The night came and went. I stayed up a bit late practicing a few things, including the new Ether String magic and Ivorshroud, which put me in a not so great state. It was fine though. Nothing a bit- okay, a lot of coffee couldn’t fix.

  Which is how I found myself here, standing in a coffee shop just down from Tlacauli. The Quetzl Brew coffee shop, capable of reviving even a myth if their slogan was to be trusted. “N!”

  ”…!” I headed to the counter and grabbed a freshly brewed cup of divine blessing.

  There seriously wasn’t anything like coffee in the world, or any world for that matter. I was so depressed back when Serhymn’s Coffea plants all died out. I guess that was just preparing me for the next several hundred years of pain, though.

  I sipped the cup and headed for Tlacauli. The bouncers let me in easy enough. It was super early in the morning, so the club wasn't even open yet. There were a few workers here and there preparing, though it was a much more casual vibe then when the place was loaded to the top.

  “Miss Nyx!” An elven bartender called out to me. Her long black hair draped around her, done up like a crown. “You’re sure here early.”

  ”Not by. Choice.” I approached the bar and croaked out.

  Her face immediately lit up red all the way to her long ears. “Your voice! You sound so beautiful. Your injury is finally on the mend?”

  I nodded my head. “Pursius?”

  ”Ah! The boss isn’t in yet. Should be coming through soon.” The elf smiled, her eyes crinkling into charming half moons. “You’re welcome to sit around and wait. Can I get you anything?”

  “…” I lifted my coffee cup in answer and took a seat at the bar. She smiled one last time at me before heading off to finish prepping for the day.

  Ten minutes later, the door clattered open. Francis entered and held it wide for a familiar looking woman with golden highlights across her face. Her calculating golden eyes immediately snapped to me sitting at the bar, and put on a professional smile. She looked a little familiar? Where though…

  Just behind her, Pursius walked into the bar like he owned the place- oh… right, he did. He spotted me and his tail shot straight out in surprise. “Nyax?!”

  “…” I waved at the Miix. Why was everyone so surprised to see me awake? I could get up early… I just chose not to on most days.

  [Nighteye covers a snicker with her paws. You sleep just like one of us.]

  Look- sleep was just easy, okay? Most of the time, anyway. I didn’t have to think or remember, and the hours would tick on by. That, and I didn't have to deal with mornings. They were always the worst.

  That might have to change now though. I actually had some responsibilities to take care of once again as Cernobog Industries flagship Warden. Maybe I should get back into my old habits?

  The cat lifted himself up with telekinesis, floating over to me much quicker than the woman or Francis could cross the club. He popped himself up onto the bar, stalking in front of me. He spoke in his native tongue. “I thought I’d have to call you and remind you to get here.”

  “Respon-sible.” I patted my chest in a mock Knight's Salute.

  The cat sat down and waved a paw at me. “Sure, sure… at night. In the day though? I mean, your two aliases are literally Moon and Nyx. What part of that has to do with the day?”

  [Nighteye points at herself as if to emphasize Pursius’s words.]

  ”…” They might have a point. It’s not my fault night-time was just superior.

  The other two approached. Pursius shifted the translator back on and spoke in common. “This is Miss Thariya, your contact for this job.”

  Ah! I remembered now. Obsidio’s little job at the museum. Dunno how that one slipped my mind… why didn’t they just say Obsidio though? I would’ve instantly pieced that together. Not like he was a forgettable person.

  Thariya nodded to me. “Nyx. You seem to be well.”

  “…” I sipped my coffee and watched her through my mask. I still didn’t like her. Merchants always had some angle to be playing, even if the world was ending around them.

  “As quiet as the last time, I see.” She put on a smile once more, though it looked a little strained. Guess she wasn’t used to quiet people? “Well, Pursius… It’s been a pleasure.”

  ”Indeed. Bring her back in one piece." The cat casually meowed.

  ”Of course.” Miss Thariya nodded to the door. “Well then, are you ready to go?”

  “Bye.” I waved to Pursius and slid out of the bar stool.

  “Cya in a few hours. Don’t brutalize the poor guy too badly, yeah?” Purius yawned and then motioned to Francis. The gruff guard picked him up like precious cargo and headed for the back halls.

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  I followed Miss Thariya out to a parking garage. Both of her goons stood at the doors of a hova, waiting for us. She waved them off with a casual hand. The slight tremble to it suggested something that I was honestly too tired to try and figure out. They silently moved off to hold a perimeter around the area.

  I noticed on the way over here, but she seemed incredibly stressed. Although she hid it well, she definitely wasn’t on a noble’s level of acting and hiding intentions. Her movements were just a bit too stiff, and her eyes kept darting around like she expected an attack to come at any time.

  She reached into the hova and grabbed a purse, though popped out before entering. “Just a second… We're a bit early. Mind if we go over the plan?”

  “Obsidio?” He seemed like her preferred Anarch. I was very much so shouldn’t be her first choice.

  ”Busy grinding… his goon, Jaguar Jack, awakened, so they haven't stopped running rifts in over a week.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She lifted it to her mouth, and her thumb slid back to reveal a chrome lighter. “Want one?”

  ”…” I shook my head. Never really got into smoking. The scent always bugged me.

  She shrugged and took a drag of the smoldering white stick. She looked at me for a moment and then ran a hand through her hair, brushing it to the side.“You seem like the kind of person to like honesty.”

  ”Yep.” Sure made things easier. Honesty was the best policy unless it wasn’t.

  ”I need this done perfectly. I don’t care if you beat Bombastic Bowman into a bloody pulp in front of all his fans as long as he’s alive. Humiliate him as much as you want.” She took another drag of the cigarette. “The people I represent need you to get a reaction out of him.”

