Chapter 41: The Organization

John took in a deep breath, allowing the smell of morning dew to consume his nostrils. He was standing out in a field, a content look on his face as warm rays of the sun kissed his skin. Through all the troubles and issues he went through in this place, he would miss it. Sure, he was there for about three days but that was enough for it to grow on him. He wouldn't mind visiting, even if he had to put up with Marion's antagonizing demeanor.

"Goodbye, John!"

He couldn't help but smile hearing the lively shout. Sherryl was the one to call out to him. She was hopping off the ground slightly, waving energetically to him. He would miss the girl. She was definitely one of the highlights of his trip, as the rest was mostly difficult.

Beside her stood Charon, the chief of the village, who was also Ashur's uncle. Near his leg was Cassian, the chief's son as well as Ashur's nephew. Several villagers and warriors stood around them as well, however they were a bit further back.

John raised his hand, giving a hearty wave in return to Sherryl. "I'll see you around, okay? It was great meeting you!" He truly meant it. Despite the awkward circumstances of their meeting, with her proposing to Ashur and all, she was a pleasant person.

Ashur was next to John, looking back over the crowd that was watching them leave. Unlike John, he didn't say anything back, he simply locked eyes with Charon, giving him a stern nod in respect. Charon returned it with a nod of his own. With their goodbyes given, the two turned around to leave. John couldn't help but think of the pink-haired warrior Marion, as they started walking however. He didn't see him in the crowd. It wasn't too surprising, after all the pair didn't get off on the best foot. Plus, they had fought so he'd expected that to extend to his departure as well.

"Hold on!" A familiar voice called out from behind the pair. They turned, seeing Marion jogging over to them. Confusion rose in John, "What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"You forgot this." Marion replied.

John's eyes drifted over to the man's left hand. A blade inside its sheathe rested in it. He instantly recognized it as his blade. To be more precise, it was the one gifted to him by Mr. Meyers, his previous employer. Mr. Meyers had been caught up during the attack on the council building in Albeade.

The criminal organization Black Jack were the ones behind his murder, in fact, their threats were the sole reason the man hired bodyguards in the first place. Because of who he planned to support in the upcoming election, a hit had been put out on him.

Due to John's failure to protect him, as well as their heinous crime of slaughtering innocent civilians, the rest of the people in the council building, he decided to eliminate the organization.

He'd sworn to himself that he'd only draw the blade when the one responsible for his death stood before him. If it was the direct killer or the leader of the organization, it didn't matter.

John scratched the back of his head, unable to hide his embarrassment at losing such an important item. "My bad." He chuckled lightly.

Thinking back to the fight, he remembered throwing it to Sherryl, but now that he looked back on things, that may have been a poor decision. After all, she was fairly young, being 17 and all. He had expected her to be responsible but maybe that was giving her too much credit. In spite of that, he continued, "Thanks."

"No problem." Marion responded.

Suddenly, there was silence filling the air. The whole time Marion stood in front of him and Ashur. John confusedly glanced at Ashur, to see if he knew why the pink-haired man was lingering behind in silence. To his surprise, Ashur gave him a similar look, their gazes locking for a moment.

Ashur, realizing John didn't want to step up, coughed lightly to interrupt the silence. "Is there anything else, Marion?"

The man stood there, dead quiet for a couple more seconds, all the while his gaze combed over the two of them. Finally, when it seemed the silence would reach its peak, he spoke, "Yes. I just wanted to say, goodluck."

"Huh?" John hadn't meant to say that out loud, he was just so surprised. Good luck? Did this stone-cold man just express a sign of concern, or better yet, kindness. Before John could question him further, Marion turned around, walking toward the crowd who had yet to disperse.

"Thank you, Marion." Ashur said, a warm smile on his face. "We'll handle things, I promise." Marion didn't wait on his words but it was clear he'd heard from the hand he threw into the air, giving a sort of backward wave.

With their last goodbye, they started making their way up the path. John couldn't help but reflect on the encounter. A wish of good luck was definitely appreciated but coming from Marion? Unexpected to say the least. Either that meant Marion was coming around to him, or Boreas posed that much of a threat, that he wished his enemy luck.

But, then again, there was no reason those two reasons couldn't coexist. Through his unease which only grew with every step, John was prepared. Alongside his partner Ashur, they would travel to Lethal and if it was in the cards, vengeance would soon reach Boreas.

***

In a wide room, the sound of water dripping filled it, otherwise, it would have been silent. The water came from the ceiling, which had a crack in it. Inside the room were three individuals, being two men and one woman.

The woman was pacing slowly, back and forth throughout the room, silent. She was playing with her blonde-hair, which would normally be in a ponytail however it was lowered now. She twirled the strands over and over as she was walking back and forth.

A pair of bright green eyes were watching her, belonging to a man with short-cut brown hair. He was leaned back in a chair, having one leg resting under his other. Eventually, the woman's anxious movements carried on too long for his liking and he spoke. "Bonne. Would you mind slowing your role for a second?"

Hearing the man's words, Bonne stopped moving, if only to shoot a glare his way. "Clyne? Could you do me a favor?"

His head tilted slightly at the question. Her voice was calm, yet her expression gave him several warning signals of danger. Confusedly, he answered, "Sure."

