Nova Shines Brightly Through Midnight

"Hold up!" Droh called out, stopping them both from leaving the room. He stole a glance from Deus as he asked. "Are you sure about this? I don't know what Mercer will want. It could be super dangerous. I know we've been through a bit already, but you don't owe me anything. I barely even know you."

"Super dangerous?" Deus smirked, "I sure hope so, it would be boring if it wasn't. Come on, no more putting this off… We need to go meet Mercer, deal with him, and get it over with."

With a grin, Deus added on. "You can't get rid of me that easily, you know?"

Droh stood in the middle of the room for a moment as he slowly accepted everything. "Hm—Maybe you're right."

"Of course I am, when am I not?" Deus laughed as he headed for the door, unlocking the hinges and taking a deep step out as Droh followed close behind him, a bag of tools and supplies strapped to his back.

---

Night had finally arrived, encapsulating the entirety of Midnight beneath a shroud of violet blood, an awful hue of crimson and amethysts poisoning the sky.

A dark corridor opened up to reveal a crowd of unsavory people, from human greed to devilish baleful desire. Such was normal within Direfell, and it seemed this sort of crowd flourished here.

Droh led Deus through the darkened streets, finally arriving before a lit door, a sheen of red mixed with blue, glowing out into the streets.

'So this is that Nova den, huh? Brighter than I'd expected.' Deus pondered to himself as he was led inside, passing by rough-looking security guards without any trouble, all Droh had to do was drop Mercer's name.

As they entered, the sound of blaring music could be heard, but it wasn't anything like what Deus was used to. The sound of electronics, as if a machine was processing away, could be heard, mixed with some odd unpleasant singing, as if scraping two rocks together. The bar patrons seemed to be in a daze as smoke paraded through the air, dancing from one sense to another.

'A drug den?'

"Deus, over here!" Droh shouted out as he yanked on his arm, trying to make himself louder than the music, but failing. The two of them wandered through Nova for some time, searching from one corner of the room to the other, both unable to spot Mercer.

It didn't take long for them to get pulled into the crowd, pushed from one place to another as they seemed to be caught in a current of water. By sheer luck, the two of them stayed together, without being separated too far from one another.

One of the men who had accompanied Mercer down into the slums previously could be seen in the corner, shouting and drawing their attention. Without any concern for others, he pushed through the crowd of people, arriving next to Droh.

"You're Droh, right? Mercer is waiting for you." He glanced over at Deus and asked, "Is this guy with you?"

"Y-yes, he's with me…" Droh stuttered out through bated breath. The anxiety from prior had once more overtaken him as he went along.

"...Fine, hurry along, and don't fall behind. I'll take you to him."

Deus and Droh followed behind the man as he led them through the sea of people, smoke rising to the roof as the music continued to rave on.

At the back, the three of them stopped before a side door as their guide talked with one of the men who stood guard.

They followed the guide in, the sound of music becoming more muffled the further in they went. 'What is this place? Some kind of private meeting spot?'

"Mister Mercer is expecting you, head on in." The guide said as he pointed off toward one of the doors. "Don't start any trouble, that is if you know what's good for you."

Afterward, the guide who led them to this backroom headed back out, leaving the two of them alone as they stood outside the room.

"Should we just head in?" Deus asked. "I don't think there's any going back now, anyways."

Droh nodded his head as he walked over toward the door. He grabbed the handle and carefully pulled it open, revealing the room on the other side. Mercer sat at a table in the back with a few others, as several people walked around the room, bringing plates back and forth from the table. Cheerful shouts and declarations could be heard from within as Droh and Deus slowly approached.

"Ah, damn! You win again ya' bastard!" Mercer shouted out as he tossed a handful of cards onto the table in a huff. Lifting a glass to his lips, Mercer's attention was stolen by his two new guests. "Droh? About damn time, come, sit down with us, play a game."

"Eh, Mercer… I thought you needed me for something a bit more... Dangerous?" Droh asked in a puzzled voice, clearly surprised by everything.

