The Stamiv Raid (Part 1)

Observing the doorway, the Hosteller assumes a contemplative demeanor, resting her hands beneath her chin and clenching them with such fervor that the gloves she wears fail to protect her from the resulting blood loss. She maintains a posture whereby her right foot rests on the ball of her foot, causing her leg to move slightly in an up-and-down motion. Her comrade, Ezof, occupies a seat nearby. He appears somewhat disconcerted, his countenance conveying a blend of unease and trepidation as he gazes downward.

"How long has it been since the deserter has been reported missing?" Hosteller says, seemingly to be at the thought.

"A-a w-we-eek and uhm, t-three? Three d-days..." Ezof stutters, slowly picking his eyes up at her. Hosteller slightly nods, "Oh my, a week ago? Really? Interesting," she says while Ezof just avoids eye contact by staring at the side of the room. "Interesting how confident you were about the security too. Impossible to escape at night, correct? Didn't think he'll escape in broad daylight, huh? No resistance, no report of violence? He just left? See I think that's interesting," Hosteller says, "What's also interesting is that I specifically told YOU, Ezof to bring him back as soon as he left."

Ezof coughs, "About that... I've sent #5, #3, #2, and... #1 after him..."

"Oh, interesting! Interesting! I didn't say anything about them, I said something about you! Why has it been a week, Ezof?"

"You see... I-I... Didn't think Zaban was that smart."

"How so? He's IN the top five of this village Ezof. He may not be the smartest tool in the shed but he's far from a retard Ezof. He's more clever than what he shows off."

Ezof starts thinking of multiple ways to try to answer Hosteller, finally coming up with a verdict. "Well... Why... You know... Can like... Be but... What only and... Uhh... Pears?" Ezof nervously says with a smile.

Hosteller slowly reaches for her rapier and proclaims, "It's illegal to speak about that god-forsaken fruit's existence here. Osei saw his mother nearly choke to death with it and he outlawed it in the village." Ezof bows and shivers out saying, "P-Please forgive me! I've forgotten!"

"You forget everything Ezof. I'm severely disappointed in you," Hosteller says. She balls her hands into a fist and smashes onto her desk and berating, berating Ezof, "Ludicrous behavior, Ezof! Just downright terrible! Horrible! I expected more from you!" Ezof continues to stare at the ground while Hosteller looks down at Ezof, swaying her head slightly.

"Leave my room, now. I can't even look at you right now."

Ezof flees the room after saluting, still avoiding eye contact while Hosteller stares silently at the Osei-shaped shadow. Wide-eyed, sweating, and tensing her body only for it to be imaginative. She murmurs, "He's going to kill me." before putting her head down on the table.

* [THE HUMAN FIGHTER] *

After the assassination attempt, a day has lapsed. Nylanna awakens with a start, her body twitching, as she finds herself lying in Zaban's motel room bed, breathing heavily. Upon observing the room, she notices her daggers lying on the ground and exclaims, "That imbecile has defeated me! I have never failed at a mission in my life! Furthermore, he has left my daggers in front of me! Does he think he can make a mockery out of me?!" Despite her attempts to stand, she experiences intense pain and is forced to stay in bed, clutching her abdomen. "[To add insult to injury, he has sparred with me and left me in his bed. This is intolerable. That person will suffer the consequences of his actions,]" Nylanna says while holding her gut, snarling.

Zaban opens the door eating a pear in his hand, noticing Nylanna has awoken, and says, "Oh, you're up?" Nylanna looks over to see Zaban, rapidly developing veins all over her body and in her eyes tightening her fist and berates, "You--" Before she can get a word out she tenses up and her abdomen grows in pain as she grumbles, turning to the side.

Zaban tossed her a pear, catching it, and appears to have a confused look on her face starting at the pear. "What? I gave you breakfast. A pear... That strange, tart-green apple..." Zaban says Zaban says as he chews on his pear while seated on the ground. He then scratches the back of his head in Nylanna's direction as she tries to crush the pear while writhing in agony.

"You do realize that tensing up your body while in pain is not a good idea, don't you? The best way to heal your body is to rest, relax, and breathe in with your nose and out with your mouth," Zaban advises while having a warm, genuine smile on his face and gives Nylanna a thumbs up.

Nylanna gets up from the bed and gives a smile back, then bites Zaban's thumb as hard as she can, forcing Zaban to flail his hand around and holds his thumb in pain, blowing at it.

