Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 1 Part 2

The first part of the night's agenda was complete, I moved on to round two; the woman that was brazen enough to stand outside on a balcony overlooking my meeting from down the street. She was obviously the person responsible for informing these barely eighteen year olds of my location, which meant she was the person Silver was currently working with. As I walked down the street towards her, I could pick up traces of both Silver and Angst's scents heavily mingled on her clothing.

Using light step, I landed silently next to her. No longer smiling, she stared evenly into my eyes. I tilted my head slightly as I took a step towards her. Extending my arm to gently brush my hand across her shoulder in an intimate gesture. Closer still, I gently held her cheek for a brief moment with my free hand. Her eyes widened in response as her brain finally registered how close I'd become and that it was too late to get away. Her expression became less in control and more unsettled.

"Little sister," I started in a silky voice, "Why have you come out of hiding, aren't you too confident?" Her knees began to weaken from underneath her, I contemplated pushing just a bit harder to see if she would crumble.

"You can't harm me!" she mustered, clearly trying to convince both herself and me. "I'm only following Silvers's orders. He said you'd be here to complete a job. He knew you'd take the posting. Angst needs you to go to the meeting spot."

"Mm." I trailed off. Piecing together the puzzle.

The last job I completed did seem personally tailored to my liking. While it was a legitimate post, the reward clearly wasn't offered by the parties involved. Silver had set up the reward knowing I'd accept the job and arrive here. This woman in front of me only arrived with the reward money and no actual knowledge of where I had been hiding in town. Very well then. It still didn't explain the connection between Silver and Angst though. Why would Silver willingly help Angst?

"Why are they working together?" I asked, getting directly to the point.

"Everyone knows Angst pursues you. Stop using your poison on him and let him go! I want him, he's mine!" She proclaimed. Ugh, how embarrassing to hear this love confession on the balcony of her hotel room. This woman likes Angst and to make Angst acknowledge her she wants to help complete this task but she used Silver to do so. Complicated indeed. Had I been away from Demon's Peak for too long or not long enough?

Using a single finger I tapped quietly on the balcony railing as I tried to mull the scenario out in my head. She was currently one of the top five elites. Our guild was arranged with three masters, ranking first to third Angst, myself, and Silver. Then below us were the five top elites. Of course there were also a large number of talents under that, always competing for the coveted honors of the top five elite spots. Unfortunately most of the brightest upcoming talents disappeared before reaching their peak. The positions of us, the masters, never wavered.

"I've already left my reply with the messengers, go back to Silver." I replied. Uninterested in her love interests, I turned to leave.

"Stop!" She sounded panicked but the word came out as a demand. I turned to glare at her. How dare she give me a command. If it wasn't for the fact I was still in a relatively good mood I would have killed her already.

"You dare?" I took a step towards her. "Ranking third among the elites? Although you smell of Silver I don't smell any traces of his blood on you to cause these delusional thoughts." I slowly started reaching for my hair pin.

"No, I mean. I just want to hear it. The rumors are that you're not interested in him. Is it true?" Her expression looked on the verge of life and death, for multiple reasons.

Oh how Angst must hate this look on her face the most. Since when had he ever truly cared for any of the women constantly throwing themselves at his doorstep every night? Not that he wouldn't invite a few in and let them leave in the morning after a night of fun. A few hours of entertainment had no lasting connections to the position these women desired. Pitiful or arrogant, the lines were too dull to define.

She was pretty though. Her eyes were wide and her lips pouty. Her hair and dress were kept elegant in dark shades of blue, similar to the colors Angst preferred. Despite the darker colors she still blended in well with the town. Back in Demon's Peak she also dressed elegantly and practiced day in and day out without rest.

Thinking back; she worked hard to get to where she was. Being one of the top five elites, she would have many reasons to speak with Angst in person. Was this her sole purpose for trying so hard? These were things I'd never say out loud though, all nonsense.

"Hmph," I rolled my eyes at her. "I take what I want, when I want. It shouldn't concern you if he's in my bed and it won't concern me if he's in your bed. What I can tell you is I haven't shared a bed with him in many years. You do what you want and leave me out of it. Goodbye Emerald." with that I turned and left.

I was sure it wasn't the answer she wanted, but I had my own pride and an image to uphold. These heart to heart chats didn't exist in our world. I had no desire to explain when I slept in a bed with Angst, we had also shared the bed with Silver. Distant memories of when we were small and relied on each other just to live through the night. Despite my actions I'd never truly been intimate with anyone, a little known fact that was widely discussed and debated among the inhabitants of Demon's Peak.

I left silently, choosing to stay the night in my hotel room before departing later the following day. Not knowing when I'd get a good night's rest again, I gave the messengers plenty of time to get back to Demon's Peak. Calculating the time, I left soon after dinner the following day, wondering what sort of trap I was walking into.