Mia and I will serve as bait

Kiara explains that if any random adventurer stands in front of Fabe’s guild and asks for Fabe to reveal himself, the chance is high that Fabe will just stay hidden or escape through a backdoor or something. Rather, we need someone that Fabe wants to reveal himself for. I explain that Fabe and I used to be rivals. Admittedly, that was before I got my rank. Now that I’m an A-rank and he’s a D-rank, I doubt he would want for face me 1 on 1. But Kiara assures me it will be fine. A scoundrel like Fabe would more likely distract me while one of his friends shoots me with an arrow in the back. The point is not to challenge Fabe, but to have his guild members distracted as the other adventurers surround them.

Mia says that it could work. I have always been good friends with Oliver and often stood up for him when Fabe bullied him. It would make sense for me to show up to Fabe after Oliver’s inn got burned down. The only thing to make it even more realistic is if she were to challenge him too, as Mia herself also always stood up for Emma. Kiara agrees that both of us challenging him would be the best option. Kiara herself will be using one of her skills to make her fly and follow us overhead. That way she can track us and interfere if things go sideways.

Later that night, when darkness has fallen, we put our plan into motion. Mia and I go on ahead like planned. We walk through the cobblestone streets, wearing robes over our armor. As we cross into the northern district, the atmosphere noticeably changes. The houses and buildings look a lot more decrepit, like people have not been bothering to fix the wooden doorframes and window sills.

At one moment, a few children walk up to us, explaining they were hungry and if we had some money to spare. I instinctively reached for my pocket and took out some copper for them, but that only convinced other people to flock around us and beg for money as well. I couldn’t believe how easily it was for me to get myself surrounded like that. I was such a fool.

Mia decided to scare them off with some fire magic. The people quickly noticed we were adventurers and decided to flee. Unfortunately, that meant we had now revealed ourselves as targets for a potential mugging. I decided to focus on my hearing and a few streets further, I was noticing footsteps following us. The next time we made a turn, I asked Mia to stop and we waited just behind the corner. The footsteps following us became more and more noticeable. Once they were close enough, I both drew my sword with my right hand and summoned an ice sword with my left hand. I stepped out from behind the corner and revealed myself to our pursuers. It were 3 adventurers, each with their weapons already drawn. They were surprised to realize I had noticed them. I then used my [Dual Strike] skill and slash each sword 2 times in quick succession, each strike aimed at their weapons. The muggers quickly get scared and run away.

“Damn, good thing you heard them.” Mia says. “Imagine they caught up to us.”

“Yeah.” I say as I make my ice sword turn back to water and let it fall on the ground. “It makes me wonder how Wendy was able to survive in this place.”

“Who is Wendy?” Mia asks.

As we continue towards Fabe’s guild, I tell her that Wendy is one of the people I trained with in the castle. A B-rank adventurer who grew up in this part of the city. By the time in finish my story, we had arrived at the place where Fabe’s guild is supposed to be. We walk out of a street into what seems to be a wide street. Something where a small market could be set up, or some adventurers could have a private duel. On the other side of the street stands a building with blue roof tiles that looks like a bar. There are a lot of people present, hurrying to load crates into carts. If this place is indeed where Fabe’s guild is, then Kiara was right about us needing to strike tonight. They are already preparing to disappear to a different hideout. Well, time for us to stall them.

Mia and I walk up to the nearest cart. Several of the people loading it notice us and one of them asks, “What are you two looking at?” with a scowl on his face.

“We are here for Fabe.” Mia answers.

“There is no Fabe here.” The rough man replies. “Now scram.”

I pull my robe’s hood off my head and say, “We know Fabe is here. Hand him over and you can continue moving out your stuff. If you don’t …” Then I raise my left hand and summon some water from my magic ring, which I use to summon a [Water Ball]. I cast it onto the cart with enough **** to cause it to shake. The commotion caught the attention of the other people. All their eyes are now on me. I glance up for a moment, not too obvious of course, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kiara, but I didn’t notice her. I do hope she is keeping an eye on me, and on the other adventurers getting into position.

From amongst the ruffians, someone walks out and looks at us with a smug face. I almost didn’t recognize him. Fabe has always been a tall and muscular guy. But now, it seems like his muscles have melted away, leaving him quite thin. It actually pains me to see how something as simple as a **** addiction can so devastate a person’s physique.

“Well there, the big bad Mister Darx is here. I’m surprised you showed yourself around these parts. I figured an A-rank like your amazing self would stay where it is clean.” Fabe says in a mocking tone.

I decide to throw an insult back at him and say, “As they say, if you want to capture a pig, you need to get down into the mud with them.”

My mockery of him seems to hit a nerve as Fabe gets angry. “The only pig here is that fat friend of yours! Not only did that bastard steal my girl, he also stole my child! And you 2 fuckers helped him do it!” Fabe yells at us, his face red with anger. “Yeah, I remember when they left Merton. The both of you told me they fucked off to Tristanis. Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were actually hiding out in Riledo this whole time. Here I was, putting effort in raising money so I could go over there and take my woman and child back, while I could have done that months ago! Did you really think I was such a fool that I would never figure it out?!”

This time it is Mia who smirks and says, “I remember when I kicked you in the balls. Wanna try that again?”

That got Fabe’s guildmates to snicker, angering him even further.

“You’ve gone too far at burning that inn, Fabe. The old couple had nothing to do with this, and now they’ve lost their home.” I announce to both him and all of his guildmembers. “It’s time to take you in.” That is when I throw my robe off, revealing myself to be in full adventurer gear and draw my sword. Mia copies me and throws off her robe as well. “Come quietly and we will leave your guild alone.”

Fabe and his friends don’t have armor anywhere close to ours. They are mostly wearing leather clothes, with maybe the occasional guy wearing some old chain mail. Mia instead wears scale mail armor and I wear a brigandine. Most of them even stare at us wide-eyed when they see our armor gleaming in the streetlights.

I honestly don’t really expect either Fabe or his guildmembers to let me have things go my way. I just need more time for the other adventurers. What’s taking them so long, by the way? I look to my left and see one street where our reinforcements could be coming from. On our right, from the other side of the square is a second street. Then behind Fabe is a the last way out. That’s four streets all coming to this one spot and if we are not careful, Fabe may yet escape.

“Pfft, you think I’m stupid?” Fabe calls out to us. “You’re a freaking A-rank now. Not that you deserve it, of course. But I’m too smart to throw myself into an unfair battle.”

All of a sudden, I hear a glass bottle shatter behind me. Mia and I both turn around and see the shards of a broken bottle, together with a blue liquid seeping out over the streets. A weird scent quickly finds its way to my nose. It is not some kind of toxic gas, is it? If it is, it smells weirdly pleasant. What is Fabe’s game here? Then, suddenly, I notice my mind getting filled with ideas of sex. Filling me with an urge to grope Mia and kiss her, as well as my dick becoming raging hard. I then remember a conversation I had with Cal when I first saw him again. Back then, Fabe was already dealing in vials of **** containing a blue liquid whose scent would cause a man to become horny. And now I’ve been exposed to it.

I quickly push Mia away and say, “Keep away from me.” After which I walk back and towards the open square behind me.

“What’s the matter, Darx?” Fabe mocks me. “Something going out of control?”

This isn’t good. My dick is so hard it hurts. It practically demands to be let out and be attended to.