11 Preparations are essential

Finally! Riyku had finished all of his shopping; from weapons and armor to accessories and even miscellaneous items for hygiene and what not. Everything was stored into his inventory which was easier to do without being caught than he at first anticipated. Looking up at the sky; it was now nightfall. The streets were not as crowded as they had been during the daytime. Some shops were closing down as well while others seemed to be opening up. He still had not forgotten about his plans for this evening so; "Coco, pull up directions to Racheal's place." Riyku whispered and instantly directions would be pulled up upon a mini-map. Shifting his hands into his pockets the male proceeded onward towards his destination.

Meanwhile back at the dorms. Kristen had been laying in the bed her arm rested over her eyes as she thought about why Riyku had yet to come back. "He's not mad is he?" She whispered softly. "I mean... It seemed that he did care about me, is it because I threw myself on him last night? He didn't resist... Was it a test?" Thoughts would flood her mind. "He probably thinks I am just some dirty girl who will take anyone to bed now." Tears began to whelm up in her eyes. "But then why did he say those things to that girl?" She had recalled that Riyku would make it seem like he was some kind of villain just to keep her dignity intact. The more she thought about it the more confused she became. The male was a complete mystery to her after all. She thought, that by sleeping with him he would open up to her more, but it appeared that nothing had changed. Not even that void of despair in his eyes. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he moved to sit up and bring up her menu on her ID wristband. She hovered over the contacts list and searched for Riyku's name. The thought of giving him a call crossed her mind several times, but what if he didn't answer? And if did; what would he say? Would he think less of her? As she struggled internally someone seemed to have been ringing the doorbell to their dorm rapidly for quite a while now.

Waking up from these thoughts the woman would push herself off of the bed and dismiss the screen as she made her way to the door. "Coming!" She called out; she had still been wearing the outfit same outfit as when she left so she wasn't concerned about her attire in the slightest. Opening the door she was greeted with a long silver-haired woman who happened to be wearing glasses; who had a concerned look on her face. "Vex? What's wrong?" Kristen asked when she noticed her expression. "Have you seen Lira or at least been in contact with her recently?" Vex inquired to which Kristen shook her head. "No. Why did something happen?" Kristen inquired. "She just vanished. Like into thin air." Vex explained to which Kristen looked confused. "What do you mean?" Kristen asked. "I don't know. One moment she was there, the next she was gone." Vex would answer. "We were just walking around town. Hanging out and what not. We thought about going to the Mall, but..." Vex's eyes would go wide. "Oh god... Did someone kidnap her?" Vex would place her hand to her mouth as she stumbled away from the door. "Kidnap her? What do you mean!?" Kristen's expression shifted into a more serious ordeal. "We were walking with a crowd of other people. It was when I finished crossing the road did I notice Lira had been missing. I tried to call out to her, then I tried calling her but apparently, she was out of signal range. I searched all over town, and I had hoped that maybe she would arrive here..." Vex would explain as slight tears began to whelm in her eyes.

Kristen would grit her teeth. "We need to find her. Quickly!" Kristen exclaimed as he slipped some shoes on and moved out of the room. "Come on. If anyone did take her, she probably isn't in town. Perhaps somewhere else... I can only assume that she is in one of the lower districts of the city." Vex was suddenly pulled when Kristen took her wrist to drag her along. "Lower District? Why would anyone from the lower quarter want anything to do with us?" Vex questioned to which Kristen shook her head. "I don't know. Although, It can't be good. We need to hurry. I'll send a message to several others who can help." Kristen was already in the process of doing that actually to the point where she had finished by the time they reached the elevator.

Back to Riyku who was already sitting naked in Racheal's bed. The woman behind him seemed fast asleep while he had been wide awake. "Looks like you can't quite handle me just yet." The male teased softly before shifting his attention his wristband which had vibrated. Tapping upon the ID chip a sudden message would display.

