Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Freesia.
January, x780.
After a ten-hour drive in his Vanquish, Alfonzo finally arrived in Freesia Town. Considering that the sun had set by the time he arrived, Alfonzo decided he would meet with the client tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, shortly after Alfonzo pulled into the town, a young man with shifty eyes that had been assigned to watch the town entrance, after he was sure that no one was watching him, quickly left the town. Then, after running through the plains surrounding the town, he eventually arrived at the foot of a mountain.
After carefully checking the area, the young man eventually arrived in front of a set of five boulders that roughly resembled the shape of a pentagram, should one see them from above. A moment later, after injecting his magic power into the five boulders using a specific pattern, a passage opened in the center of the five boulders, revealing stairs that led underground.
Wasting no time, the young man made his way down the passage. Then, a moment after he could no longer be seen on the surface, the passage closed, looking completely natural to anyone who was unaware.
"Who's there?" A bald man with a scar over his right eye asked as soon as the passage closed.
"It's me, Nigel." The young man, Nigel, replied.
"What are you doing here, Nigel?" The bald man asked with skepticism in his tone while subconsciously leaking his magic power into the surroundings. "Your shift doesn't end until sunrise."
"Wait, please don't hurt me, Hammer!" Nigel said frantically. "I came back because I have something important to report to Master Giovanni."
"Hmph!" The bald man, Hammer, snorted in disdain. "Why don't you tell me what you have to report, and I'll decide if it's important or not."
Hearing that, Nigel cautiously took a step back. He, a middle-of-the-road C-Class wizard, was under no illusion that he could stand up to Hammer, an A-Class wizard and the second strongest member of Behemoth Claw.
"But... Master Giovanni told me to report any news directly to him." Nigel replied, fear filling his tone.
To be honest, Nigel was right to be afraid. Ever since the former master of Behemoth Claw chose Giovanni to become the next guild master, Hammer has been irritable and prone to losing his temper on the lower ranked members of the guild.
Hearing how afraid Nigel was and seeing him taking shaky steps backward, Hammer's face morphed into a smile that delighted in the suffering of others. Then, he took a step forward and raised his hand. As he did, the wind began to gather in his palm before he compressed it into a small ball that fit comfortably in his hand.
This technique was how he got the nickname, "Hammer." Being struck by one of these balls of wind was like getting hit with a mechanically powered sledgehammer.
"Now, will you tell me what you saw?" Hammer asked with a vicious smile on his face. "Or will I have to ask in a more… proactive way?"
"But… The Master?" Nigel replied, taking another step back in fear.
For every step Nigel took backwards, Hammer would step forward. Eventually, Nigel reached the stairs he had just descended, tripping over the first step as he did. And when Hammer saw that, his smile widened. Luckily, Hammer's spike in magic power alerted the other dark wizards in the hideout.
"What's going on here?" A deep, magnetic male voice asked from the corridor behind Hammer.
"Tch!" Hammer clicked his tongue in annoyance after hearing the new voice.
Letting the wind ball dissipate, Hammer turned around to see the man who just arrived.
"It's nothing, Giovanni." Hammer replied. "I was just greeting the weakling that came back."
Stepping out in the open was a short man with long blue hair that reached his shoulders, bangs covering his right eye, deep black eyes, a goatee, and wearing a black magician's robe. Even though he was shorter than average, no one who knew his identity would dare to take him lightly. This man was Giovanni Regalia, the guild master of Behemoth Claw.
"Sure you were." Giovanni replied, glancing at Hammer as he did. Then, he turned his attention to Nigel. "What was your name again? Eh, I can't be bothered. But I know you were supposed to be watching one of the town's entrances."
"That's right, Master Giovanni." Nigel said, quickly standing up from the stairs. "I'm Nigel, I was tasked with monitoring the east entrance of the town."
"I see." Giovanni replied with a nod. A moment later, however, his eyes narrowed, and he began leaking his killing intent and magic power as he continued in a cold tone. "For your sake, boy, I hope you have a good reason for leaving your post."
"Ye-yes sir. Nigel replied, even more fearful than when Hammer as approaching. "I saw a fancy, like, really fancy, magic vehicle enter the town less than two hours ago."
Hearing that, Giovanni dialed back his killing intent. Then, he gestured for Nigel to continue.
"Only really rich people would have a vehicle like that." Nigel continued. "So, I thought it was either a powerful wizard or someone with high status. Either way, I thought you would want to know about it."
"Good." Giovanni replied with a nod. "Hurry back to the town. Then, I want you to find out if he's a wizard or just a money bag."
"Yes sir." Nigel replied before running up the stairs and returning to the town.
Giovanni then turned to Hammer.
"Hammer, when the kid… What's his name again? Eh, doesn't matter." Giovanni said, not interested in anyone who does not have the potential to reach A-Class. "Anyway, when he gets back, take a few men with you into the town."
"Oh! I think I like where this is going!" Hammer said happily.
Even though Hammer was envious of Giovanni for being chosen as the guild master, he did enjoy the tasks that Giovanni assigned.
"If he's just another money bag, bring him here for the ritual." Giovanni continued. "And if he's a wizard…"
"Yeah?" Hammer asked, excited by the possibility.
"Beat him to within an inch of his life." Giovanni said with a smile. "Then, we'll use him in the ritual."
"Aww…" Hammer said, sounding disappointed. "So, I can't kill him?"
"No." Giovanni replied. "A wizard's magic power will make reaching our goal much easier."
"Tch!" hammer clicked his tongue once again. "Fine. I'll bring him in alive. But it's okay if he has some missing limbs, right?"
