your disposal.”

Then, he unfolded a small poster and faced it towards them.

“This is the target.”

For Jack, Rebecca, and especially Evelyn, the visage drawn on the poster was familiar. It was that of the bard from the tavern.

“Engrave his face in your minds. He must be caught alive.”

A tall woman with tanned skin and jet-black snake-tattoos on her neck and exposed arms and leg stepped forward and asked,

“Sir, is it truly necessary for all of us to go after the target? If he’s strong, surely I and-”

The woman, Number 2, was interrupted by a buzzing and crisp sound that reverberated across the large and spacious hall.

“I did not ask for your opinion, Number 2.”

Seeing the man’s angry face, the woman apologetically bowed and stepped back.

“The moment any of you see him, provided he’s not in a public space, you are free to act as you see fit. That’s it. Start the hunt!”

He dismissively waved his hand, which made them disperse and swiftly leave. The only one who stayed was a slender man with a black longsword sheathed on his waist.

Number 1, with a frown on his face, approached the leader and asked,

“Edward, what’s going on?”

“How should I know?”

The feminine man pulled his sleeves and revealed the fresh bruises on his arms. Then he pointed at the top of his head, which had a small bulge hiding within the hair.

“See this? And this? And this?! I got beat up for seemingly nothing. All because of that wretched bard! If I don’t bring him back, It’ll be the end of me. That little obnoxious shit will vent her frustration on me instead!”

With beads of sweat trickling down his pale face, Number 0, named Edward, clutched his head and knelt on the ground. The serious and calm demeanor of a leader was nowhere to be seen. He looked like a frightened kid, which only made Number 1 cover his eyes in embarrassment.

…

On the same day, the thirty assassins began the hunt. The resourceful ones contacted their acquaintances to facilitate the search whereas those like Evelyn, Jack, and Rebecca, had to rely on their own capabilities to look for the target.

First, they looked for Aerin in the tavern, but he wasn’t there, as expected. The next region they scoured was the miserable slums of Eldest King City.

The whole district was, quite literally, a series of garbage mountains, destroyed buildings, polluted air, and a truly toxic environment. Its state was so bad that the government had abandoned it altogether, neither sending soldiers to clean it up or allowing any of the wretches holed up inside to leave, at least not through conventional means.

However, Evelyn and her two colleagues were stupefied to find the bard there. Their expectations were low and they only checked the area just to make sure, but the young man was performing in one of the dirty streets.

A small group of children were clapping and cheering around him, enjoying the astonishingly pleasant melody.

Using a golden big harp, the bard was smiling and relaxing with the children as his melody seemed to magically lift everyone’s moods.

“It’s him!”

Jack exclaimed, but Rebecca slapped the back of his head and motioned for him to be quieter.

Evelyn had already taken out her twin silver blades and was ready to spring into action.

Except for the harmless children, there was no one present. And even if there was, they didn’t need to fear the repercussions as it was pretty common for chaos to unfold in the Slums.

“I’ll charge at him from the front. You two will back me up in case he retaliates.” Muttered Evelyn as she regulated her breathing and sharpened her senses. However, no matter how much she probed him, Aerin was defenseless and full of openings, opposite to the generally ‘dangerous’ targets.

Jack and Rebecca, each holding a weapon, nodded.

Soon, as the melody echoed within the empty street filled with garbage and destruction, Evelyn kicked the groom and appeared from behind one of the big clusters of rags and trash.