"In the burgeoning city of Rivenstone, one of the twelve thriving cities of Ashfell kingdom, where the sun dipped into the horizon and painted the sky with a hue of crimson and gold, Novius was making his way back home, lost in thoughts Novius sighed, as he walked. "Damn that old geezer, he never changes. Calling a meeting out of nowhere, who does he think he is?" He sighed again, "What a hassle."
As he walked, still lost in thoughts he tripped and fell onto a lady, accidentally groping her boobs. Oblivious, he pressed on, thinking, "Hm, this is so soft."
The lady's aura rose, and she exclaimed, "You bastard! Where do you think you're touching?"
Novius slowly raised his head, realizing his mistake, and apologized, but the lady cut him off with two swift hits to his face and stomach.
Novius gritted his teeth, thinking, "Fuck, fuck, fuck! She's out for blood!!"
He slowly stood up and tried apologizing the lady refused to listen to his pleas, "Sorry ain't gonna make up for all the squiggling and squishing you just did, you dumbfuck!"
Novius pleaded, "Please pardon me, I'm so...," but the town's bell interrupted him, signaling late evening.
Novius panicked, thinking, "Fuck! I'm so fucking late! She's gonna kill me, what do I do?"
He apologized to the lady once more and turned to run, but the lady shouted, "Hey, get your black ass back here!"
Novius ignoring her ran a short distance, then leaped away, leaving the lady in awe.
******
Upon reaching, He tried to sneak into his house unnoticed but was caught by his son Maximus, who ratted him out.
His wife Arielle appeared, asking, "Oi Novius, you're late. Where have you been?"
Novius stumbled over his words, and Arielle's aura rose as she detected the scent of another woman on him. Why do you have a woman's scent on you?She asked as she moved towards him menacingly and Novius, still stumbling over his words. "Stay still".She said as she lunged herself towards him. Novius trying to stop her, "Hey, hey, hey, wait! Hold up!" But all pleas failed to deaf ears as she ravaged him.
******
Cutting into a hot and steamy meal, with Maximus drooling. Arielle said, "Dig in, boys."
Novius and Maximus thanked her for the food.
A few minutes into the meal. Novius sighed as he sipped his red wine, Arielle noticed his contemplative expression."what's wrong Hun?".She asked. "Tensions between the Houses are escalating," he said, his voice laced with concern.
Arielle's eyes widened, her brow furrowed. "I've heard rumors of a possible coup. Do you think it's true?"
Novius's gaze turned grim. "I fear it is. House Libur is stirring up trouble, and some Houses are more willing to collaborate with them than others."
Arielle's worry deepened. "What about us? Our family is one of the Houses, but you've always kept us out of the power struggles."
Novius's jaw set in determination. "I have, and I intend to keep it that way. But that doesn't mean we're not affected by its landscape. We need to be prepared for any eventuality."
Arielle's anxiety grew. "Do you think the Houses will go to war?"
Novius's eyes clouded with thought. "I hope not, but it's a possibility. House Libur is pushing for chaos, and some Houses are all too willing to embrace it. But what I'm worried about is them. They are making their move."
Arielle's concern. "And what about the Houses? Are they prepared to defend Hamlets if need be?"
Novius's expression turned grim. "The Houses are always prepared to defend their interests. With the ongoing conflicts, I fear some may be more willing to do nothing."
Arielle's determination flared. "What's gonna be the out...
She was interrupted by Novius, "Hey Hun, I'll be heading out for a bit." Novius said while standing up.
Arielle eyes shifting. "It should be brief."Yh yh I'll be quick. Novius replied.
******
On a mountainous landscape, where a mysterious figure gazed out into the distance. Another figure emerged, breaking the silence.
Paragon yawned, his voice lazy. "Man, this is boring."
Whisper's gaze remained fixed, his tone sharp. "Shut the fuck up."
Paragon's grin faltered, his eyes flicking to Whisper. "My bad, did I make you mad?"
Whisper's retort was swift. "Don't flatter yourself, my boy."
The scene switched to Novius exiting the house, his expression thoughtful.
Novius sighed, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Man, what a drag."
Whisper's voice movement outside and visual on the Target."
He was using his farsight ability perceive his movements, this ability allows the user to perceive or sense events, information, or energies beyond the normal range of human perception.
Novius's gaze snapped towards Whisper's location. "Now then..."
Whisper's inner monologue betrayed his alarm. "There's no way..."
_The distance between them is roughly about 5000 meters._
Novius vanished instantly, leaving Whisper stunned.
"He's gone!" Whisper said, still stunned.
Paragon's confusion was palpable. "Huh? What do you mean gone?"
Whisper's frustration mounted. "I don't have visuals on him."
Novius's voice drifted through the air. "That's because you're looking in the wrong direction."
They both turned to see Novius walking towards them.
Novius's sudden appearance caught Paragon off guard. "Yoo,".Novius said his grin spread wide.
"How did he...?" Paragon trailed off, his eyes widening in surprise.
This is bad, Whisper thought, his inner voice laced with concern. This was only meant to be a reconnaissance mission. To think we'd come in contact with him.
Novius's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You guys did a good job of hiding your auras, but I could still see the little residues of it."
