The night was dark and uncertain; while some reveled in the festival, others schemed in the shadows.
Hollow's keen eyes tracked the stranger as he slipped through the cold streets. The festival's noise had already disappeared, they were far away from the plaza.
They had arrived at a dark narrow alley.
The alley opened into a wide street bathed in pink lights, the vibrant glow illuminating the entertainment district of Babylon. The air was thick with the scent of exotic perfumes and the sound of laughter and music spilled out from the various establishments.
The man discarded his cape, revealing plain but well-worn grey and black clothing underneath. He moved with purpose, easily blending into the crowd of men. Hollow followed, his eyes scanning the scene. Women in long, revealing dresses stood in front of each brothel, their invitations to passing men a mix of seduction and business.
The guy suddenly took a turn to the tight, and entered an establishment: "Golden Touch".
Hollow hesitated for a moment, taking in the scene before stepping forward. No woman was seducing the passing folks in, which suggested the brothel had its clients and wasn't in need of attracting new customers. The entrance was unguarded and inviting. As he approached, a woman in revealing clothing clung to his arm, guiding him inside with a welcoming smile.
"Come in Mister~~" She whispered as she clung harder to his arm, guiding him towards. The woman was beautiful and had long silky brown hair and a soft smile traced on her golden sparkly lips.
"We've got everything you could desire, darling~"
Hollow allowed himself to be led through the entrance, bothered by the woman clinging tightly to him. The air was thick with perfumes and the scent of incense, mingling with the sounds of soft laughter and distant moans that could be heard through the walls.
Hollow's eyes adjusted to the dimly lit interior as he scanned the room, searching for any sign of the man he'd been following. The woman at his side guided him towards a plush velvet couch.
"Why don't you have a seat, handsome?" she purred, her fingers trailing along his arm.
"Can I get you a drink while you... decide what you'd like?"
Hollow nodded, grateful for the chance to observe his surroundings. "Whiskey, neat," he murmured.
As the woman walked away, Hollow took a look at his surroundings, several men lounged on similar couches, engaged in hushed conversations with barely dressed women.
There was no sign of his target.
A voice from behind startled him. "First time here, mister hottie?"
Hollow turned to see a pretty blonde eyeing him with curiosity.
"Yes, a friend recommended this place. He just arrived—brown hair, gray and black outfit. Do you know where he went?"
The blonde's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, you two are doing a foursome, not common but not quite rare too" she grins mischievously.
Before Hollow could probe further, the first woman returned with his drink.
"For you, darling!" she winked flirtasiously.
Hollow nods, ignoring the flirt.
"So, do you know where he went? seems he couldn't wait for me." He inquired again.
"Well since you're such a hottie mister, how about I accompany you inside that room." she softly runs her nails across his chest.
"Lead the way," he stands up, taking one last sip of his drink.
The blonde woman's smile widened as she took Hollow's hand. "Follow me, customer," leading him past the main lounge area.
They walked down a hallway with pink lights, the sounds of the main room fading behind them. Hollow's senses were perturbed by the sounds of the busy customers in the rooms, to think that Babylon offers such services.
The corridor was lined with long purple curtains, each marked with a different symbol rather than numbers, leading to a private room.
"Your friend chose quite the exciting room," the blonde remarked, her voice low and sultry. "He must have exquisite taste."
They stopped in front of a door marked with a golden serpent. The woman's hand lingered on the doorknob as she turned to face Hollow, her eyes searching his face.
"Are you sure you're ready for what's inside?" she asked a hint of challenge in her voice.
Hollow nodded, maintaining his composure. "I'm always ready for a good time," he replied with a forced smile.
The woman chuckled and walked through the curtains, her hand always holding Hollow's, leading him inside. The room greeted him with an opulent yet sordid atmosphere. Velvet drapes framed the walls, and the air was heavy with the scent of incense and sweat.
The was a large, ornate bed at the center of the room. On it, the man he had been following lay entangled with a woman from the brothel. Her long hair fanned out like a dark halo against the plush pillows, her body arching and moving rhythmically. The man's clothes were scattered on the floor, and his naked form glistened with sweat.
Hollow's presence went unnoticed at first. He took in the scene, as he watched the man he had tracked for so long indulging himself without a care. The woman's soft moans filled the room, and the man's hands roamed over her body with a possessive fervor.
But then, a floorboard creaked under Hollow's boot, snapping the couple out of their lustful haze. The woman's eyes flew open, a gasp escaping her lips as she saw the dark figure standing at the doorway. The man turned his head, his expression shifting from pleasure to shock and then to anger.
"What the hell?" the man pulled away from the woman., scrambling to sit up, his movements clumsy and frantic.
They both looked up as Hollow entered, surprise evident on their faces.
Hollow didn't waste a second. He crossed the room in a few swift strides, grabbing the man by the throat, Hollow lifted him effortlessly, the sudden motion pulled the man out of the woman, and then he slammed him against the wall. The force of the impact caused a nearby painting to rattle and tilt.
"Agh!" the man was in pain, as the impact left him gasping for air.
The woman on the bed shrieked, clutching the sheets to her chest. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared at Hollow, then darted to the man pinned against the wall. "I'll... I'll just go," she stammered, her voice trembling. Hastily, she gathered her discarded robe and slipped out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.
"D-Darling?" gasped the blondie.
Hollow's attention snapped to the blonde woman who had led him to the room. He'd momentarily forgotten about her presence in the heat of the moment.
"Stay where you are," he commanded, his voice firm but not unkind. "This doesn't concern you."
The blonde's eyes were wide with fear and confusion, darting between Hollow and the man pinned against the wall. She took a hesitant step back, clearly torn between fleeing and obeying.
