**Two Hours Ago, **
"Boss, boss!"
"What!" A man was sitting on a stool in the middle of an alley. His sharp eyes held malicious intent as he stared at his subordinate.
"I've scored big this time!" He held out his hand. "Three gold ingots!" The boss uncrossed his legs, staring at the money with widened eyes.
"Viper, where did ya' get this?" He examined his subordinate's face, then glanced at his hands that held the ingots. True to his name, Viper had sly and sharp features, complemented by his thin and lanky build.
"From an unexpecting lass, I bet she don't even know I stole her money!" Viper wore a broad smile that caused his shifty eyes to narrow into slits. The boss, feeling jovial, stood up and gave Viper a friendly slap on the back, laughing heartily.
"Good job! We'll discuss ya reward later." He pointed to the corner of the alley, and called out, "Razor, have this boy's parents come with them money debuts yet?"
A man with sharp features came out, "No boss!"
"Hmm, very well. Sell the imp," The boss said, his expression vicious. The young boy's expression was numb. He knew his parents would not pay, in fact, they planned to leave him here so that these thugs would sell him, and the money would be enough to pay off their debts.
They already had many mouths to feed, so it's best to get rid of one and pay off their debuts at the same time. "I canna feel sorry for the kid, my names Fangs, but his parents are more ruthless than I am." A burly man remarked as he stared at the little boy's numb face.
The boss told his man to gather everything up, as they were heading to the slave market. On top of one of the buildings, Nasrin watched them with cold eyes.
She looked and counted 40 people hiding in that alley. She felt magic coming from one of the walls, that was probably where the other half of the thugs were hiding.
'I can probably take care of 20 of them at a time.' Nasrin decided to take back her money silently. It would be troublesome to get involved with thugs.
As she watched them slowly exit the alleyway, her gaze fell upon the boy who was tied up. Her expressionless face began to betray her feelings, shifting into one of profound shock. "Auggie…"
Nasrin's eyes widened as she watched the boy's head being covered. She began to pinch her left arm, leaving marks on it. 'No,' She shook her head, 'Auggie is fine, he's still alive.'
She took a deep breath and decided to intervene. Standing up, she composed her expression, jumped down, and landed right in front of them. Fangs assumed a defensive position and yelled, "Who are you?"
His shout caught the attention of the others still in the alley. Nasrin looked at him with cold eyes and then suddenly, her figure blurred. In that instant, seven of the thugs were groaning on the floor.
She approached Fangs from behind and seized his hands, pulling them behind his back. With a swift kick to the back of his legs, she forced him to the ground. Then, she struck him in the back of the neck, rendering him unconscious. She aimed to handle the situation without any bloodshed.
The others hesitated, their confidence wavering as they witnessed their fighter collapse, rendered unconscious in less than ten seconds. Nasrin's piercing gaze locked onto them, causing them to flinch instinctively. With a calm, deliberate manner, she rose to her feet and started to approach them. Her footsteps were measured and unwavering, the soft thud of her soles against the ground echoing in the tense silence, as she dragged Fangs behind her. She threw him into the alley and cracked her hands. She looked at the remaining twelve, "I have a few questions," A chilling smile grew on her ethereal face.
She moved towards them, every step she took forward, two thugs would fall. Soon she stood in front of a short man with an ashy complexion.
The man shook with fear as he stared at Nasrin. "Wh-a-a-t do you w-a-ant from m-e-e?"
Nasrin pointed towards the wall deep in the alley, "Open that for me."
Rouge's face turned pale, "Th-e-ers n-o-othing the-e-r!" Nasrin's smile grew wider. "Do I have to force you to do it instead?"
Rouge shivered in fear, realizing that pretending to be clueless would not save him. He glanced at his comrades and saw that they were still breathing, which meant she would at least spare his life. Taking a deep breath, he approached the wall and pressed a few stones on the side. Suddenly, he remembered that a few more of them were inside, and a slight, triumphant smile spread across his face.
Nasrin looked at his triumphant smile with a bigger mocking smile on hers. Rouge moved aside and pointed inside the long, narrow walkway, "Our lair is inside here."
Nasrin crossed her hands and smiled at him, and that was the last thing he saw as his chest caved in. Nasrin's hands shook, 'It's been a while since I killed someone,' She held her hands as she walked forward.