Maze was annoyed as he watched the festival unfold. Happiness, festivity and laughter surrounded him, all which made him vexed by the second as he watched them. One would say that this was weird however for Maze since he was young the dark fascinated him and the light annoyed him.
"Maze, where is that smile that I am looking for?" Anju said while
approaching Maze with a massive mug of what Maze could only say assume was an ale.
"You of all people should know I hate smiles." Scowled Maze.
"A smile on that stiff face of yours is a dream of mine that is not yet fulfilled," Anju said. An exaggerated sigh escaping his lips and a playful expression on his face as he continued: "Maze, just how will I find a pretty lady for you with that smile?"
"Stop it with your games Anju and tell me where we are on the situation." Maze said, his voice grave and not offering Anju a playful response.
"Kids not cooperating and the clowns nowhere in reach, at this rate we won't get nowhere and the boss-"
"Don't say it, we are going to complete the mission, and there will be no mistakes this time." Maze interrupted, his voice tinged with a deadly poison and his face grim.
"Maze, I think it's about time we face reality, the mission is almost impossible to complete and if we proceed with it right now; then it's not only the big boss we have to worry about, its the entire city, and the monsters that lurk within its embrace" Anju said, his previous liveliness gone and replaced by a severe demeanour.
Anju was right if they carried on with the plan then their chances of survival were meagre. However, Maze knew much more about the boss then Anju, and if they did not complete the mission then death was inevitable, they had a chance at survival albeit low if they proceeded with the task and Maze would instead choose the latter than the former.
"Almost impossible doesn't make it impossible. We go on with the mission, and my decision is final." Maze said.
"If you say so boss" Anju replied.
"Now find the clown, he has to be in here, our boys have surrounded the outside." Maze said.
With Anju gone Maze closed his eyes and silently cast a spell.
"Open my eyes to the beyond and open my eyes to the infinite stars, Spirits of dawn adhere to my call and obey my command. Scourge."
His vision became clear as Maze could see the tiniest detail from at least a vast distance away. His eyes which shone gold scourged the entire festival searching for the clown.
Where's this bloody clown. Maze thought. Frustration building inside of him, taking deep breaths in and out he calmed himself. After all, anger led to rash decisions which in turn lead to trouble. He already had more than enough on his plate and wasn't about to add any.
Capturing a three-hundred-year-old clown wasn't an easy thing to achieve, much less one that had mastered and was taught stealth magic from the king of the Night himself.
BOOM.
An ostentatious explosion roared as smoke filled the air. A moment of silence followed until panic arose and the previously cheerful people all ran for their lives.
The Clown. The smoke was a bloody red, and that was a signal that Maze knew very well. Lowering his body, he moved at inhuman speed and reached the root of the explosion in less that of a second.
Anju was the first his eyes captured, and the dissipating of the smoke revealed another person. The clown stood there, two children in his hands as he held a black dagger that curved unnaturally at the kid's throats.
"The Black Hound Anju and The Grim Reaper Maze, what would warrant two powerful men of the underworld to visit me in such an unpleasant way." His voice cynical and similar to that of an animals screech, the clown said.
"You should know what we want and holding two hostages in your hands is not gonna help out in any way," Anju replied, an indifferent look on his face.
"Oh, believe me, these kids are my path to escape." The Clown said.
"What makes you think that we would let you escape for two kids, are you stupid enough to think we would be heroes?" Anju said, his voice rich with mocking and his eyes disdain.
The white paint on his face seemed to turn darker in Mazes eyes as a weak looking smile formed on the clowns face.
"Oh, it's not these kids that will save me but rather their identities." The clown took one of the hands of the kids, a girl not older than ten at best and showed us her hand. A black imprint was engraved on it as a symbol of a golden roc stood in the middle of the mark.
The Golden Roc Empire. This was the symbol of the royal family and a few weeks back two of the younger princesses survived an annihilation of the family. The cause was said to be of a Lord Class Beast that escaped the royal's dungeon. The last two remaining heiresses had also soon disappeared as the empire broke into a civil war between the loyalists and the rebels.
The rebels united behind Duke Darrow and wished for a new king while the loyalists believed that the older of the two princesses should inherit the throne. After their disappearance, the loyalists fell into a significant disadvantage with many thinking that the heiresses had been assassinated.
The girls would fetch an enormous amount of gold if sold to the loyalists, who were desperate.
Before Anju could speak Maze said. "We agree, give us the girls and I will not kill you, I promise on my name." The clown smiled throwing the kid up in the air and disappearing in a flash.
Maze could have chased him seeing his direction was west however he never.
"That was our only way to acquire the knowledge we need." An infuriated Anju said.
"He's not the only person who holds the knowledge, merely the weakest of them." Maze said while catching the kids before they hit the floor.
The weakest he may be but he is the only person who we can take on with great ease, while the others at least are as strong as us. Now we have to fight for the knowledge." Anju replied.
"Anju, Fighting is not the only way, after all, money buys knowledge and do we not have plenty of that." Maze said while looking at the two girls.
"What's your names?" Anju asked out of the blue.
The older of the girls replied saying:
"Alina and Amina."