'This is Kristen. Lira has been abducted by an unknown group. I and Vex are on foot heading to the lower quarter; we have reason to believe that she was taken there. Please come to aid us. Also, do not waste time with the police force; as you know, they do not handle matters in the lower quarter.'

Riyku read the message mentally before narrowing his eyes slightly and hunched over; resting his elbows on his legs while clasping his fingers together in thought. "User Riyku? Are you not going to support them?" Coco would call out through his mind. Riyku would stay silent for a moment. "It would be an excellent opportunity to test out the set of armor and weapons you bought as well as the effects of the accessories you have yet to equip." Boy did it seem Coco had quite the silver tongue as well. Although, she wasn't wrong either. Looking back to at Racheal he made note of her still fast asleep; his eyes shifted towards a nearby digital clock which read eleven-thirty post meridiem. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as moved from the bed and gathered his clothing scattered around the room only to proceed to the bathroom to get dressed. Once the door was closed and his clothing was on the male would flick his wrist which brought up his main menu as always.

Name: Riyku Von Rosario.

Level: 88

Shield Points: 705/705

Mana Points: 500/500

Energy: 650/275

Form duration: N/A

Age: ???

Gender: Male

Grade: 1A

Club: Non-Affiliated

Class: UnDefined

Weight: 90.71Kg

Height: 213.36Cm

Blood Type: AB

Stats: SSS

Basic Status:

Strength: 141

Toughness: 134

Agility: 141

Wisdom: 125

Intelligence: 125

Charisma: 141

Skill points to spend: 32

He would navigate to his inventory which brought up the shadow silhouette of him as well as the accessory boxes and armor boxes this also included the inventory itself of course. His inventory was filled with various weapons it seemed, as well as armor and other items. He would first click on the armor pieces, he had purchased five in total. Since it seemed boots and gloves came in pairs they were a single box; while torso and bottoms were separate and lastly there was a headpiece.

Thief's boots:

Type- Light Armor

Rarity- B

Condition- Fresh

A thief is nimble and daring; cunning even and therefore their way must be as such as well. +20 Agility when worn. +5% Critical Evasion.

Thief's Gloves:

Type- Light Armor

Rarity- B

Condition- Fresh

A thief must always be capable of cutting purses or picking pockets with ease and without delay. The gloves of a thief are often perfect a perfect match for their deeds. +10 Agility, +5 Wisdom, +5 Intelligence. +5% Critical Evasion.

Thief's Mantle:

Type- Light Armor

Rarity- B

Condition- Fresh

The mantle of a thief is what keeps them shrouded in the night. Not to mention the light weight of this chest piece is capable of protecting them in case of a situation arises. +10 Toughness, +10 Agility. +5% Critical Evasion.

Thief's Pants:

Type- Light Armor

Rarity- B

Condition- Fresh

One's pants are not to be mistaken as simple attire of fashion. With great freedom comes greater maneuverability. +10 Agility, +10 Toughness. +5% Critical Evasion.

Thief's Hood:

Type- Light Armor

Rarity- B

Condition- Fresh

The hood of a thief will often keep their face hidden from view; only allowing their devious smirks and snickers to be shown to the public long before the public can realize that had lost a coin-purse or two. +10 Agility, +10 Charisma. +5% Critical Evasion. Effect: Obstructed Vision.

That did it for the set which seemed to come into view upon his person right over his clothing from dim light particles. The color was shrouded in black from head to toe yet he still appeared rather stylish like some kind of rogue. Still, there was more to be done. He needed to equip the accessories, but when he was about to a text box appeared before him.

'Debuff: Obstructed Vision applied. Vision has been tunneled until the wearer removes or lowers the hood piece.'

'Armor Buff applied: Critical Evasion increase by 25% when wearing Thief's armor set.'

