Shin felt a wave of power surge through him. He put his hand back on the hilt of his sword, staining it blood-red. He glanced back at Fuyumi before shifting his attention back to the enemies in front of him. He knew despite his increase in power, he couldn't do any direct harm to them. Shin stuck his sword into the walls of the alleyway.
"We won't fall for this again!"
Shin removed his sword, slinging parts of the wall at them, but they knocked the debris aside with their weapons. While they were blinded by the cloud of dust, Shin imbued his sword with electricity using [Elemental Mastery]. His sword radiated with red lightning and made a sharp buzzing sound. He stuck it into the pool of his blood on the ground. The electricity surged from the blade and into the blood and onto the thugs.
"GAAAAAAAH!"
The bigger thug convulsed violently before falling over as his metal armor conducted the electricity. Meanwhile, the other two henchmen were largely unaffected as they wore leather boots. They turned around when they saw their leader fall over and called out in unison.
"Boss!"
Seeing an opportunity, Shin casted [Collapse] at their feet. The rocks, splinters, and other surrounding trash began to rapidly accelerate at them. The thugs closed their eyes and braced themselves. However, just as they were about to be hit, a silver-colored barrier formed around them.
Shin stepped back, expecting another enemy.
The thugs slowly opened their eyes when they realized that they hadn't been hit. A smooth and honeyed voice came from above them.
"Now, now, that's enough."
Shin and the thugs looked up at the source of the voice but couldn't make anything out of the darkness.
"All of this fighting during Cinco de Mayo won't do. It's a time for celebration!"
The mysterious figure dropped down from the roof of a building and effortlessly landed between Shin and the thugs. What was immediately noticeable was the colorful hat from the parade.
They tipped their hat before taking it off and bowed like it was the end of a theatre play. Long brown hair unraveled as they took the hat off.
"You may know me, I go by Ghast." They said, waving a long wooden staff.
Ghast wore a dark red one-piece suit. Despite the rough activity, it was in perfect condition without a single crease. Shin couldn't tell what gender they were as their features were so androgynous. Ghast's long hair but completely flat physique were giving Shin different signals. As the barrier surrounding the thugs faded, Ghast put up a second barrier between the two combatants.
"Shin, you may go. Zhao, Xiao, pick up Fei Long and bring him home." They spoke with a stern and assertive tone.
The two thugs nodded, ran over to their boss, and picked him up. With one arm slung over each of their shoulders, they carried him out of the alleyway.
Shin paused for a moment in shock before listening to Ghast. He couldn't argue with them. Shin wasn't in a situation where he could question it. He was just thankful it was over. Shin turned around and picked up Fuyumi, attempting to carry her on his back. He couldn't pick her up as the effects of [Death's Ambition] wore off and he began to lose strength in his arm from the lost blood. Shin's vision blurred as he stumbled forward.
"Just a moment, here."
A glowing white light fluttered from the end of Ghast's staff and attached itself to Shin, engulfing his arm. He immediately felt relief from his self-inflicted wound.
---------
[Shin]
Level: 38 | HP: 988
---------
"Why?" Shin asked, staring at his arm as the wound closed.
"Don't think about it too hard, darlin'. Just go."
"Thanks."
He picked Fuyumi up and began walking out of the alleyway.
Ghast sighed and put away their staff, looking around at the pools of blood and mess left behind from the fight.
"Now, what am I going to do about this." They quietly said to themselves.
+++++++++++++
[18:14 | May 05, 2035]
Fuyumi groaned as she opened her eyes. Her white hair was messy and thrown about atop the soft pillow and sheets she rested on. Still in a daze, she rubbed her eyes before sitting upright.
"Where… am I?"
She was in an unfamiliar room. The wooden floorboards and floral patterned wallpaper were foreign to her. Beside the bed was a shelf, bookshelf, wardrobe, nightstand, and a desk. These were all standard accommodations for a inn room. However, she didn't recognize any of it.
Her eyes widened when she had a sudden realization where she was. Her heart started racing as all sorts of situations flooded her mind.
"I was drunk and now I'm in a hotel room…" She thought.
She slapped herself in an attempt to wake up from the dream. When she realized that it wasn't a dream, Fuyumi threw off the bedsheets to check if she was wearing any clothes. Fuyumi exhaled in relief when she saw her clothes were on aside from her coat.
