A/N: I am so sorry for not updating! Finals are coming and I needed to make sure I was passing my classes, so I tried my best to make sure things were going well. I was writing this for a while and decided that it needed to get done, so I tried my best. Sorry…it's shorter than the last few…dun kill me…cowers I left a big cliffhanger…forgive me? Ah, you'll see…my deepest apologies. I appreciate the views, but I want more reviews…hey, that rhymed! shudder, twitch Thanks for reading! XD
Flau watched as everyone passed by in the daylight. She had no intention of going back to the Black Town of Night and Lust as long as Eon was still lurking around there. She planned to wait until he had left in the afternoon before venturing toward the vicinity. It'd be perfect for her to sneak past. Rumors spread quickly in Vareth that he was seen running through the streets with his back to the institute. She could slip past without being seen. Of course, she realized that she would have to bribe Elmo to keep his mouth shut from telling anyone he saw her.
About an hour passed and she sat there on her ledge in the sun, relaxing. Soon, a shadow obstructed the light from her eyes. She glanced over to see Eon glaring daggers at her. Startled, she stood upon the ledge quickly, preparing to fight. "What do you want, Eon?" she asked as she approximated the power and agility needed to lunge from her standing point and give Eon a broken jaw.
His eyes narrowed. "The boss would like to see you," he said briskly. "Follow me."
"Hey, I don't need an escort to see Ortoroz!" she argued. "I am perfectly capable of walking to Void by myself without getting lost."
There was a small silence between the two. After a moment, Eon chuckled. "You really are clueless. The leader of Void isn't Ortoroz." As Flau stood there dumbfounded at the remark, Eon took the chance to walk over to where she stood and grab her wrist. He then started to drag her back to Void.
"Hey, let me go, you jerk!" she screamed. People watched as he proceeded to drag her through Olacian and toward 'The Path of Insanity and Fanaticism'. Then he led her through the Vareth Institute grounds and 'The Path to the Beast Pit'. All the way, people stopped their daily routine to watch as Eon continued to drag Flau through the streets. He finally stopped when they had entered the hallway at the back of the Vampire Club.
He stopped before a stone statue and messed with one of the creature's talons who sat upon the stone pillar. An entrance to their left was created as the stone wall rose up from the frame of the ground.
Eon then dragged her through the newfound entrance as it closed shut behind her. The room they stood in was pitch-black save for the eerie glow from the inner chamber beyond the hallway. Eon pushed her forward as he followed her into the room where the blue glow emitted from.
She looked around and found the blue glow coming from a foreign looking light that an odd looking creature levitated by. The creature was in the center of the room. It looked up at Flau; piercing white eyes penetrating her brown ones as if looking through her outward appearance to the depths of her truest intentions. The creature was indeed frightening. It seemed to be a cross between a certain cat and a light elf. It wore a long black and red cape.
Flau's eyes wandered down its frame. The creature had no legs, or waist for that matter. Instead, its lower half was replaced by what looked like a mix between a pen and a spinning top. She didn't need to think twice to understand the feel of the room; it was tainted with the creature's dark and powerful aura. She knew that neither she nor anyone else in the guild could defeat this stranger.
A low growl came from another figure that stood to the creature's right. It was similar to the previous creature in appearance save for the bottom half. She could swear it was a lion in a human's body; its features were so detailed and clean cut.
Behind her, she heard a ruffling of clothing. She peeked over her shoulder to see Eon on one knee in a bow, gazing at the ground.
The creature in to the right of the one that hovered approached quietly, almost like a ghost. When Flau turned, she found herself staring directly into its white marble-like eyes. She froze where she stood and felt an internal gasp as the creature opened its mouth to speak, "You will bow to the guild leader of Void Community!" The creature sounded upset. His eyes dared her to disobey, but she knew better and fell to one knee in the same respect as Eon did. She gazed at the ground for what seemed an eternity. Fear was ebbing away at every bit of courage she believed she ever owned.
The hovering creature spoke this time. "You may leave now, Eon," he said simply. His voice was deep and powerful; filled with authority and last command. She heard shuffling for a moment then Eon's vanishing footsteps as he walked out of the room. Beneath his mouth cover, he was smiling smugly. For the first time in what seemed her whole life, she wanted Eon to stay. She didn't want to be alone in the same room with these dangerous creatures.
Ripping away from her inner thoughts, she heard footsteps in front of her fade as the creature that commanded her to bow went back to his respective station by his commander's side. Flau wished more than anything right then to sink beneath the stone floor and die of suffocation. The dark aura in the blue lit room was worsening by the second, stifling her breathing.