The male blinked; had his vision been obstructed? He didn't feel like it had, but then again that was probably thanks to the increase in his senses. From sound to feel; he could clearly understand what was around him as if he were looking right at it, even if it was in a blind spot. Then there was the armor buff. An increase to Critical Evasion; if he totaled everything up it was a nice fifty percent. It was a lovely addition that he knew nothing of. The only other thing he didn't know about was what this Critical Evasion even meant. For now, he would move onto his accessories. In total, he bought five. A bracelet, a couple of rings, a necklace and some kind of earring piece.

Eleven Bracelet:

Type- Wrist

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A bracelet that was worn by the ancient elven civilization. It is said to hold magical power locked away. +5 Wisdom, + 5 Intelligence, +50 Mana.

Ring of Mana:

Type- Ring

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A ring that is infused with an abundance of mana as well as allows one to cultivate mana from the surrounding area when worn. +100 Mana, +2 mana points per second.

Ring of Vitality:

Type- Ring

Rarity- A

Condition- Used

A ring that is said to bring one's endurance up and energize them more so; than they are could be when worn. +100 Shield Points, +100 Energy.

Necklace of Shade:

Type- Necklace

Rarity- B

Condition- New

A necklace brought about from the abyss through odd means. No one knows where it came from or how it came to be. All they know is the wearer can become invisible when worn. Effect: Darkness' Grace: Become Camoflouge to your surroundings when crouched for twenty seconds.

Well, it seemed the same applied as when he equipped the armor pieces. Only the accessories were a bit hard to make out since the leather covered them up. Now that was settled and done with all that was left was the weapons. He had bought just about any weapon that would help in any situation. He wanted to test his two new swords out, but there were two other weapons that would prove more useful in the upcoming situation. Especially if he were dealing with multiple targets or a single enemy. For now, he would set those on hold and return to his status screen to check everything out.

Name: Riyku Von Rosario.

Level: 88

Shield Points: 805/805

Mana Points: 690/690

Energy: 650/455

Form duration: N/A

Age: ???

Gender: Male

Grade: 1A

Club: Non-Affiliated

Class: UnDefined

Weight: 90.71Kg

Height: 213.36Cm

Blood Type: AB

Stats: SSS

Strength: 141

Toughness: 154

Agility: 201

Wisdom: 135

Intelligence: 135

Charisma: 151

Buffs:

+2 Mana Per second

+50% Critcal Evasion

Debuffs:

Obstructed Vision

Eyeing the screen he noticed an increase in his Shield Points, Mana points and Energy. Well, that was to be expected to be honest; though the new buffs were also eye pleasing as well. Even the debuff had been applied; yet seemed to have no effect what so ever. All that was left was to track down the rest of the group. "Coco, is there a way to track down Kristen?" Riyku inquired to which Coco seemed to mule over the question in thought. "I believe there is; the only problem is that you don't have the skill to do so yet. If things go like normal you will either acquire or learn it through this method; however, I don't know how effective the tracking will be." Coco replied to which Riyku shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Tell me." Riyku stated firmly to which Coco would reply, "Alright. Go into your companion's list and look for Kristen then tap on her name and a box should appear." Riyku would open the tab to Companions.

Coco-

Rank: Operator

Class: N/A

Affinity: Helper

Type: Support

Club: N/A

Jack Justice-

Rank: Polished

Class: 3C

Affinity: Enemy

Type: Brawler

Club: ???

Bell ???-

Rank: ???

Class: ???

Affinity: Enemy

Type: ???

Club: ???

Sophina ???-

Rank: ???

Class: ???

Affinity: Enemy or Ally?

Type: ???

Club: ???

Rick Lofty-

Rank: Scrub

Class: ???

Affinity: Ally

Type: All-rounder

Club: Leader of Card Club

Mel Melanie-

Rank: Scrub

Class: ???

Affinity: Ally

Type: Goldfish and old-maid specialist

Club: Card

Jessica Volz-

Rank: Scrub

Class: ???