She snorts at his pain and says, "Don't you DARE pity me, clown! You had a couple of lucky blows landed, congratulations!" Snarling at Zaban while clenching her fists even tighter than before, eyes full of complete rage. "Once I'm healed, be prepared to DIE!" she yells out before letting out a scream, flopping straight back down to the bed and clutching her belly, whining.

Zaban inhales through the nose and exhales out his mouth then looks back at Nylanna and says, "I wasn't pitying you! I didn't want to see you hurt!"

Nylanna starts getting irritated, rolling off the bed and hitting the floor to crawl to her daggers. "You... Won't keep me as a hostage! I see now! I'll rather die than ever submit to anyone!" she says, her abdomen growing in pain but chooses to ignore it to try to reach for her daggers before Zaban just picks them up and places them on a table as the silent, vengeful Nylanna just stares at Zaban being this petty.

"Oh, you bitch!"

"Listen... Lady? I just want to ask you a question!"

Nylanna gave Zaban dazed looks and laughed, responding, "Kiss. My. A-" Before she can finish, her stomach begins intensifying as she clenches her teeth and frowns.

"Look, ma'am..."

"Ma'am? Do I look old to you? I'm only one hundred and fifteen years old! Twenty-two in human years!"

Zaban gasps and yells out, "You're over one hundred years old?!" Nylanna mocks Zaban's exact words and responds by saying, "Yes doofus. Have you been living under a rock? Elves grow mature in the beginning, slowly slow down in the middle stage, then only reach adulthood at one hundred. It's basic knowledge."

Zaban expressed surprise with widened eyes and asked, "You're an elf?!" He then covered his mouth with his hands while Nylanna's expression conveyed a mixture of bewilderment, concern, and irritation. Nylanna responded, "Yes, indeed... I am a Drow, a unique type of elf. It appears you are even more idiotic than I anticipated..."

Zaban puts his hand under his chin, whispering under his breath, or at least he thinks he is but in reality, he says it out loud, "A Drow... Is that why you can do magic?" Nylanna simply stares at the ground and shakes her head. "[H-How... Did I suffer a defeat to a human... Especially a human with the brain power not even enough to fit a mere raisin...]" she mutters, filled with confusion and disappointment.

"Why are you insisting on keeping me alive?"

"I want to ask some questions... But for now, can you just relax and eat the pear?"

Nylanna curiously gazes at Zaban, examining him closely. To her surprise, she notices that his cuts have healed and his arms wound has reduced in size, while his tattoo is faintly sparkling. Confused, Nylanna ponders, "[Hmm, I wonder how he healed so quickly... Maybe he's not entirely human? No, he certainly is human with his human appearance and everything but he seems quite peculiar...]"

Zaban looks over his body and back at her, raising an eyebrow, "Something wrong?" Nylanna simply sighs and crawls back to the bed, taking the pear and munching on it. "You're lucky I'm hurt... And hungry," she says causing Zaban to smile.

"Cool! So, first off-"

"You're going to ask why I was going to kill you?"

"No. That was going to be my third question. What is Psy-Ki?"

Nylanna gives Zaban a nonchalant look, not surprised by his simple thinking. Rolling her eyes and answers, "Fine. I'll play your little game. Psychi is the energy flowing within us. It can be awakened through consistent intense workouts or fighting many times in one's life. The physical benefits are only available after awakening it, but it can be further developed with training and can even unveil the individual's Psychi type and techniques."

Zaban stares into his hands, asking, "Did I awake my Psychi?" Nylanna noms on her pear and nods, "Of course, but it's different. You shouldn't be able to receive this much power from just awakening it Nonetheless, your Psychi is not nearly as powerful as it could be if you activate it," she answers.

Zaban clenches his fist, "Ok then... How do I activate it?"

"First step is to figure out that Psychi exists which you already completed... Wait, is that seriously your third question?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why is learning about Psychi more of a priority than the reasoning behind why I am attempting to kill you?"

"Because in my village, I never was taught this. I didn't even know pears existed or there are other species here that can live over a hundred years! More interesting than some stupid assassination plot."

"It's just that... Human by nature usually yearns to survive and conquer as long as they can but for you... It's as if you are foolhardy about your own life even when it is critical danger."

Zaban shrugs, "Sounds a bit weird that you give an entire species like humans a specific label but whatever. I just want to be an adventurer and do magic spells like you did. You know, be a folk hero and be an inspiration that if you have a goal you should strive for it and not wait for it to come to you... I had those weird dreams about dragons constantly and it feels like it was my purpose, my calling, you know? I was conflicted if escaping my village was worth it but then you showed up and reignited by adventurous nature!"

