Back in Genesis's mansion, a notification arrived in both Elayne and Genesis's status screens and AutoSiphers, relaying the same message to them. Elayne felt cold sweat run down her neck as she glanced at Genesis, who had a vein popping on the side of his head.
{ A$CE has been slain }
The Poncho Faction, also known as the roots of Genesis, was one of the most formidable groups working for Genesis. Infighting was banned in Genesis's organisation, but the ponchos were allowed to act as a disciplinary unit, by any means necessary.
They were entrusted with hits on certain players, intelligence gathering and any crime job needed. And, the man who made all of that possible was Ace, one of the few people Genesis genuinely respected. But, he was taken down. Genesis couldn't afford another loss.
After seeing the message in front of him, he decided to skip countless ranks in his tree and immediately put all his faith into his right hand man... or woman. He looked at Elayne, his face more composed than before, and sighed.
Before he had a chance to speak, Elayne said, "I'll do it. I'll find the person who mirked Ace and bring him straight to you."
"... They could be dangerous," Genesis said.
"And yet, so am I. Ace wasn't just a co-worker; he was a friend. I'll find whoever took him out and make sure they regret having crossed his path."
Genesis nodded. "I'm counting on you..."
Elayne nodded and walked out, Genesis staring at her butt as she stepped out of the room. He leaned back on his chair and opened his status screen, scrolling through servers until he found the one he was looking for.
He began a call, and after a few seconds, 6 holographic screens appeared around Genesis, each of the screens hiding a silhouette of 6 different people.
"Genesis! It's not like you to call us!" a feminine and childlike voice called out from one of the screens.
"Yes, it is quite unbecoming of you, Mateo. I am intrigued as to why you called," a male with a silky and seductive voice responded.
"We have a potential god-killer in the new world," Genesis responded, immediately silencing the 6 members.
"What? I thought you were keeping things under control over there," an additional female voice called out.
"I can't do everything on my own. You 6 need to return and help me. My most trusted men are dying and I won't be able to handle a god-killer on my own," Genesis replied.
"Of course you won't. You were merely a healer when we did all the hard work," the male with the silky voice responded.
"Look, if we don't take care of the situation at hand as soon as possible, this player will get hundreds of people killed, possibly thousands. We can't allow another god to get killed."
There was a brief silence, until the feminine childlike voice spoke up. "Fine. We'll get down there as soon as possible."
"How soon is 'soon?'"
"Jeez, could you stop acting so paranoid? 3 months should be enough time," the male with a deep voice responded.
"You dick heads! That's too damn long! He's only been here for a month, and he's already causing trouble! Get down here before-!"
The call cut, causing Genesis to shout from the top of his lungs. He took deep and heavy breaths and rubbed his temples. "... Fine... If Elayne doesn't succeed, I'll take care of him myself..."
***
Even after going through a near death experience, both Nico and Lindsey still had to go monster hunting for a few extra coins and stat increases. As the grey clouds slowly began to turn black, Lindsey returned to the adventurer's guild and rented a room while Nico went to Sylvester's.
Now that he had taken out one of Genesis's people, there was bound to be rumours about him spreading around. And, he could potentially be able to gather some information for himself. Besides, there wasn't concrete evidence that proved Nico was the one who killed Ace.
He arrived at the bar, the alluring and soft hum of music bringing a sense of nostalgia into him. Sylvester saw him walk in and smiled softly. "Welcome back."
"Good to be back," Nico greeted as he sat down on the bar stool. "How's about that mixer of yours?"
Sylvester nodded and grabbed cola from the fridge, along with a whiskey from the shelf. He generously poured the cola into the mixer, along with the whiskey and a mysterious soft fizzing shot. Then, he began mixing, Nico watching the magic happen.
Sylvester poured the mixer into a shot glass, the red and orange colour giving it a mix of curiosity. "I call it 'fire and light,'" he said with a smile.
"How much do I owe you?" Nico asked.
"500."
Nico transferred the coins, a smile tugging at his lips after he took a sip from the drink. "This is really good."