Affinity: Ally

Type: Poker specialist

Club: Card

Eden Ions-

Rank: Scrub

Class: ???

Affinity: Ally

Type: Memory Game

Club: Card

Nora ???-

Rank: ???

Class: ?

Affinity: Ally?

Type: All-rounder

Club: Co-Leader of Card Club

Racheal ???-

Rank: ???

Affinity: Playmate

Type: ???

Club: Office Guide

Kirsten Luvlin-

Rank: Legend (7)

Class: 1A.U

Affinity: Playmate

Type: Brawler

Club: ???

Skylar Novaa-

Rank: Polished

Class: ???

Affinity: Friend

Type: Runner

Club: Track Club New Captain

Mina Novva-

Rank: ???

Class: ???

Affinity: Friend

Type: ???

Club: ???

Amorira Aro-

Rank: Polished

Class: ???

Affinity: Enemy

Type: Runner

Club: Former Captain of Track Club

Barron Vexon the fourth -

Rank: Legend(8)

Class: 1A.U

Affinity: Rival

Type: ???

Club: ???

Lira ???-

Rank: ???

Class: 1A.U

Affinity: Ally

Type: ???

Club: ???

Yumo ???-

Rank: ???

Job: Owner of the clothing shop

Affinity: Business Partner

Type: ???

Natalie ???-

Rank: ???

Job: Owner of the Accessories shop.

Affinity: Business Partner

Type: ???

Freya Mendoza-

Rank: ???

Job: Owner of the Bakery Shop

Affinity: Ally

Type: ???

Mary Mendoza-

Rank: ???

Class: ??? / Daughter of Freya Mendoza

Affinity: Friend

Type: ???

Deyo ???-

Rank: ???

Job: Owner of Arms and Armor

Affinity: Business Partner

Type: ???

Henry ???-

Rank: ???

Job: Butler for the Marvin family

Affinity: Ally

Type: ???

Club: ???

Cira Marvin-

Rank: ???

Class: ??? / Daughter of Maverick Marvin

Affinity: ???

Type: Brawler

Club: ???

Mimi ???-

Rank: ???

Job: Hostess of Gambit's Arcade

Affinity: Fan

Type: ???

Vex ???-

Rank: ???

Class: 1A.U

Affinity: ???

Type: ???

Club: ???

The male would scroll through the list which held more names to it than last he checked. Stopping on Kristen some more information had also been updated. It was just Coco had stated from earlier that she would automatically update his Companions list with people he interacted with. Tapping upon Kristen's name a text bot would appear that read.

'Invite to party' 'Whisper' 'Track'

From here he figured he would just put the other two options on hold and press the 'track' option. It was then a smooth guiding stream of light appeared on his UI for him to follow as well as another text box.

'Passive Skill acquired. Tracker Lv. Max.'