"You've done something very foolish, Flau," the hovering creature spoke.
She hated being called foolish. She knew she was not a fool. As an instinct, she spoke up arrogantly demanding, "Who are you to call me foolish?!" She raised her head to glare at the creatures before her in anger.
The one whom hovered in the air chuckled low and replied, "My name is Nyx. I am the true leader of Void Community."
Flau felt her throat tighten. The leader was some kind of otherworldly creature! She wanted more than anything for someone to come around the corner and yell, "Just kidding," but she knew what was happening was real.
"You have mingled with someone outside of the bandit guild. That is unacceptable. It's the Priest guild no less! We're set out to kill the very priest you've fallen so easily for. Or rather…do you still consider yourself a member of their guild, Flau?!" his voice echoed like booming thunder throughout the room. She did not give any sign that she heard him. All her body did was freeze at the sound of his voice. There was something in it that sent chills down her back. This creature had hands that were stained with blood. She sensed it, and he knew she sensed it. "So…you know what your position in this is, don't you, Flau? If you betray us, I will send someone after you; you will be exterminated."
Her head snapped up. Would Void really slay one of its own?! She felt her entire body grow cold as the chills enveloped her senses causing her to go numb. "Why do you believe me associated with other guilds would put ours in danger, Sir?" she asked as she quickly added 'sir' to the sentence.
Nyx sighed audibly. "You are a representative of Void. Responsibility toward the guild comes before mingling with other guilds. Our work is to serve the community in the best way we can. Truly, we are the ones that make Radiata tick. Not a day passes when Void steals to feed children or to stop political corruption. We are the liberators, Flau."
"Well," she began. "Isn't the Olacian Order also like Void?" she asked carefully. Nyx looked at her in puzzlement for a moment. She continued saying, "They bring peace, stability and forgiveness to the guilds. Through them, people forgive us and that is how our guild thrives. We feed off of the protection of others so they will not riot against us. The same with the Mage guild; they also defend us."
"Power is through majority, Flau. In order to protect the Bandit guild, I forbid you from contacting Priest Kain until further notice," he said conclusively.
Flau felt her stomach twist into several knots as the room silenced from the echoing of his voice. She heard clothing ruffle in the air as Nyx turned away from her. A moment passed before a hand wrapped around her upper arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Stand," said Nyx's companion whose name was Sonata.
She was dragged away from the sight of the hovering creature and toward the entrance whence she came. Her body collided with the ground as Sonata dropped her carelessly as the wall dropped back over the secret passageway.
Tears formed in her eyes as her mind slowly registered what happened. She got to her knees and stood up. She growled slightly before turning and running out of Club Vampire toward Vareth Institute. The day had already passed. The room in which she first met Nyx seemed to speed the day toward the dusk.
She couldn't care less what others told her to do. She was 18 years old and could very well take care of herself. As she ran past an alley, she heard something drop. Backtracking slightly, she peered through the darkness of the alleyway.
A hand clasped upon her shoulder. "So," a cold voice said. "How'd it go, Flau?" She turned, almost doing a roundhouse kick to the person's head, but his hand stopped her foot in midair. "Is that the best you can do, Flau?" Eon asked with his hand wrapped tightly around her ankle.
"L-let me go, Eon!" she said aiming a punch at the bruise she gave him yesterday when she slapped him. He jumped away from her as her fist neared his face. He smirked slightly.
"Nyx ordered me to keep an eye on you," he said.
"Go keep an eye on your face in the window of that shop you steal from," she said coldly. "Why do you listen to the guild leaders like you're some government dog anyway?"
Eon looked away and asked, "Where are you going anyway?"
"It's none of your business," she spat before walking away briskly toward Vareth again. Look, I don't need some puppy following me around. Just get lost," she said.
As she neared the Vareth Institute, she heard a loud snarl as a large winged beast landed in front of the institute. She ran toward the noise and found herself standing by the entrance of the institute. She stared up at an enormous chimera with a wolf's head, a lion's body. Her mouth dropped open at the breathtaking and terrifying sight. Eon had chased her to where she stood and skidded to a halt behind her.
"What in the name of Enjela is that?!" Eon asked in disbelief.
Flau ignored his remark and ran straight at the beast, pulling out two concealed daggers at the same time. Her eyes narrowed as she leapt into the air, poised to strike her newfound opponent. Time seemed to slow to a painfully slow rate as she glided down toward the chimera.