*Present time, in the hall to the side of the underground plaza of the Marked Mercenaries base*
Albert stood with many emotions flowing through his head after what he heard from Jetore. Ever since their meeting, he hadn't paid Jetore much mind, believing him to be some common criminal—a pathetic existence, as he saw it. But upon hearing his story, Albert felt shame and guilt for thinking like that. The pain of losing a loved one was all too familiar to Albert after the death of Derlin; in many ways, Albert and Jetore could relate to each other despite their differences in character.
"Heh, now fuck off… I probably seem like the biggest loser now, huh?" Jetore said, looking to the side in embarrassment.
Albert was tempted to comfort him but noted that Jetore likely wouldn't respond well to that act; his punky attitude was rough and harsh on the surface, after all. Albert's eyes lit up as a revelation sparked in his mind; he remembered Riko's harsh but fair words in their fight.
"I find it pathetic that you choose to be jealous about Riko purely because of your late guardian," he said with a grin that was mischievous yet held newfound respect.
Jetore turned back in an instant, grabbing Albert's collar with aggression. "Shut your damn mouth! You don't know a thi—" Jetore was unable to finish due to Albert's sudden interruption and defiance.
"I do know. My brother died at the beginning of this year—my only family. So don't tell me I don't know how you feel. We all lose someone or something dear to us at some point in life, which can fuel our motivations. And… if I've learned anything from Riko, it's that you can't achieve too much alone; you need others to uplift your wellbeing," he said, looking resiliently at Jetore, who clearly seemed hesitant to trust him.
"I'm not saying you need to be buddies with Riko, but do what you need to. Accept the fact Riko's stronger than you, and instead of sulking or showing your teeth to him, try to reach his level of power," Albert continued as Jetore's grip on his collar loosened.
"Tck… whatever," Jetore scoffed as he turned to walk back to the plaza. Though he was too prideful to admit it, Albert's sentiments moved him; it was true that he wouldn't accomplish much on his own.
Albert smiled both proudly and sympathetically as he followed Jetore from behind, glad his plan of mimicking whatever Riko would say actually worked.
*Back in the fortress halls to the south of Neran city*
Laticia walked along the pristine carpeted floor, her beautiful blood-red hair flowing gracefully. Her piercing eyes looked down to see a terrified young teenage girl with brown hair, wearing a torn and damaged grey shirt and ripped green skirt. She cradled herself and slowly backed away as Laticia approached.
"P-Please… I beg you, spare my life! I haven't done anything!" the young girl pleaded as tears rushed from her eyes. She wore torn clothes with shallow wounds over her body, bound by chains.
Laticia's uncaring eyes stared death into the girl despite her smile. "Oh, don't be like that. Your beautiful body will serve my bidders well; you should be happy to know how much money I'll get from selling you as a prized item in this month's Red Auction," Laticia said in a rather taunting tone as she knelt down and slowly touched the girl's left cheek.
In an instant, the passion mark on the back of Laticia's neck glowed a crimson red as the girl in front of her felt her soul be taken. Her cries fell on deaf ears no matter how she screamed from the pain; in her mind, it was as if Laticia was binding her very will.
"Welcome, my new slave," Laticia said as she stood. A strange metallic chain collar had appeared on the girl's neck as her eyes seemed to have lost their light. The girl slowly bowed before Laticia as if pledging herself.
"And just like that… I have a new slave. OH! It makes me so happy to have won the will of another. My Mark of the Enslaver is such an amazing power," Laticia said, her voice overjoyed as she planted her boots on top of the now-enslaved girl, pummeling her to the ground.
"You're disgusting," said a feminine voice with malice from behind.
Laticia smiled rather creepily as she turned to see one of her new "items"—a girl around the age of sixteen sitting in an iron cell to the right, chains and handcuffs keeping her bound to the prison. Her blond hair provided a bright contrast to her situation, as did her emerald green eyes.
Laticia smirked as she walked over. "Now, now, that's no way to speak to your owner. Trish, was it? Don't worry, darling~ you're too beautiful for any of my putrid customers. Your passion mark is something many would die for; you should know how valuable of a secret item you are to me," she said as her hand approached the iron cell, slipping through the openings in an attempt to touch the girl, Trish's, face.
Reacting fast, Trish dodged her hand and bent around the cell despite her bindings as she lifted her left leg and kicked Laticia in the face furiously. Laticia jolted back, her nose bleeding from the event as her irritation had seemingly reached a boiling point.
"H… how… HOW DARE YOU DO THIS, YOU BITCH!!! You think you're so great because of your ability?!!! Just know I'll be making you my slave after the auction in three days. I hear those idiots of the Marked Mercenaries plan on taking my head; if you get killed in their raid, then don't blame me," she shouted, venom in her voice.
Trish was unfazed, however; she wasn't afraid in the slightest. A mocking smirk appeared on her face as she spoke: "I don't need anyone's help. Once I'm out of this cell and I've found my weapon, I'll make sure that there won't even be pieces of you left to bury in the ground," she declared.
The words offended Laticia as much as they gained laughter from her. She wiped her nose of the blood and walked away, her heels clicking on the expensive flooring. "Slaves should learn to accept their fate," she said, closing the door.