Another maxed skill? Just what was he in his previous lives anyway? Regardless, he was thankful for the fact that this skill was maxed. If it wasn't who knew how effective the tracking would have been. "Nice! Looks like you'll be able to follow them all the way from here. You should get going." Coco stated in which Riyku nodded and proceeded out the bathroom door. Since the lights weren't on he seemed to blend right into the darkness; if anything the moonlight from outside was the only glimmer that allowed anyone to even see him at this point. Taking note that Racheal was still asleep he would hastily move out of the door but remained quiet nonetheless down the hall to the elevator he went. Only to race out of the building and down the road; of course, with his attire the way it was he would probably be mistaken for an actual thief. So the male would maneuver onto a rooftop of the housing around. Thankfully this area did have housing which seemed to connect with the shopping district that the tracker was leading him on. So he was able to keep from the view of anyone while making way towards Kristen's Location. "Don't do anything too rash..." He muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Kristen and Vex seemed to have already been investigating the lower quarter. The place was a slum. Law did not seem to reach down it; since around every corner happened to be either drug deals or prostitution going on. Sick families also seemed to have been trying to make a living down here as well. It was like the poverty of the country. "Shouldn't we head back." Vex seemed to tremble lightly as they drew eyes from around. Kristen held her nerve though; "No. We need to find Lira before anything happens." Kristen replied just as firm as her resolve had been. "But... What if we get into trouble? Who will help us?" Vex seemed nervous to no end. "I've already sent word. If anyone... I know he'll come." Kristen stated boldly; with full confidence that who she was talking about would indeed show up. "Who?" Vex asked, but before Kristen could answer a group of bandit looking men surrounded them. Hysterical laughter filled the air as one of the men walked up to Kristen. "Hey... cutie. What brings you down here? Looking for a fun time? Need some money? I can show you around." The men would offer with a cold tongue and devious smirk. Kristen would smack the male's hand away with a growl. "Like hell, I would allow you to even touch me! You pigs need to know your place!" Kristen shouted furiously. The male growled, "Damn bitch!" He would hastily move to grasp the dagger hidden in the sheath under his sash only to swing at Kristen who would step into the male's space and knock the attack aside by slapping his wrist. Quickly she brought a fist upward to strike at the male's chin which sent him skyward and away from her into his group of buddies who all seemed to make way for the poor sap to land on his back out cold.

"Is that all?" Kristen taunted them with a snicker to which the men around them growled angrily before the sound of heavy clapping came from behind them. The men suddenly made room for this humongous man who looked like some kind of tank with how his body was built. "Impressive. Tell me, girl, why are you here?" The man's deep voice held a certain evil to it; one that meant he wasn't to be trifled with. The men around him seemed to all hold a deep respect for him as well; which probably meant he was the Boss of the Lower Quarter or something like that. Vex seemed to hide behind Kristen with a trembling body meanwhile Kristen only glared up at the tall man who was probably taller than Riyku. "I am looking for my friend, Lira. A violet-haired woman so to speak." Kristen replied firmly to which the man nodded in understanding. "I see. I do recall my men bringing me in a violet-haired woman." The man stated to which Kristen's expression brightened. "Where is she!?" Kristen exclaimed to which the man snickered with a wicked grin. "Probably on her way to the Whore House if she isn't already there. The Master of that place bought her the moment we caught her. I guess she was a special order." To these words, Kristen's bright expression turned grime; almost horrified. "Oh, do not worry. You two will be joining your friend shortly. After all women of your quality are hard to come by down here." The man remarked with an evil laugh to which his men followed up.

"Like hell!" Kristen shouted in anger. "Tell me where this damn place is! I'll go get her!" Kristen shouted to which the man chuckled darkly. "Why? I'll be taking you there myself. After I have some fun with you two first. Men! Get ready!" The male commanded to which his men all took up arms from daggers to swords and maces. The man himself seemed to equip spiked brass knuckles which he slammed together with a dark grin. "I can't wait to hear you two scream. We'll be sure to engrave pleasure all over your bodies before handing you off." Vex would plop on the ground while Kristen looked around hastily for anything to use as a weapon. A nearby two by four seemed to be the only thing; racing to it she would pick it up before racing back to her friend. "I'll protect you Vex, and defeat these guys. We'll go find Lira." Kristen stated boldly as she took to stance. It wasn't anything like a whip, but it was still something to be used.