Nylanna gets into deep thought about his words and sways her head, completely dismissing them. "...Is it that straightforward? No substance or anything? You are truly a simple-minded being," she says.

"And why is that a problem? Not everything needs to be detailed. I simply just want to go on a journey even if I have no fucking idea what I am doing," Zaban responds, causing Nylanna to stop mid-way on her pear and then tossing it to him.

"How can you even call yourself a hero if your intentions aren't to protect but solely to fulfill your boredom? Know what, I've had enough of this. I'm done listening," she says as she stands up, groaning in pain.

"Woah! Maybe you should rest a bit longer?" Zaban says, putting his hand on her shoulder but she shows her teeth, threatening to bite again, making Zaban shiver and let go.

Nylanna, incapacitated and in discomfort, maneuvers her daggers and retrieves them, all while cradling her stomach. "I suggest that you refrain from offering pitiful empathy towards my current condition, as I am neither your associate nor your advisor," she declares before proceeding towards the exit and unlatching it.

"Before I leave this building. I demand your full attention, Zaban," Nylanna states firmly as she turns her head and gives him a withering look. "I do not care about your lack of understanding of your Psychi but know this, I will pursue you relentlessly and make you pay for your mistakes. Although I am incapable of taking action at the present moment, I assure you that justice will be served. Remember the name, Nylanna Shadowleaf as it will be the last name you will ever hear, I guarantee it. Take heed of my warning, Zaban." With that, she slams down the object before her forcefully.

Zaban remains tight-lipped, eating his pear. "Edgy... At least she got a pretty name," he says.

Meanwhile, at Fandous' household, he simply is just enjoying himself in his pool, wearing a speedo and swimming elegantly while Mol and plenty of henchmen are cringed and disgusted at watching this.

Fandous swims backward while eyeing Mol, "Why the wait? Come in, nephew! You used to love to go swimming!"

Mol holds in his puke and shakes his head in disappointment, muttering under his breath, "Well uncle, after seeing this I think I have thalassophobia..." Mol closes his eyes and turns around. "Uncle! Why has it taken Nylanna too long to report her mission," Mol complained.

"No idea... That is odd. She usually completes her mission within hours. Maybe she's trying to locate Zaban? I thought he could be in the same city," Fandous said.

Mol and the henchmen give each other nervous glances. "Or maybe... She could be dead, uncle?" Mol sighed, immediately causing Fandous to chuckle. Fandous facepalms and laughs out, "Please, Nylanna can't be defeated by a nobody let alone be killed by the said nobody!"

"But uncle! He's different! He's human with GOLD eyes! I never seen anything like it!"

"The guy can have silver, red, purple, bronze, or hell, fucking midnight obsidian dark black or something. Nylanna is from the Shadowleaf clan. A clan made of nothing but the best assassins and I brought the cheapest one available and look at her! Kill all our enemies in an instant! We have nothing to fear! Now quit your yapping and give me a towel!" Fandous shouted.

One henchman with blonde hair and glasses on tilts his head. "Pardon me, but sir, did you say this human had gold-like eyes?"

Mol covers his eyes while hesitantly passing Fandous the towel before looking back at the henchman. Fandous grabs the towel and exits the pool, lifting an eyebrow at the henchman and questioning, "Yes! He had gold eyes and a weird tattoo. Why'd you ask?"

The henchman grins, saying, "Oh dear. It appears our Drow friend is in more danger than we thought. That human might have a Psychi curse on him, unfortunately... Who knows, maybe he already finished her off and seeks to have your head, sir."

Fandous puts his hand under his chin, "How can you be so sure? Nylanna is-"

"Consider and utilize intellectual faculties. The individual possesses noteworthy traits such as gold irises, unconventional body art, and impressive combative capabilities. Undoubtedly, he bears a curse of some sort. We must provide aid to Nylanna, as failure to do so could result in dire consequences for the Shadowleaf clan upon learning of their youngest female assassin's demise at the hand of a cursed entity," the henchman says, completely downing his beverage full of alcohol and wiping his mouth, face reddening. The henchman stands and approaches Fandous, giggling, "Wouldn't you agree, sir?"

Fandous thinks and reflects on how intimidating Nylanna's family is, especially her mother and brother. "Mol... You might be right... We need to take care of this guy now! Troops! I order you all to head to Haverstale Town! NOW," he commands as all the henchmen nod while Mol nervously smiles.