"Doesn't matter." Giovanni said nonchalantly. "As long as he's alive. I couldn't care less."
"Hell yeah!" Hammer cheered excitedly. "This is gonna be fun. I'd still have more fun killing him, though."
Like that, the rest of the night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Alfonzo woke up and went out into the Hotel's courtyard to do a bit of morning training. As he did, he stretched his magic power to get a feel for his surroundings.
'Hmm… There's a wizard watching me from the building across the street.' Is he just curious or is he one of them?'
Continuing his workout, Alfonzo kept his senses trained on the wizard who was watching him. Then, after he finished his training, an hour and a half later, he returned to his hotel room to get freshened up.
And as soon as he entered the hotel, Alfonzo noticed the stalker running away, toward the edge of the town.
"That was probably a member of Behemoth Claw." Alfonzo murmured as he gently rubbed shampoo into his scalp. "Looks like this quest won't take as long as I thought."
After his shower, Alfonzo dried off and dressed himself. Now wearing a black sleeveless shirt, a white t-shirt underneath, a black pair of pants, a blue sash around his waist, and a pair of white shoes that looked like Airforce1's with a blue check, Alfonzo made his way out of the hotel before getting in the Vanquish. Then, he drove toward city hall where he would meet with the mayor, Oliver Cromwell.
An hour later, Alfonzo left city hall. Having heard everything that the citizens had reported about the missing people, Alfonzo decided to check the locations where the people were taken from. After another two hours of investigation, Alfonzo realized that these dark wizards weren't going to be as easy as he thought to find.
"Well, it wouldn't be an S-Class quest if it was going to be easy." Alfonzo said with a shrug as he returned to his car after interviewing the family of the most recent victim. Then, with his hand on the door handle, Alfonzo clenched his other fist as he spoke once again with anger in his tone. "But I'm gonna make those muh fuckas pay for splitting up families. As long as I can help it, These dark guilds and cults will pay for tearing apart families like this."
A few moments later, after taking a few deep breaths, Alfonzo was able to calm himself down. Then, he opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.
"*Sigh* I miss Lici already." Alfonzo murmured, laying his forehead on the steering wheel. "Even if she was just as angry, she'd know exactly what to say to make me feel better."
Shaking his head to rid himself of his negative thoughts, Alfonzo put on his seatbelt and started the engine. Then, he returned to his hotel. Having maintained his [Magic Power Detection] since the morning, Alfonzo quickly noticed that the magic power signature that was watching him in the morning had returned.
"You're back, huh?" Alfonzo muttered to himself with a smile. "And it looks like you brought some friends. Let's see… Two A-Classes, five B-Classes, and the same C-Class. I guess there will be a party tonight."
Deciding that starting a fight in the middle of the town while the sun was still up would be a bad idea, Alfonzo simply parked his Vanquish in front of the Hotel. Then, he went back to his room. All the while, he kept watch over the wizards who were lurking in the building across the street.
Meanwhile, in the building across the street from the hotel, the eight Behemoth Claw wizards had just watched Alfonzo walk into the hotel.
"Was that him?" Hammer asked.
"Yes sir." Nigel replied with a nod. "That's the same magic vehicle I saw last night."
"Good." Hammer said, his mouth splitting into a blood thirsty grin. "And he's definitely a wizard. A strong one, too. Probably from one of the legal guilds."
"So, the mayor made a quest to…?" A female, B-Class wizard asked while checking her make-up in a hand mirror.
"To either rescue the townsfolk or get rid of us." The other A-Class wizard in the room replied. "And why the hell are you even doing something as useless as your make-up? It's not like anyone cares."
"Shut up, asshole." The female wizard shot back. "What's it matter to you? Oh, I know! You're lusting over me, aren't you? Must suck to have never been in a pussy since the day you fell out one."
"What did you say, Bitch?" The A-Class wizard asked with a growl.
"That's enough!" Hammer shouted, slamming his fist on the wall, cracking it in the process. "If the two of you start some shit and the prey ends up getting away, I'll make sure that you're part of the ritual, too."
Immediately, the two wizards stopped their quarrel. They knew that Hammer was not making empty threats. His violent and sadistic nature were well known in the guild, after all.
"Now, Listen up!" Hammer said, addressing all the wizards in the room. "We'll wait for midnight. Then, we'll take him down in his sleep. After that, we'll toy with him until he wishes he were dead. I'm sure the despair will help with the ritual."
As Hammer announced the plan, the other wizards all wore smiles as vicious as Hammer's. Meanwhile, the bound, gagged, and beaten people who were working in the room before Behemoth Claw arrived could only shiver with terror. At the same time, however, they did their best not to make a sound. Otherwise, they would receive another round of beating from their inhumane captures.
Several hours later, just as the clock struck midnight, Hammer and two of the B-Class wizards approached the front entrance of the hotel where Alfonzo was staying. Meanwhile, The other A-Class wizard and the rest of the B-Classes spread out around the hotel just in case their target somehow got away from the initial attack.
"Tch!" Hammer clicked his tongue as he passed by Alfonzo's Vanquish. "Why would anyone waste so much money on something like this."
Then, Hammer's eyes lit up with a vicious glint.
"Hehehe… I wonder how he would feel if I destroyed this little piece of scrap?" Hammer asked as he began gathering the wind in his right palm.
"I'd be pissed." A voice said from the entrance to the hotel.
Quickly turning, the three Behemoth Claw wizards saw Alfonzo, the one they declared as their target, leaning against the hotel's wall with his arms crossed.
"So, I'd appreciate it if you left my ride alone." Alfonzo said while glaring at Hammer.