A thud from the door in front of her interrupted her thoughts followed by a splash of water.
"Eh… no way…"
She scrambled out of bed and opened every drawer and cabinet in search of her belongings. She then remembered that the storage room was usually in the bathrooms of inn rooms. The room was a mess with the sheets thrown about and the half-open drawers.
Fuyumi stood with her back to the wall beside the bathroom door. She heard the rustling of clothes from the other side and tensed up. She clenched her fist tightly and prepared to strike. The door opened. A red-haired man walked out and closed his eyes as he stretched. Without thinking, Fuyumi punched forward into the man's stomach. He fell to his knees, reeling in pain.
"What was that… for?!"
When she realized who it was, she knelt down next to him and shook his shoulders.
"Shin?! Sorry! Sorry! I thought I was about get raped or something!"
"What do you mean? How did you come to that conclusion?!"
"I was drunk and now I'm in a hotel room and I was missing my equipment and-" Her voice was filled with panic and distress.
"Your stuff is in the closet in the bathroom…"
Shin rested his head on the wooden floorboard.
"I'll… I owe you one." She said as she got up and ran into the bathroom closet.
"You better!"
She opened the door at the end of the bathroom which revealed a small walk-in closet. She could tell that the room was expensive due to the dedicated bathroom. Most of the inns in Dragonfall and Freila didn't have dedicated bathrooms. They only had public shared bathrooms and bathhouses.
Fuyumi came out from the bathroom door with her coat around her arm and her dagger hanging from the sheath on her waist.
"Here, I'll help you up." She said, extending her hand out.
Shin grabbed her hand and pulled himself up.
"Whew… That might have left a bruise or something." He said, pulling up his shirt to inspect the site of impact.
He looked back up to Fuyumi, who caught his attention by suddenly crossing her arms and standing up tall. She cleared her throat.
"I'll treat you out to dinner!" Fuyumi said proudly.
"Eh? Like right now? Tonight?"
Shin's head shot back in shock.
"Whenever! It can be tonight or another time! If you don't mind that is…"
Her shoulder sank, her expression dropped with it.
"We can go, it's not like I have any plans. I always eat alone anyway."
Shin scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. When Fuyumi heard his reply, she perked up. Her eyes shined like a light bulb just lit up in her head.
"In that case, I know the perfect place!"
+++++++++++++
[19:42 | May 05, 2035]
The streets of Dragonfall had calmed down since the parade ended. Carts full of festive decorations and costumes sat along the side of the main street. A handful of NPCs loaded colorful ornaments and clothing from the cart into nearby boxes.
The restaurant was about a twenty-minute walk away from the inn. This area of Dragonfall could be seen as wealthy. NPCs and adventurers both wore more distinguished clothing. The adventurers didn't bat an eye when they passed by. They were likely used to seeing Fuyumi and Shin at this point. The bounty on their heads was well known but no one was surprised to see them around.
They didn't say much to each other during the walk.
The awkward silence invited Shin to stare down the alleyways to his right as they walked. He was reminded of the fight from just a few hours earlier. He didn't tell Fuyumi about it yet, but he thought it would be a good topic after the dinner. Now was not the right time.
Shin snapped back to reality. To his right was an undeniable beauty. Fuyumi and Shin didn't have many options when it came to clothes. They wore what was needed for fights and only carried one other set of clothes for outings. She wore a white dress that stretched down to right above her knees. She covered her shoulders with a light blue cardigan. Her hair was tied hair up in a ponytail, revealing a crystal earring hanging from her ear.
Fashion in the world of Mythos Online was fairly standard for fantasy MMORPGs. Clothes obviously differed when it came to outing clothes and equipment. Men typically wore leather garbs, vests, and coats. Meanwhile, women wore frilly dresses, partlets, and surcots. Most NPC-owned stores sold these fantasy-styled clothes. However, since adventurers were able to open their own stores, they started selling clothing that mimicked fashion in the real world.
Shin was nervous. He had a girlfriend once before but the relationship didn't last long. Walking beside Fuyumi while she was dressed up was making him far more anxious than usual. In this kind of situation, they would look like a couple. He grew increasingly more self-conscious. Shin checked the cuffs on his coat and made sure his hair was presentable using the windows of the stores they passed as mirrors.
"Welcome to Lumières"