Hollow's grip tightened, his eyes boring into the man's. "What is the captain of the Twin Suns order plotting?" he growled, his voice low and menacing.
The man's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed. Despite the pressure on his throat, he managed a bitter laugh. "You have no idea what you're getting into, do you?" he wheezed.
Hollow pressed harder, his patience wearing thin. "Start talking, or things are going to get very unpleasant for you."
The man's face reddened, both from the chokehold and from anger. "You think... you can just walk in here... and demand answers?" he sputtered. "Do you know who I am? Who I work for?"
"I know enough," Hollow replied coldly. "And I know the Twin Suns have been moving in shadows, gathering resources. What's the endgame?"
For a moment, fear flashed in the man's eyes. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled. "You're too late," he whispered. "It's already begun."
Without warning, Hollow's fist connected with the man's face in a powerful blow. The impact sent him flying across the room, landing heavily on the bed with a pained grunt. Blood streamed from his nose, and his left eye was already swelling shut.
Hollow advanced slowly towards the bed, his eyes cold and determined. The man, still naked from earlier, scrambled backward on the plush sheets, leaving smears of blood.
"Next time, it will be a broken arm.," Hollow growled, his voice low and menacing. "Now speak, what exactly has already begun?"
The man's bravado from earlier had vanished. Fear clouded his one good eye as he raised a hand in a weak attempt to ward off another blow.
"You don't understand," he whimpered. "If I talk, they'll kill me."
Hollow loomed over him, his shadow falling across the cowering man. "And what do you think I'll do if you don't?"
"Alright, alright! The Twin Suns... they're not just an order anymore. They've infiltrated the city guard, the merchant guilds, even parts of the royal court. They're planning a coup, but it's more than that. They've got some kind of weapon, something ancient and powerful. I don't know the details, I swear!"
Hollow's eyes narrowed. "What about the shipment?"
Just then, he heard heavy footsteps and voices in the hallway, rapidly approaching, the blond woman, who had already escaped, must've called for security.
The man's eyes widened at the mention of the shipment. "How do you know about—" he started, then shook his head, he realized the menacing man in front of him must've heard his conversation with the captain of the Order earlier.
"Tomorrow morning, at the Order's HQ, s-some sort of imported technology."
The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, accompanied by menacing shouts.
"Security, FREEZE !" a group of four bulk men in uniforms entered the room, guns in their hands, only to find a bleeding naked man passed out on the bed.
The guards looked around in confusion, their eyes scanning every corner of the room. "What the hell?" one of them muttered.
"Check the window!" another ordered, moving swiftly to the small opening. But it was securely latched, with no signs of tampering.
The guards searched the room, baffled by the apparent disappearance of the assailant.
________________ Somewhere, in a dark alley ________________
A cloud of dark purple mist suddenly materialized in the shadows of a narrow alley, far from the commotion at the Golden Touch. There was a figure standing amidst the mist, a tall man. As he took a step forth, the purple mist dissipated revealing his identity: it was Hollow.
He emerged from the teleportation without so much as a flinch, and casually brushed away the last wisps of purple mist clinging to his face.
It seems he arrived at the back alley of the inn he had been staying in.
Hollow exited the alley with calm confidence, his footsteps silent on the cobblestone street. The night air was cool against his skin as he approached the main entrance of the inn.
Hollow climbed the creaking wooden stairs, his mind already racing with plans for the coming day. He reached the door to his room, unlocked it with a practiced hand, and stepped inside.
He entered his room, immediately feeling the constraint of the clothes he had purchased with Elyas earlier. The fashionable attire, while suitable for blending in with the festival crowd, had proven less than ideal for his covert activities, hence his preference for a black coat that doesn't attract attention.
Sitting on the bed, Hollow reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device; his handpiece. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the holographic map he had acquired upon arriving on the planet. The room filled with a soft blue glow as the detailed 3D representation of the city materialized in the air before him.
His eyes scanned the holographic streets and buildings, searching for the Order's HQ. As he studied the map, a frown traced on his brow. Something was nagging at him, something was amiss in the information he had gathered.
Hollow leaned back, his mind replaying the encounters. The first man had claimed the shipment was destined for the Babylon Tower. The second, under considerably more duress, had insisted it was bound for the Order's HQ. Both had specified the morning as the time of arrival.
This inconsistency was troubling. Either one of his sources was lying, or perhaps more worryingly, there were two shipments. Hollow's eyes narrowed as he considered the possibilities. Could the Twin Suns be coordinating multiple deliveries to throw off potential interceptors?
No, that couldn't be, the first man, with his dying breath, had proclaimed loyalty to the king. Yet the informant at the brothel had revealed that the Twin Suns had infiltrated the royal court. These two pieces of information were fundamentally at odds.
Could the king himself be unaware of the infiltration? Or was there a deeper game at play, with factions within factions?
The holographic map shifted as Hollow zoomed in on both the Babylon Tower and the Order's HQ. Two shipments, two locations, but only one agent. The Babylon Tower and the Order's HQ were on opposite sides of the city. Monitoring both simultaneously would be challenging, if not impossible, for a lone operative.
Hollow's mind raced with potential strategies. He needed more information, and time was not on his side. As the soft blue light of the hologram played across his determined features, he knew that tomorrow would require all of his skills, wit, and resourcefulness.
He needed to decide what location he should investigate first.
His sources had mentioned a secret auction being plotted by the king. If true, this could be somehow related to the shipment the first man had mentioned.
The tower, with its imposing architecture and tight security, would be a challenge to infiltrate, but Hollow was no stranger to such obstacles.
Whatever awaited him at the Babylon Tower - be it a shipment, an auction, or something entirely unexpected - Hollow would be ready.