A bandit would charge her with a battle cry and thrust his dagger at her. Stepping forward she swung the board wide to smack the bandit's hand before stepping in closer and stomping upon the male's foot. She would bring the end of the board across his face which sent him flying as she released his foot before turning around just in time to block a slash from a cutlass. Since the blade was stuck in the wood she would release it the board and push the guy away only to receive a sudden sharp pain in her side before her body went flying across the street. An evil laugh parted the Boss' lips as he smashed his brass knuckles together yet again. "You need to watch your ass girl." "Kristen!" Vex shouted as she noticed her friend struggling to get up; only seemed to take a continuous beating from various unarmed bandits. "No!" Vex shouted as she sobbed heavily, but her cry seemed to draw in the attention of other Bandits who approached her as starving wolves did for meat. "No No no! Go away!" Vex shouted as she crawled away but was stopped when her ankle was grasped and she was turned over onto her backside. "Where are you going, missy!? The fun has just begun!" The bandit he tossed her over had stated as he crawled on top of her and ripped her top off; revealing a plain white bra. Another scream would erupt from Vex which caused Kristen to look in her direction weakly. Her clothing in tatters from the beating before several men began ripping away at her clothing to reveal a pair of exotic black underwear. "Hell yeah!" "Woohoo!" The cheers would erupt from amongst the men.

"I get this one first, boys. You go have fun with the other one." The men seemed sad about it, but would not defy their Boss and they all went over to Vex. "L-Leave her alone... You can do as you please... to me. J-just leave... her alone." Kristen would plea, yet the man would snicker evilly. "I'll do as I please with or without your word; now then...." He would unzip his pants and remove an erect shaft from his pants. Rubbing the thick meat against Kristen's thigh he would watch her squirm in disgust. "Bastard..." She cried out. "No!" Vex shouted as her clothing flew into tatters into the air and several men seemed to have already begun pulling out their rods and stroking them in front of her. Some even pushed theirs up against Vex' body. One of the men was about to push the rod into her mouth until his movements stopped. "You going to do it or should I?" A man questioned the man who would halt while Vex's eyes grew wide along with the man who would look up to see that the guy who stopped no longer had a head. The body would fall limp and the head would roll onto the ground in which the group of bandits would all cry out in terror. "What the fuck!?" Someone shouted. The boss who was about to shove his rod into Kristen stopped to look back at the sudden screams of his men only to see several more heads fly off bodies and blood spew forth. Standing up the man would zip himself up; no longer erect from the sight of his men dying after all, and looked around.

"Are you done killing my men, Stranger?" The boss stated firmly with a serious glare in his eyes. Though only a wicked laugh would echo from the shadows around, almost undetectable. Even Vex and Kristen could not pinpoint where the laughter was coming from. "No." A voice parted; Kristen knew whose it was right away and relaxed her body. Tears had been coming from her eyes; and in shock, Vex seemed to keep looking around. It was right after the voice stated 'No' did the rest of the men died the exact same way as the previous men. "Now I am." The tall dark handsome male who was dressed like a rogue moved from the shadows with a wicked grin only visible upon his face thanks to the hood. "Riyku!" Kristen shouted happily in which Riyku's eyes shifted to Kristen. The sight of her alone seemed to cause something to build up inside of him. It wasn't because he was angry with her, but because of what had become of her. Vex looked towards the man who appeared from the shadows, but could not tell it was Riyku. Perhaps only Kristen could tell since it was by his voice.

"Oh? So this whore belongs to you? Tell ya what, you can have her, but I keep the other one and we go our separate ways." The boss would attempt to strike a deal with Riyku and for a moment it looked as if Riyku was going to accept but that wasn't the case. "A whore?" Riyku would shake his head as he brought his hands up. A single gun and curved blade would appear in his hand. Though they were not the Trainee Atomic Gun or Trainee Steel Sword. No, the gun looked like your typical handgun; while the sword appeared to be something similar to a long sharp blade. The way these weapons appeared were through dim lights in a blink of an eye. It was most like from his skill Weapon Summon, but clearly, he had not used the blade or gun to kill the bandits earlier; it was something else. Angling the gun at the man he would glare at him if he could see it anyways. "Kristen is nothing of the sort. She may not be any Saint, but her heart is in the right place. I'll be damned if I let you taint what is mine!" Riyku exclaimed which caused Kristen to blush brightly and the man to burst into laughter. "You got a neat trick kid, but just because you executed my men from the shadows does not mean you can win this battle. You threw away your only advantage when you--" The man was caught off when he noticed Riyku was no longer in sight. Hastily he began to look around before looking down when he felt a strange presence from beneath. Stepping back he would avoid the sharpness of a blade, but did not anticipate the follow up of a gun. The shots would be blocked by the man's beef arms to which he growled at Riyku. It seemed Riyku had used his skill 'Shadow Surprise'. "The hell was that!? Some kind of Martial Skill? Are you Hunter?!" The man questioned both in anger and shock, but not fear.

