𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎 | 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑

fourteen

"Can't believe he partnered me with that jackass again..." Yve grumbled to herself as she walked through the Grey Deer's base, looking for Yami.

The heels of her boots clicked as she climbed up the stairs to the upper floor of the hideout. The sound of people talking hit her ears, one of the voices she recognized to be Yami's and continued in the direction of it.

As she got closer she saw Yami perched on the windowsill talking to another member of the Grey Deer. Stopping a couple feet from them, she clear her throat, catching their attention. She crossed her arms, "We have another—"

"Yeah, yeah—I already know," Yami sighed, jumping down. "Might as well get it over with.."

Her eyes moved to the window, noticing that same white-haired prick from the other day, "Come back for some more?"

"Oh, it's you again." Nacht said plainly, giving her a sour look before puffing on his cigarette.

"And you, random extra, who are you?" Yve asked the darker haired male.

He gave a closed-eyed smile, "You must be Yve, I've heard a lot about you from Yami and Nacht! My name is Morgen, nice to meet you!"

She squinted her eyes a bit, "Yeah, I'm sure you have." The female mage said before turning to Yami, "Let's go."

"Fair warning Morgen, she can be the most unbearable person to work with." Yami addressed the other male.

A vein bulged from Yve's temple at his comment, but she chose to let it slide today. "Hold on just a minute! Julius never told me this was going to be a three person mission." She said, pointing at the newcomer, "The last thing I need is deadweight holding me back!"

Yami gave her an irritated glance, "Hey, get that massive stick out of your ass already. God, you're just as bad as those royals."

Morgen merely smiled, "It's alright Yami," he assured his friend before turning to Yve. "Don't worry, you'll find that I'm quite a capable mage." He said, his eyes glimmering somewhat mischievously.

The jade eyed female's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment before letting out a 'tsk'.

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The trio arrived at a town in the common realm called Kikken to track down a gang of bandits and recover stolen goods. They'd previously been searching the neighboring towns, before eventually receiving a tip from civilians that there was a black market here frequented by thieves.

"If this isn't the place, I swear I'm gonna lose it." Yve griped, her arms propped behind her head as they walked through the streets.

Turning into an alley, the three of them came to a halt in front of a brick wall. "This wall is concentrated with mana, it's a concealment spell," Yve pointed out, stepping forward to walk inside, her body partially passing through. She nodded her head at them to follow.

On the other side of the wall was a dark underground market with various vendors. "This seems to be the perfect place for all sorts of shady dealings, it's a bandit's paradise." Yami said while looking around.

"No kidding, the shit's probably already been pawned off and got rid of just as quick. This is a waste of time..." Yve clicked her tongue annoyedly.

"Let's at least look around to see if anyone stands out." Morgen suggested, pointing to an area that was getting a lot of foot traffic, "That seems like a good place to start."

Venturing deeper into the market, they approached a doorway covered by a thin curtain. Pushing it aside, they entered one by one to see a room with various tables where games of poker and blackjack  were being played. The stench of smoke wafting into their nostrils almost immediately.