  “What kind?”

  “If he flees, doubles down, or even goes into a rampage doesn’t matter. Just any reaction.” She shrugged and leaned back, looking at the sky. “They want to see if he’s worth continued corporate investment.”

  I could do that. Just defeating him the last time seemed to make the guy angry. He shot arrows at me well after the helicopter flew out of range. Not to mention all the arrows poor Obsidio blocked for me.

  She finished her cigarette and tossed the smoldering remains to the ground. “Boys! Load up!”

  The two goons came back, following her into the cabin of the hova. The cabin had been reworked since the last time I was in it. There was a table setup in the middle now, with a 3D model of a street. A toy store seemed to be the center of all the planning.

  Miss Thariya received a boba tea from one of her guards and slurped it through a straw. “So, let’s go over the plan…”

  — — —

  Bombastic Bowman stood on a stage with the cheering adoration of dozens of fans. I casually watched from a coffee shop across the street. Although he was a small-time Warden, he had a strong and surprisingly large base of loyal fans. To be honest, it wasn’t hard to see why. The guy had a charming smile.

  And, from what I saw on the Grid while waiting for the whole ceremony to start, he was doing well for himself. He was officially promoted to a D-rank Warden, which was higher than seventy-five percent of all Wardens within Bastion. He wasn’t just another Goblin too scared to fight—he was the real deal. It made me really look forward to the battle to come.

  I watched a couple of his rift clears on… um… what were they called again? They were videos, but of old streams. Nighteye, a little help?

  [Nighteye’s tail twitches to the side. So now you want help with keeping up on modern terms? It’s VOD.]

  Right. I watched some of his VODs. He changed a bit since the fight at the museum. He’d completely dropped the tacky black trenchcoat. Now he wore a simple over the shoulder cloak done in urban grays and blues. He looked like a guy off the street, and not some wannabe Warden wearing a homemade costume.

  He still wasn’t quite right though. I couldn’t place it, but there was just something wrong with the way the guy acted and fought. Almost like he was forcing himself to be something he wasn’t? He was good enough to solo clear rifts, but his movements were super stilted from what I saw? Maybe a change of weapon would help him?

  I stood up and headed out of the coffee shop, casually sipping at my drink under my mask. I was back in full Nyx attire, complete with black hoodie and jeans. The hood was pulled up over my head, hiding all of my hair and any distinguishable feature.

  I even attached Ebonshroud to ensure the hood wouldn’t blow off no matter what. It ended up looking like I had horns curling around the sides of my head, but whatever. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about my unruly hair blowing out and distracting me anymore.

  ”… commemorate Wardens all over Bastion. This time, it’s Bombastic Bowman!” The owner of the toy store paused as applause broke out up and down the street. “Bowman, do you have anything you wish to say?”

  The man stepped up, flashing his characteristic charming smile. “First off, thank you to my loyal supporters! I wouldn’t be here without you guys! Seriously, every time I see one of your comments and encouragements, it makes my days a little easier.”

  [Nighteye covers her ears. How sappy can you be?]

  Should I go now? The plan was pretty straightforward. Thariya wanted me to go in right in the middle of his speech and make a dramatic entrance. She suggested taking someone in the crowd hostage or threatening to blow a bomb. I wasn’t one for drama like that though. They were paying me to attack him, not do a whole song and dance.

  I formed a guantlet of Ebonshroud and confidently moved for the stage set up on the blocked off street. Most eyes were on the long-winded speech given by Bombastic Bowman, so no one tried to stop me. At least, until I neared the stairs up onto the stage.

  ”Stop!” A guard called out and dropped his hand onto his gun.

  Before he or any of the other guards could do anything, black abyssal tar shot out from the ground underneath me. It cocooned the guards, wrapping them in the stuff and forcing them to their knees. They all dropped out of my way without even being able to do anything. I pulled the Ebonshroud layer back slightly, freeing their heads while keeping the rest of their bodies caged up. The more eyes on the scene, the better.

  “… my honor that—“ Bombastic’s eyes immediately snapped to the disturbance. They widened for a moment, and his speech abruptly cut off. “You! What are you doing here?!”

  I moved up the stage and stopped just on the edge. It seemed he remembered me. Should I feel bad I couldn’t remember him, and yet he could remember a faceless henchman to a low-tier Anarch? Nah, I had way too many foggy memories to sort through in the first place. We weren’t even comparable.

  Neither of us made a move yet. The tension slowly built and built with each passing moment. Even the crowd around us started to shift away once they realized something was going wrong. The toy store owner slowly slunk back away from the stage.

  Bombastic steeled his spine. His voice deepened, and he puffed up his chest. ”Under the power invested in me by Throne, I’m placing you under arrest, Anarch. Surrender.”

  “…” Ebonshroud flowed down my arm. Unlike in the past, I didn’t need to hide the motions anymore. It freely flowed over my hoodie like blood. Sharp gasps filled the air from the crowd as the substance dripped down into a cursed-looking longsword. It was a pale imitation of my sword from back in Serhymn.

  With a pulse of ether, he summoned his bow, though made no move to aim it. It seemed he still wanted a peaceful resolution. His eyes shifted in worry to the crowd, and he made subtle motions to them to back away. “Anarch. Let’s take this somewhere else-“

  Plap!

  I slapped the gauntlet against Bombastic Bowman’s face. His head arched to the side in surprise and the Ebonshroud gantlet clattered to the ground. All noise abruptly cut off, and it seemed like everyone held their breath at the great disrespect.