"Shut your mouth. I'm thinking, so, let me think." She said with a snarl before continuing her routine pacing. Clyne let out a quiet grumble in compliance, as he swiveled his head toward the other man in the room.

Firm amber eyes met his own, belonging to a man with blue hair, the tips being a deep black. The man was Boreas, his best friend. Clyne gave Boreas a wide-eyed stare, thinking "what's up with her?" Boreas simply shrugged, as if he read his friend's mind before breaking eye contact.

As Bonne continued pacing around the room, she felt her mind going a thousand miles a minute. Currently, the three of them were supposed to be in a meeting. Apparently, the organization known as Black Jack, were sending someone to speak with them.

Previously, they had done business after all, and it seemed their relationship would only deepen from here. The only thing Bonne had to consider however, was what to do if things didn't lean in the organization's favor.

While all three of them were very powerful, with Boreas being an A rank adventurer and the pair of herself and Clyne being B Rank, Black Jack was still a threat. After all, they had outmaneuvered Ashur, an A Rank adventurer who was also kin to Boreas, being his brother.

That didn't even mention the boss of the organization, who had been a previous A Rank adventurer himself many years ago.

All these factors did nothing but bring anxiety to Bonne. When the group had initially been approached by one of the members, offering a power-boosting drug to them, she had opposed the idea; Boreas however had other plans. He took it, and then promptly utilized it to its utmost efficiency. She still shuddered at the thought of the battle that had taken place…

Suddenly, the sound of knocking interrupted her thoughts. She whipped her head forward, eyes falling on the front door of the room.

Boreas and Clyne perked up as well, as all three heightened their senses. A lone voice came from outside the door, "Hello. It's your friendly neighborhood Black Jack member here… Anyone want to let me in?"

Bonne, who was the closest to the door, glanced back to Boreas. He gave a silent nod, motioning for her to get the door. She obeyed, walking over to it and after taking a deep breath, opened it.

Behind the door was a single man, covered in a white robe from head to toe. The first details that caught Bonne's eye was his blonde hair, which poked from under the hood, and his deep-set black eyes. For some reason, as she gazed into them, a slight ebb of unease crept up her spine. She backed up instantly, silent as a mouse. The man gave her a warm smile, "Well, that's a bit rude don't you think? I would assume as a guest one would be greeted appropriately."

"Our apologies, it's a pleasure to meet you." Boreas was the one to respond to him, as he stepped forward. He walked until the two were face to face. He was taller than the man but not by a significant amount.

He reached his hand out, initiating a shake out of respect. The blonde-haired man's gaze fell from Boreas' eyes to his hand. He paused for a moment, before reaching his own hand out, and the two shook.

"Well, then, come on in." Boreas said as he turned, motioning for him to follow. The blonde-haired man did just that as Bonne slowly closed the door behind him. "What is your name?" He asked, "Mine is Boreas."

The blonde haired man responded, "It's Otis. I'm one of the executives at Black Jack."

Boreas' face suddenly brightened up after hearing the title. "Ah, well it's truly a pleasure then. So, what did you come here to speak about, Otis?"

Clyne was still leaning back in his chair, his eyes glued onto Otis intensely. The gaze didn't carry malice per se, but it had an air of wariness in them. Otis glanced over to him, locking eyes briefly; however they quickly fell back on Boreas. "Firstly, our boss was curious, would you want to join our organization?"

"Join your organization…" His voice trailed off. It wasn't because it was a dumb or even strange question, it was only natural. Given his background as a warrior, as well as recently doing business with them, it was a reasonable question. Black Jack, while appearing as a criminal organization on the surface, was a place many warriors gathered, given the strength and notoriety the name brought.

Before speaking again, he shot a quick glance to his two party members. If it was up to just him, he would have joined in a heartbeat, but he had to consult his friends first. The two of them had similar looks, being slightly wary.

He knew why Bonne was, given her more skittish and mistrusting nature, but he was surprised to see the look on Clyne. For as long as he'd known the man, since they were children, he had been ready for combat. He was one of the most enthusiastic warriors, while in training and after becoming one. It was rare that he'd turn down a fight, or mission for that matter yet here, he wasn't the first to voice his approval. Otis, picking up on the silent dialogue the three were undergoing, continued speaking. "You can think about it for now. There's no rush. I can move on to the second thing I wanted to discuss."

"Feel free." Boreas said, moving his attention back onto Otis. The blonde-haired man continued, "Our informants saw your brother,"- he said, with a finger pointed at Boreas- "at a guild building."

Boreas had been straight-laced for most of the conversation however now, his eyebrow raised. Uncontrollably, the corner of his mouth lifted up, revealing a twisted smirk. "And what happened?" He questioned.

"He found out about your work, here in Lethal. He was enraged. Apparently, he ended up fighting his fellow Adventurer, Rox over the news." Otis paused, allowing Boreas to soak in the newly acquired information.

It was like music to his ears, the most pleasant tune. This was good. He wanted the man to suffer. Seeing it was well received, Otis spoke once more, "Nothing truly came of it. Claire made an appearance as well, breaking up the fight and soon after, he left the hall. He's accompanied by another adventurer, a B-Rank called John Selvic. The two of them are on their way to this town, seemingly to exact revenge."

Let them try. Boreas thought with a smirk. To think, the series of events that happened a couple days ago would bear such fruit already. He wouldn't have known in the moment, but he didn't regret a single thing that had transpired.