18 Failure 4
———
4 days before the auction
A group of four could be seen walking into a building.
One of them walked towards the receptionist and said something to her in a whisper. He was a tall man with blond mop-like hair and blue eyes, he wore a very casual t-shirt and shorts. On his neck was a necklace made of pearls and seashells. Behind him stood a woman with an old-fashioned dressed, near the torso were vertical black and white stripes, while near the bottom it was a deep crimson red. She had crimson red hair and hazel eyes, she carried a stuck up demeanor as she walked. A shorter man with raggedy green hair and a beige tuxedo could be seen clutching a small flower as he walked. And finally a young boy was seen hiding behind the woman with crimson hair.
"You nervous for your first job, my sweet little boy?"
"Hey you shouldn't tease him like that, Shirley. Listen don't worry about a thing, we may not be the most experienced in nen, but we have already developed our abilities."
The boy simply nodded.
The voice of the receptionist filled the silence, "Currently we have one employer who fits the criteria. One, the employer must be going to the spider's den auction. Two, they must be involved in some shady business. And finally, three, they must be very wealthy."
"Sounds good, however we'd like a name." Said the short man with the flower.
"Of course, the employer's name is..."
———
Present day - 4 hours before the auction.
"The day is finally here, Edwin." Shirley said. "Now have you confirmed our employer showing up?"
"Indeed I have. He should be sending his men to pick us up in around 20 minutes." The short man responded.
"So any progress on your ability? Charlie?" Asked a tall man with blonde hair.
"None yet, master Adrian." The young boy said. "But I do think I'm coming close, but can you show me yours so maybe I can get more inspiration?"
"Yeah, but please don't call me master any more, it's embarrassing." He said raising his hand up. "Shoreline: Salty Springs."
His nen had changed into a nice flow of water. He had to stop it quickly, however, because otherwise the bill for the hotel would surely increase.
"That's Amazing Sensei!" Yelled Charlie.
Adrian could only sigh to himself, "Just go back to calling me master."
The other two could be heard trying to suppress their laughter.
A knock could be heard, "Mr. Adrian, and company, if you are all ready I will be taking you to see Mr. Limerch."
The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. "Is everyone ready?" Asked Adrian. The other three nodded. "Then let's go."
The ride to Mr. Limerch was long, taking around 3 hours in total.
Before the four stood a large manor, it was built mainly with quartz and limestone, with ironwood to reinforce the structure. The perimeter was lined with a golden fence and beautiful flowers.
"I hope Mr. Limerch won't mind me picking just one, the finer the flower the stronger my cannon after all." Edwin said while picking a kadupul flower.
From a distance a scream could be heard. "YOU, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Yelled a garden worker. "That single flower cost 18.6 million Jenny!" Tears streaming down his face he continued. "What am I going to do now?! This job was my last hope! And now I'm going to lose it, and everything else I own."
"Quiet down! You lowly gardener! These 4 will be Mr. Limerch's bodyguards. You aren't even qualified to see the butlers of the manor, much less speak with those directly with him!" Said a man in a tuxedo while signaling a few others to take him away. He turned to Adrian and the others and apologized. "My deepest apologies, we don't normally have such problems like this."
"Is he going to be ok?" Asked Charlie.
The man seemed shocked before asking. "Do you want him to be ok?"
"Ummm, yeeeess?" Said Charlie.
The man turned away for a few seconds and called his fellow worker before putting his phone away once more.
"Now if you'll follow me." He said while signaling to the four.
If the outside could be called beautiful the inside of the manor could only be described as a masterpiece. The furniture was all clean and grand, the walls lined with platinum and gold shone with such a radiance it could allow a blind man to see it. The royal blue carpet gave off the vibe of a king's chamber. Chandeliers adorned with precious gemstones hang from the ceilings and all the servants of the manor wore clothes befitting of wealthy CEOs. To the four bodyguards it didn't seem like just a side home, it felt like a palace filled to the brim with treasure. They were all led into a study where Mr. Limerch himself sat on a plain wooden chair. In contrast to the place itself he wore loose clothing, his white hairs and old eyes seemed weary of living.
As he spoke a broken faucet seemed to creak. "Ahhh, so only you are the only four who took the job hmm? I've been in this business for a long time and I've never had a child as a bodyguard." He pointed to Charlie. "Regardless, you four will be accompanying me to my last auction." A cold chill ran down their spines as he said that. "It's really nothing to worry about, although I don't wish to die my time is coming. I'm an old man and with all the stress of dealing with my products my body had begun to slow down." He began to cough violently before continuing. "Before I die there is one more thing I'd like to buy, their is going to be a high quality item at this auction you see. I personally want it gone from existence." He gave the four a piece paper and on it was a picture of one thing. It was a little girl with red eyes and beautiful blonde hair.
"What's so special about her?" Asked Charlie.
The old man began to laugh before saying. "She is likely the last of that disgusting Kurta bloodline, the same you always hear about with their gem like eyes. Although she seems to be one of lesser purity I will never forget the humiliation that clan gave me."
The four gulped and simultaneously thought the same thing. "This man is dangerous."
His death was near, but that didn't detract from the deadly vibe he gave. It was bone chilling, he was obviously someone who had taken many lives by his own hands.
Shirley spoke up. "So if I may ask. How much exactly are we being paid?"
The old man looked at her for a good 20 seconds. Those 20 seconds were enough to make the four of them break into a cold sweat. "How about, 300 million jenny? Each of course."
With smiles filled with greed they shook hands with the old man to seal the deal. And with that their failure of a mission was about to begin.