"Hunter?" Riyku would inquire as he angled the gun back up at the man. Kristen seemed shocked by the sudden display of attack as much as Vex did. "Yeah. A Hunter, one who hunts Demons and Angels as well as other monsters." Riyku would shrug. "Who knows." This caused the man to click his tongue and reach into his back pocket to pull out some kind of cramped up piece of metal that seemed to transform into what looked like a Gunblade. Riyku had seen such a weapon in the catalog but did not actually purchase it since it would have consumed nearly all of his points to obtain. "So that's a Gunblade," Riyku stated as he lowered his gun to examine the weapon from a distance. "Damn right! However... I did not want to use it since the kick on this thing is absurd. It's not just any normal Gunblade after all. It's from the Prototype Serious: Sin." The man stated proudly as if it was his favorite toy or something.

"Sin?" Riyku would look confused, but Kristen seemed to understand completely. "Are you insane!? Do you plan to take all of the Lower Quarter with you!?" Kristen shouted though soon choked up blood afterward. "And?" The man stated before pulling the trigger on Riyku without warning. Riyku blinked rapidly before his body seemed to suddenly move on its own.

'Critical Evasion activated.'

Did he just dodge an attack that would have surely killed him? Was that was Critical Evasion was? Now he seemed more than pleased that he had this buff and bought this Gear. Kissing his teeth he glared back at the man who dashing towards him. Did it take time to recharge the shot? Maybe. Dashing forward, Riyku would bring the blade upward to clash with the Boss' before angling his own gun for the body. Pulling the trigger rapidly; bullets would fire into the man as he grits his teeth and growled shoving Riyku away before stepping back. "Bastard!" The boss shouted though Riyku was never nice about openings like this. Quickly he would dash forward again and swing the sword around in several arcs that seemed to be blocked by the Boss; it was then that he took a stance to angle his gun when the Boss jumped back in which he pulled the trigger several times.

'Active Skill Learned. Chaser Lv.1'

It seemed he learned yet another skill through simple combat like this. The crying pain from the man who fell onto one knee brought his attention back up to him. "Damn you!" The boss shouted as he angled the gun at Riyku yet again before pulling the trigger. Since it was a fifty-fifty chance with that evasion he would need to figure out something and fast. It was in that microsecond that time seemed to slow down. "What?" Riyku looked around. "Did everything stop?" He thought before taking note of the bullet still heading in his direction. "No... Everything just slowed down, but why?" It was then that a text box appeared before him again.

'Passive Skill Acquired. Chess Master Lv. 8'

"What the?" He did not understand what that meant or even why it appeared right now. Chess? Wasn't that some type of game? Why did he gain something like that? All these questions; but who knew how much time? Right... There was no time. Using whatever time he had at this moment he would rack his brain before coming up with an idea. It was then that his body vanished from spot and time seemed to resume its normal pace. The bullet flew at no target which caused The Boss as well as the girls to wonder where Riyku had gone, it was that same second that their answer was relayed. Riyku had appeared before the Boss and slammed his sword right through the neck only to rip it upward while leaping over the man and bring the blade back down through the body before tearing it out from the side while turning on his heel in a stylish manner. No, It was a stylish execution!

