Embrace The Ether 14 Nova Shines Brightly Through Midnigh

"Super dangerous?" Deus smirked, "I hope so, it would be boring if it wasn't. Come on Droh, no more putting it off… we need to go meet Mercer, deal with him, and get it over with."

Droh stood there in the middle of the room for a moment as he looked around. From the room's rustic design that's shared with the entire city all the way to the elaborate carvings on the wall that are meant to pa.s.s as decorations, everything seemed foreign and strange. "Hmm. You're right."

"Of course I am, when am I not?" Deus laughed as he headed for the door, unlocking the hinges and taking a deep step out as Droh followed close behind him, a bag of tools and supplies on his back.

Night had finally arrived, encapsulating the entirety of Midnight beneath a shroud of violet blood, an awful hue of crimson and amethysts poisoning the sky.

A dark corridor opened up to reveal a crowd of unsavory people, from human to devilish. Their horns aching with a l.u.s.t to kill, their eyes bleeding a baleful desire. Such was normal within Direfell, and it seemed this crowd flourished here, at night.

Droh led Deus through the darkened streets, finally arriving before a neon-lit door, a sheen of red mixed with blue, glowing out into the streets as a single word could be read from above, 'Nova'.

'So this is Nova, huh? Brighter than I'd expect.' Deus pondered to himself as Droh led him closer in, pa.s.sing by the rough-looking security guards. As they entered, the sound of blaring music could be heard, but it wasn't anything like what Deus was used to. The sound of electronics, as if a machine was processing away, could be heard, mixed together to some odd unpleasant singing, as if sc.r.a.ping two rocks together. The bar patrons seemed to be in a daze as smoke paraded through the air, dancing from one person's senses to another.

'A drug den?'

"Deus, over here!" Droh shouted out as he yanked on his arm, trying to make himself louder than the music, but failing. The two of them wandered through Nova for some time, searching from one corner of the room to the other, both unable to spot Mercer.

It didn't take long for them to get pulled into the crowd, pushed from one place to another as they seemed to be caught in a current of water. By sheer luck, the two of them stayed together, without being separated too far from one another.

As they were pulled over toward the back of the room, a voice shouted out loud for all to hear, breaking past the music as everyone's attention turned to look at the source.

One of the men who had accompanied Mercer down into the slums could be seen in the corner, shouting. He pushed through the crowd of people without a care as he forced his way past everyone, arriving next to Droh.

"You're Droh, right? Mercer is waiting for you." He glanced over at Deus and asked, "Is this guy with you?"

"Y-yes, he's with me…" Droh stuttered out through bated breath.

"...Fine, hurry along and don't get lost behind me. I'll take you to him."

Deus and Droh followed behind the man as he led them through the sea of people, smoke rising to the roof as the music continued to rave on. At the back of the clubroom, the three of them stopped in front of a back door as their guide talked with one of the men who stood guard. "Let me past, I'm bringing them to Mercer."

"Hmm? Fine, go on in." One of the security guards responded as he moved out of the way, pulling the door open to reveal a private area.

They followed the guide in, the sound of music became m.u.f.fled the further in they went. 'What is this place? Some sort of private meeting spot?'

"Mister Mercer is expecting you, head on in." The guide said as he pointed off toward one of the doors, "Don't start any trouble, that is if you know what's good for you."

Afterward, the guide who led them to this backroom headed back out, leaving the two of them alone as they stood outside the room.

"Should we just head in?" Deus asked, "I don't think there's any going back now."

Droh nodded his head as he walked over toward the door. He grabbed the handle and carefully pulled it open, revealing the room on the other side. Mercer sat at a table in the back with a few others, as several people walked around the room, bringing plates back and forth from the table. The sound of cheering could be heard as Droh and Deus slowly approached.

"Ah, d.a.m.n! You win again ya' a.s.shole!" Mercer shouted out as he tossed a handful of cards onto the table in a huff. Lifting a drink in his hands, his attention was redirected toward the two who approached. "Droh? About d.a.m.n time, come, sit down with us, play a game."

"Eh, Mercer… I thought you wanted to offer me a job or something?" Droh asked in a puzzled voice, clearly surprised by everything.

The others who sat at Mercer's table all looked up toward Droh as they lightly chuckled, Mercer included.

"No need to rush it, kid, our last guest hasn't even arrived yet. Speaking of which, isn't that the guy who was behind you before? I thought it was just some coincidence, but clearly, it's not…" He paused for a moment as he stared off with Deus, "Aren't you the guy who the entire sector is talking about? The man even that freak captain recognized? You have to be awfully special for the King of Killers to take notice… so why the h.e.l.l are you hanging out with this kid?"

Deus tried to cut in, "Droh is he-"

Before he could finish his thought, Mercer interrupted again with a distasteful question, "Oh, maybe he's just using you… hm?"

"Mercer!" Droh shouted out in anger, "You can insult me but don't insult my friend… just tell me what you wanted from before, and we'll be on our way."

Everyone paused for a moment, "Hmm. Fine, sorry kid, didn't mean to cross a line. Heh. Right, I did want to talk to you, but as I said, our main guest hasn't arrived yet."

"Who is it?" Droh asked.

"Heh, it's… you know who. He's got a good offer for both of us, I figured I'll cut you in if you still want to make a profit."

"Who… wait, no! What if he tells Roland about me? Did you even think about my situation before calling me here?"

Everyone went quiet as Droh yelled off at Mercer, "How can you be so selfish! This is my life… Roland will kill me if he finds me, so stop f.u.c.king with me!"

"Wheeew. Such a mouth on you kid," A man spoke up from behind them as he slowly walked in without restraint. "Long time no see, Droh."

"Elias…" Droh stuttered out, his face void of all color. "Does… Roland-"

"Does he know about you being here? Heh, not yet. Don't you think it would've been him walking in here if he did, not me? When Mercer told me that he saw you around here, I was genuinely shocked… I thought you were smarter than that, but it seems I gave you too much credit. Eh, doesn't matter… just do this job for me kid and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Droh, what's going on?" Deus mumbled under his breath. He had been doing his best to keep his emotions in check, but after Mercer's inappropriate comment to this other guy's sudden appearance, it had become quite hard to keep himself calm and collected.

Droh turned his face slightly and, in a hushed tone, replied back to Deus's question, "His name is Elias Moruga, he's Roland's newest right-hand man… you could say he's the real deal…"

"So, who is this man, and why is he here?" Elias asked as he pointed at Deus, "Hmm… there's something about him…"

"Uh huh, Mister Elias! This man is the one who the entire sector is going on about. You know… the guy who that captain, Roch, tried to recruit."

"Oh, is he now?" Elias asked in astonishment, clearly caught off guard by this sudden revelation. "That monster only recognizes someone with a black heart, like his… odd, why don't I know this guy's name? Especially if that man took notice of him."