This is going to be a long night sighed Kurapika.
The auction is set to start in 2 hours and Kurapika has been on high guard since early that evening when he took a stroll outside. He couldn't shake off the feeling of dread he was having.
Like having someone walk over your grave he thought to himself.
He lifted his left hand to his left ear, firmly grasping the single ruby earring he wore
I hope all will go well.
LATER
The auction started peacefully; security was tight and everyone in the staff was on guard. Kurapika had been assigned to patrol the building perimeter along with a team 10 others; they were to rotate and report any abnormal occurrences.
All was quiet as Kurapika roamed the ground near the clump of trees located at the back of the building, a two-way radio on hand for easier communication with his teammates. It was a cool night; if not for the event inside, Kurapika might've enjoyed this walk.
All clear he thought; he was about to lift the radio to report to his teammates when something made him stop.
Someone's here
Then, without warning, he heard bullets being fired inside the building from what seemed like a machine gun. And just like that, the once cold and still auction building erupted with screams of fear, panic, and agony.
Is this a joke? It's as if someone siphoned the audio from his nightmares and played them on loudspeaker in real life.
There was fighting going on inside the building. Violent and strong nen users were attacking the auction hall, their power emitting from the tall buildings. It was pulsing, the building almost seemed like it was breathing, like it was alive. Ironic considering he could hear screams of people dying, begging for their lives. His teammates were supposed to be there.
He knew he could help, if only he could. But at the moment, all he could do was stand. He would've moved but he felt a pair of eyes staring at him
He can feel it. Without knowing it, he joined a game of hide and seek with an unknown intruder. Kurapika stood still facing the trees. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, watching him, waiting for him to move
You're supposed to be sharper than this. Weren't you on full alert? How can someone sneak up on you like this? He argued with himself. Calm down. Don't show fear or surprise, don't show any emotion. Find out where he is and guard yourself.
"Interesting" a male voice said
"Very interesting." the disembodied voice continued "You're not running blindly to your comrades. Either you're not a very good team player, or perhaps you sensed me and can't move out of fear?"
Keep him talking. You need to know where his voice is coming from.
"I like to greet people properly when I first meet them. Would've seemed rude if I just turned my back on you. I was raised to have manners" Kurapika answered, shifting his eyes left to right in an effort to find the owner of the voice.
Keep your voice level
"How wonderful. It's so rare to find a mafia dog with manners. What a nice change from the usual boastful and loud mouthed exclamations I usually encounter when dealing with your kind"
I can agree to that Kurapica thought; just earlier he met a rude bastard that turned out to be a rival of the Nostrade's.
"You see the power goes to the head very easily. Giving the illusion of invincibility. Unfortunately, this illusion is hard to combat, too often I find that only the release of death can deal with this.. illness"
"I find it ironic how you can complain about the lack of etiquette when here you are, conversing with me and not even bothering to show yourself" replied Kurapika
"Ah! Yes! Of course, how can I be so rude? Let me introduce myself" said the voice.
Kurapika heard soft footsteps on the ground not too far away from him as a silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness
The left!
Kurapika shifted his body to meet the intruder and was dumbfounded at what he saw.
The man was tall, lanky, and bald but what shocked Kurapika the most was that his body was covered in bandages; in his hands, he wore boxing gloves.
"My name is Bonolenov"
"Bonolenov, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you something. You were able to cloak your presence so well, I would assume that you're a nen user - a good one at that. The ones causing a ruckus inside, are they friends of yours?"
"Yes"
Who are these people?
"What are you after?"
"We're here to take everything"
"Surely. With the level of skill you and your friends have, you could've done that without the fuss of killing anyone"
"Our orders were to take everything. It's up to us how we do that"
Kurapika's eyes widened
They chose to kill despite not receiving orders for it? Is this just for fun? But... Orders! They answer to someone then
"You take orders? Are you from the mafia?"
"No. We are not associated with such loud, untalented beasts. Present company excluded, I must say"
"I would like to know which group thinks so low of us"
"Very well. You have been respectful. I will let you know before I finish you and join my comrades. We are..."
The next words that left Bonolenov's mouth ignited a fight that no one witnessed. And in this fight, one was left to die, while the other walked away.