'Passive Skill Learned. Sword Execution Lv.1'

It was too late for the Boss to comprehend what happened, his body hit the floor with a loud thud and this left Riyku standing behind a corpse. The Gunblade also seemed to slam into the floor as well. A heavy breath escaped the male as he released his weapons to return to his inventory with weapon return before looking at Kristen and Vex. "Riyku!" Kristen called out happily as she struggled to get up. Moving to her, he would help her stand before helping her over to Vex. "You are late..." Kristen stated weakly as if she were about to cry. Not wanting to know what would have happened if Riyku had not shown up. Vex seemed awestruck, her body shivered in fear from what just happened recently. "Vex... It's alright. Riyku saved us. Everything is going to be okay now." Vex looked up at the two but did not move towards them. Instead, she just sat there shaking like a scared puppy. "Wait... this woman..." Riyku muttered. "She is from our class. She is my other teammate, Vex. Though this is a terrible time to introduce each other. Vex is going through a mental shutdown right now. I'll explain later. Please carry her, we should get out of the Lower Quarter." Kristen seemed quick to compose herself, but maybe that was before who was standing next to her. Riyku nodded and let her go easily so she could stand on her own, but moving to reach for Vex who would smack his hand away and scream, "Go away!" "Vex it's alright. I am here, Kristen... Look at me." Kristen would reach out to touch Vex lightly on the cheek which caused her to calm down just a bit. "K-Kristen?" Vex muttered softly to which Kristen nodded lightly. "Yes. We are going to get out of here now. We are safe. It's going to be okay." Kristen seemed confident of her words yet again, this confidence seemed to touch Vex to where her dead eyes lite up and tears ran down her face. "R-really!?" Vex began to sob to which Riyku hastily scooped her into his arms. "Pardon me, but we really need to get going. I doubt that was all of them." Riyku stated in which Kristen nodded. "Just hang on Vex. We are leaving now." Vex would nod as she clung to Riyku while burying her face in his chest. Was this really that strong-willed woman from his class?

Without delay, they had made it out of the Lower Quarter and at the outskirts of the Upper Quarter. "Kristen! Vex!" A voice called from afar. It was Mina. "Are you two alright!?" She shouted as she raced towards them. It seemed they had exchanged contact information a while back, but when? Well, who knew. "Thanks to this guy." Kristen pointed at Riyku to which Mina blinked. "Who?" Mina inquired as he looked up at the man. "Riyku," Kristen stated who seemed astonished. "Vex it's okay now." Kristen would tap upon her shoulder lightly, but Vex seemed to hold tight to Riyku and shake her head. "No." She whined. "No! No!" She continued. "Vex..." Kristen whispered softly. Mina had reached into a backpack she brought her with and pulled out two cloaks one she wrapped around Kristen. "Thanks," Kristen stated lightly to which Mina nodded before trying to offer Vex the other one. "Vex, You need to let go of Riyku. We are safe now. We are out of the Lower Quarter, they won't follow us up here." Kristen stated softly. "No! They were up here! They took Lira! I don't want to go through all of that again! I won't!" She seemed more traumatized than she perhaps should have been. It did not take a scientist to figure it out, but it appeared that Vex probably went through something terrible in her past.

"Vex!" Kristen shouted now which caused her to shake. "Lira is still down there. If anyone can save her it would be Riyku. The police are not going to do anything. Riyku would you please?" Riyku looked at Kristen. "I already planned on it." He replied. "See, now please Vex. Let go so Riyku can go save our friend. Please." The plea from Kristen was enough to cause her to release him to which would make sure she was capable of standing on her own two feet for releasing her fully. Mina would wrap a cloak around her to cover her up once she was able to stand. "Please... save her. I don't want Lira to go through what I did. Please..." Vex seemed to beg him to which Riyku nodded. "Of course." He replied hastily before taking off down the Lower Quarter, a serious expression on his face. "Come. I'll let you three stay at my place for tonight. I don't live far since I live off campus." Mina seemed to have called a cab which rode up next to them. "Come back safely... Riyku." Kristen stated softly before turning when Mina called out to her and entered the vehicle last.

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