Whisper and Paragon exchanged a tense glance. "This is bad." Whisper thought.
Novius's smile grew wider. "Hey, what's with this tension? Ease up, y'all. Just want to talk."
"Talk? That's absurd, not with him ready to fight." Whisper thought, his eyes darting to Paragon's side.
Paragon slowly unsheathed his sword, but before he could even move, Novius was in front of him in an instant. "It seems you don't want to talk. Why don't you sit somewhere else while I talk to your buddy?" Novius said, his fingers flicking towards Paragon.
Paragon was sent flying down the mountain, and Whisper took advantage of the distraction to change his location.
"You reacted quickly and remained strangely calm," Novius said turning to him, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"I should leave without engaging," Whisper thought as he turned to run, but Novius was already upon him.
"Oi, it's rude to leave like that. Let's take a walk, shall we?" Novius asked, his tone deceptively friendly.
Whisper found himself down the mountain, Novius bending over him. "Now you've settled down nicely, let's talk."
But before Novius could continue, Paragon intervened, attacking from above. "That was a pretty rough move you pulled back there!"
An explosion occurred causing an uprise of dust and debris.
"Oi, you okay?" Paragon asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Yeah, we need to be careful. He's absurdly strong," Whisper replied, his eyes fixed on Novius.
"No shit," Paragon agreed, his gaze equally intense.
Novius emerged from the dust unscathed, a smirk spreading across his face. "Man, you're an impulsive one. You two are The Robe's erstwhile emissaries. How delightful."
Whisper and Paragon exchanged a shocked glance, their eyes wide with alarm.
Novius's gaze seemed to bore into their minds as if he could see their every thought. "I can discern the trepidation in your eyes," he said, his voice dripping with confidence. "Your minds are racing, wondering if I have unearthed the intricacies of your mission, or perhaps even the identity of the Elder who dispatched you."
Whisper's thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear and uncertainty. "This is bad." he said. "We are uncertain of the depth of his knowledge."
Paragon's face twisted in a snarl. "I can handle this fucker," he growled, his teeth gritted in determination. "After all, you know who I'm after. That's why I took this mission."
Novius chuckled, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Oh, I'm scared," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But let us proceed to the crux of the matter. I shall extract the information I require from you, one way or another."
He paused, his gaze piercing. "So tell me, which Elder has entrusted you with this perilous endeavor?"
He smirked."Sacred ones" he added.
Paragon's response was immediate. "Not if I rip you apart first, fucker."
Novius's smile grew wider. "Very well then, let us commence this... enlightening experience."
Whisper's voice was low and urgent. "We're going to have to break protocols. There's no way he's letting us go now we've made contact."
Paragon nodded, his eyes locked on Novius. "Step aside, I'll handle him myself."
Whisper's warning was swift. "Keep your distance and attack with caution. His speed is no joke."
Paragon acknowledged with a curt nod. "Roger that."
In a flash, Paragon closed the gap between him and Novius, his consecutive blows swift and precise. But Novius was unfazed, he parries the attacks effortless as he taunted Paragon with a smirk.
"Oh, come now, is that the extent of your proficiency? Your technique is almost... quaint."
"I'm not done yet".Paragon shouted while unleashing a flurry of strikes, but Novius easily deflected them. "Oi, you're doing it all wrong. You used the shattering strike, right? Observe as I illustrate the true essence of the shattering strike, after all, I created that move."
Paragon and whisper turned white with surprise upon hearing this revelation.
_The shattering strike is a martial art that emphasizes precise strikes to exploit opponents' vulnerabilities and shatter their defenses ruthlessly._
Novius mirrored Paragon's combo with precision-driven movements, showcasing the original intent behind the style. Paragon was sent crashing to the ground, stopping beside Whisper.
"Oi, are you gonna just stand there, idle and useless? Why not lend a hand to your struggling friend? Not that it'll make a difference, but it might amuse me," Novius said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Whisper's aura flared up, crackling with intensity. "You bastard! How dare you mock us!"
"Oh my, that's a good reaction. Now come, come, and entertain me," Novius said, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
The fight continued, with Novius effortlessly parrying their attacks and also performing an in-between strike, but he noticed something was off. "Hmm, that's strange. It's like you guys are taking less or no damage at all?"
"He noticed?" Whisper thought, his inner voice laced with surprise.
Novius's aura began to surge. "If I were to make a guess, it's the clothing, right? It's imbued with resilience, capable of absorbing damage. But to what magnitude of devastation can it withstand? Let us ascertain the limits of its fortitude, shall we?"
Before they could react, Novius closed the distance, his movements a blur. "Prepare to behold the extent of my curiosity!"
The relentless barrage left Paragon unconscious and Whisper on the brink of collapse, kneeling in a pool of his blood.
Novius loomed over him, his voice dripping with sadistic intent. "I've merely begun to scratch the surface of my inquiry."
Whisper, barely clinging to consciousness, gasped, "He's a monster..."
Novius closed the little gap in an instant to deliver the final blow.
"Boom" The air was filled with dust and debris a mysterious figure is seen, the figure's features obscure by the dust. Novius grinned."I was wondering when you'd show up... Sage."