The others who sat at Mercer's table all looked up toward Droh as they lightly chuckled, Mercer included.

"What, you don't think playing cards with me is dangerous enough?" Mercer rolled his tongue as he gulped down his beverage. "You think I'm some sort of soft target, is that it? You think I wouldn't shoot you dead if you cheated me?"

"Now now Mercer," a second person at the table spoke up, chastising him. "He didn't mean it like that... Why you gotta go and bust him like that?"

With a scoff, Mercer changed attitudes and beckoned. "No need to rush it, kid, our last guest hasn't even arrived yet. Speaking of which, isn't that the guy who was with you last time? I thought it was just some coincidence, but clearly, it's not…"

He paused for a moment as he stared off with Deus. "Hold on, are my eyes deceiving me? Aren't you that guy who the entire sector is talking about? You know, right guys?" He nudged toward his other guests. "The man even that freak Captain took notice of... You have to be one special guy for him to take notice of. So my question is—Why the hell are you hanging out with this kid?"

Deus tried to cut in. "Droh, is he—"

Before he could finish his thought, Mercer interrupted again with a distasteful question. "Oh, maybe you're just using him? Now there's a thought. Makes sense, The Faun aren't really useful beyond that, I guess."

"Mercer!" Droh shouted out in anger. "You can insult me but don't insult my friend… Just tell me what you wanted from before, and we'll be on our way."

Everyone paused for a moment, turning their attention to Mercer's reply. "Hmph, whatever. You're lucky that I'm on official business this time, kid. Right, I did want to talk to you, but as I said, our main guest hasn't arrived yet."

"Wait, who is it?" Droh asked, sensing the air turning.

"Heh, it's… Well, you already know who. Don't worry though, he's got a great offer for the both of you. You know, he was ecstatic to hear you're still in town. But don't you worry, I kept my promise—I didn't tell Roland that you're still alive and well."

"Who did you… Wait, no! What if he decides to tell Roland about me? Did you even think about my situation before calling me here?"

Everyone went quiet as Droh shouted at Mercer. "How can you be so selfish! This is my life on the line… Roland will not hesitate to..."

"Shut up, brat!" Mercer fired back, smacking the table as he shot up. "It wasn't my choice that brought you back to this place, now was it? If you had simply disappeared as you had intended from the start, you wouldn't be in this situation. The truth is, I don't even care what history you've got with Roland or anyone for that matter... The boss says he needs you for a job, so you're going to help. Don't like it? Well, just try and run—but I promise you this—you won't get far."

Cutting through the awkward tension, the door once more slid open. A voice called out to both of them, walking in without any hesitation. "Whew, what a predicament we're in, huh? Long time no see, little Faun."

"Elias… No, mister Moruga." Droh stuttered out, his face void of all color. "Does Roland—"

"Does my Lord know that you're here, in Direfell? Heh, not yet. Don't you think it would've been him walking in here if he did, instead of little ol' me? Truth be told, when Mercer informed me as to your location I was gobsmacked. I had always thought you were smarter than this, but it seems I gave you too much credit. Eh, doesn't matter… Just do this job for me, in exchange I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Droh, what's going on?" Deus mumbled under his breath.

Droh turned his face slightly and, in a quiet tone, replied to Deus's question. "His name is Elias Moruga. He's Roland's newest right-hand man. Without a doubt, you can say that he's the real deal."

"So, who is this man, and why is he here?" Elias asked as he pointed at Deus.

Mercer spoke up as he hand-gestured around. "Oh yes, Mister Elias! This man is the one who the entire sector is going on about. Do you know the guy who that Captain tried to recruit? Well, allow me to introduce him."

"Oh, is he now?" Elias asked in astonishment, clearly caught off guard by this sudden revelation. "That monster only recognizes someone with—" He paused, changing the topic. "Hold on, why don't I know this guy's name? Especially if that man took notice of him."