"Hmph. And you wanted a beer the first time you got here. You should be ashamed," Sylvester teased as he smiled softly.
The door to the bar opened, 4 people stepping inside and causing everyone in the bar to quiet down, the joyful and peaceful energy replaced by a more intense aura. Nico noticed this too and looked at the people entering, his eyes slightly widening as he noticed who walked in.
A beautiful woman with medium length black hair, blue eyes and long eyelashes, followed by 3 men who were twice her height and size, walked in, making everyone extremely nervous, apart from Sylvester and Nico.
"Yo, Syl, get me my usual. Same to my boys over here," Elayne said as she looked at Sylvester.
"You know you're not supposed to come over here with those shit brick houses of yours, Elayne. They're making my customers nervous," Sylvester said. "Have them sit alone in the corner where they can be as menacing as they want," he added as he pointed towards a depressing table with dim lighting.
Elayne rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just get us our shit and we won't cause you any trouble. Mh?" That's when she noticed Nico glaring at her. She stepped closer and glared back. "What are you looking at?"
"The thief and her fucking unleashed dogs, who beat me senseless and stole the money I had to kill people for," Nico responded as he stood up.
Elayne's men were about to intervene, until she stopped them by simply raising her hand. "You think you're special? You're not the first or last person to get mugged. Get over yourself."
"I will; after you pay me what you owe," Nico responded.
There was a brief silence in the bar, until one man in the far back burst out laughing, earning him a glare from Nico. "Listen buddy, you're wasting your time with Elayne over there. Everyone in this bar, apart from Syl, has been mugged atleast once by her. She's not gonna stop now."
"Huh?!"
After seeing Nico's puzzled expression, everyone else in the bar began laughing loudly as well, bringing him back to the good old days, when he'd get pushed around and any kid who saw that would laugh instead of helping.
'It's happening again...' he said to himself, his heart beating faster and his hands starting to shake.
Elayne looked at him and sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck as she smiled softly. "Fine. How about I pay you back? That drink of yours. I'll buy you some more."
Nico looked at Elayne, who was incredibly close to him now. He backed away and looked at her, noticing that she was being genuine. She wasn't sorry, but she was willing to buy him another drink.
"... I guess I'll take what I can get..."
"That's the spirit! While we're at it, how about a drinking game?!" Elayne shouted with a bright smile on her face. "Whoever can out drink me, I'll pay them back the money I hustled outta them!"
Everyone in the bar cheered loudly, apart from Nico. Sylvester face palmed and groaned, thinking about the costs that will come back to bite him once the bar was closed. And so, the game was on.
***
After hours of countless drinking, most of the players who were determined to beat Elayne ended up retreating or simply falling asleep in the bar. Elayne chuckled and burped, elbowing Nico gently as she did.
"You did a pretty good job. But, it looks like you've reached your limit," she said as she turned to the player next to her, who was still downing an entire bottle without putting it down. "Good job, buddy! How much do I owe you...?"
The player shrugged and stood up. "I got to drink free booze. Let's call it even." Then, he left without looking back.
Elayne shrugged and turned to Nico, who was feeling a little too drunk for his liking. "I think I'll just go home... No point in crying over spilt milk," he said as he picked himself up.
"Wait...!" Elayne grabbed his arm and almost fell, only for Nico to grab her waist before she could. She smirked and stood up straight. "I don't think you and I have made an actual introduction. The name's Elayne."
"... Nico," he replied as he tried walking out, only for Elayne to step in front of him and smile brightly. Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. "What?"
"The night's still young. How about we ditch this place and take a stroll?" Elayne suggested.
"You mugged me on my first day here."
"And, I'm sorry about that. It's kinda my job as an artist."
"Pfft, yeah right."
"Just come with me. You're gonna love this place," she said as she held Nico's hand and walked him out of the bar.
Hesitating, Nico ended up walking through the streets of Red Town, doing something else that felt stupid, especially since it involved a woman from the new world.