The last few days were..... hectic.
Let it be from making new friends or losing friends. Fighting bloody abominations that could barely be called human, to finally questioning the person I'm traveling with.
Standing on a large marble staircase, I ask. "Are we still in the slums? I mean... marble? And gold? Why is the money being pumped into this?"
Fixing his white scarf, Raven explains that the rich don't care for the poor.
"Ah classic. But if I may ask... Why are these clothes so uncomfortable?" Moving the traditional Obi belt around my waist, I feel like I can barely move.
"Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with keeping the tradition alive, you could have worn a suit like me." Wiping his sleeves, we walk up the stairs to the main door. Skipping the line, I ask Ravne what he is doing.
Ignoring me he pulls out two VIP tickets. "We're skipping the line you blind fuck." Showing the tickets to the guards. They get a nice red stamp on them. "Welcome, Mr. Raven." Waving his hand, I don't know if it's because I started to be suspicious of him, or it's more prominent.
I notice blue veins on his forearm. Follow him, he says. "3 Rules. 1 keep low, 2 do not let anyone talk down on you. if Anything, fight back more furiously. 3 The most important one, DO NOT mess with the people wearing golden masks."
Rolling my eyes, I tell him that it's obvious. "I hope so, anyway, other than that I have nothing else for you. Once the auction starts meet me in VIP Room 93."
Nodding my head, I see him walk off in a direction of a blond woman.
"Well, now what?" Looking around, I understand that we came here to buy things for me, but... I don't know what to do in the meantime. Grabbing a catalog, I list through the items.
"Also just looking for something of interest?" Hearing a man's voice behind my shoulder. A knight in fully plated armor with blue hair and a beard walks up to me.
"Yeah, I'm.... not sure what could catch my attention...."
Looking at me surprised, the man's face softens, replacing it with a smile. "So the rumors are true. Raven got himself a friend yet told him nothing. I'm Gabriel, Paladin of Christ."
Shaking his hand, I stop. "Friends with Raven?"
Nodding his head, Gabriel, tells me that Ravne is a pretty new face to the world of crime, yet a powerful one at that. "Raven's a criminal? Like a bank robber?" Surprised, but not fully, as I expected him to be something like that, Gabriel shakes his head.
"He's the creator of the wonderous drug called [Dreamaker] You've heard of it, blue veins, making sweet dreams of your loved ones. He created that. Just him making and supplying a limited amount of the drug is what propelled him to the title of crime boss."
Looking at Gabriel in confusion, I ask a question that I might regret in the future, but I want the answer. "You know Raven well?"
Smiling, he confirmed my suspicions
"Then can you tell me something? I barely know anything about him, but he knows everything about me! I need to know something!" Placing his hand on my shoulder, he says.
"Child, Raven is a lost sheep. He once had a lover. Her name was Alice, Alice the golden blade. And together they made one of the most dangerous duos in the underworld. She was the sword and he was the brain, but one day..... they met Lilith, the lady of the golden mask. Raven managed to escape her grasp, but Alice died there."
Suddenly, it all clicked into place. Why Raven helped me. He saw me fight the golden-masked James. Why he treats me as a friend.
Why he stayed behind to fight Peter with me. It's because he hates them. He and I have a common enemy.
[A friendship built on a mutual enemy] Laughing at Raven's remark, I finally understood what he meant.
"Are you alright? You seem to be.... laughing?" Telling Gabriel that it's nothing, he smiles. "I'm glad to hear that, but before you leave. Please be kind to Raven. He's a bit unstable and manipulative, but he means good."
Slapping my back, he tells me to enjoy the auction. "I will, but first, I need to find Raven." Running off, Gabriel waves me off.
"Who was that?" A lady holding a bottle of wine walks past Gabriel.
"Raven's friend, and possibly the person..... which will kill him."
.............
Running in stuffy clothes, I see Trip over someone's leg. "Watch it! These are lizard-skin shoes!" Getting off the floor, I yell. "You tripped me and now you're mad at me?!"
Spitting in my face, the bald man demands compensation. Telling him off, we hear a woman's voice. "What's going on here?!"
It's the blonde woman with Raven. "Lady Lilith!" Bowing down slightly, I look at them confused. Spotting a certain golden mask next to the woman, James.
She's the person who ordered, the attack on my Dojo. His hair is golden like the sun, and her blue eyes shine like the blue sky.
Before I could come out of my thoughts, the bald man starts to explain how I dirtied his shoes.
"Lies! You tripped me! If anything my clothes were ruined by you!" Seeing Raven smile, I push on. "You talked arrogantly about having lizard skin shoes, but what about my clothes?! They're real traditional clothes from old-world Asia!"
*Clap* Ending our argument with a clap, the blonde woman turns to Raven. "He's your friend. How do you propose we deal with this?" Standing proudly, Raven lowers his head and speaks.
"I propose by the old rules of the underground, a Battle of Honor. It will certainly light up the mood of others and it would make a nice opening act for the auction."
Clapping her hands, she calls Raven a genius. "Men! Bring these two to the stage! Give them a weapon of their choice and call on our guests to come and watch the show start!"
.........
Being brought into a storage room, they tell me to pick any weapon. Spotting a long tachi, with a nice golden blade, I think how Ironic would it be to kill a golden James with a golden blade.
*Thud* "James is not your enemy now." Turning around, I see the clerk fall to the ground unconscious. "Raven...."
Grabbing the blade, he looks over it before handing it to me. "I'm sorry for putting you on the spot, but I know you can do this." He gives me a tight hug out of nowhere. I could feel tears start to roll down his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry...." Not understanding what he means, he shakes his head. Pushing me away, he wipes his tears away. "AH, something got into my eye. Not important. Cut the competition down, Ken!"
Patting me on the back, he followed me all the way to the stage. Seeing the bald man swing his spear around, I could barely focus on his movements. For my mind was elsewhere.
Walking on the stage, I look over the blade in better lighting. There are scratch marks at the start of the blade. Whipping away at them, I removed the dust revealing a name.
"Alice" [Alice The Golden]