Trish looked down, a slight hint of sadness in her eyes below the mask of determination she put on. It was true that she refused to wither away and have her will dominated by Laticia, whom she despised, but even she knew that it was a hopeless situation. She was bound by iron chains and stripped of her weapon; her only chance was to make a deal with the Marked Mercenaries to free her.
*Out in a large, shining golden hall covered with extravagant paintings and formal decorations*
Laticia walked through the stage in the center, admiring her own auction hall, which, despite being empty and lifeless at the time, would be crowded by underground criminals, bosses of certain groups, and corrupt politicians after three days.
She smiled, thinking about the event that would occur soon. Many of her subordinates would die, but she couldn't care less. At that moment, Laticia let out a stomach-turning laugh laced in evil.
"HAHAHAHAHA!! Oh! How you make me laugh! Come on, then, boys and girls! Come get my head and the bounty that comes with it! I'll show you what happens…. Blame only yourself… Kran," she yelled in an enthusiastic but hateful tone.
*Underground Plaza, back in the Marked Mercenaries' base*
Despite his embarrassment, Jetore pushed himself to walk out to where Riko and the others stood. Albert followed from behind with a grin.
"Took you long enough," Maddeline taunted. Jetore was caught off guard to see her but couldn't deny that he secretly enjoyed her company.
"Just get on with it," he said, trying not to make eye contact with both Riko and Seracore.
"Well, now that you're here, it's time you're informed about your first mission. In three days, the Red Auction will be held to the south, outside Neran City—an auction run by Laticia, the Witch of Chains. It's an epithet she earned for her dangerous passion mark that allows her to enslave and bind others with chains. We will be assassinating her and claiming the 40 million deni bounty," Maddeline informed.
Albert wasn't convinced. From the many bounty posters and news he'd seen, he knew Laticia was practically the queen of the underground crime societies in Cryohara; it wouldn't be that easy to deal with her.
"So what's the plan?" Riko asked before Albert could, as if he read his mind.
Maddeline smirked at the question. "You'll be commencing a raid on the day of the Auction with support from some of our firemen groups, and with me and Kran tagging along," she said.
Riko wasn't happy, however. He clenched his fists; he had already made the decision, but he couldn't ignore the guilt. The word "mercenaries" was in the name; sooner or later, he'd have to take a life. Though he accepted that he'd become a murderer, there was no choice.
"Well, if that's all… I'm returning to the indoor pool!" Ren declared enthusiastically, reminding everyone of his presence. Jetore was caught off guard; he hadn't met Ren yet, after all.
"Heh, Witch of Chains, my ass. What a corny name; this'll be an easy one," proclaimed Seracore, confidence filling his voice as he turned to leave. Kiera offered a small wave before following him.
Maddeline looked just as displeased as she did excited. "Those idiots. But I guess it's just us again, huh, boys?" she said with a confident tone.
"Count me in, too," said a voice from behind. Riko looked to see Rennet standing behind them, his hands tucked in his pockets and his bright fiery hair still strong and noticeable.
"Are you sure you want to work with me? I mean… it's my fault Felix left you," Riko said. It was so out of character that Jetore shook his ear as if to correct his hearing.
Rennet looked irritated for a moment before putting on an arrogant but proud smile. "As if. I had a feeling that bastard and Mei were gonna pull some crap like this to test me or whatever; he made his decision even before fighting you, I'm sure of it. Besides, it doesn't matter because I'm burnin' that woman Laticia to ashes and takin' the money," he proclaimed, cracking his knuckles.
Interrupting before Riko could reply, Maddeline asked a question that grabbed the attention of all three of the new recruits: "Out of curiosity, what do you boys know about Vesterious?" she asked, immediately disregarding Rennet and Riko's sentiments.
"No one knows when that being was born nor where it's from, right?" Albert asked with pure intrigue.
Maddeline's lips then stretched to form a devilish smirk. "That's the most the government would allow any normal citizen to know, but the truth is that Vesterious is more than likely a form of alien," she claimed.
The comment made the room go silent for a few seconds. It wasn't out of the ordinary; in fact, extraterrestrial life was a leading theory on the nature of Vesterious and the supernatural "passion marks" it granted.
"So what's that gotta do with the mission?" Riko asked.
Maddeline turned to leave. "Oh, nothing—just something to think about. Hah!" Maddeline mocked as she began walking away, to the comical annoyance of Riko and Albert, though Rennet seemed to already have guessed and Jetore couldn't care less.
"Well, anyway, it would be best for us to train and prepare as much as we can in the three days we've been given," suggested Albert, though it was met with defiance immediately.
"Suit yourselves; I already know I'm the best!" Rennet declared, a comment that genuinely frustrated Jetore as he started following him, trying to provoke a fight. Knowing the hot-headed egos of both of them, the plaza probably had a few minutes to live.
Albert looked disappointed but couldn't deny that he expected such an outcome.
Riko clenched the fists of his left hand as he focused his eyes on them with a stern but determined look. The image of Felix and their prior battle raged in his mind, but he'd learned to fuel his own motivation with it instead of raging.
"Al, let's get to training. We better be ready to take this new Laticia bitch down," he said, looking to Albert, his expression displaying unstoppable resolve and determination through his smile.